VAG-COM / VCDS Air Suspension Lowering
11-01-2011, 03:21 PM
#1
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Thread Starter
VAG-COM / VCDS Air Suspension Lowering
Hi All,
Just thought I'd post a few before and after pics of my car following an afternoon spent tinkering with VCDS.
Before:
Dynamic:
front: 435mm
rear: 450mm
Auto/Comfort ("Normal" height):
front: 449mm
Rear: 465mm
Original VCDS values:
Ch1 449 - L. Front Wheel
Ch2 449 - R. Front Wheel
Ch3 465 - L. Rear Wheel
Ch4 465 - R. Rear Wheel
Ch5 O - Saved
After:
Car in Dynamic suspension mode
Updated VCDS values:
Ch1 464
Ch2 464
Ch3 470
Ch4 470
Ch5 1
How you ask? 8-)
"How To" guide here: http://www.ross-tech.com/vag-com/cars/levelcontrol.html
With help from here: http://forums.quattroworld.com/q7/msgs/3314.phtml
How it works
(explanation thanks to Iconoclast on QuattroWorld forums)
The values you see are the measurements from centre of the wheel to edge of the fender.
When you enter a higher than normal value, the ECU will lower the vehicle to compensate for what it believes is an the abnormal ride height.
If you entered a lower than normal value, the ECU assumes the vehicle is lower than normal and will raise the vehicle to compensate.
The measurements are in mm, so to lower the car by 15mm, you add 15 to each number and then save it using CH5. Once that is done the entire car will lower itself by 15mm.
The values you enter are for the default "normal" ride height while the suspension is in Auto or Comfort modes. However the changes to the values are uniform across all ride heights. i.e. 15mm lower for all height settings.
Challenges:
Iconoclast said he had initially set his rear suspension to 490, a 25mm drop, however I couldn't get mine to accept a valid value above 470, which is only a 5mm drop. This might have been caused by programming the car while on my sloped driveway. I need to find somewhere flat and try again.
Extras:
While I had VCDS cranking, I also:
* added a Battery Meter to the MMI
* enabled the hidden advanced settings menu in MMI (nothing really useful here)
* enabled Dynamic Cornering Lights, front fogs fade in/out when cornering
* enabled Aux Heating (yet to test)
Just thought I'd post a few before and after pics of my car following an afternoon spent tinkering with VCDS.
Before:
Dynamic:
front: 435mm
rear: 450mm
Auto/Comfort ("Normal" height):
front: 449mm
Rear: 465mm
Original VCDS values:
Ch1 449 - L. Front Wheel
Ch2 449 - R. Front Wheel
Ch3 465 - L. Rear Wheel
Ch4 465 - R. Rear Wheel
Ch5 O - Saved
After:
Car in Dynamic suspension mode
Updated VCDS values:
Ch1 464
Ch2 464
Ch3 470
Ch4 470
Ch5 1
How you ask? 8-)
"How To" guide here: http://www.ross-tech.com/vag-com/cars/levelcontrol.html
With help from here: http://forums.quattroworld.com/q7/msgs/3314.phtml
How it works
(explanation thanks to Iconoclast on QuattroWorld forums)
The values you see are the measurements from centre of the wheel to edge of the fender.
When you enter a higher than normal value, the ECU will lower the vehicle to compensate for what it believes is an the abnormal ride height.
If you entered a lower than normal value, the ECU assumes the vehicle is lower than normal and will raise the vehicle to compensate.
The measurements are in mm, so to lower the car by 15mm, you add 15 to each number and then save it using CH5. Once that is done the entire car will lower itself by 15mm.
The values you enter are for the default "normal" ride height while the suspension is in Auto or Comfort modes. However the changes to the values are uniform across all ride heights. i.e. 15mm lower for all height settings.
Challenges:
Iconoclast said he had initially set his rear suspension to 490, a 25mm drop, however I couldn't get mine to accept a valid value above 470, which is only a 5mm drop. This might have been caused by programming the car while on my sloped driveway. I need to find somewhere flat and try again.
