Computers have improved car speed through traction control, torque vectoring, active aero and suspension, and other features. Though Lamborghini has been experimenting with active alignment control, which is currently shaving several seconds off a prototype’s lap time, they haven’t yet fully capitalized on where the rubber meets the road.
This technology, dubbed a “Active Wheel Carrier,” was put to the test by Car and Driver at the Nardo handling course in Italy using a Lamborghini Huracan Evo. Such a mechanism makes sense because street alignment settings affect track performance and vice versa. Beyond tire wear, extreme settings can also affect drivability. However, when you can technologize, why compromise?
Chief technological officer of Lamborghini Rouven Mohr detailed the active alignment to the publication, stating that Audi had previously experimented with the technology. Toe and camber settings are adjusted with a novel type of hub that has two rotating flanges powered by 48-volt motors. At up to 60 degrees per second, they may adjust camber by eight degrees, or as much as 5.5 degrees of negative camber, and toe by up to 6.6 degrees. In other words, everything is responding instantly.
For road cars, the toe is normally kept at zero to minimize tire wear (this causes issues for Rivian owners), however, a small amount of toe is helpful to get the fastest lap time. Toe-out, on the other hand, improves agility. Toe-in, with the tires pizza rather than French-fried, increases stability. Even though it sacrifices some straight-line stability, camber ensures that your car makes the most of its contact patch when the body rolls during a corner. According to reports, Lamborghini claims that a car may increase cornering force by 25% if it can maintain all of these settings at their optimal levels during a turn.
What that accomplishes, according to Car and Driver, is that it gives their driver greater confidence to drop their lap time by 4.8 seconds since they sense better grip in slower turns and more stability in faster ones. The factory drivers of Lamborghini reportedly gained 2.8 seconds in a single lap. Given that the comparable Huracan Technica lapped in 2:36, that would represent a roughly 2 percent improvement over the course of the lap. On paper, it might not seem like much, but it might be a minute.
According to Lamborghini, the system may also enable better-balanced tire settings and softer springs, which would improve ride quality. However, it is extremely complicated and needs to be refined in conjunction with other performance improvements, such as active aerodynamics and stability control, neither of which the prototype is said to have had.
The Huracan’s replacement is one possibility, though it’s unclear when the technology may be applied to a road vehicle. It is anticipated to make its debut in 2024 and has a twin-turbo V8 with plug-in hybrid power and a potential redline of 10,000 rpm. It’s impossible to avoid thinking that the chassis will catch up to the engine given how much faster it is improving.
