Via Cadillacs website
Magnetic Ride Control
Enjoy a smooth, steady ride, courtesy of the world's fastest-reacting suspension system. Sensors read road conditions up to 1,000 times per second and damper settings adjust almost instantly to respond to conditions. System can read every inch of the road at 60 mph.
http://www.cadillac.com/cadillacjsp/cpo/highlights.jsp?model=seville&year=2003
a bit more behind the science
PIKE'S PEAK RACEWAY, Colo. - Techno geek alert: If your current Cadillac isn't providing enough damping control for your car, do not despair. The company's engineers have remedied the situation. The 2002 STS will be the first vehicle in the world to hide a magnetic-fluid-based system inside its shocks to assure every driver of the most advanced handling and ride possible thus far in Cadillac's bid for excellence.
Those old CVRSS (continuously variable road-sensing suspension) struts? Gone. Replaced by magneto rheology - the science of the flow of matter and in this case, the behavior of the fluids, or oil, in the shock absorbers. MR, or MagneRide, as Cadillac coins an easier word for the system, is actually an enhancement of CVRSS and is ten times faster to respond to your car's performance needs. MR's response time under driving conditions that call for smoother rides over rough roads and better handling is measured in milliseconds.
...On 2002 STS models, MagneRide, developed with Delphi Automotive Systems, means that when you push your Seville hard, it will develop less body roll on even the worst roads. In tech-speak, metal particles are suspended within damping fluid. When subjected to an electronic field the fluid viscosity changes, which changes the damping characteristics of your car. There are no moving valve components and therefore no delays waiting for strut response.
The bottom line? Rapid and precise vehicle control, superior handling and a very, very smooth ride. In other words, chassis control over the motion of the vehicle is top quality. MagneRide enables the Northstar system to push performance handling to its upper limits without any harshness.
Confused? Buckle up for more and learn how it works: based on the wheel inputs from the road-sensing suspension, the MR's on-board computer sends an electric current to the coils in each damper to change the flow properties of the damping fluid. This fluid holds iron particles that are floating lazily around in the fluid like Californians in their swimming pools. When the sensor goes to work a magnetic field pops up, the iron bits cling together like plastic, and thanks to scientific magic, change the damping properties in milliseconds. Thus saving the driver and his passengers from any discomfort from anything larger than a pimple on the road surface.
http://www.thecarconnection.com/Auto_News/Techno_Beat/Cadillacs_MagneRide.S198.A1406.html
i did my research to see if it was JUST hype or if the system was really that great, i could of saved 5k by going with an older STS but i wanted a 03 (standard) or late 02 STS with F55 Magnetic Ride Suspension. My dad has a 98 with the old CVRSS and my 03 STS has Magride, driving them on rough surfaces is like night and day, and at higher speeds attempting less than intelligent performance moves, it will run circles around my dads 98
If you could buy a late 2002-2003 vehicle with the same driver-adaptive suspension system as a Corvette, for $16,500, what would be your choice?
