DSC Sport Controller Suspension Module

[TW00Si]

I also weighed in on the Integra forums. Must be nice for those of you in warm weather to get out in conditions where you can drive the car aggressively, but my impressions on hard driving are going to have to wait until spring.

But I will chime in to say that I'm local to DSC as well my car was also used in helping to develop the baseline maps. DSC tweaked the comfort mode even further to conditionally improve how the car reacts over bumps at highway speeds. I'm going to screw up how Tom explained it to me, but it is extremely cool how they program these things to increase or decrease damping stiffness in reaction to speed, steering angle, lateral g, etc. etc.

And my experience so far under "normal" driving conditions has been fantastic. Comfort mode is noticeably improved over the OEM DE5 module. It's also worth noting my car is on Eibach springs, and at order time you can select what suspension setup you have to receive an OOTB tune that is optimized for your setup (i.e., stock vs lowered).

Are you running the map for “lowering springs”? Mine came with the map for stock springs but I do plan on installing Spoon springs and had asked for that to be mapped. So instead they sent me another map for “lowering springs”. I’ve yet to find time to install the module. Will try tomorrow and see how it fares in comfort mode in NYC. And if my wife and feel the difference, I’m putting coilovers on.

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[optronix]

Are you running the map for “lowering springs”? Mine came with the map for stock springs but I do plan on installing Spoon springs and had asked for that to be mapped. So instead they sent me another map for “lowering springs”. I’ve yet to find time to install the module. Will try tomorrow and see how it fares in comfort mode in NYC. And if my wife and feel the difference, I’m putting coilovers on.

Yes, there's a different map for those with springs vs OEM, and that's the map I helped them calibrate.

 

[TW00Si]

Yes, there's a different map for those with springs vs OEM, and that's the map I helped them calibrate.

What’s the Eibach spring rates compared to Spoon?

 

[optronix]

What’s the Eibach spring rates compared to Spoon?

I understand where you're going with this, but the way I understand it is that you look at the map the unit arrives with as a profile. It's an off-the-shelf tune better optimized for a lowered car, not to a specific spring rate. The differences will be tangible but not necessarily "night-and-day" type differences. They're subtle tuning tweaks. If you want that level of precision specific to your car, your setup, and your driving habits you can get it, but not from an OTS tune.

Also short answer I don't know and can't be bothered to look, last time I checked info on spring rates for aftermarket springs isn't necessarily easy to find and/or verify.

I think the vast majority of enthusiasts will not require that level of customization, but again I have yet to get my car out to a track/autocross event so can't truly weigh in until I do. That said, I'm also very confident that if I had a specific ask that DSC would work with me and provide a closer fitting calibration I could flash to the unit just on asking. I'm sure there's a limit to how much they'd get involved gratis but Tom was telling me an interesting anecdote about a customer that wanted a "virtual rear sway bar", and that he programmed the damping to conditionally add additional stiffness in the rear to make the car rotate more. He told me if I was interested in that profile all I had to do was ask and he'd get it to me.

He also casually mentioned that if I ever decide to do coilovers that RS-R Best-I could theoretically work with the DSC controller as it retains the factory ADS, or if I went Ohlins/KW/etc. that the unit could even still be used as a more safe route for the ADS cancellation kit. You'd have to ask him for more specifics, but what I can recall is that the kits people use directly in the wheel wells get extremely hot. The cancellation kit use case maybe isn't a sole reason for buying the unit but it's still interesting and good to know.

@Maya@DSC for awareness.

 

[TW00Si]

I understand where you're going with this, but the way I understand it is that you look at the map the unit arrives with as a profile. It's an off-the-shelf tune better optimized for a lowered car, not to a specific spring rate. The differences will be tangible but not necessarily "night-and-day" type differences. They're subtle tuning tweaks. If you want that level of precision specific to your car, your setup, and your driving habits you can get it, but not from an OTS tune.

