# Your Magnetic Ride Experience



## bahiaeternal1.8t (Feb 28, 2004)

For those of you guys who have the Mag Ride.

Do you love it?
Do you regret it? 
Was it what you expected? 
Have you dealt with any reliability issues?


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## Diztek (May 27, 2004)

its ok. id rather have a nice set of coilovers though. im always in dyamic mode anyways.


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## iliveoncaffiene (Aug 18, 2015)

bahiaeternal1.8t said:


> For those of you guys who have the Mag Ride.
> 
> Do you love it?
> Do you regret it?
> ...


Ask for their location as well - you're in NJ, so what you expect from Magnetic ride may not be the same as someone in the south where the roads are not complete crap.



Diztek said:


> its ok. id rather have a nice set of coilovers though. im always in dyamic mode anyways.


Where he's in (not that it's wrong to still reply) - "Location: AZ"


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## Diztek (May 27, 2004)

good point. if your roads are crappy, i could see needing to use comfort mode once in a while.


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## Ronan1 (Mar 5, 2008)

Honestly disappointed with it. It's clunky over bad surfaces even in comfort. If you drive the pants off your car all the time like it's some sort of race-car then you'll probably love it.

The standard shocks and springs on the non-mag ride cars make the car much more compliant. Eventually when the shocks are done, I'll put in koni's and be done with them.

Love the 19's which come as part of the package though


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## -LoneStar- (Aug 5, 2015)

I like the Mag ride but I don't love it. Full disclosure I haven't driven another vehicle with a MRC system so I have nothing to compare it too. I hear GM really has the best system and at one point( I don't know if they still do) licensed it to Ferrari. Ford also has a system but haven't heard the best things about it. It seems like reviews compare all systems to GM and they lack in comparison so maybe that's why I haven't heard great things about the Ford system. 

Back on point.....You can feel the difference in the different drive modes. I have my individual mode with the suspension set on Auto. I used to have it on Comfort but found Auto to sort things out better. Comfort rides better on small road imperfections but I feel like there is too much bounce on larger road dips. When you go over a speed bump in Comfort mode its like the car hits the bump and at times "pogo stick" bounces. When you do the same thing in Dynamic its like a one and done bounce. In Auto it does everything smoothly but not harsh. 

It is pretty neat to cycle through the modes on the fly because you can feel the difference. In Dynamic mode the ride is stiff and you feel small road imperfections but it handles larger dips very well. When in Dynamic you can feel the road and when you switch to Comfort everything sort of levels out. Its like going from a rough cement road to a smooth black top road. Auto just does everything pretty well.

You can feel the excess body roll when you start to push it in Comfort mode so the system does do a good job at reduces body motion when its in Dynamic.

I drove an A3 with 18's and it was butter smooth compared my S3 with 19's but that could be the larger wheels and I'm sure the increased spring rate as well as lower ride height. Cant say how the standard S3 rides without the Mag ride. 

So 
I LIKE it I don't LOVE it

Do not regret it as I have little to no intension of touching the suspension. I will never do coilovers and will most likely not do springs. For some who really wants to track the car I would say get the standard suspension and go coilovers.

Wasn't sure what to expect as this is my first MRC and have nothing to compare it too. With that being said I can feel the differences in the modes so I know its doing something

No reliability issues but I'm only at 23k miles. Its a wear item but I don't know how long it will last.


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## 27turbocars (Jun 26, 2016)

I honestly hate my magnetic ride. I wish I had just the regular suspension. It is very uncomfortable and like someone said very "clunky". The suspension is noisy on hard cracks or bumps on the road. I would give a 4 out of 10 in my book. When is in Comfort mode is somewhat "reasonable" but it you go over a speed bump the car bounces very ugly.


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## Shane01638 (Jun 8, 2016)

Love the DCC in my 16 Golf R, Very dissapointed in the mag ride in my 17 S3. Such a difference between the 2. S3 is bouncy, R is fantastic. Living in Alaska on crap roads, they both sit in Comfort most of the time, except for some spirited cornering from time to time. I wish I could get the R suspension in the S3.


