Bilstein Damptronic pics.

[celica73]

Originally Posted by DougW

Here are some pics and shock dyno graphs of the shock package, I will get some data logs from VIR Sept 2/3 to show the G load reaction, car sure feels great I can't wait to get on the track.
Thanks
DougW

I'll be at VIR the following weekend, just in case you don't get all the info you need and want to run the shocks on another car. You know, for the sake of science and all.

[DougW]

Correct, I have it so at 0 G lng/ 0 Lat it goes full soft then as soon as you brake hard or pull any g it ramps in. On the track Porsches with the same setup when you turn in over the apex bumps the inside shock is soft so it rides the bump instead of pitching the wheel and upsetting the corner. It feels the same on the Scion plus takes most of the harshness from highway driving. I will be looking for track cars in the southeast to use as test cars near Clemson or NE GA.
Thanks for looking
DougW

[Kido1986]

Originally Posted by DougW

Correct, I have it so at 0 G lng/ 0 Lat it goes full soft then as soon as you brake hard or pull any g it ramps in. On the track Porsches with the same setup when you turn in over the apex bumps the inside shock is soft so it rides the bump instead of pitching the wheel and upsetting the corner. It feels the same on the Scion plus takes most of the harshness from highway driving. I will be looking for track cars in the southeast to use as test cars near Clemson or NE GA.
Thanks for looking
DougW

I'll likely to willing to make a trip up to Georgia (in Orlando) to test these. I do some track events and a LOT of autocross (~50 events so far on this car). On Koni's and stock springs right now.

[ft_sjo]

Originally Posted by DougW

Correct, I have it so at 0 G lng/ 0 Lat it goes full soft then as soon as you brake hard or pull any g it ramps in. On the track Porsches with the same setup when you turn in over the apex bumps the inside shock is soft so it rides the bump instead of pitching the wheel and upsetting the corner. It feels the same on the Scion plus takes most of the harshness from highway driving. I will be looking for track cars in the southeast to use as test cars near Clemson or NE GA.
Thanks for looking
DougW

Whilst that sounds useful on track, what about road use? I'm not convinced stiffening up the loaded wheels's suspension is a good idea when there may be bumps ahead..

[DougW]

I guess if you want to tune it for off roading on bumps you can but when you want to have a quicker response and more stable platform then using the shocks instead of springs gives you control because a spring will return the energy it receives from the bump, a shock converts it to heat/time. If you are pulling Gs then you need to hold the chassis to transfer the weight to the loaded tire and unload the inside tire. I can tell you on my car the ride is improved over stock and the turn in is much quicker and stable then as speed increases over 80 the platform increases to about 30% stiffer to set the car. This is the same setup used on the Porsche 997, Nissan GTR and 2013 Viper SRT. We offer more control and a Windows program if you want to play with it yourself, the OE controllers just set soft or firm. We have 3 different maps that can be switched on the fly but in most cases 1 map is all that is needed. I configured mine to use the Snow/Sport switch since it is an auto, the manual will use a mounted switch next to the cigarette lighter plug in the console, ideas?
Thanks
DougW

[ft_sjo]

I wasn't really talking about off-roading, more street driving. If i'm in a long sweeping high-speed bend near the edge of my circle of traction, I would want the suspension to be compliant enough to deal with any imperfections/bumps in the road, otherwise I may be heading for an unfortunate end!

[bakerr6]

I understand what he's saying. He's curious as to how these shocks will stiffen up on a track, which is usually a smooth surface, he wants to know how they would adjust for street use to be able to havea smoother transition and absorb some of the imperfections in the road

[CSG Mike]

Originally Posted by ft_sjo

Whilst that sounds useful on track, what about road use? I'm not convinced stiffening up the loaded wheels's suspension is a good idea when there may be bumps ahead..

This.

There's a very small range in which a damper is critically damped. Going too stiff or too soft results in a poor ride.

IMO, this seems somewhat similar to Tein's Active EDFC, which is targeted at low end, low spring rate setups, where the damping adds to effective spring rate.

I'd love to see substantiated results and/or offer to do some testing and publish our findings.

