Too much body roll is never a good thing. To tighten things up further, Audi has introduced a system featuring two electronic sway bars to nearly eliminate body roll.
And who would be better to give us a walkthrough on how the system actually works than Jason Fenske of Engineering Explained. In the video, Jason breaks down how the electronic sway bars work to stop body roll and keep the Audi SQ7 SUV flat through a corner.
Audi's system isn't new or groundbreaking, but the fact the brand has paired it with a 48-volt system for more power and control is certainly interesting.
When a car takes a corner, let's say a left, the body will roll into the corner and the suspension will compress down into the driver's side. Audi's system uses an electric motor to provide up to 900 pound-feet of torque to counter the motion.
2017 Audi SQ7 TDI
The torque allows the electronic sway bar to twist and push the wheel away from the body as the body tries to compress down. Meanwhile, the system will compress the opposite side as it begins to separate in an opposite reaction.
The entire action happens as the system reads the driver's steering input and vehicle speed to provide the appropriate amount of torque.
But, that's not all the system can do. Audi's electronic sway bars can also help control understeer and oversteer in real time. Sway bars help determine under and oversteer and stiffer units will cause more or less. With the electronic units, Audi's system can help distribute the load between tires for a more neutral cornering experience.
We should note that absolutely zero body roll feels completely unnatural. In fact, Bentley's body control system was so effective in eliminating body roll in the Bentayga, a close relative of the Q7, that engineers had to dial it back.