WHAT IS OLEO-PNEUMATIC TECHNOLOGY?
Let’s start by breaking down the word oleo-pneumatic.
Oleo means "oil", and pneumatic means "containing air or gas under pressure."
Oleo-pneumatic technology was originally developed way back in 1915 to cope with the serious kickback of a machine gun. The idea was to absorb those rapid and repetitive shocks that would occur while firing over and over.
Fast forward to the 1930s. Oleo-pneumatic technology started making waves in French aviation and was adopted across the aviation industry for fixed undercarriages.
The tech has come a long way since the early 1900s, but it's still the go-to solution when you're dealing with a heavy load and lots of oscillations in the terrain.
And by the way, almost every commercial and governmental aircraft still uses oleo struts in their landing gears. It's a rock-solid technology that has stood the test of time.
HOW DO OLEO-PNEUMATIC SUSPENSIONS WORK?
Nimbus oleo-pneumatic suspensions absorb and dissipate shock loads using a combination of hydraulic fluid (oil) and gas (nitrogen) inside the chamber.
The gas functions as a spring. It is compressed by the oil to absorb the impact of bumps.
The oil is directed through spring-loaded flaps and orifices to allow for different responses from the shock based on your desired driving settings. Increasing or decreasing the pressure adjusts the spring rate.
The oil, therefore, restricted by the flaps and orifices, acts to dampen the movement of the piston assembly during shock absorption and recoil.
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WHAT ABOUT SPRINGS?
Instead of having a regular helicoidal spring — a mainstream metal spring with a constant spring rate — we’ve replaced it with a pneumatic spring, compressed gas contained inside the tube that mixes with the oil to absorb and dissipate shocks.
FEEL THE DIFFERENCE
It's easy to feel the benefits of oleo-pneumatic technology versus more conventional suspensions.
We chose the name Nimbus because driving a vehicle equipped with our suspensions feels like floating on a cloud.
The “flying carpet effect” comes from the fact that air and oil compression are progressive — not linear, like metal shock absorbers.
Small bumps generate a soft quick response, almost annihilating them, where big bumps get a much stronger response, knowing that it’s virtually impossible for them to bottom out.
The durability and reactivity of air is infinite. Today or in 10 years, the physical and chemical properties of the air inside that shock will remain the same, therefore, it never has to be replaced.
