acquired my dsc from tom. Thanks Tom for the great service.
upon installng i immediately felt a difference in comfort mode. the ride was less jiggly and felt a lot more softer in ride. However, on some roads i experienced a left right swaying of the car which was more prominent in normal mode than in sport mode. i got in touch with Tom to ask about a few things... might help others.
Here are the answers:

1. Will there be any harmful effects switching between sport and normal frequently? Want to feel the difference while on the go.
No harmful effects to the DSC nor the shocks. You might wear out the button if you push it like 500 times. But the button/panel is replaceable when its worn out.


2. Are there any harmful effects switching between OEM box and the DSC module often? After a while of driving I forget how the original felt and want to put it back to feel. But, I also want to make sure I don't confuse any other electronic module in the car.
No harmful effects to the modules by switching. Just make sure the ignition key is OFF when you do the switching. If you plan on switching many times just be carefully and don't break the plastic connector by using excessive force. If you are doing a quick back to back test on one particular section of road you can save time by not putting the module on the bracket, just let it hang on the harness for short testing and switching.


3. Does the DSC or OEM box "learn" anything? Driving habits etc?
It doesn't learn to driver patterns. It works off of the mapping in near real time. That's the "D" in DSC(Dynamic Suspension Control). The commands to the shocks are Dynamic to the moment. The reaction time is limited by the shocks, not by the DSC module. Typical reaction time is around 100 millisecond on OEM/Bilstein shocks, 6 millisecond on Tractive shocks.


Been driving around and although I will reserve a more comprehensive review, I noticed in comfort mode the car sways left and right specially when driving around 30 to 50kph in the less than perfect roads we have. In sport it is a lot more stable but with a more firmer ride.
Normal mode does have softer damping commands. As the suspension travels to the softer damping, you might be experiencing unwanted front toe steer(aka bump steer). In such case, you should have your alignment checked/adjusted. The stiffer damping of Sport mode will reduce the amount of travel and therefore masking unwanted front toe steer.


1. What is your suggestion to remedy this without really going into the sport mode program?
Get your alignment checked/adjusted. Or program Normal mode to be a little bit stiffer to mask alignment flaws. We provide tech support for both solutions. Although addressing the problem at the root is highly preferred over masking the problem.


2. Will it be an easy reflashing? Can I do it myself?
If you have a mini-USB cable and average PC skills then it will be easy. Yes, you can do it yourself.


3. If the new software does not make any improvements is it easy to go back to the original one?
Always save the original map(file) before making any changes so you go back to it if needed.

 

2010 C2S everything is OEM

 

downloaded the software and driver..
- first thing is to install the usb driver. otherwise the dsc unit will not be recognized
- after driver install, one can already open the dsc tuner file. from the tutorial at you tube, i pressed board reset just so to boot everything.

- everything seems easy enough after. you can read from the dsc and save it to a file. my original file had 6kb of data.
- the new table that Tom sent me had 7kb of data. so i guess there is a difference there. TOm's magic.

the new table that tom sent me is to minimize the left and right swaying of the car on uneven roads on slow speeds that could have been aggrevated by the soft settings of the shocks. the new table is firmer at low g's, acc to Tom. will give feedback as soon as i get some road time.

Asian roads brothers.

 

tom also sent some recommended alignment settings to take advantage of the dsc module. here are the specs.

recommend alignment specs from DSC
front camber -0.8 degree
front toe +8' (per side)
rear camber -1.7 degree
rear toe +15' (per side)

do alignment with all 4 tires set at 35 psi.

 

Not sure why you'd do an alignment with all 4 tires set at the same pressure if that's not how you drive the car after the alignment. I run 35 psi front and 40 rear, and have my alignments done with 200 lbs in the driver's seat area since that's how the car is usually driven. I also had it corner balanced initially to optimize the adjustable coilovers, but since I'm not playing with ride height frequently, now just do the alignments, but still with the weight and correct tire pressures.

 

i also read somewhere that the car needs to have a full tank of gas when alignment is done?

Our latest correspondence with Tom:

The file Tom sent me contains both Normal and Sport. But Sport is unchanged.

The step by step process to follow :

Connect to cable from PC to DSC
Open DSC software
Select the vehicle type in "File" menu
Then "Open" the new file that I sent you
Go to "Tools" menu to "Reset Board"
Then "Write All"
Then "Reset Board" again.
Done.