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## chiphead (May 12, 2011)

I find the S3 to be ride to be flinty, even on comfort. I blame the 19" with 35 aspect sidewalls however, and not the suspension. In less than ideal roads, the 19" are not very forgiving.


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## 27turbocars (Jun 26, 2016)

chiphead said:


> I find the S3 to be ride to be flinty, even on comfort. I blame the 19" with 35 aspect sidewalls however, and not the suspension. In less than ideal roads, the 19" are not very forgiving.


Amen brother!!!!eace: I absolutely hate my low profile tires. Can't wait until the current tires are worn out and I will be putting 40 or 45 profiles(no kidding you).


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## 27turbocars (Jun 26, 2016)

Shane01638 said:


> Love the DCC in my 16 Golf R, Very dissapointed in the mag ride in my 17 S3. Such a difference between the 2. S3 is bouncy, R is fantastic. Living in Alaska on crap roads, they both sit in Comfort most of the time, except for some spirited cornering from time to time. I wish I could get the R suspension in the S3.


I wish I can drive a R for a reference. I wonder if the magnetic ride/spring set up is similar or even have the same part. What profile tires are on each of your cars?


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## Shane01638 (Jun 8, 2016)

27turbocars said:


> I wish I can drive a R for a reference. I wonder if the magnetic ride/spring set up is similar or even have the same part. What profile tires are on each of your cars?


Exact same tires and wheels. The Audi uses magnetic oil in the shocks. The R uses valves to change the stiffness. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## 27turbocars (Jun 26, 2016)

Shane01638 said:


> Exact same tires and wheels. The Audi uses magnetic oil in the shocks. The R uses valves to change the stiffness.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


WOW!!! I thought the two would use the same part. I reiterate that I am not impressed with my magnetic ride..


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## BodegaBay (Aug 18, 2002)

Shane01638 said:


> Love the DCC in my 16 Golf R, Very dissapointed in the mag ride in my 17 S3. Such a difference between the 2. S3 is bouncy, R is fantastic. Living in Alaska on crap roads, they both sit in Comfort most of the time, except for some spirited cornering from time to time. I wish I could get the R suspension in the S3.


Same here. The S3 has a very different feel than the Mk7 Golf R. I mistakenly took the S3 mag ride as "better" but after many months, I've come to realize that I prefer the Golf's DCC system much more. The S3 makes the car feel too numb while the Golf livelier and IMO much more fun. I've regretted swapping the Golf for S3. 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G925A using Tapatalk


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## vdubjc97 (Feb 8, 2002)

Pogo stick...thought the same thing first time I went over a speed bump.. Hahaha


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## imtimmy (Feb 18, 2011)

Dropped wifeys Q3 off for service today and Audi let me use the S3 as a loaner here for a couple days. I drive the MK7 R w/DCC and was curious just to see how this S3 feels compared to the VW. The mag ride is no bueno imo, very hard compared to Golf R and I'm almost always in Sport mode with my car. Really surprised, as I tried even Comfort mode in the S3 over the same roads which do suck here in DFW, and a lot of clunks, knocks and very rough. Not crazy bout the layout of the cabin in the S3 compared to the R, prefer the manual trans and now I can say the ride comfort at least with magnetic ride. Glad I chose the Golf and have kept it. I do like the styling of the S3 exterior but not enough to give up all the likes about the R.


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## TornadoR32 (May 18, 2006)

Because I have the magnetic ride I just got and installed H&R Super Sport Springs. I am relatively happy with them but to be honest, will eventually still get coilovers. Not a horrible suspension, but noth the best by any means either.


