Hi,

Does anyone know if it's possible to reduce or calibrate the effective damping on the magneride so that "comfort" is softer, but the system still works effectively over bumpy surfaces ?

Reason I ask is that on the 2010+ facelift models the ride is harsher than the previous models due to the adaptive dynamics suspension which in my mind cuts in too early and although I appreciate the benefits when the going gets more challenging I miss the old models much more compliant ride when taking it gently.

I was also wondering if we could make it switchable, i.e. insert a "comfort" & "normal" selector switch so that it could be inhibited for a more wafty ride when just lounging along and switch it in when wanting to get a shift on ?

I could create a bypass switch ledex for removing the standard circuit and substituting with tuned circuits to inhibit the alarms with the system "off" but I'd be much happier if I could just recalibrate it for a softer ride.

Anyone managed to soften the normal ride on facelift L322 effectively & simply whilst still maintaining the active damping ?

Andy Fuji White / Jet 2012 4.4 TDV8 Westminster

There have been endless topics on this for both the L322 and L405. Nobody has solved the issue of some cars having a harsh ride quality or found a way of adjusting it. Mine is fine most of the time but occasionally I get a period of what seems like unnecessary harshness. Tyres seem to be a big factor for me and logically and physically these are the main compliant system that deals with road surface imperfections. 2012 TDV8 Vogue (L322)

Yes, tyres seem to be one area where there is some variation as well. I did try 255/60s, they were a bit more compliant but a bit squirmy under braking when compared to the 50s I have now.

At the moment I'm running 30 psi front and 33 rear which seems about right as most of the time the car is lightly loaded, gets rid of a lot of the minor potholes but still very stable and gives even tyre wear, but I have noticed a small drop in mpg.

I have heard of folks fitting older series "dumb" shocks and editting out the damping alarms but that seems counter productive as I want the adaptive damping but I'd just prefer softer rates.

I think maybe the best trade off is going to be taking it out in tyres, perhaps going for 255/55s or 275/50s at 30/33 psi.

I've also heard that Arnott bags give a softer ride, especially at the rear, but that's anecdotal, I have no evidence or feedback to support that.

Andy. Fuji White / Jet 2012 4.4 TDV8 Westminster

Careful running lower pressure as it will cause uneven and premature wear at the tread edges. I had this inadvertently as my tyre inflator was reading 2-3psi over the actual pressure. I now run 37psi all round and it’s not harsh (225/55 R20 Verde). 2012 TDV8 Vogue (L322)

I think if this thread sticks to the “can it be switchable” part of the query, not saying it should… but not sure how any external influence switch or feed might affect DSC etc, as I thought they sort of worked together? Maybe you can treat it as separate systems and feed into the 3 specific wires from each shocker for the dynamics and leave the height feeds as is, as there are 6 wires on the L322. Might be harder on a 405 as those have both systems combined on the 3 wires. That said, there are also accelerometers etc. My M5’s had switchable settings and you could tell the difference.

 2011 Range Rover Vogue SE 4.4 TDV8

Previous cars :
2003 Range Rover Vogue TD6
1999 Discovery Td5 ES
1995 BMW M5 3.8 6 speed
1992 Range Rover 3.9 Efi Vogue
1992 BMW M5 3.8
1988 BMW 735i SE
1989 Ford Sierra XR4x4 2.9i
1981 Ford Fiesta Supersport

My Audi had selectable settings for sport and comfort as well as auto. One thing I forgot to mention was mine did improve when I changed a failed front height sensor. Once removed the pivot was very stiff which I assumed had been that way for some time before the electrical part failed. A sticky action or a loose pivot would send erratic signals to the ECU possibly making its control less than optimal. Maybe worth going round each one and detaching the mount to the moving suspension arm and checking for both stickiness and any looseness? 2012 TDV8 Vogue (L322)

My understanding is that the adaptive dampers are by default in their stiffest setting, and that to soften them, the ECU applies current to the damper ... vary the current, vary the damping. You can see it in this vid I made ...



Wafting along shows higher current values for a softer ride. Booting it for the over take shows lower values ( stiffens ) so that the car doesn't sit back on its arse under acceleration, and it also stiffens briefly for gear changes.

So I would say that if you're wanting more wafty-ness, you need to be applying more current into the damper and not less. I not sure how easy that would be to achieve, you can see that the car is also monitoring / calculating damper demand, and I know that the L405 is quick to let you know whether the car is leaning more than it thinks it should be. ( Not sure about the L322 though ) V8 or else ...

Contrary to what others have reported, I used the Gap tool to set the CVDs to calibration mode which persists for approximately 30 seconds IIRC to adjust the ride to my liking once the shocks lost their ability to control the vehicle adequately. Setting calibration mode whilst stationary made the ride very harsh (I didn't reaslise that the vehicle should be moving) and setting calibration mode whilst traversing a very rough track (my farm driveway) made the ride very soft and unable to provide adequate control over some bumps. I eventually found that travelling at 80kph on a particular section of a local sealed yet uneven secondary road created the best ride for me.
I recalibrated the original shocks twice before they were too worn-out to control the vehicle when towing my van. Initially I replaced just the rears so recalibrated again because the ride in the rear was excessively firm, then recalibrated again when the front shocks were replaced to even-up the ride again.

I helped an internet acquaintence identify the cause of the very harsh ride in his new Defender, which was that the suspenison/chassis ecu was faulty in not sending any current to the shocks even though it reported that it was. His dealer didn't believe him but armed with output from the Gap tool that he purchased to investigate the cause, another dealer became interested and used a portable LR diagnostic tool to replicate the result.

I tried recalibration last week but didn't notice any difference but the ride was not harsh at the time so maybe worth trying again if I notice it deteriorating. The CVD calibration is one data set that the GAP tool records for later recovery so it may well be important? 2012 TDV8 Vogue (L322)

Tried another calibration today. The procedure only lasts 10 seconds so not sure what it can actually learn in that time. 2012 TDV8 Vogue (L322)

I'll give that a go, have to get out of town in the morning for a less than smooth road to set it off though, will se what happens.

A. Fuji White / Jet 2012 4.4 TDV8 Westminster

I recalibrated it this morning out on a country road about 50mph as the city streets are smooth exepting a few speedbumps.

It does seem a little softer and less crashy over potholes but it's not a real step change. I'm not sure what I expected, but I thought it might be greater than it appears to be.

Better than it was I guess it had become lazy since it was last done, which could have been never.

A. Fuji White / Jet 2012 4.4 TDV8 Westminster