Magneride f55

[ro9beam2002]

I know some of the holden cars have this option. Has anyone tried putting the system on a g8 gt or gxp?

[GRRRR8]

Not saying it cant be done, but thats all part of the ABS/Braking system. Lots of parts involved and not cheap.

[z51l9889]

I agree. I am one of the engineers that was involved in developing the MagneRide system. The shocks/struts will bolt right in, but the wiring required to get the system to work properly is VERY involved. Factory MagneRide (or MR) cars have a unique wiring harness. It is doable but it will require some pretty serious wiring and electrical skills to get it all to work, not to mention a boatload of money to buy all the parts.

Put it this way -- I could probably score the parts for free, I have access to all the tools and know-how needed to wire it properly, and I still wouldn't do it.

[69project]

Well that's a pretty strong statement. What's the purpose of the magnaride anyways?

Is it that much better than a normal suspension system? Based on your statement above, it is isn't if you are considering retrofitting it into a car that didn't come with it.

[z51l9889]

MagneRide is a controlled suspension system that is able to adapt the damping force in the shocks/struts individually and almost instantaneously to respond to road conditions. The dampers use magnetorheological fluid instead of standard shock oil. MR fluid changes from a liquid state to a soft plastic state (think Silly Putty) when it is exposed to a magnetic field. An MR shock has an electromagnet in place of the piston and shock valving in a standard shock. The MR system uses a position sensor at each wheel and a control unit to calculate the amount of force needed in each shock to provide the desired ride/handling characteristics. The system can calculate the required force and energize the dampers in milliseconds.

MR is a fabulous system. It is FAR superior to any other controlled damping system currently available. The system has to be experienced to be believed. Words can't describe what it can do. It really is that good.

My reasons for not adding the system to my car have nothing to do with the performance. The performance gains are incredible. The issue is that the MR system interfaces with every major electrical system on the car. Retrofitting a car requires a near total rewire to get it to function properly. To give you an idea of how much work it is, when we would build MR demo vehicles it would take two fully trained technicians working full time on the project about 2 weeks to get the system installed and fully functional.

If one were to attempt this, I would STRONGLY suggest trying to find a wrecked Holden HSV with MR to get a complete vehicle wiring harness.

[69project]

Thanks for explaining it that was enlightening. The only GM car in the states that I know of that has that suspension is the Corvette, I have never had the coin for one of those. I know Suburbans and Yukons have autoride, is that the same thing?

Yeah re-wiring a late model car to that extent would suck. I have seen the wiring bundles that late models have, too thick to count. I re-wired my 69 camaro it was simple, like the biggest bundle was 4-5 wires.

Thanks again for the information. I guess they stuck them in the Holdens but not the Pontiacs to hold down costs?

[bigtreepu]

It was used in the STS as well. z51, do I know you? I didn't work directly w/ the MR shocks but worked in a line next to them @ ZF in Kentucky. Did you work there or @ Delphi in Dayton?

~Matt

[z51l9889]

The only GM car in the states that I know of that has that suspension is the Corvette, I have never had the coin for one of those. I know Suburbans and Yukons have autoride, is that the same thing?

Thanks again for the information. I guess they stuck them in the Holdens but not the Pontiacs to hold down costs?

MR is available on the following vehicles:

GM: Corvette (std and ZR1); Cadillac STS, SRX, DTS, CTS-V and Escalade; Buick Lucerne; Holden HSV

Acura MDX

Ferrari (some models)

Audi TT

There may be other applications that I am not aware of -- I left Delphi (the manufacturer of MR) about 2 years ago.

Autoride is a different controlled suspension system that is also produced by Delphi. It uses a conventional style shock with an internal valve that switches between a firm and soft setting. The control strategy and sensors are similar to MR, but the effects are somewhat limited because of the lower capability of the dampers.

[z51l9889]

It was used in the STS as well. z51, do I know you? I didn't work directly w/ the MR shocks but worked in a line next to them @ ZF in Kentucky. Did you work there or @ Delphi in Dayton?

~Matt

I worked at Delphi in Dayton. I now work for Bilstein in Hamilton, which is why you may have seen me a few times on the Route 4 bypass.

The ZF Sachs system operates in a similar manner to MR but the shocks are an electronically controlled version of a conventional oil-filled unit.

[Dogthree]

Sorry to come to the thread two and a half years late, but I have a question for the MR engineers..

What if one were to want to use Magneride shocks just as ordinary shocks but with an easy adjustment? My understanding is that they present a relatively small electrical load. Would it be easy to whip up a little circuit with a couple of buttons on it, "firm", "soft", etc..? Are there electromechanical specs on the shocks themselves available?

I'd be curious to try to adapt something like that to an old Cadillac Fleetwood, I want the Cadillac ride most of the time, but not on a windy mountain road, say...

Mika