Also short answer I don't know and can't be bothered to look, last time I checked info on spring rates for aftermarket springs isn't necessarily easy to find and/or verify.

I think the vast majority of enthusiasts will not require that level of customization, but again I have yet to get my car out to a track/autocross event so can't truly weigh in until I do. That said, I'm also very confident that if I had a specific ask that DSC would work with me and provide a closer fitting calibration I could flash to the unit just on asking. I'm sure there's a limit to how much they'd get involved gratis but Tom was telling me an interesting anecdote about a customer that wanted a "virtual rear sway bar", and that he programmed the damping to conditionally add additional stiffness in the rear to make the car rotate more. He told me if I was interested in that profile all I had to do was ask and he'd get it to me.

He also casually mentioned that if I ever decide to do coilovers that RS-R Best-I could theoretically work with the DSC controller as it retains the factory ADS, or if I went Ohlins/KW/etc. that the unit could even still be used as a more safe route for the ADS cancellation kit. You'd have to ask him for more specifics, but what I can recall is that the kits people use directly in the wheel wells get extremely hot. The cancellation kit use case maybe isn't a sole reason for buying the unit but it's still interesting and good to know.

@Maya@DSC for awareness.

Thank you. I don’t “feel” the car on the track as much as others do. I just know there’s a corner at a track that the car bounces. I’m curious to see how it will behave next May. My main intention is to get a much more comfortable ride in comfort mode since it’s a family car and NYC roads suck.
I will try out the default and lowering springs profile later on. The RSR coilovers is a good call out but I don’t think I will. I was kidding about getting coilovers. More so that if my wife can’t feel the car is more comfortable, I’m giving up since she couldn’t tell the difference either when I had the ITS ADS module in. The stock suspension is pretty good so just this part, if fixed would be great.

 

[optronix]

Thank you. I don’t “feel” the car on the track as much as others do. I just know there’s a corner at a track that the car bounces. I’m curious to see how it will behave next May. My main intention is to get a much more comfortable ride in comfort mode since it’s a family car and NYC roads suck.
I will try out the default and lowering springs profile later on. The RSR coilovers is a good call out but I don’t think I will. I was kidding about getting coilovers. More so that if my wife can’t feel the car is more comfortable, I’m giving up since she couldn’t tell the difference either when I had the ITS ADS module in. The stock suspension is pretty good so just this part, if fixed would be great.

My wife's the same. Anything I seem to do to the car just results in her saying "it's loud"... even when I went from 200 TW Falkens to all-seasons. It's useless for me to engage with the "but it's less loud..."

I get your point.

 

[TW00Si]

Sharing some pictures for the ones that have yet to have time to install and was wondering about the open back.

Also sharing a quick tutorial for ones that haven’t done the ADS module swap. It just take 2 10mm bolts, 2 10mm nuts and 4 screws.

 

[JBO]

Installed last night and had a short drive in all modes. Immediately noticeable difference!
Comfort absorbs hard impacts better. Sport feels more pliant without losing the edge on handling. +R is now usable on the road. Driving to work this morning, I will go via country backroads and report back. But...I am very happy on first impressions! Install was easy peasy. Buy one! The tweakers can keep tweaking. I am not sure I will bother!

 

[alSpeed2k]

What’s the Eibach spring rates compared to Spoon?

Not sure how accurate, but here's some spring rate info I found.

From this thread

 

[JBO]

Further update - I drove over some terrible roads in comfort and sport and the ride is very comfortable compared to stock. Handling unaffected. This thing is witchcraft.

 

[atlcivic]

Further update - I drove over some terrible roads in comfort and sport and the ride is very comfortable compared to stock. Handling unaffected. This thing is witchcraft.

