ItsNiceToBurnRice

Ok whats the deal with these? When NORMAL is pushed in does the suspension work electronically, or does it work like a normal car? Or does it work electronically only when SPORTS is pushed? Im just wondering because if a bunch of electronic **** is working when SPORTS is pushed, then Im not gonna use it for fear that something will break. I use to leave it on NORMAL all the time, but have had it on SPORTS for the past 2 months. Also, since the NORMAL/SPORTS buttons also have different suspension settings, (obviously SPORTS is probally stiffer), does this throw the alignment off at all? Just a couple questions I know nothing about, all I know is that my buttons actually still work, because I can see the battery meter take a quick dip when I push them.

ScrapFC

iTrader: (5)

I don't know the full story on this yet 'cause I don't yet have it working on my GXL. I know there are stepper motors on the shacks that chage the damping. I've heard the system alters shock damping dynamically while you drive. I don't think it's changing anything else. The mode you use shouldn't make a difference to the electronics. They should just be selecting a stiffer shock rate. There's no way that the shock rate is going to affect alignment. I say use the Sport mode when you're flyin' and the Normal mode when you're cruisin'.

No7Yet

It's pretty simple, really. All the switch does is actiavate a little motor that changes (slightly) the valving on the shocks. There's three settings - normal, harder, hardest (can't remember what Mazda calls 'em). When the switch is in normal mode, the shocks stay soft until ~55 MPH, when the switch up to harder. When it's in sport, they stay in harder all the time, and switch up to hardest when you get >~55 MPH. They also get stiffer when you brake (there's a sensor on your brake master cyl) and when you turn (inputs from your P/S).

With all that said........ they probably don't work. After 10-15 years, shocks tend to wear out. If you can't feel a difference, there probably isn't one. You don't have to worry about breaking things, though.

Brandon

(so I spent all my time learning everything I could about N/As. and end up getting a TII. Doh!)

peejay

People say they can't feel the difference between sport and normal... that's because as soon as you brake hard or turn hard or accelerate hard they automatically go to HARDEST no matter if you have it in sport or normal. Basically sport makes it stiffer when just cruising down the road, normal makes it softer, and there's no difference when driving hard.

I think it'd be cool to rig up the actuators somehow to work with normal adjustable struts like Illuminas... that or eliminate the actuators and manually adjust the struts so they're always at "hardest" or whatever.

No7Yet

I thought about doing something just like that, but it was too involved for too little gain. You'd couldn't use the stock shock adjustment mechanism. I was going to use some gear-reduction stepper motors, controlled by a small computer (PC104), that took inputs from the BMC output, P/S outputs, etc. and have 'em turn some aftermarket struts (KYB AGX), based on my own algs. Was going to have a local machine shop rig up some mounts and a gearing system for it.

Problem is, adjustable struts/shocks don't like to be adjusted mid-turn, and will probably blow out real quick-like. Well, that and it'd take a LONG time for little-to-no gain.

It'd be neat though

Brandon

CanadianRX7

here is a good way to tell wether your sport and normal suspension works. In either wet or dry weather dump the clutch and whatever rpm's u r comfortable with to do a little burn out.
on sport suspension the back end should start to hop a bit
on normal suspension there shouldnt be ne hopping or very little of it.

if on both settings u get the same feel when doing this most likely means your electronic suspension isnt working.

supergoat

Mine is dead. The ride in my car is a bit rough, and I get some hop on launch so I'm guessing mine died while in the "sport" setting.

CanadianRX7

yea it probably did then. its annoying when u go to spin them and then it starts to hop. I also heard on sport suspension once the tires start to spin it puts on the brakes to get better traction

does neone know it this is true or not?

Turbo Timmy

My money says they don't work at all. When I got my 88 it rode like a Cadillac on either setting. It was so bad it would bottom out and go to full extension just going over railroad tracks! Thank God for Enkei and Tokico!

No7Yet

No, not on the RX-7. Some traction contol systems do this, however.

I gotta jump in and say that the wheel hop method is not at all good for testing the AAS. Yeah, I know worn/blown struts have some effect on wheel hop, but not as much as this "test" implies. The best way I've found is to take a turn that you're VERY familiar with as fast as you SAFELY can at like 2:00AM in both normal and sport modes. If you feel a difference, the system still works. If not, it doesn't. My 89 TII's struts are PERFECT and I still wheel hop if I don't launch just right.

Brandon

Felix Wankel

Wheel hop is just inherent in the design of IRS. Bad struts/springs will have an adverse effect on this. The AAS won't make much of a difference while you're testing. I took that **** off my GXL and put some good springs and struts on it.

CanadianRX7

then your cars sport and normal must not work that well
mine is such a big difference sport is stiffer the the back wheels hop more and nomal the wheel stay on the ground better.

also another way i have found is that going into the school parking lot i hit my front end on the ground well actually just the license plate hits but after i hit it that one timei changed to sport (which is usually what i have it on all the time) and it didnt hit ne more.

i dunnno if this will matter of shot systems but on mine my volt meter also goes back and forth for a sec when switch settings.

Boosting_FC

When I had my '86 GXL 13 years ago, the only way I know if it was working or not is when I press the button, the voltmeter reading would dip a little and then return to its previous position. Other than that, the switch was just for shows to amaze others. Can't feel a bit of a diffference between the settings. Jay