stephen1254

Just curious - auto or manual?

Foosh

Interesting. I am planning to purchase the controller and have DSC Sport install and set it up for me in their shop. A more comfortable ride setting for daily commuting, etc. is one of the major attractions to me.

The roads in metro-DC are in relatively poor condition, and since TOUR is the default mode when the car is started, it would be much more user-friendly to do it that way, rather than having to go to TRACK, PTM-WET every time I start the car. Moreover, I'd rather have the other TOUR settings in daily driving.

spearfish25

Manual

PeteC7

I see fleming mention the Z07 option which not only comes with the CC brakes but also, if I understand it correctly, different suspension settings. So would this controller help a non Z07 car perform like one from just a suspension perspective?

Foosh

All MSRC cars have mode adjustable shock settings from base C7 to Z06 Z07. The DSC controller provides more sophisticated shock adjustments than OEM for all MSRC cars, which by all accounts enhances the performance of all other suspension components in each model.

Poor-sha

TL;DR - Yes. I would argue that an FE6 car with the DSC Sport controller and shocks will offer a better ride on the street and outperform an FE7 (Z07) car on the track.

The details on the difference between the FE6 and FE7 suspensions are in this thread here:
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...fferences.html

My car is an FE6 suspension car and I bought it that way because I initially wasn't planning on tracking the car and I wanted a better ride on the street. I ended up tracking the car a lot and after a year I started looking in to upgrading to the FE7 suspension bits. However, it's pretty much impossible to get the FE7 shock calibration retrofitted to an FE6 car with the stock module. Luckily I heard about the DSC controller and was able to be an early tester for the controller and the RT shocks.

At this point I think the suspension is perfect and wouldn't change a thing*. I've driven a few Z07 cars with the stock suspension bits but I've never driving a Z07 with the DSC controller. However, I suspect that the FE6 is a slightly better platform with the DSC bits simply because you have softer springs and as a result the shocks have a greater range to operate in (because the springs will let the corner go softer).

*I am contemplating selling my RT shocks and buying the RTx shocks. The RT shocks work very well but the RTx have the remote reservoir and a bit more stroke in them. I can't say I've noticed any need for them but I am suffering a bit from "buy the biggest baddest part you can" syndrome.

0DSC Sport

Foosh, You are correct the DSC is not only a more sophisticated approach but an entirely different approach. We meet many of the chassis engineers at the trade shows. It is refreshing for them to see out of the box thinking we bring to the table. DSCsport has combined ground hook and skyhook theory by viewing the tire to the road completely different than the manufacture. They concentrate on the road to the tire. We at DSCsport look from the steering wheel to the road. We incorporate the human element it is the real way the chassis is tuned at the race track. Using the driver feedback and data to tune the chassis. This is the philosophy behind DSCsport.

rikhek

Mike modified the DSC Tour mode calibration files with the intent of providing an even smoother ride than that realized in RACE/PTM/WET.
Mike has provided the file in the link below:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxQ...VJRjN5dnM/view

I installed the file and tested for several hundred miles. His modified tune offers a significant improvement. Going softer as he did dials out sharp edged road undulations and expansion joint like features. The constant "feel" of the road texture is also toned way down with this file. Not numb, just right. Very nice.

Providing this file for the TOUR mode offers several benefits over using the RACE/PTM/WET for highway cruising. In R/P/W you have to live with the default steering and exhaust modes and subdued power delivery. Using TOUR allows you to pick the settings you prefer and maintain the OEM power delivery.

Excellent!

0DSC Sport

I like the sport mode for the steering exhaust ect... in my car so ill look at the strategy to make the sport mode a little more comfy without compromising performance

Foosh

I went to DSC Sport today and had the controller installed, as well as Mike's recommended C7 alignment. Mike personally drove the car and fine-tuned it via Wi-Fi, even though he was in the middle of building a race engine for Sebring in a few weeks. It simply does not feel like the same car, and the difference is immediately obvious. I thought MSRC was good before, but this truly is a major game changer!

Every mode is now greatly enhanced, and the difference is dramatic. Regardless of which mode setting you choose, the shocks are clearly working much more effectively. Road imperfections in all modes are damped out in a way the OEM settings didn't come close to doing.

On rough pavement, which is common in this area, I was usually in OEM Tour because the other modes caused too jarring a ride, but that is no longer the case. With the DSC Controller, Sport is now my new favorite street mode, and Track also works well on rough pavement.

As far as I'm concerned, this is the best money anyone can spend on any C7 w/ MSRC, and it's a bargain for what it does to the car. Now that the suspension is working far more efficiently, the car can clearly be driven much quicker and safer. I don't doubt at all that this suspension set-up is worth 2 or more seconds per lap on a 3-4 mile circuit.

More power doesn't necessarily make a significantly faster car, especially when the suspension can't deliver it to the pavement. This technology certainly enhances one's ability to do that. Moreover, it also makes it remarkably more comfortable on the street.

DickieDoo

Maybe GM should hire Mike as a consultant! HE obviously knows what he is doing in both street and race applications.. Maybe GM should use his product under license... I am very impressed.

Foosh

I think GM is well aware of Mike Levitas' reputation. Porsche certainly is.

During my visit today, I noticed Mike needs a new trophy case in his lobby, which also features one of his iconic Porsche race cars. There is trophy after trophy for his IMSA podium finishes (many 1st place), from Sebring, Daytona, Watkins Glen, Roebling Rd., Laguna Seca, and on and on. You can't even see them all, with a whole bunch spilling on to the floor. And, of course, he's also a Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona winner.

