Delphi Engineers Active Engine Mounts

There are few things in this world as interesting as Magneto Rheological (MR) fluid. Basically iron ore in an oil suspension, the fancy fluid can change viscosities almost instantaneously when subjected to a magnetic field. First used in automotive applications as a damper fluid, the stuff allowed Chevrolet, Cadillac, and Ferrari to incorporate varying degrees of damping resistance into their cars by fitting shock absorbers filled with MR fluid. Flipping a switch on the dashboard in a so-equipped car created a magnetic field around the dampers, aligning the iron ore within the suspension and subsequently thickening the fluid and firming up the damping significantly.

Now Delphi has found another use for this miraculous fluid in a relatively unexpected area: the engine mounts. Often considered little more than rubberized mounts intended to provide a degree of isolation from the engine’s vibration, Delphi’s new MR mounts, developed for the Porsche GT3, are active participants in the vehicle’s performance, firming up during spirited driving to reduce the engine’s movement and thus provide a more stable powertrain. That effectively allows for more stable power delivery, reducing the momentary contact patch reduction that accompanies the rear-mounted engine’s affinity to torque over under load.

Although clearly designed for one of the most hard core sports cars on the road, you can expect to see new, MR-filled engine mounts in future hybrid and luxury cars, where it’s unique properties can be exploited to isolate drivetrain shock during start up and shifting, while still providing firm mounting points during more expeditious driving exploits.