So I searched within the forum and there's tons of posts on the DDC (dynamic damper control), which previously softened the dampers 10% from the standard suspension on Green and Normal mode and stiffened by 10% over standard suspension on sport. This is super straight forward, but the approach for 2022 is different, and I'm looking to hear from owners or folks who have test driven the car how it works in real life.

Unfortunately my dealer doesn't have any of these in stock, so I can't do a back to back comparison. Here's a detailed explanation below...but how does it actually feel??? Many thanks!

2022 MINI: Frequency Selective Damping
All small MINIs now offer frequency-selective damping as part of the optional adaptive chassis.
It achieves an optimized balance between sportiness and ride comfort through the use of continuous frequency-selective damping. An additional valve acting on the traction side takes over the task of smoothing out sudden pressure peaks within the damper. Making this possible is the speed of the adjustment – within 50 to 100 milliseconds.
Depending on the driving situation and road conditions, the damping forces can be reduced by up to 50 percent. This is intended to significantly increase ride comfort and handling composure over rough roads. The result should be that sport mode should be less punishing on rough roads while still delivering the aggressive feel of the current system.

 

Motoring File had some brief comments on these, I believe.

 

Just dug it up: http://www.motoringfile.com/2021/10/...s-convertible/

MotoringFile tends to look at anything MINI does through rose-coloured glasses, so take it with a grain of salt. But it sounds positive.

 

Oh that's an awesome write-up, thank you so much! Given how horrible NYC roads are, I think that's likely $500 well spent.

 

So I spoke to a guy on reddit who upgraded from an R53 to an F56 Cooper S, and he said that the ride quality difference was the adaptive dampers was dramatic (and he was able to do back-to-back drives with and without it). He said it's really effective for large bumps, and said hitting a pothole with the adaptive suspension just made it feel like hitting a big bump. He basically sold me on it!

 

It seems "Frequency Selective Damping" is purely mechanical without electronic control. I wonder if it is comparable to Koni Special Active Suspension (frequency selective damping). Anyone had experience with both setups? It would also be interesting to know if it is possible to retrofit an older F56/F55 with the new suspension parts. Thanks.

 

I keep thinking about this. Anything with "milliseconds" sounds fast, but this is really slow. 50–100ms is about 1/20th to 1/10th of a second. That's actually not long at all for a car moving faster than walking speed.

Say we're driving at 40mph. That's 704 inches per second. (Or shift the decimal a bit for 0.7 inches per millisecond, if you prefer.) In 50ms – the fastest the system adjusts – you travel 35 inches. Three feet. In 100ms, you travel six feet. (Well, okay, 5'10"!)

A speed bump is roughly a foot across (and a few inches tall). Road undulations seem to be a couple feet long and usually less than in inch vertically. And potholes are basically pairs of vertical transitions an inch or two tall - straight down, then straight up.

I really don't see the system being able to react to a significant bump in the road in time for the compression stroke. Rebound, maybe. And for potholes it shouldn't work at all, unless the pothole is several feet across.

And yet people who've driven it says it works.

What am I missing? By the numbers and based on what we've been told, this shouldn't work. But it does.