Moreover, his large shop is full of Porsche race cars his company is preparing for others. Give 'em hell at Sebring #36!

C7s

I understand going softer in Tour for improved ride but not Track. I think Track could actually be a tad stiffer for road course or autocross racing. Also I can't figure out why GM wouldn't have made these adjustments.

Foosh

You need to read the many threads on this from many experienced track folks. The C7 Z06 discussion on the DSC technology is much more informative than here.

It's not a matter of making it "softer." None of the modes are actually "softer," certainly not Track, and it certainly doesn't do things like increase body roll in a competitive mode. What the DSC controller does is take full advantage of all the sensors on the car to make many more adjustments independently on all 4 shocks based upon what the car is doing. The OEM settings aren't utilizing 15% of the MSRC shocks' potential.

For both street and track use, the DSC controller reacts instantly to rough pavement to dampen impacts and minimize chassis upset and utilizes far more data from sensors already on the car to do so. The OEM settings do not do that. That's why the ride is more "comfortable."

It also does many more things to improve the car's handling in high-performance driving. That's how people are shaving more than 2 seconds off their laps. If you're pulling serious G's in a corner, the technology will react more quickly to stiffen the corner(s) of the car that need stiffening in that situation.

Mike Levitas could write a dissertation on why GM didn't do it, but I don't want get into a controversial subject here. However, the MSRC technology was developed by a former GM subsidiary, Delphi, which was sold to a foreign entity during the 2008 bankruptcy proceedings. Do your own research.

cvp33

I'm scheduled to visit Mike in mid-February to install the controller and get the alignment. It's a 5 hour drive for me and I'll need to stay overnight. That should tell you how much I believe what many have posted regrading the efficacy of this unit.

Poor-sha

Remember that you program different controller maps for each mode so you can make tour super soft and track as stiff a you like.

Did you go up to his office? He has so many some of them are on the floor.

65sohc

I suspect that a single suspension tune could suffice for virtually all conditions, from potholed urban streets to 160 mph straightaways. It is obvious from viewing the tutorials that all the squares on the tuning map are independent of each other. What the suspension is doing at 35 mph is, for the most part, irrelevant to what goes on at a racetrack. I think the different "modes" programmed by the manufacturer are largely artificial. The reason is that men like to play with stuff, and if a man turns a **** or pushes a button he wants to feel something happen. Women don't have butt dynos and are, for the most part, not the target demographic for high performance sports cars. My Shelby has two basic shock settings: Normal and Sport. Sport is noticeably firmer which, in city driving, translates into somewhat less compliance and a greater tendency to toss your head around. In this situation there is absolutely no benefit or enhancement of the driving experience, other than to tell me I have entered a "performance zone." From what we know about MR shocks there is no reason why the engineers couldn't have left the low speed, low G dampening alone, but then the marketing people would worry that owners might complain they couldn't feel a difference when they switched settings. Steve Pericak, chief engineer on the Boss 302 and GT350 alluded to this in interviews. The Boss had manually adjusted shocks and he made it a point to say that there was a big difference between 1 and 5. Likewise when I attended the unveiling of the GT350 at Laguna Seca the engineer in charge of ride and handling told me there was a big difference between Normal and Sport.

Foosh

No amount of forum words can change the mind of a skeptic. You have to do some research, make an informed decision, and then experience and evaluate it for yourself.

When the OP first posted, I was among the greatest of skeptics. After discussing it with the OP, reading all I could on the technology, talking w/ Mike and others, I felt it was likely to be an upgrade, but was unsure of how much. Now, after having it installed and driving about 100 miles today on all kinds of roads, I am blown away by what an improvement this is. I could tell the difference as soon as I left the DSC shop.

I am a scientist by training, am a born skeptic, and trained evaluator of things. I've purchased all kinds of technology that I've not been impressed with, so I'm not just smitten because I purchased it.

I have yet to hear anyone who has installed the DSC controller say anything negative or that it was anything less than transformative on the C7. The Porsche world is even more enthusiastic.

Yes, today was one of my top 10 car enthusiast days. I felt honored to have Mike's personal attention focused upon perfecting the suspension set-up on my car.

65sohc

Are you addressing me? If so I apologize if my message was unclear. I ordered a DSC and will have it by Friday. The point I tried to make was that I bet it is possible to get the best of all worlds with the DSC in a single tune if one wishes, ie. it is not necessary to sacrifice street comfort in order to achieve racetrack performance. I think the manufacturers choose to offer distinct modes partly as a marketing ploy.

Foosh

No apology necessary and directed at no one in particular.

I suppose if you have a strong personal preference, you could probably live with a single set-up (program), that would do well for all all situations. In fact, one of the cool things about the DSC controller is that the car "feels" better in all settings.

However, since the car is already set up with the mode dial and the OEM MSRC is programmed with different suspension settings, why wouldn't you utilize that capability for a variety of settings on the DSC controller?

I like the option of changing the settings on the fly depending upon how I'm using the car. If you like one set-up for all situations, you can just leave the mode dial in that position. In some sense, I think that's what Mike has done with his latest version of the Sport setting. That will probably become the favored mode for most users.

For example, I like a more comfortable setting for long-distance highway cruising, and the DSC Tour set-up is a much more comfortable version than the OEM. However, I wouldn't necessarily want to use that in more spirited driving.