Suspension Warning Lights (installed non-original Suspension)

What do you mean by CS suspension? The shocks are the same as the stock car, the springs are different but they don't plug into the car - only the shocks do.

 

Inclined to agree with above.

Perhaps the replacement units weren't properly connected or one or more of them has a faulty actuator?

 

Could it be a Challenge car suspension?

 

For these suspension lights it's going to be a shock or perhaps a sensor. Unfortunately an SD2/Leonardo plug in is the quickest way to tell exactly what component is causing the light...

 

As Voicey stated the CS suspension (by AF Sach in Germany) dampers are the same electronically controlled ones as fitted on the regular 360 so this has no bearing on light illumination. If its 360 Challenge dampers (painted red and black vs the standard road car ones in silver) then absolutely yes the light will illuminate, the Challenge dampers are fixed rate dampers (hard) and don't electronically adjust their stiffness adaptively like on the road cars so your road car suspension computer will not be able to sense any dampers working so trigger a suspension fault light. You'd need to fit some 'suspension damper simulators [4 of]' circuit to trick the suspension computer into thinking there was indeed a damper there working fine. As far as I am aware nobody has yet created such a circuit, failing that you could indeed simulate the signal that the dashboard expects to hear back from its self test (its pin 4, the k-line on the suspension computer btw).

On the road cars each damper has an electrical connector attached which powers a solenoid. A PWM voltage signal output controls its damping in the form of soft, medium and hard damping and resulting digital input is used to compare its actual state with the intended state. This signal comes from a pretty basic (embedded suspension control unit). It is worth checking all 4 have a good connection. The reason they are electric shocks is because the computer can choose to set each into 1 of 3 levels, which correspond to the different supply currents (amps), soft, normal, hard. If any of them are disconnected it will trigger an fault.

The 360 and 430 (road car models) use electronic adjustable damping to help improve ride quality while still allowing the car to stiffen up (or soften up) as the road speed dictates. The same electrically adjustable AF Sach dampers (shock absorbers), upper and lower wishbones and ball-joints are used across all 360's and 430's including all road going variants of 360 and 430 including coupes, spiders and special editions like CS and Scuderia. The Challenge and GT cars use higher specification fixed rate damping (often Motons) which are even more suitable to circuit racing and have more adjust-ability. They are not really applicable to bumpy roads as they destroy road comfort (race car stiff) but they can be setup manually for each track or surface. A good compromise to the full on motorsport dampers is their Clubsport dampers. The CS and Scud also use stiffer material for all the bushings in the wishbones and on the damper mounting points vs rubber used on the standard editions. This comfort compromise gives the CS and Scud a more choppy ride compared to normal road cars but the advantages it brings are a sharper turn in and more sensitivity and accurate feedback to the steering.

The springs are different on each model, the CS utilized stiffer damper springs made from titanium (the 430 Scuderia stiffened those springs further, again still made from titanium or optionally from steel), all other road cars used steel springs, the softest of which are fitted to the convertibles. From a suspension computer perspective all that race mode is doing is altering which maps will be used for th Electronic damping used on the AF Sach Dampers. Each damper has an electrical signal which allows the suspension computer to either firm up or soften the damping as appropriate. All 360 models use the same suspension computer, the maps programed into them vary between CS and regular models. These have been re-calibrated to be stiffer in race mode. On the CS the 'normal' mode is dropped and the Sports mode becomes 'Normal', an additional mode is added 'Race' which is for smooth race tracks (firmest possible setting for the struts).

The suspension computer uses several source as inputs, the driving speed, vertical and side acceleration sensors, brake pedal switch and race or normal mode position button. The computer program processes the suspension control algorithm pre- programmmed into it and controls the output signals to the solenoid valves regulating the shock absorber settings. For the purpose of avoiding undesirable vertical or lateral oscillations of the car, the control unit detects the levels of acceleration on the car body, it estimates the wheels accelerations and, on the basis of the accelerations and of the other signals (driving speed etc.), will consequently control the solenoid valves designed for setting the shock absorbers.

The side acceleration sensors are fitted inside the front bumper cover, next to the water tank for the wiper cleaning fluid and are easy to damage with a small knock to the front bumper. Through the specific signal-filtering circuits, these sensors detect the intensity and frequency of the oscillations (vertical or lateral), in effect acting like a G-Meter.

1. [Purple Circles], these are the connectors (2 wires) which plug in each Electronic Shock absorber (1 per wheel).
2. [Yellow Circle], the suspension computer itself which is triggering the fault because of an issue its detected
3. [Red Circle]. Side Acceleration Sensor, its behind the front bumper next to the washer fluid tank.
4. [Red Circle]. Vertical, front and rear acceleration sensors

5. Brake pedal switch
6. Failure signal on instrument panel multi-function display.
7. Race selection switch on side instrument panel.
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Hi Trev,

Great information above.

You mention three settings. On the Modena/Spider we have two settings, normal and sport. Does the "confuser" actually have three to choose from and we simply add a bit of bias with the flick of our switch?

 

It doesn't work quite like that but close. The settings are pre-programmed in a 'base map' so the computer can choose based on sensor readings what map to use (in this case Normal or Sport map). They could have had more maps but they simply chose two, probably due to memory limitations of the very simple low cost embedded micro controller they chose. So normal mode, for those times when you want a very comforting soft ride; and Sport mode, when you're driving enthusiastically and want stiffer responses from the chassis. Its essentially a trade-off between controlling resonance and high frequency isolation.

Within each data map the computer decides (based on a simple set of rules, the algorithm) whether the car should be riding very softy (like say when driving below 15mph) or if when you up the speed and then enter a corner fast. The computer can stiffen up from 'soft' to 'medium' or straight to 'hard' settings depending on how hard your g-force sensors are readings (measured by the vertical and lateral sensors are reading and how fast your going, the speed signal). If your in sports mode in may choose hard rather than medium or soft for the damping.

It is actually quite old technology now and has been replaced by faster reacting Magnetorheological dampers. The type used on the 360 are essential an early type of semi-active damper which allowed for the damping co-efficient, and therefore the damping force, to be varied between high, medium and low levels of damping. The computer is mechanically adjusting the level by opening or closing a bypass valve. The only power required for the damper is the relatively small power to actuate the solenoid valve.

Hope this makes sense.

 

Sure does! You're a fountain of knowledge on all things 360!

I always assumed there were just two settings on the shocks and that "normal" probably changed to "sport" over a certain speed or G-force based on the sensors. Of course it makes sense to have a soft setting for low speed cobble-lock type terrain also.

Cheers!

 

Seriously Trev, that was an abundance of great information!

 

Bravo Trev - superb detailed info!