Race mode and/or lowering springs and adaptive damping

Race Mode and/or lowering springs in combination with adaptive damping on non-Q versions do not go well together. In Race Mode, the damping characteristic in Race Mode becomes very unpleasant. The damping at the front becomes very soft and the rear very stiff. All things considered, just dangerous.

But adaptive damping in combination with most lowering springs does not go well either. The damping no longer fits the spring character at all. The result is very scary handling on bumpy roads and poor damping when taking speed bumps.

We have a solution for both phenomena.

CDCM upgrade for Race Mode

The adaptive dampers give a different shock absorber characteristic in the various positions of the DNA knob. The behavior in A and N is the same. Soft, comfortable, pleasant, sometimes even almost floating on the highway, but just a bit stiffer on shorter bumps. Dynamic sets the damping a bit harder and therefore provides a more active driving experience.

A popular adjustment with the Giulia is activating the Race mode. The DNA button then gets a fourth setting: “Race”. When activating the Race mode, all systems in the car are “told” that there is an extra position for the DNA button. Each system may or may not respond to this at all. That depends on whether it is important for the functioning, but especially whether the software of the system in question is prepared for the new state. The adaptive damping control unit (called CDCM) is NOT. It can handle well with the A, N and D mode. But in Race mode it doesn’t understand it anymore. As a result, the front dampers become very weak and the rear dampers very stiff. Something that does not fit together at all and which is even very undesirable when driving in Race Mode.

CDCM for lowered cars.

Adaptive damping in combination with most lowering springs also does not go well. The damping no longer fits the spring character at all. The result is very scary handling on bumpy roads and poor damping when taking speed bumps.

The solution

The solution to this problem is to install the CDCM control unit of a Q or GTA version. These models are equipped with Race mode as standard and tighten the dampers in Race even more than in Dynamic.

There are 2 CDCM types in circulation.
The first years of production until about halfway 2018 we had the C-type CDCM. These get the Quadrifoglio spec. update.
Then Alfa switched to the D-type CDCM. These get GTA spec software.

A CDCM control unit costs about 850.— Euro new. The only problem is that the control unit is delivered empty . So without software. This software is only loaded once the control unit is installed in the car for which it is intended. Only a dealer can do that. This is matched on the basis of the chassis number. In short, tricky, difficult and expensive.

As a chip tuner, we can go in all directions with engine computers. Each control unit has its own microprocessor and neat communication protocols are made for it. But a CDCM control unit is a whole different story. Has a very potent microprocessor, but there is no communication protocol for which is commercially available. In short, time for pioneering work.

With the 2.0T engine tuning, we were months ahead of the competition in 2017 because we had developed our own communication protocol. Among other things, we have now been able to apply that knowledge to the CDCM control unit. Together with the help of a CAN network scanner/logger we are now able to upgrade the CDCM to Q or GTA specifications.

For foreign customers we use an exchange system with deposit. Which will be refunded as soon as the old control unit has been received by us in good order. After mounting the upgraded CDCM, a so-called “PROXI alignment” must take place to make the control unit known to the car in which it is mounted.

Note: the above story applies to the control units:

part number 50534054 BC.0141670.C
part number 50555625 BC.0141670.D

Control units are offered via the internet (Ebay) with part number 50534054 BC.0141670.B These are for production control units that do not work properly in a production car. We also CANNOT reprogram these control units.