If you follow us on Facebook, you’ll know that we’ve posted a few hints toward some new product. This past year, TEIN Japan has been hard at work at developing a new EDFC (Electronic Damping Force Controller).

If you asked me earlier in the year as to what kind of features will make the current EDFC even better, I’d probably tell you that I don’t see how it can get any better- we already receive great feedback on this item, and most end-users find the current features to fit their needs very well. Shows what I know! The TEIN engineers have outdid themselves once again!

The new EDFC Active is the result of several concerns our engineers felt needed to be addressed. The “Active” part of the system is what makes this so unique.

Imagine having a suspension that is adaptable to your driving conditions, whether it is based on speed(rate of travel), or by g-force. That’s what this new product has to offer.

Using a supplied g-force sensor, this new EDFC Active can make real-time adjustments for vehicle pitch under acceleration and braking. It allows the end-user to adjust/set damping to a predetermined click setting for every 0.2g increment. What this translates to is a direct change in damping force (to your preset) based on the amount of g forces you are pulling under acceleration and deceleration.

Here’s an example using 32-way adjustment for click setting at different g loads

In the G Linear mode, you are able to make a much more seamless damping force change as g loading increases or decreases

Combine the available GPS sensor, and you can have automatic (again, to your desired presetting) based on the vehicle’s rate of speed. For example, if you want to run damping much softer for street driving (ex. 25 miles per hour), that is completely possible. Then, if  you want increased damping force for highway speeds (ex. 65 mph), you can also have that saved. In fact, you can have up to 10 preset speed/click settings saved.

With the GPS sensor, you can use S-Arrange mode to set damper click setting to your predetermined speed (vehicle rate of travel)

Or you can use the S-Linear function to make the click setting transition much more smoother as vehicle speed increases or decreases.
Just like the G-Linear mode, this translates into damping control fine setting for smaller incremental changes in vehicle g loading, instead of the much more direct change of G-Arrange mode.

There’s the obvious benefit of combining both the included g-sensor with the optional GPS sensor- since both speed (rate of travel) and g force are not directly related, your car is now completely adaptable to the driving conditions it faces. Imagine having to panic brake at highway speed (and that you have a preset speed/click setting), the car will now react to the rate of speed it is already traveling, and now factor in the amount of braking force you’ve applied. The EDFC will now compound the two settings (one for speed and one for g force).

ALSO, with the new EDFC Active, you still have the ability to change from the 16 click setting to 32 click setting (finer setting). But now you have an available 64 click setting (extremely fine setting), making for a much more seamless feel in damping change.

All EDFC’s are calibrated to have 16-way damping adjustment, just as if you did this manually with the click knob. EDFC always had the 32-way fine setting adjustment as an extra feature. Now there’s an available 64-way setting for even finer, seamless damping change!

That’s just a little insight as to what new products we’re working on. We’ll do a follow-up installment with more details on the new EDFC Active, and the other many features that it has.

TEIN USA, Inc. will have this new EDFC Active available in the beginning of 2013. So stay posted with us for more updates as they become available!