Adaptive Dynamics - how noticeable is the difference between General / Dynamic modes?

[Meddo]

Hi all, just after some feedback from owners of DSs equipped with the Adaptive Dynamics pack regarding how noticeable the difference is when switching between the normal general programs mode and the dynamic mode, please?


The reason I ask is that I can't tell any significant difference between the two modes on my DS with AD. I was provided with a non-AD DS loan car recently and the ride on that was so much smoother than my car in either mode that I'm wondering if there is a fault in my suspension (no codes thrown though). If there's any difference between the two AD modes then they are far less significant than the difference compared to the non-AD loan car.


The disclaimer here is that my vehicle has been fitted (prior to delivery) with 255/55/18 BFG all-terrains which will have a stiffer side-wall than the Wranglers on the loan car. My opinion is that although this is likely to affect the ride in General mode compared to the loan car, I wouldn't have thought it would mask the differences between General and Dynamic modes.


Although the dash does show that the Dynamic mode has been selected, and back to General (and the 4WD modes) I'm wondering if the command is actually getting through to the suspension controller - perhaps it's using the dynamic settings for both modes? It seems unlikely, but it also seems like a waste of AUD$2k for this suspension "upgrade" if it's functioning as intended.


Thanks in advance for any input,


Lee.

[BobD]

I have Adaptive Dynamics and I haven't really noticed any difference between dynamic mode and general mode on the road. I can't comment on how it drives compared with a non AD car because I haven't tried one. However, my car is riding better with age, now up to 17,000km.

I suspect that both normal mode and dynamic mode will be set with high damping on smooth roads but dynamic mode may reduce roll on fast cornering, rather than making it feel a lot stiffer all the time. I hardly ever use it and haven't really tried to see if there is any significant difference on rough roads.

AD is supposed to sense rough roads and off road and soften the suspension, so that might be the best place to try a proper comparison between dynamic mode and normal mode. I know mine rides very well on corrugations and rough roads unless the suspension runs out of travel and crashes and bangs. However, it is firm and sporty on good roads and feels a lot better in corners than the D4, although the D4 is a lot more compliant on both rough and smooth roads.

There are a couple of videos on You Tube covering AD in Evoques so it would be good to watch them to see what is supposed to happen and whether it is actually happening. I don't think that many DS's have been optioned with AD here so there may not be many responses. I have AD, Active Drive Line and many of the other tech upgrades on my SE for my own gratification!!

[guthrie]

vehicle has been fitted (prior to delivery) with 255/55/18 BFG all-terrains which will have a stiffer side-wall than the Wranglers on the loan car.

Off topic.. but what was the noise level like between the BFG's and the Wranglers? I have just picked up a new DS with the Wranglers and notice that they hum a little bit on smooth asphalt.

Guthrie

[BobD]

Yes, its surprising how much the Wranglers hum on asphalt. On the D4 they are virtually silent. I think the BFG's will be really noisy since insulation from road noise is not one of the strong points of the DS.

[Meddo]

Thanks for the replies, it appears that I misunderstood how the AD was supposed to behave when I optioned the car. I was under the impression that General mode with AD was similar to/smoother than the non-AD suspension, and that Dynamic mode was required to stiffen everything up. Talking to a service assistant last night (for other reasons) he advised that General AD is still going to be much firmer than non-AD, so it seems like it is actually working as intended. I haven't had many opportunities to throw the vehicle at a corner yet so it may just be that the situations haven't been conducive to highlighting the differences in General and Dynamic modes.

Bit of a shame that my salesperson hadn't had any personal experience to give proper advice regarding this, as with hindsight and especially now having driven them back-to-back I'd probably prefer the non-AD for my current circumstances. Oh well...

[Meddo]

Yeah there's a fair bit more noise from the KO2s compared to the Wranglers - the loan car seemed almost silent to me after driving my car [tonguewink] I know objectively that quieter is better but to be honest my car with the KO2s seemed to have a bit more character with the noise, and it's certainly nothing that some music on low volume won't drown out easily.

Having said that, my car also had a fair bit more "engine" noise compared to the loan car but found that that was a busted exhaust bracket, the whole car is a lot quieter since that's been fixed.