[CSG Mike]

Originally Posted by bakerr6

I understand what he's saying. He's curious as to how these shocks will stiffen up on a track, which is usually a smooth surface, he wants to know how they would adjust for street use to be able to havea smoother transition and absorb some of the imperfections in the road

Tracks are rarely the smooth surfaces most people assume they are, except for the high, high budget tracks like Laguna Seca or Circuit of the Americas.

Most of the pro Japanese drivers are slower than our locals because they freak out when they start hitting bumps in the SoCal tracks. E.g., I run similar times in a bolt-on FR-S/BRZ at WSIR as to what Gan-san (JGTC/Super GT, Best motoring, etc.) runs in a Ford GT. I'm 100% sure he's faster than me in every discipline I can imagine when it comes to driving. I'm nearly 8 seconds faster at SoWS....

[the.big.kahoona]

Originally Posted by CSG Mike

Tracks are rarely the smooth surfaces most people assume they are, except for the high, high budget tracks like Laguna Seca or Circuit of the Americas.

Where I live the tracks are smooth as butter. Thats definitely a major consideration for me as most suspension setups I see (or that are being sold) are not meant for such smooth tracks

[CSG Mike]

Originally Posted by the.big.kahoona

Where I live the tracks are smooth as butter. Thats definitely a major consideration for me as most suspension setups I see (or that are being sold) are not meant for such smooth tracks

Even MRLS has bumps that need to be absorbed... but if it's super smooth, then you can get away with ultra high spring rates (or no suspension at all).

[the.big.kahoona]

Originally Posted by CSG Mike

Even MRLS has bumps that need to be absorbed... but if it's super smooth, then you can get away with ultra high spring rates (or no suspension at all).

Yeah around me they're super smooth. F1 track smooth because I actually do track days on an F1 track

Still trying to decide on a setup for a track focused DD (dont mind a rough ride)

[DougW]

If you are pulling max gs based on your tire patch then the shocks will hold based on your settings input into the tables the shock valving still works as a normal shock just harder or softer not locked up. If you hit a bump for the most part the tire will comply but if it looses traction then the g load will decrease and the shock will soften until the g load is again reached. I live on a 1400' gravel driveway and don't have any issues with it skating around as would a heavy spring/shock would have. I'm sure as this product develops like ecu reflashes there will be setups passed around from different applications to try. This is just another tool in the tool box to work with and I guess like anything it will have trade offs but much less than oem or full race. Here is an email that we received from our Porsche testing that might help, I hope to soon have some from Scion/Subaru owners as this all unfolds. His car already has the PASM shocks we just changed the controller.
Thanks
DougW
"Harris:


You have created the best suspension module possible. I got it installed last week but due to the weather( rain and more rain) I was unable to really test the module. However, just driving it home after the install with number "two" selected, I knew that I had a real transformation. The street drive was fantastic.

Today, the weather was predicted to be perfect: no rain and the dew point at 55 degrees. Got my butt up at 5 AM and headed for the "Dragon". The crotch rocket boys still in bed and the cops drinking coffee at some dinner. If you have time Google "The Dragon" and you can see all the twisties it offers.
With the module in the 2 setting, it handled right bends , then left bends with great authority. I could feel the suspension working. The road is mostly a second gear affair for the turbo. I run about 600 horses and for the first time I felt real comfortable with the 911. I had a Cayman S which really felt comfortable in the corners but lacks the HP. With this new module I am not sure there is that big a difference now.
Plug and play and a USB port for SW updates. Easiest install one could ask for. My mechanic was also amazed at the transformation. His remark went like.."People spend thousands on their suspensions, sway bars, drop links, etc for the 997 and this module has replaced the need for a lot of that".

Have a slot at Barber coming up. Can't wait to test on the track for myself.

If you do reflash the SW down the road, please let me know. Will get back with more feedback as I have the opportunity to test.



Again, thank you for keeping me on your list. This is a real winner.



Ed Clayton"

[DougW]

As you can see from the graphs they have the range from OE to JRZ, now to work on electronic springs and more power. I used to race IMSA in Porsches and Nissans in the late 80s/90s, now I'm an old fart with a bad back and neck so I needed a soft street ride but good track car for R&D the FR-S is perfect for this.
DougW