Great to hear. Does it maintain the steering sharpness that I felt was lost when I switched to the Integra type s damper module? I’d ideally like the best of both worlds and hoping the DSC could potentially provide that. Thanks

 

[JBO]

I would say steering and body control is very slightly more relaxed in comfort mode but its really splitting hairs to try and pick it. No change in sport or +R. But +R is useable on the road now. I drove to work this morning in +R. Low speed or moving into a carpark it still felt very firm but once you're up and rolling its way more comfortable and the jiggly ride has been reduced by about 70 per cent according to my buttocks...

 

[JBO]

Did some spirited driving today. Body control is slightly more relaxed in comfort, but the trade-off in ride is worth it. Over train tracks, it was dramatically better. In Sport, it's perfect all-round, firm but with a layer of absorption around the bumps, plus the turn in and dynamics are the same. Best of all, I hit a couple of bumps that normally unsettle the car. This time, it just held its line. In +R if the road is poor, you feel it, but it's nowhere near as bad as standard. My earlier call of around 70 percent reduction in jiggle/bounce was probably an overreach. It's about 50 per cent better.

The tunability means you can set everything at full max at the track. Providing the track is smooth, it would probably be awesome.

 

[MooMoo]

I understand where you're going with this, but the way I understand it is that you look at the map the unit arrives with as a profile. It's an off-the-shelf tune better optimized for a lowered car, not to a specific spring rate. The differences will be tangible but not necessarily "night-and-day" type differences. They're subtle tuning tweaks. If you want that level of precision specific to your car, your setup, and your driving habits you can get it, but not from an OTS tune.

Also short answer I don't know and can't be bothered to look, last time I checked info on spring rates for aftermarket springs isn't necessarily easy to find and/or verify.

I think the vast majority of enthusiasts will not require that level of customization, but again I have yet to get my car out to a track/autocross event so can't truly weigh in until I do. That said, I'm also very confident that if I had a specific ask that DSC would work with me and provide a closer fitting calibration I could flash to the unit just on asking. I'm sure there's a limit to how much they'd get involved gratis but Tom was telling me an interesting anecdote about a customer that wanted a "virtual rear sway bar", and that he programmed the damping to conditionally add additional stiffness in the rear to make the car rotate more. He told me if I was interested in that profile all I had to do was ask and he'd get it to me.

He also casually mentioned that if I ever decide to do coilovers that RS-R Best-I could theoretically work with the DSC controller as it retains the factory ADS, or if I went Ohlins/KW/etc. that the unit could even still be used as a more safe route for the ADS cancellation kit. You'd have to ask him for more specifics, but what I can recall is that the kits people use directly in the wheel wells get extremely hot. The cancellation kit use case maybe isn't a sole reason for buying the unit but it's still interesting and good to know.

@Maya@DSC for awareness.

That is very cool that it can be used as error cancelor. Those error canceller plugs are pretty pricey already and hate how they just zip tie to the strut, terrible.
They actually should consider selling a canceller that plugs into this place and is cheaper, I bet they would sell a few.

Great to hear. Does it maintain the steering sharpness that I felt was lost when I switched to the Integra type s damper module? I’d ideally like the best of both worlds and hoping the DSC could potentially provide that. Thanks

Not the first person I hear say that about the steering sharpness. I honestly can't feel the difference when I installed the ITS ADS. I feel like the steering is not as heavy but I don't mind that, I feel like +R the steering is heavy for the sake of being heavy, its not adding any more detail or feel imo.

 

[Hailw00d]

Had a chance to do an autocross over the weekend on a relatively bumpy sealed lot and came away really impressed. I ran in Sport suspension mode the whole time and the car just ate the bumps while also rotating beautifully off throttle. Another CTR was there with a National Champion driver that said he was having to manage the bumps quite a bit, which I never noticed. I wound up about 0.6 off his times, which is much closer than I've been in the past.

Here's a video from my codriver, a multi-time National Champion, who had the 4th fastest raw time and was 3rd on PAX despite us being in BST with basically a stock car:



So far I have zero regrets and look forward to doing some tuning next season.

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