Adaptive Dynamics

(10-02-2012 11:56pm)Coolbanana Wrote:  From my experience the Adaptive Dynamics gives the car a smoother ride, soaking up the bumps better than those without and is generally an improvement in all terrain response modes.

Thanks. This is what I was getting at.

Again, a lot had been said about AD providing better handling but what I was asking was whether it improved ride quality in comparison to standard spring shocks. Does it improve isolation, refinement etc. (particularly in standard mode which is where it will be most of the time for me).

Any more thoughts from any one with experience of both cars?

I drove the SD4 Prestige without AD on my LR Experience day last year for about an hour and a half. I now have completed nearly 5000 miles in my SD4 with AD.

If I had to comment on the key feature of AD I would say that it improves handling by about 20% which may seem much but trust me it is significant.

In terms of ride running the car with AD in its normal setting certainly dampens out the little bumps but is most impressive when you drive on lumpy roads. You are never going to get a super smooth ride as tiny bumps will always be felt like in a normal car as the suspension rather than the damping cannot react quickly enough.

One thing I have noticed is that when in Dynamic mode a series of bumps confuses it but this has been covered elsewhere. I tend to switch to dynamic mode when I want fast cornering and then switch it back to normal on the straights.

Overall I think AD is much better than a car without and as I approach 5000 mile I am finding it is actually getting better as the car settles down and bits bed in.

Cheers

(11-02-2012 09:59am)griff Wrote:  In terms of ride running the car with AD in its normal setting certainly dampens out the little bumps but is most impressive when you drive on lumpy roads. You are never going to get a super smooth ride as tiny bumps will always be felt like in a normal car as the suspension rather than the damping cannot react quickly enough.

Thanks for you reply. What I'm worried about though is specifically whether the ride quality/refinement in standard mode AD is better than in a non AD car. For instance if you are keen on having better handling but not at the expense of a poorer quality ride. In normal circumstances one cancels out the other but these aren't normal shocks.

Do they offer an improvement all round? Or are they worse at providing a smooth ride?

They are better all round because they react to the road conditions better as they are more sophisticated than just a normal hydraulic damper which a non AD car has. The magneride interprets the road condition rather than react to it and you select either Dynamic handling or normal according to your desire so you are not compromising between one and the other. I'm not a techy though!

Thanks. Any thoughts from any one else on this? This seems quite a relevent topic but no one has really discussed this particular side of AD! It seems rather glossed over.

I think there are quite a few people out there with experience of both cars...

(10-02-2012 09:33pm)Kimv Wrote:  Worse WITH AD? As in less good? Could you please elaborate on this? Are you disappointed?

No not disappointed, just wondering if the ride isn't a tad better without AD. But then I haven't tried a car without AD so you should listen to the people who have driven both.

There definitely is very little roll even in normal mode to the point where dynamic mode isn't really needed even for fast driving

(11-02-2012 12:29am)ChuckieB Wrote:  Thanks. Flushed this one right out of my head when I opted for the manual!

You can stil choose AD for as an option for manual or auto, just don't have the sport option on the manual beyond seting AD to 'Dynamic',
which makes the ride firmer.

Maybe this will help.


Karl Richards, Principal Engineer, Stability Control, discuss suspensions, terrain response, chassis and magneRide with journalists at Range Rover Evoque launch held in Vancouver, B.C., Canada. 10.3-4.11

Does Dynamic Mode also increase throttle response (on both the auto and manual) or does it work exclusively on the suspension and automatic shifts?

.......and the 19" v 20" debate? I will be expecting a more compliant ride generally as I will be running 19's with the AD option.