4Matic - Citizendia

4Matic gearbox

4Matic is the name of a four-wheel drive system developed and used by Mercedes-Benz. Four-wheel drive, 4WD, or 4x4 ("four by four" is a four-wheeled Vehicle with a drivetrain that allows all four Wheels to Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of luxury Automobiles Buses coaches and Trucks It is currently a division of the It is good for driving through slippery terrain.

Almost all their vehicles featuring this system also have an automatic transmission in standard equipment (except 260 and 300 gasoline and aspirated 300 D were standard with manual transmission) and that's where its name is derived from (4-wheel drive and automatic). An automatic transmission (commonly "AT" or "Auto" is an Automobile Gearbox that can change Gear ratios automatically as the vehicle The first design of 4Matic (or 4Matic) system was introduced in 1986 on the W124 series (E Class) saloons (four door) and estate (station wagon) cars. W124 is the Mercedes-Benz internal chassis-designation for the 1984 to 1995 version of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class. It was available with the 2. 6 L and 3. 0 L 6 cylinder petrol (gasoline) and diesel engines.

A complex electronically controlled system with automatically engaging four-wheel drive (4WD), the system employs locking central and rear differentials to provide additional traction in slippery conditions. Four-wheel drive, 4WD, or 4x4 ("four by four" is a four-wheeled Vehicle with a drivetrain that allows all four Wheels to The centre differential, also known as the transfer case, contains two clutches. Each hydraulically enabled clutch is controlled separately to allow for three modes of operation; 2WD (mode 0) where 100% of available torque is available to the rear axle, while the front axle is disconnected and two 4WD modes which allow for 35% front/65% rear axle torque split (mode 1) or 50% front/50% rear axle torque split (mode 2). The rear differential lock, previously known as ASD on Mercedes-Benz models, can also be locked (mode 3)if rear wheel slip is still present the transfer case 50/50 4WD mode 2 is engaged. Due to safety and stability concerns there is no front differential lock. The 4Matic system uses inputs from the three channel ABS system and a steering wheel angle sensor to decide when to intervene. 4WD is disengaged automatically if the ABS service brakes are applied. An anti-lock braking system, or ABS (from the German, A nti' b' lockier' s' ystem) is a safety system on Motor vehicles Engine throttle control is not inherent in the W124 system. Two W124 variants of the 4Matic system were produced, the first system (1986-1991) used a mechanical pressure test lever to disable the system hydraulically while the second system variant (1992/1993) used an electrical test switch to break power to the system. The latter system variant when in test mode allows for continued operation of the rear shock self-levelling-system (SLS) when installed. Plagued with reliability problems at first, the multiplate clutch central differential were prone to failure -- Ritter, S: Mercedes-Benz E class Owners Bible Problems Section page 314 Bentley Publishers 2007 ; it was withdrawn in 1993.

The four wheel drive system was developed in conjunction with Steyr-Daimler-Puch, who manufactured the Mercedes-Benz G-Class in Austria. Steyr-Daimler-Puch was a large Manufacturing conglomerate based in Steyr, Austria which was broken up in 1990 For G-class stars see Stellar classification. The Mercedes-Benz G-Class or G-Wagen, short for Geländewagen (or cross-country vehicle The second generation of 4Matic was re-introduced on the W210 series in 1998/1999. The Mercedes-Benz W210 is a mid-size Luxury car – Executive car produced by the German Automaker Mercedes-Benz Available only in left hand drive the cars were again manufactured at the Magna-Steyr plant in Austria. Right-hand traffic and left-hand traffic mean regulations requiring all traffic to keep either to the left or the right side of the Road. The second generation of 4Matic used a full time 4 wheel drive system with three open differentials front, centre and rear. Traction control is achieved using ETS (Electronic Traction System). A traction control system ( TCS) also known as Anti-Slip Regulation ( ASR) on current production Vehicles are typically (but not necessarily This employs the ABS system with additional valves to monitor and then partially brake any wheel which loses traction. This much simpler system is also used in the Mercedes-Benz M-Class SUV. The Mercedes-Benz M-Class is a Mid-size Sport utility vehicle (SUV with light off-road capability first offered in 1997 as a 1998 model and built by the

The second and third generation 4Matic systems are currently available on the E-Class, C-Class, R-Class, S-Class, Viano and the entire Mercedes-Benz SUV range. E-Class redirects here For Chrysler 's rebadged version of the Dodge 600 sold from 1983-1984 see Chrysler E-Class. The Mercedes-Benz C-Class is a Compact executive car produced by the Mercedes Car Group division of Daimler AG. The R-Class is a crossover offered by Daimler AG in 2006 model year under the Mercedes-Benz Brand. The Mercedes-Benz S-Class is a series of the largest Sedans produced by Mercedes-Benz, a division of Daimler AG. The Mercedes-Benz V-Class is a series of Vans that currently contains two models the Vaneo and the Viano. These latter systems include engine and automatic stability controls.

References

Comprehensive history of Mercedes traction control and four wheel drive systems

The Mercedes-Benz E-Class Owner's Bible, 1986-1995 Bentley Publishers 2007 ISBN 0-8376-0230-0

References

See also