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## dan_s3 (Jul 8, 2015)

I thought my mag ride in my 15 s3 didn't work (dealer said it did), i could never tell the diff bt comfort and dynamic.
However, in my 2018 you can clearly feel the difference between both modes. I love the mag ride and firmness in dynamic, that being said i never use comfort LOL


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## S3n (Nov 22, 2015)

2016 s3..in San Diego stupid roads. Comfort is awesome for **** roads ..dynamic is awsome for good driving roads..speed bumps and certain transitions have always been unusual ..
Reliability not sure tho...so far good 👍


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## fiddypassat (Mar 28, 2012)

*San Diego Driver*

So I came from a 2015 A3 non magride, to this S3, and from the A3 (Sport Package) to this even in comfort is a huge difference. I'm not sure if there have been changes made to the suspension since the beginning iterations, but i can say its pretty stiff, not like uncomfortable stiff, but stiff. I pretty much live in Dynamic, unless my wife is in the car, she always complains that she feels the bumps too much (she drives a Q3), so i just switch to comfort, and huge difference from steering loosening, and suspension is way less bouncy. I do feel like this car would greatly benefit from some front and rear strut bars, but haven't got there yet, only had the car for about 4 months.


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## LilJonny16 (Jan 13, 2009)

I'll say it, the Mag-ride is terrible. I am highly disappointed in the ride quality. With the system, Audi has nearly infinite control over the ride quality but they did a terrible job. I do believe a lot of it has to do with the 19's. I've not had the opportunity to ride in a Mag-ride with 18's but I assume it is far better. I've done things to try and improve ride comfort such as locking collars for the front and rear subframe. These made significant improvements. Definitely recommend doing the front subframe if not both. I played around with the air pressure in the tires also, going from 44psi all around like what it is stated in the door seal to 39psi front and 36psi rear(actually in the manual). And that helped a far bit also, but the suspension still crashes over bumps leaving your passenger looking at you like, "I thought Audi's were supposed to be luxury cars."


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## Ronan1 (Mar 5, 2008)

LilJonny16 said:


> I'll say it, the Mag-ride is terrible. I am highly disappointed in the ride quality. With the system, Audi has nearly infinite control over the ride quality but they did a terrible job. I do believe a lot of it has to do with the 19's. I've not had the opportunity to ride in a Mag-ride with 18's but I assume it is far better. I've done things to try and improve ride comfort such as locking collars for the front and rear subframe. These made significant improvements. Definitely recommend doing the front subframe if not both. I played around with the air pressure in the tires also, going from 44psi all around like what it is stated in the door seal to 39psi front and 36psi rear(actually in the manual). And that helped a far bit also, but the suspension still crashes over bumps leaving your passenger looking at you like, "I thought Audi's were supposed to be luxury cars."


Agree 100%. Unfortunately the 18” wheels barely help. We put 18’s on for winter and it’s marginally better.

When I first test drove an S3 without mag-ride, the standard car drives much better. I wouldn’t buy another S3 with mag-ride unless they tune the system.

It’s obvious they didn’t spend any $ on tuning and programming the mag-ride.

If DSC sport don’t make a controller for this car, I’m going to replace the mag ride with Koni yellows as soon as they fail and be done with it.


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## LilJonny16 (Jan 13, 2009)

Ronan1 said:


> Agree 100%. Unfortunately the 18” wheels barely help. We put 18’s on for winter and it’s marginally better.
> 
> When I first test drove an S3 without mag-ride, the standard car drives much better. I wouldn’t buy another S3 with mag-ride unless they tune the system.
> 
> ...


You and I are on the same page friend. I email DSC Sport every few months to check and see if they've started anything but so far nothing yet. I would have replaced the mag ride with some B8's a while ago if it weren't such a pain to get rid of the error light. I've read that the iSweep's are probably our best bet.


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## pbi76 (May 31, 2014)

To put things in context, I live in the Philippines where roads are bad. All S3s here have magnetic ride so I really had no choice. 

Looking back when I got the car 2.5 years ago, I was happy with magride. I would even say that they are needed to make living with a 35-series tire possible. At the time, I found Comfort was a bit like a small boat on wavy water but certainly livable. Dynamic was not too stiff but the difference with Comfort was very noticeable. When I got 034 springs (and Superpro LCA bushings), Dynamic can be a bit too stiff for commutes so I would use Comfort more but to my surprise, Auto works really well for me.

