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Alfa Technology
Allfa Romeo's history and our future are steeped in the innovative use of emerging technology and immaculate design that have been blended to create the visually stunning and often groundbreaking vehicles in our range.
Within this section we have detailed some of the most interesting facts and information including; our new models, concept cars, the technology involved in designing and building our cars plus all the technology that goes into the cars to help you get the most out of them from safety systems and engine systems designed to keep you safer through to our incredible new multiJet Diesel engines that make it even more practical and affordable to own an Alfa Romeo.
In 1918, there was no demand for Romeo's products as the war had ended. Cars were in short supply and the car market was booming. Romeo turned to car production and managed to produce cars from 1914 parts stored during the outbreak of war. However, new designs and marketing strategies were badly needed. A new name was also needed as A.L.F.A was outdated. Romeo was linked with heavy industrial engineering with no significance to car buyers. Nicola Romeo found the perfect solution by combining the links of the past with the future as part of an engineering group well respected for its high quality and efficiency.
Thus, Alfa Romeo of Milan was born.
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Agility with total control
Impeccable handling; responsive and agile over mixed surfaces; proper aspect quickly restored after quick maneuvers; fast, easy and controllable lane-changes; perfect stability even when braking on bends. For Alfa Romeo, the real pleasure of driving comes from the advanced suspension systems used on its various models.
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About Q2
The system is based on a Torsen mechanical-type limited-slip differential. The job of this differential is to divide the torque between the (front) driving wheels depending on the grip conditions. Combined with the exclusive front wishbone suspension, the system ensures particularly effective dynamic control of the vehicle.
In addition to the general benefits of this type of architecture (weight, space, etc.), in limit conditions the understeering behaviour of the front-wheel drive system enables the driver to act more intuitively: this gives the impression that front-wheel drive is ‘more reliable’ than rear-wheel drive. |
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Chassis Stiffness and Dynamism for an impeccable drive
Chassis Structure
The first requirement of a car chassis design for sportiness, comfort and safety, is to ensure the best possible performance from the suspension, ensuring perfect contact between the wheels and the ground even in the most extreme conditions. The Chassis and frames used on the various Alfa Romeo models all have high torsional stiffness, rigid mechanical attachments and are vibration-free. The very best result are ensured by the use of innovative technical solutions and high-performance materials: multi-thickness metals, high-strength steels, laser welding, box and reinforcement elements developed through virtual simulations and countless road tests. The extremely high torsional stiffness of the Alfa 159 structure, for example, which exceeds 180,000daNm/rad, was not achieved by chance.
Suspension system
Alfa Romeo’s technical expertise stems from years of experience in competition and countless victories on race tracks around the world. Alfa’s proverbial road-holding is always matched by its outstanding comfort and an unrivalled level of safety. To combine these various needs, Alfa’s technicians and engineers have developed a series of advanced, exclusive systems. The front high wishbone suspension set-up, adopted on Alfa cars since 1997, is the perfect solution for precise control of wheel movement, with a steering axis which is well defined in space. The architecture is derived from competition, and gives the car outstanding dynamic performance, excellent steering ‘feel’ and driving precision, as well as exremely high levels of comfort, credit for which also goes to the use of aluminium components to reduce the amount of non-suspended weight. The rear suspension must guarantee directional precision, stability, safety and driver control. This has led to the development of uncompromising rear suspension systems. On the Alfa 159, the Brera and Spider, for example, the advanced multilink system adopted provides sophisticated wheel movement control, resulting in extremely high levels of performance. The transverse, three-lever solution has enabled the various components under longitudinal load to be optimised for better absorption of road bumps, while the components under lateral load are optimised for speed of response, stability and road-holding. All this combines to provide the best possible combination of comfort, driving pleasure, and absolute safety in all conditions.
Steering system
The steering on an Alfa Romeo is the critical link between the driver’s intentions and the car’s behaviour. It needs to guarantee an immediate, reliable response in all conditions, and must work in perfect harmony with the rest of the car. Every Alfa Romeo is ready to respond with unbelievable agility and precision to your every command, thanks to the direct steering ratio that enables any bend to be taken with the minimum movement of the steering wheel, for greater driving pleasure and safety (for example, on the 159, the wheels turn through 12.7º for every degree of steering , giving complete rotation with only 2 1/4 turns of the steering wheel). Great care has also gone into the design of the power-steering system, which must allow the driver to “feel” the road at high speeds, while at the same time keeping the steering light and easy to handle in city traffic and when parking.
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* Specifications shown here may vary from country to country.
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