Suspension & Steering

The exceptional ride quality of Opirus begins with the choice of layout for its fully-independent suspension system. The front suspension employs a classic double wishbone design which offers engineers many advantages, including optimum tyre grip, improved traction for the driven front wheels and near perfect camber control. The wide base of the lower wishbone arm, gives improved lateral rigidity, reduces road noise and brings improved safety performance in frontal collisions. Despite its width, the design allows good wheel clearance for maximum steering lock.

At the rear, Opirus rides on a compact, multi-link set up attached to a transverse sub-frame. The design ensures that there is minimum intrusion into the boot space. Front and rear, the suspension system features coil springs, gas-filled shock absorbers and anti-roll bars - 26 mm front and 16 mm rear. The front wheel offers 170 mm and the rear wheel a generous 200 mm of travel for extra ride comfort.

Gas-filled shock absorbers provide damping force proportional to the amount of compression, reducing the transference of road shocks to the body of the car. They optimise initial wheel deflection characteristics, while minimising transmitted noise levels. Minor movements of the wheels are damped smoothly but larger oscillations are more strongly damped.

This combination of suspension layout and hardware gives the Opirus maximum agility, predictable steering, good road-holding, consistent handling behaviour during cornering and excellent directional stability.

As well as the generous wheel travel, a major contributor to the silky smoothness of Opirus´ ride is the specially developed software in the suspension´s electronic control system (ECS). Seven sensors constantly monitor the vehicle´s speed and attitude, assessing the degree of roll, dive or squat that the car is experiencing. That information is integrated and relayed to four actuators that adjust the individual firmness of each shock absorber to minimise the degree to which those forces are relayed to the vehicle body and its occupants. The result is a supremely comfortable ride and greatly enhanced manoeuvrability.

A button to the left of the gear selector on the centre console allows the driver to switch the ECS settings from automatic to sports mode. Automatic mode adjusts the suspension stiffness to ensure the most comfortable ride, however rough the road surface becomes. Selecting the ´Sport´ mode stiffens the shock absorber settings which stay constantly firmer, regardless of variations in the road surface.

Steering

Opirus steering is by rack and pinion for optimum accuracy and steering feel. Electronically power assisted, it has an overall ratio of 15.24:1 and is geared to 2.76 turns of the 380 mm diameter steering wheel lock-to-lock. The level of assistance varies from high at parking speeds, to low at high speed to create a system that is responsive without being too nervous. The turning circle diameter of the five metre long Opirus is 5.7 metres between kerbs.