I expect the magride shocks to have a shorter lifespan here due to road conditions and the usage of aftermarket springs. When the time comes, I will most probably go with a set of coilovers or sport shocks. In the meantime, I would say my magride setup is good enough. Not perfect by any means but more than livable and replacing them now would be wasteful.

Thanks to the other guys for the feedback on 18s. I have been considering making the switch to 18s to take advantage of cheaper and more tire options along with reducing ride harshness a bit.


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## Spinnetti_ (Aug 15, 2016)

-LoneStar- said:


> I like the Mag ride but I don't love it. Full disclosure I haven't driven another vehicle with a MRC system so I have nothing to compare it too. I hear GM really has the best system and at one point( I don't know if they still do) licensed it to Ferrari. Ford also has a system but haven't heard the best things about it. It seems like reviews compare all systems to GM and they lack in comparison so maybe that's why I haven't heard great things about the Ford system.
> 
> Back on point.....You can feel the difference in the different drive modes. I have my individual mode with the suspension set on Auto. I used to have it on Comfort but found Auto to sort things out better. Comfort rides better on small road imperfections but I feel like there is too much bounce on larger road dips. When you go over a speed bump in Comfort mode its like the car hits the bump and at times "pogo stick" bounces. When you do the same thing in Dynamic its like a one and done bounce. In Auto it does everything smoothly but not harsh.
> 
> ...


Its all the same system. GM (Dephi) developed it and its used under license by all sorts of manufacturers under many different names - maybe that's why they have poor quality control. Last I knew was sold to the chinese I think. I didn't like it with 19's (also in Dallas). I put on 18's with 255's and leave it in Dynamic. Doesn't ride anywhere near as smooth as my R8 which also has Magride, so the cheap a3 underpinnings probably have a lot to do with it.


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## miktip (May 19, 2012)

With the 034 springs...I like it allot! :thumbup:


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## rex_racer (May 19, 2001)

Spinnetti_ said:


> Its all the same system. GM (Dephi) developed it and its used under license by all sorts of manufacturers under many different names - maybe that's why they have poor quality control. Last I knew was sold to the chinese I think. I didn't like it with 19's (also in Dallas). I put on 18's with 255's and leave it in Dynamic. Doesn't ride anywhere near as smooth as my R8 which also has Magride, so the cheap a3 underpinnings probably have a lot to do with it.


MagneRide is now owned by Beijing West Industries (BWI). The programming has a large impact on ride quality and handling. Companies such as DSC Sport have developed controllers for various cars that use MagRide as well as Spool based shocks. They do not have anything for the Audi/VW platform at this time.


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## Spinnetti_ (Aug 15, 2016)

rex_racer said:


> MagneRide is now owned by Beijing West Industries (BWI). The programming has a large impact on ride quality and handling. Companies such as DSC Sport have developed controllers for various cars that use MagRide as well as Spool based shocks. They do not have anything for the Audi/VW platform at this time.


Thx... the A platform definitely needs some tuning work. In the R8 its like butta. I just leave it comfort mode on that.


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## soulflyer (Feb 18, 2012)

Just a little heads up, if you ever have to replace the shocks... they are made of Unobtainium.. had to replace my right front shock (way too many potholes in Montreal or Ottawa..) on my 15 S3 after 132000km. Audi Canada quoted me 859CAD. Just ONE shock! For the fact that I do not feel too much difference between comfort and dynamic ride... its not worth the money.


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## germanrox (Mar 30, 2001)

No issues with the magride in my '17 S3. I keep the suspension in comfort most of the time due to the roads in the PNW being trash. Sometimes I'll flip it into dynamic if I know the road is good.


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## UrbanSS17 (Dec 13, 2014)

germanrox said:


> No issues with the magride in my '17 S3. I keep the suspension in comfort most of the time due to the roads in the PNW being trash. Sometimes I'll flip it into dynamic if I know the road is good.


