Electronically Controlled Hydraulic Adjustable Suspension, also known as Continuous Damping Control (CDC) system, is an active suspension technology that can independently control the damping of each wheel's suspension. Its electronic sensors can adjust the shock absorbers in real-time based on road conditions, allowing them to frequently switch between soft and hard settings, thereby more quickly and accurately controlling body roll, pitch, and yaw, improving vehicle stability during high-speed driving and cornering.
Its technical features include precise control and fast response speed. However, this suspension relies heavily on electronic equipment, with core components including the central control unit, CDC shock absorbers, body acceleration sensors, wheel acceleration sensors, and CDC control valves. Unlike traditional hydraulic adjustable suspensions, CDC shock absorbers are based on the structure of traditional hydraulic shock absorbers, with oil filled inside and featuring two chambers, inner and outer.
When the wheel encounters bumps, the piston inside the shock absorber moves up and down within the sleeve, and the oil flows back and forth between the two chambers. The mutual friction between oil molecules and the friction between the oil and the pore walls create resistance to the piston's movement, converting the kinetic energy of the vibration into heat. This heat is then dissipated into the air through the shock absorber's outer casing, thereby achieving the damping effect.
Although CDC is not considered a highly advanced suspension technology, it has been widely applied in mid-size vehicles. For example, this system was equipped on the 2004 Opel Astra model. By 2008, on GM's new mid-size vehicle platform, Epsilon II, the Flex Ride adaptive chassis system used in the Opel Insignia model was derived from the CDC system.