Big thanks to Tom for guidance to us less tech savvy owners...

 

You're welcome, slicky rick.

FYI, I recommended the 35psi tire pressure for doing wheel alignment for the purpose of avoiding possibly one corner sagging as a result of low tire pressure. The 35psi is a general recommendation. For example, if one tire is down to 20psi while the others are 30+psi then the alignment will not be accurate because the car is not level. You can do the alignment with all four tires at 35psi, or all four at 36psi, or 37psi, or factory spec tire pressure. All of which will produce same good results on a street car.

 

Have installed a mini usb cable permanently connected to the dsc module even while it is connected to the car. No need to remove the box to write new tables. Changing the settings become so easy now.... The warning for everyone is to keep the key out of the ignition when the module is connected to the computer.

 

I keep a 3-foot mini-USB cable permanent attached to my DSC module and hide the cable under the floor mat. Yes, always take the key out of the ignition switch when plugging or unplugging the DSC module to car's wiring harness!

 

Additional exchange of notes between Tom and I:
different table values as the normal mode on the table we have posted on our dsc site "allbilstein..." . I am assuming the tables in the module are the latest tables that come with all new delivered modules, is this correct?
The file originally in your module is my file, it is better than the one currently on the site ;-) The one that's currently on the site is way to soft in Normal mode. The reason the too soft Normal mode file is on our site is because that's the file that the owner of DSC company likes the most. However, his personal preference is different than most users in that he drives very extremely slow on public roads like an old woman, unless he is on a race track. So therefor the file that he made and that he likes the most is less liked by most DSC users at under 0.3g. This a situation where I made a decision for what I think is for the good of the company. If you drive extremely slow than you might like his file. LOL
Jordan will be updating the site with more files for users to select from.
2. The sports mode tables for the "allbilstein ..." and the file you sent me also have different table settings... I fell in love with the sports mode table that came with box unfortunately I lost the setting when I failed to backup before I followed your instructions in writing the new file you sent. Which table do you think came with the module? Yes I know I can experiment but its been raining here so testing the tables are not that easily done. If you can resend me the actual file that came with the box, both normal and sport, I would appreciate. I was able to make a copy of the normal mode settings though and will send to you for your reference. You might have numerous tables that come with new order modules and the normal mode table which I was able to save might give reference to which one.
In the attachment is file that I originally sent you.

The 1200-200 Sport mode shock calibration makes the ramp angle of increasing damping a steeper angle. More sporty. The peak is at ~500. So 200 doesn't make the peak stiffer but gets to peak value sooner. This is a tuning strategy.

the accel table is unpopulated, why?
We found on the 997 Turbo that the G-force table does a great job managing the twin-turbo power delivery along with the rear engine placement. So adding Accel values makes the system unnecessarily more busy with no gain. We only use the Accel table for front engine hi-torque cars like Dodge Viper and Z06 Corvette.


should we not populate this table with a table opposite to the braking table?
No. Stopping or slowing down a car generates a lot more g force and sustains the g force for longer period of time than accelerating a car so the Braking table is a supplement that really improves the balance of the car during braking.


the steering table is unpopulated, why?
Same applies to Steering. The G-Force table and the car's anti-sway bar is more than enough. If you happen to remove the anti-sway bars then you need to fill in the Steering table.
i did notice a velocity table. what is this? what data are being used by this table to establish suspension settings? there also seems to be no data yet in this table.
Velocity table is in the software but it is not applicable on any 997 because of the absence of the ride height sensors and associated wiring from the factory.


to understand our tables. when you mean reverse G tables. does this mean that below a certain g threshhold the main g table is being followed by the suspension. when the g's are exceeded, the separate tables for speed, accel, braking etc are the ones that are followed by the module as commands to the suspension?
i always read about how proud you guys are with this reverse g table being used for the latest 2 mode modules. however, i just could not catch its principle of operation. maybe you can explain in more laymans terms.
On the bottom of the G Force table page there's a rectangular box named the G Comfort Parameter(this is what we nicknamed the Reverse G Table). When you are driving, a certain threshold must be met in order to get out of the G Comfort and into the main G Force table. These thresholds(or parameters) are Sensitivity and G Max Rate.

G Max Rate = the amount of g force threshold that must be exceed. For example, a value of "30" means 3.0g. If the g force is under 3.0g then the damping value stays at whatever the value is in Default Rate.

