Continuously-Controlled Damping

19773 Views 49 Replies 25 Participants Last post by Downforce137, 14 d ago

jeffsvt03

Discussion Starter · Jan 25, 2016

Anyone have more info on this? I'm searching for a more detailed article.

Suspension Of The 2017 Ford Fusion Sport | Ford Authority

the new 2017 Ford Fusion V6 Sport also features a continuously-controlled damping system that warrants some discussion. Continuously-controlled dampers such as those to be used in the new Fusion Sport sedan use solenoid valves to alter the flow of hydraulic fluid within the damper cylinder. That solenoid valve is controlled by a computer which continuously scans input data to determine when to stiffen or soften the damper.

The overall effect is quite akin to that achieved by magnetorheological shocks, but these dampers are more economical, and don’t suffer from the same latency of charge dissipation from the fluid. Ultimately, this means that the 2017 Ford Fusion V6 Sport ought to deliver composed, controlled cornering with little body roll, and still prove smooth and comfortable over rough pavement.

In addition, Ford has announced that the 2017 Ford Fusion Sport will ship with “pothole detection technology,” which scans the road continuously for sudden dips and divots and alerts the damper controller. The shocks are then adjusted precisely at just the right moment to minimize the impact on vehicle occupants.

Save

21 - 40 of 50 Posts

nlaak

· #21 · Aug 10, 2016

drbob1 said:
This is because the magneto-rheological shocks actually control the viscosity of the shock fluid with a magnetic field, which can be cycled much more quickly than changing valving on a purely mechanical shock.

I can't remember where I saw the information (might have been a Ford tech video or some such) but I believe the response rate of the valve in the shocks is equal to the change rate of magneto shocks. The magneto shocks can control viscosity in an analog fashion and the valve in the Fusions shocks may be digital, giving the Fusion a less dynamic control over the ride.

The following link talks about it, but gets the MKZ system confused with the Fusion system: Ford Develops Suspension Tech to Reduce Pothole Damage

I suspect that the details from Ford (2 ms sensor rate, etc) are correct and the assumptions the writer makes are incorrect and that the article is indirectly talking about the Fusion, since the picture shown is from the Fusion Sport video about the pothole detect.

Unfortunately I've not been able to find a lot of hard details about the system in the Fusion.

Save

OX1

· #22 · Aug 10, 2016

uncletatty said:
And here we are, the third week and into having these cars in consumer's hands and we still don't have any new information on this car, forcing us to argue whether or not the S button affects the dampers or what an instrumented 0-60 is! No more pressers from Ford, no official reviews. To say I am frustrated is a gross understatement. What is going on out there?!

Well, you didn't want to miss the Lacrosse, big turbo 500, and accord hybrid reviews, now did you??

2017 Buick LaCrosse First Drive ? Review ? Car and Driver
A Fiat 500 with a Big Turbo Swap Makes for a Better Abarth
2017 Honda Accord Hybrid First Drive Review

Save

Reactions: 1

dubie7006

· #23 · Aug 10, 2016

uncletatty said:
And here we are, the third week and into having these cars in consumer's hands and we still don't have any new information on this car, forcing us to argue whether or not the S button affects the dampers or what an instrumented 0-60 is! No more pressers from Ford, no official reviews. To say I am frustrated is a gross understatement. What is going on out there?!

The lack of coverage on this car is astounding. Ford must REALLY want this to be the ultimate sleeper. If nobody knows about it, maybe owners like us will feel even super extra moar special?

Who knows. Just bizarre.

Save

Reactions: 3

nlaak

· #24 · Aug 11, 2016

OX1 said:
Well, you didn't want to miss the Lacrosse, big turbo 500, and accord hybrid reviews, now did you??

2017 Buick LaCrosse First Drive ? Review ? Car and Driver
A Fiat 500 with a Big Turbo Swap Makes for a Better Abarth
2017 Honda Accord Hybrid First Drive Review

There are some Fusion Sport reviews in the same class as these. The problem is there are no in depth reviews and no reviews with performance numbers. As far as I can tell from a quick look, these reviews don't have that either.

Save

Reactions: 1

kentak

· #25 · Aug 11, 2016

When I bought my 2010 Fusion Sport back in April 2009, C&D didn't get a review out until Sept. 2009! It seems like Ford was more eager to get the car into customers' hands than getting reviews. Maybe that's still the case. After all, the pre-production specs and a brief test drive were enough to convince, so maybe that strategy works.

Ken

Save

kentak

· #26 · Aug 13, 2016

After playing with the Sport button some more, it seems that the steering and the suspension are firmed up somewhat. It might be more evident when pushed hard but traffic hasn't allowed that yet. The tranny behaves quite differently as well which makes the engine feel different. Sure would love to see someone do some systematic comparisons between the two modes.

Ken

Save

Reactions: 1

DuFFman

· #27 · Aug 14, 2016

DaveE said:
Ford did very little to market this last generation of SHOs. We had guys at the track astounded and wondering what they were. I wouldn't mind if they kept these new Sports somewhat under the radar. It's fun scaring people when they see your tail lights suddenly appear way ahead of them.

