Modding the CCD

5193 Views 6 Replies 4 Participants Last post by gsnyder93, 3 d ago

OX1

Discussion Starter · Sep 28, 2017

The wheels and tires section should include suspension, IMO.
With that said here goes.

This is one of the "best" articles I've found on it, but still really lacking in anything in depth

Intelligent suspension system of Lincoln MKZ to help mitigating pothole damage

From FORscan threads it seems the cluster is what allows/picks which mode the suspension is in, but
which module actually controls the suspension (contains the programming)?
Be nice to be able to have that re-programmed, but no tuners do yet that I've found.

So playing in sport/non, it is obvious that in sudden extreme maneuvers, sport is damped (feels tighter)
than non sport. What I don't understand is why. All the talk about blah blah blah 20 milliseconds etc...., why
wouldn't you clamp down the susp @ full "race" if the driver is swerving like their life depended on it?
What a waste of a real time susp.

So what I'd like to happen is over a certain lateral G, would like at least the outboard struts to go full hard.
Maybe with something like this.

https://www.robotgear.com.au/Produc...s-Accelerometer-1-5-6g-with-Voltage-Regulator

and some datalogging of what I assume is a varying voltage signal to the shocks/struts.

I surmise the struts can go even stiffer than they ever would during normal suspension
travel, since they can stiffen enough to almost stop (or drastically slow down) free extension
shock travel, during the "pothole mitigation" events. Be neat to get them that "hard" for
a couple split seconds during a crazy maneuver.

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DaMiFo

· #2 · Sep 28, 2017

The Vehicle Dynamics Module (VDM) is what controls the suspension. It does react in real time when making quick maneuvers. Maybe not as much as one would like, but it does react.

The suspension we have (CCD) is where the car is adjusting the valves inside the shocks changing the bump/rebound rates. Magneride that GM and some other companies may be what you're thinking of, where a varying amount of voltage controls the viscosity of the fluid inside the shocks.

Either way, you would have to find the limits of the valves and if that is limiting the stiffness or if it's the software that is limiting the stiffness. My guess is the tuners can't modify the VDM because it's not like the table of parameters that the ECU works off of, and may just be a coded firmware. I could be wrong on that one tho, it's just a guess.

Personally, I wouldn't say it's a waste. I think it does a great job. It's not a racecar after all.

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dlm1984

· #3 · Sep 28, 2017

I would love to be able to adjust the tuning of the CCD. Based on some article I read at some point, Ford is pretty proud of their adjustments to the Tokico software to produce the Sport's suspension, although I expect that, as enthusiasts, we have a slightly different set of priorities than the general public and improvements would be possible.

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OX1

Discussion Starter · #4 · Sep 29, 2017

DaMiFo said:
The Vehicle Dynamics Module (VDM) is what controls the suspension. It does react in real time when making quick maneuvers. Maybe not as much as one would like, but it does react.

The suspension we have (CCD) is where the car is adjusting the valves inside the shocks changing the bump/rebound rates. Magneride that GM and some other companies may be what you're thinking of, where a varying amount of voltage controls the viscosity of the fluid inside the shocks.

Either way, you would have to find the limits of the valves and if that is limiting the stiffness or if it's the software that is limiting the stiffness. My guess is the tuners can't modify the VDM because it's not like the table of parameters that the ECU works off of, and may just be a coded firmware. I could be wrong on that one tho, it's just a guess.

Personally, I wouldn't say it's a waste. I think it does a great job. It's not a racecar after all.

Well, IMO, it either reacts much slower than advertised (seems unlikely to me I can steer quicker than 20 ms), or it does
not react as far as the valves go when in Sport.

The shocks have two small wires going to them, so they have to be controlled via voltage (or maybe resistance/amperage).
I guess it is possible the shocks themselves have some kind of circuit card, which would make any manipulation
exponentially harder.

My idea would be to instantaneously disconnect the shocks from the software (at a certain lateral accel), then have it go right back.

I think it is a waste that Ford could have easily done this, especially since the reaction
to steering or lateral G's is already programmed. With all the safety nannies they ram down our
throats, why not have the suspension firm up in extreme maneuvers?

Does the hack for the 401a give you the same menus as the MKX?
I got an MKX for a loaner (sport already back at dealer for warped rotors,
they were warped from day 1).

MKX gives you

Handling in D
comfort/normal/sport

Handling in S
normal/sport

Performance in Sport
normal/sport (this is the one I really wish I had)

dlm1984 said:
I would love to be able to adjust the tuning of the CCD. Based on some article I read at some point, Ford is pretty proud of their adjustments to the Tokico software to produce the Sport's suspension, although I expect that, as enthusiasts, we have a slightly different set of priorities than the general public and improvements would be possible.

So they are Tokico's, or just the VDM is?

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DaMiFo

· #5 · Sep 29, 2017

Yes, the CCD menu I enabled through FORScan is the same as the MKX has.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

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dlm1984

· #6 · Sep 29, 2017

OX1 said:
Well, IMO, it either . . . (Snip)

So they are Tokico's, or just the VDM is?

I forget where I read the info (and it's been a while), but I understood the article to imply that the shocks and electronics to control them are both from Tokico.

I'll see if I can find it again.

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gsnyder93

· #7 · 3 d ago

DaMiFo said:
The Vehicle Dynamics Module (VDM) is what controls the suspension. It does react in real time when making quick maneuvers. Maybe not as much as one would like, but it does react.

The suspension we have (CCD) is where the car is adjusting the valves inside the shocks changing the bump/rebound rates. Magneride that GM and some other companies may be what you're thinking of, where a varying amount of voltage controls the viscosity of the fluid inside the shocks.

Either way, you would have to find the limits of the valves and if that is limiting the stiffness or if it's the software that is limiting the stiffness. My guess is the tuners can't modify the VDM because it's not like the table of parameters that the ECU works off of, and may just be a coded firmware. I could be wrong on that one tho, it's just a guess.

Personally, I wouldn't say it's a waste. I think it does a great job. It's not a racecar after all.

so is there a way to get around the CCD sensors? like i dont have them on to run coilovers and i dont want to have to put the stocks back on.

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