Power steering has been a common inclusion to modern day cars for many years now, but did you know that it was BMW who pushed this technology to even greater heights with their own system called Servotronic steering?
What is the BMW Servotronic System?
In past years, conventional power steering systems relied upon the RPM of the engine when determining the assistance needed for the driver, whereas the Servotronic system’s assistance is determined by the speed of the vehicle in question.
How does it work?
The system is designed to maximise the comfort for the driver, whether it be cruising on the motorway, or parking in a tight space. It achieves this by an electromagnetic valve which accurately controls the amount of force applied by the steering hydraulics when the driver is turning the wheel.
For instance, if the driver needs to turn the wheel quickly in order to park in a tight space, the valve distributes more assistance and therefore allow the steering to become much lighter. The reverse effect being the case on the motorway when steering input is reduced to a minimum value by the driver. Stability is boosted and this allows for a much smoother drive when gathering speed.
What made it so popular?
When it was initially launched back in 2012, the Servotronic system was seen as highly innovative compared to the previous electric power steering systems available to the market. No one had ever seen power steering designed like this before.
The system was the first of its kind, and a piece of remarkable technology within the automotive industry. It will therefore come as no surprise when you learn that once the system really took off, many other car manufacturers adopted the concept for their own vehicles.
The present day...
This system is still a big part of the automotive market, and various manufacturers still employ it in their cars. As the pioneer of this revolutionary system, BMW obviously continue to use it, but it has gone from initially being a cost option on many models, to becoming standard equipment across their full range of vehicles.
BMW has always been renowned as a visionary manufacturer, and that’s what makes their cars so exquisite, and their brand so powerful.
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