Sensitivity = if the g force is below for example 3.0g, but driving within the 3.0g, the actual g force is changing very quickly such as driving over very sharp bump or changing direction quickly within 3.0g, then Sensitivity threshold will trigger out of the G Comfort and into the main G Force table. The lower the Sensitivity value the more sensitive to trigger out of G Comfort. Usually a Sensitivity value of 15 to 30 is used. Raising or lowering a value of 5 makes a noticeable difference. The higher the Sensitivity value the more time the car stays in G Comfort until the G Max Rate threshold is met.

Default Rate = this is the damping value when the car is within G Comfort parameters. This value is a percentage of Shock Calibration. For example, if the Default Value is 5, that means the damping value is 5% in Shock Calibration. The car will stay at 5% damping value until the thresholds(Sensitivity and G Max Rate) are met. So when you are driving leisurely with little or no change to g-force or braking activity the damping will stay soft until the thresholds are met. Again the thresholds are Sensitivity and G Max Rate.

1. The shock calibration table, this applies for the main g table?
Yes. In fact the Shock Calibration applies to all other tables. The percentage values that you see in all other tables is the percentages in Shock Calibration. We don't recommend changing anything in Shock Calibration unless you install different kind of shocks in the car like the Tractive DDA.


We calibrate for the range but when do those values come into the commands?
These values come into commands all the time when you are driving! For example, when you look at the Default Rate, whatever that value is, it is the percentage as shown in Shock Calibration. If the Default Rate value is 5, then its running on 5% in Shock Calibration. That is 5% out of 100%. With 100% being full stiff. If you are braking hard at 1.0g then the front will be 100% in the G-Force table, which means at this moment of 1.0g braking the front shocks are at 100% of Shock Calibration. Just the percentages alone works fine for tuning. Shock Calibration converts percentage value into mA(milliamp) for defining the range of the shocks from full soft at 1% to full stiff at 100%.

exceed the g necessary to get to the main g table its just one value!
That is correct. If the actual g force value is lower the thresholds we we assume you want comfort then it is the Default value in the G Comfort Parameter.


2. 3g's? We have cars. Not planes! Hehehe just teasing. Nevertheless, for us mortals I don't think we will ever exceed 1.5g's even in track! So are we saying most are just driving in that g comfort range? All the other parameters are useless even in spirited street driving, except perhaps in an emergency braking event.
Sorry I made a typo. 30 in G Max Rate = 0.3g. Spirited cornering can very easily exceed 0.3g.

 

so far tom has been very helpful in explaining the main table of the dsc. On its latest iteration the car exhibits compliant ride on low speed but is very twichy on speeds over 60kph. asphalt patches unsettle the car. i really dont know if this is due to an alignment issue but i do not recall this on the oem module. We are now playing with the speed table besides the main G table.
right now Tom and I are playing with this dsc and it seems all good due to the adjustability. however at times i realize the oem module actually is responsible for giving our cars its character. i read an article before comparing a 991 carrera s with all the options; pdcc, pasm etc etc and a simple carrera. the writer ends up saying the carrera S with all its electronic S is so flat at speed and corners, the carrera bobs and weaves as any previous 911 did.... which one you think the writer chose...
in the end, to each his own, as i continue to experiment with the tables to find my best setting. in the end at least i know if i cant find it, i can always go back to oem...

 

experimentation continues after a short rest... setting the module at 8, 19, 30 with shock calibration on a range of 1500 to 500. however i noticed that there is somehow a conflict with the front and rear settings causing a shifting of weight of the car when moving on less than perfect roads. i rear shocks seem to be too hard, at low speeds. i change the shock calibration of the rears to be softer for a few percentages then move progressively to 500. similar to what pete suggested, except only for the rear. this setting seems so far the best setting for me. the best since i got the unit sometime march.there will be more tweaking as the stability at speed is less than ideal still. somewhat exhibiting the feel that bruce is feeling as explained in his post. i will be adopting the speed table of bruce and see how it changes the character.. take note all of this is on normal mode still. after i get my perfect road ride, i will proceed changing the sport mode for those few track and mountain pass drives.

 

I forget are you on stock PASM suspension or Damptronics, and a .1 or .2, RWD or AWD?

 

Pete, pasm 2wd, 997.2

 

My current settings are very good.at low speeds.. good but. An still be improved at higher speeds. Floating feeling at high speed somewhat there...will start playing with the speed table once Tom clarifies a few questions.