Less than a year since Crosswind Assist made its debut in the heavy van sector, the manufacturer that introduced it has rolled it out across more variants of its ground-breaking van.
Upon its launch, the new Mercedes-Benz Sprinter was praised for its ground-breaking level of standard safety systems. However, Crosswind Assist was initially focused on the most common and vulnerable variants, namely the 3.5t vans.
Now though, less than a year after the launch, a number of other variants benefit from this innovative technology including the 3.5t Chassis Cab, 3.0t Sprinter Panel van, short wheelbase models and super high roof variants.
Chassis Cab calibration
The same applies to the all-wheel-drive Sprinter 3.5t as a Panel van and Traveliner, as well as Chassis Cab models. Chassis Cab variants have to be calibrated and retested for each variant because the size of the ‘attack’ surface for side wind gusts varies for each conversion.
Conversions such as dropsides, beavertails and tippers don’t tend to be affected by crosswind, but a significant proportion of chassis cabs go on to be converted to Box and Luton vans. Because Box and Luton bodies are very light by comparison and present a large surface area (with load volumes up to 20m³), they are prime targets for crosswinds.
How it works:
Crosswind Assist takes into account parameters such as vehicle speed, vehicle load and steering characteristics. Its sensors detect forces acting on the vehicle through side wind gusts, whether it be on a bridge or when overtaking a truck, and are activated when the van is travelling at 50mph and above.
By activating the brakes via the van’s ESP (Electronic Stability Control system) at the wheels of the vehicle side facing the wind, a controlled yaw motion counteracts the side wind interference. The track offset is therefore significantly reduced.
Crosswind Assist is one of five new safety systems which the Sprinter introduced to the van sector last year, including Collision Prevention Assist, Blind Spot Assist, Highbeam Assist and Lane Keeping Assist.