Very good point, I work at a Ford plant and asked someone what it was when I first saw it. I love the look of the SHO, personally. When I first started their I said to myself "I want one of those one day". Now I'm getting a better car for cheaper and I'm pretty happy about it

Save

Reactions: 2

uncletatty

· #28 · Aug 14, 2016

I've yet to drive a '17 Sport but I was fortunate enough to ride shot-gun in a '17 MKZ 3.0 when one of my buddies test drove one. Being the Sport's big brother and relating to this blog, the bigger 3.0 is very healthy...lots and lots of torque...although we both left thinking that it seemed slightly underwhelming for 400 horse. However, I'm sure this is just due to the smooth delivery and how refined the car is. It would definitely turn all four of those tires over. And it looked like a lot of fun. As far as the Sport mode... I definitely noticed a difference in the suspension when engaged...felt the road much more even in the passenger seat (wish the Sport had the massaging seats!!) To me, in S mode it felt very much like my 2010 Sport suspension in the way it rode. If it's a similar set up then I would imagine that the '17 Sport also does the same, perhaps in a lesser respect than a $49,000 Lincoln?

Save

OX1

· #29 · Sep 7, 2017 (Edited)

Another article with a bit more info.

How Sensors Enable Ford Fusion to "Feel" the Road | Engineering360

Not going to be cheap to replace............

https://www.carid.com/2017-ford-expedition-suspension-parts/motorcraft-shock-absorber-447699974.html

Save

uncletatty

· #30 · Sep 7, 2017

Wow. Salty.

Save

RCMUSTANG

· #31 · Sep 7, 2017

OX1 said:
Not going to be cheap to replace............

https://www.carid.com/2017-ford-expedition-suspension-parts/motorcraft-shock-absorber-447699974.html

I looked them up on Ford's site and they were in the $2XX range.

Save

darkstar

· #32 · Sep 8, 2017

DuFFman said:
DaveE said:

Ford did very little to market this last generation of SHOs. We had guys at the track astounded and wondering what they were. I wouldn't mind if they kept these new Sports somewhat under the radar. It's fun scaring people when they see your tail lights suddenly appear way ahead of them.

Click to expand...

Very good point, I work at a Ford plant and asked someone what it was when I first saw it. I love the look of the SHO, personally. When I first started their I said to myself "I want one of those one day". Now I'm getting a better car for cheaper and I'm pretty happy about it

I started out searching for an Sho, went to the dealer to drive one. It was OK, expensive and bulky but fun. Then learned about the sport and drove it. Simple choice... Lol

uncletatty said:
I've yet to drive a '17 Sport but I was fortunate enough to ride shot-gun in a '17 MKZ 3.0 when one of my buddies test drove one. Being the Sport's big brother and relating to this blog, the bigger 3.0 is very healthy...lots and lots of torque...although we both left thinking that it seemed slightly underwhelming for 400 horse. However, I'm sure this is just due to the smooth delivery and how refined the car is. It would definitely turn all four of those tires over. And it looked like a lot of fun. As far as the Sport mode... I definitely noticed a difference in the suspension when engaged...felt the road much more even in the passenger seat (wish the Sport had the massaging seats!!) To me, in S mode it felt very much like my 2010 Sport suspension in the way it rode. If it's a similar set up then I would imagine that the '17 Sport also does the same, perhaps in a lesser respect than a $49,000 Lincoln?

Definitely a difference on handling in sport mode on my mkz. I can set the ride to comfort, normal and performance.

You have to remember that dealerships are cheap they put it the crappiest gas they can get. Our engines are very picky about fuel quality and won't have full power on low octane. If you look up specs on the mkz with 400 hp it has an asterisk on the 400 hp. *(400 hp on premium octane fuel) so you didn't feel the full power of the mkz. Lol. My car probably picked up 75 hp once I put in chevron premium after I burned out the tank the dealership gave me...

See less See more

Save

Reactions: 2

RCMUSTANG

· #33 · Sep 8, 2017

I'm so glad I enable the CCD. The comfort mode is great for cruising around.

Save

Reactions: 2

osufalcon

· #34 · Sep 8, 2017

RCMUSTANG said:
I'm so glad I enable the CCD. The comfort mode is great for cruising around.

Are you referring to adding the suspension select in the cluster? If so, which is the regular suspension for drive; normal?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Save

RCMUSTANG

· #35 · Sep 8, 2017

Yes and yes.

Save

Kevin74

· #36 · Sep 8, 2017

RCMUSTANG said:
I'm so glad I enable the CCD. The comfort mode is great for cruising around.

This is really making me lean towards getting forscan, just need to figure out if I can use my piece of crap laptop. What version of Windows are you using?

Also, I forgot how you disabled fake engine noise, was this something in forscan and if so did it also remove noise cancelling?

What is 4 quick tap blinker?

Save

RCMUSTANG

· #37 · Sep 8, 2017

It's not too hard to figure out. I just followed directions and it worked like a charm. I have a Windows 10. If you go register on ForScan they tell you what you need and how to. The on the 2G there's a whole thread on Forscan. There's a list on what items you can enable or disable.

Save

RCMUSTANG

· #38 · Sep 8, 2017

The quick tap blinker is when you push your blinker and release without clicking it all the way. It does 3 blinks and then is off. You adjust how many times it does it work Forscan.

Save

Oreo

· #39 · Sep 9, 2017

RCMUSTANG said:
The quick tap blinker is when you push your blinker and release without clicking it all the way. It does 3 blinks and then is off. You adjust how many times it does it work Forscan.

Wait is this listed in the spreadsheet? If not what is the address to adjust this. 3 just isn't enough would like to set to 5.

Save

RCMUSTANG

· #40 · Sep 9, 2017

Oreo said:
Wait is this listed in the spreadsheet? If not what is the address to adjust this. 3 just isn't enough would like to set to 5.

It's not in the spread sheet. It's somewhere in the thread. You can adjust up to 8 blinks.
FORScan - Modify Module As-Built Data (Detailed)

And here is the spread sheet.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...X5Qhee3C0ngilqwTA7E/pubhtml?gid=0&single=true

Save

Reactions: 2

21 - 40 of 50 Posts

Top Contributors this Month