Extras:
While I had VCDS cranking, I also:
* added a Battery Meter to the MMI
* enabled the hidden advanced settings menu in MMI (nothing really useful here)
* enabled Dynamic Cornering Lights, front fogs fade in/out when cornering
* enabled Aux Heating (yet to test)
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Irvin Fitzgerald (03-07-2021)
11-03-2011, 05:36 PM
#3
Audiworld Junior Member
Thread Starter
After driving for a few days, the suspension ride is definitely firmer under all conditions.
On the plus side, it handles corners much flatter and sure-footed than it did before. Probably a combination of a lower centre-of-gravity and the shocks firming up a bit.
On the negative side, sometimes the ride can be a bit *too* rough, especially on some of the ****ty roads that Sydney calls arterials.
It's not too bad when I drive on my own, but with kids trying to sleep in the back, I found myself setting the car to "Comfort" mode, which nicely smoothed out the jolts.
Overall, I think I'll be keeping the mod enabled as I have it now.
Prior to doing this, I nearly exclusively ran in "Dynamic" mode. Auto/Comfort was far too soft for my liking.
Now, I think I'll be leaving it in the new "Auto" or "Comfort" mode, and switching to "Dynamic" when I want a sportier ride.
That, plus I love the way the car sits on its guts when parked 8-)
On the plus side, it handles corners much flatter and sure-footed than it did before. Probably a combination of a lower centre-of-gravity and the shocks firming up a bit.
On the negative side, sometimes the ride can be a bit *too* rough, especially on some of the ****ty roads that Sydney calls arterials.
It's not too bad when I drive on my own, but with kids trying to sleep in the back, I found myself setting the car to "Comfort" mode, which nicely smoothed out the jolts.
Overall, I think I'll be keeping the mod enabled as I have it now.
Prior to doing this, I nearly exclusively ran in "Dynamic" mode. Auto/Comfort was far too soft for my liking.
Now, I think I'll be leaving it in the new "Auto" or "Comfort" mode, and switching to "Dynamic" when I want a sportier ride.
That, plus I love the way the car sits on its guts when parked 8-)
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Irvin Fitzgerald (03-07-2021)
11-04-2011, 04:04 AM
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11-04-2011, 05:25 PM
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11-08-2011, 03:11 PM
#6
Audiworld Junior Member
Thread Starter
I think I've just found out why I couldn't set it more than 470 at the rear. I can't seem to edit my OP to add this info, so here it is:
Important info!
<snip from The 402 Mod: Suspension adjustment via VAG-COM tool>
If you need to readjust your allroad after completing your first adaptation, it is important to remember that your allroad thinks the last adaptation set it properly to 402mm between the center of your wheel to the fender. It has no clue as to where it really is set to. Therefore, if you lowered your allroad by 15mm by entering 417 into the New Value field on all four channels and wish to lower it an additional 5mm, you DO NOT enter in 422 the second time around. This will lower your allroad an ADDITIONAL 20mm. Rather, simply enter in 407 and you car will lower itself another 5mm since it thinks it's only off by 5mm. Keep a record of your modifications so you know exactly what number needs to be entered to get your car back to stock settings. Or you can measure and use this adaptation program as it was meant to be used to get your car back to factory specifications.
[Credit: Nebuchadnezzar]
Important info!
<snip from The 402 Mod: Suspension adjustment via VAG-COM tool>
If you need to readjust your allroad after completing your first adaptation, it is important to remember that your allroad thinks the last adaptation set it properly to 402mm between the center of your wheel to the fender. It has no clue as to where it really is set to. Therefore, if you lowered your allroad by 15mm by entering 417 into the New Value field on all four channels and wish to lower it an additional 5mm, you DO NOT enter in 422 the second time around. This will lower your allroad an ADDITIONAL 20mm. Rather, simply enter in 407 and you car will lower itself another 5mm since it thinks it's only off by 5mm. Keep a record of your modifications so you know exactly what number needs to be entered to get your car back to stock settings. Or you can measure and use this adaptation program as it was meant to be used to get your car back to factory specifications.
[Credit: Nebuchadnezzar]
11-08-2011, 03:15 PM
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11-11-2011, 05:40 AM
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