DB9 GT Adaptive Damping
Discussion
After trying out the various adaptive damping modes of normal, sport and track, and on different road surfaces, I must admit to feeling no discernible difference at all in ride quality between the three settings. Is this something that should be obviously apparent between the operating modes ?
Octavarium said:
After trying out the various adaptive damping modes of normal, sport and track, and on different road surfaces, I must admit to feeling no discernible difference at all in ride quality between the three settings. Is this something that should be obviously apparent between the operating modes ?
Yes absolutely IMO. Track mode feels too hard to me for use on most UK roads (different in other countries with lovely smooth tarmac I'm sure).When generally driving around at normal speeds on a not too bumpy or potholed surface (good luck finding one!), yes, just flicking between adaptive and stiff modes returns very little appreciable difference on DB9, apart from in stiff mode over bumps you might find your fleshy body parts jangling around a wee bit more - but that's the beauty of electronic adaptive suspension in that to the driver each mode should feel about the same, but hidden underneath the surface is the magic / the actual dynamic difference, the distinct but hidden improvement each mode returns.
Find a nice wide A road on a quiet day. Drive at speed. Turn from left to right with repeatable steering wheel inputs. Note the body roll and arc the car is taking. Switch to stiff / sport mode. You should notice the arc is quicker / tighter to turn in and a little less body roll, and apart from the fleshy parts of the body jangling a wee bit more over bumps, what you actually 'feel' is more or less the same, but the dynamics / the path the car takes is different between each mode.
To say track mode / stiff mode is too aggressive is not appraising the full picture of adaptive suspension across the model range. You have a DB9 GT which in stiff mode is not as aggressive as V12VS suspension calibration, the DB9 will always return a more 'magic carpet ride' with less appreciable difference. Whereas the V12VS in stiff mode instantaneously jars the fleshy parts of the body on rubbish UK roads.
Find a nice wide A road on a quiet day. Drive at speed. Turn from left to right with repeatable steering wheel inputs. Note the body roll and arc the car is taking. Switch to stiff / sport mode. You should notice the arc is quicker / tighter to turn in and a little less body roll, and apart from the fleshy parts of the body jangling a wee bit more over bumps, what you actually 'feel' is more or less the same, but the dynamics / the path the car takes is different between each mode.
To say track mode / stiff mode is too aggressive is not appraising the full picture of adaptive suspension across the model range. You have a DB9 GT which in stiff mode is not as aggressive as V12VS suspension calibration, the DB9 will always return a more 'magic carpet ride' with less appreciable difference. Whereas the V12VS in stiff mode instantaneously jars the fleshy parts of the body on rubbish UK roads.
Edited by BamfordMike on Friday 4th August 15:09
BamfordMike said:
When generally driving around at normal speeds on a not too bumpy or potholed surface (good luck finding one!), yes, just flicking between adaptive and stiff modes returns very little appreciable difference on DB9, apart from in stiff mode over bumps you might find your fleshy body parts jangling around a wee bit more - but that's the beauty of electronic adaptive suspension in that to the driver each mode should feel about the same, but hidden underneath the surface is the magic / the actual dynamic difference, the distinct but hidden improvement each mode returns.
Find a nice wide A road on a quiet day. Drive at speed. Turn from left to right with repeatable steering wheel inputs. Note the body roll and arc the car is taking. Switch to stiff / sport mode. You should notice the arc is quicker / tighter to turn in and a little less body roll, and apart from the fleshy parts of the body jangling a wee bit more over bumps, what you actually 'feel' is more or less the same, but the dynamics / the path the car takes is different between each mode.
To say track mode / stiff mode is too aggressive is not appraising the full picture of adaptive suspension across the model range. You have a DB9 GT which in stiff mode is not as aggressive as V12VS suspension calibration, the DB9 will always return a more 'magic carpet ride' with less appreciable difference. Whereas the V12VS in stiff mode instantaneously jars the fleshy parts of the body on rubbish UK roads.
Excellent - thanks for the explanation Mike. So really, I should be thinking about dynamic adaptive suspension that is something that goes on 'under the covers', that, under normal conditions, doesn't impact that much on the experience that the driver feels. In contrast, the feel between normal and sports suspension for example, are far more noticeable to ride firmness/quality even at normal speeds.Find a nice wide A road on a quiet day. Drive at speed. Turn from left to right with repeatable steering wheel inputs. Note the body roll and arc the car is taking. Switch to stiff / sport mode. You should notice the arc is quicker / tighter to turn in and a little less body roll, and apart from the fleshy parts of the body jangling a wee bit more over bumps, what you actually 'feel' is more or less the same, but the dynamics / the path the car takes is different between each mode.
To say track mode / stiff mode is too aggressive is not appraising the full picture of adaptive suspension across the model range. You have a DB9 GT which in stiff mode is not as aggressive as V12VS suspension calibration, the DB9 will always return a more 'magic carpet ride' with less appreciable difference. Whereas the V12VS in stiff mode instantaneously jars the fleshy parts of the body on rubbish UK roads.
Edited by BamfordMike on Friday 4th August 15:09
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