I do the same here in Michigan. I just swapped my Dunlop wintersports for Michelin PS4S and the ride improved. 


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## Stevwang (Jan 29, 2018)

They updated the mag ride in 17+
I have 18MY, I like the mag ride a lot. I'm on stock springs. 

It's not the softest over the bumps even in comfort mode, but it's great for cornering on dynamic setting. 

Upgrade your RSB too, paired with the mag ride, the car carves corners like butter. 

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## IMWEZL (Feb 27, 2011)

Anyone have there Mag ride replaced under warranty? I moved from Texas to NYC and now my front struts are creaking over speed bumps. Thanks


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## Shane01638 (Jun 8, 2016)

It’s not mag ride but my golf r recently started doing just that. They replaced the upper strut mounts under extended warranty which did not solve the problem. I have not taken it back yet for round 2.


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## rex_racer (May 19, 2001)

IMWEZL said:


> Anyone have there Mag ride replaced under warranty? I moved from Texas to NYC and now my front struts are creaking over speed bumps. Thanks


Creaking is more often associated with worn upper strut/integrated strut bearing mounts, or swaybar endlinks. In more extreme cases it is the subframe shifting about on its mounting holes.


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## IMWEZL (Feb 27, 2011)

rex_racer said:


> Creaking is more often associated with worn upper strut/integrated strut bearing mounts, or swaybar endlinks. In more extreme cases it is the subframe shifting about on its mounting holes.


Good to know and Thanks!


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## RGT03 (Jan 16, 2017)

I like it. It is very noticeable change when shifting between S and C mode. Most of my commute is with C mode and lane keep assist and active cruise control turned on. Very comfy commute. But when it’s time to have some fun I kick it in S and the suspension is firm to my liking.


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## Elysian (Jul 24, 2012)

I've only had my 2018 S3 a few days now, but love the magnetic ride. Love that I can keep it in comfort mode and the car still drives great, but can switch to dynamic if I need to.


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## miktip (May 19, 2012)

I removed my 2015 S3 mag ride shocks.

Installed new take-off RS3 shocks.

Enjoy this much better.

https://www.audizine.com/forum/show...th-the-old?p=14124578&viewfull=1#post14124578


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## 949 (Mar 11, 2008)

its fun to try out but i would never buy it again. 

interesting to have it change while driving but thats about it. it seems bouncy from factory and i dont believe in needing to pay for readjustments after i just paid for it at around a $1k+ upgrade. it should be working perfectly for a long time. i can feel the difference when changing the settings. not a huge difference. more like bouncy vs less bouncy. a few aftermarket coilovers have offered remote adjustments as well so this idea is not new. tein coilovers are a brand that comes to mind at the moment. plus theirs had a lot more adjustments on their remote vs ours. 
the system needs maintenance over time as the alignment is supposed to be done after awhile which costs. 





i see more negatives with this than positives. the longevity of these are yet to be determine. cost for replacement if we want to keep it stock is high. i have heard one shock from the dealers is expensive. so if someone is selling theirs it might fetch some quick buyers as it would be a good idea to have them when you sell your car to the next guy. stock cars are valued more often than modified cars by general buyers..

changing out these to coilovers or even just basic shocks when they go bad costs more because of the canceler boxes thats needed. so if you dont care anymore for the mag shocks or trying to save a buck, you should be able to just use any other branded shocks but youll still need the box. the box is just another cost that shouldnt be needed. we should have an internal selector to have the magride turned off and not throw a code. i do notice that the new option for buying the rs3, we can take out the magride for free. hmmmm free to remove a technology, rather then have a credit back when its removed??!?!? called rs fixed sport suspension (option) :sly:

the system doesnt work that well in every situation. its sold as a suspension that does it all in every road condition. its a good attempt but for the money it doesnt. 

putting just coils on them causes them to be out of sync with the computer and makes it even more bouncy. which requires a shock alignment. and that service costs more money to do. what so people also do is change out the springs as i have seen here but dont understand the end result from doing this is that their very very expensive/over priced mag shocks is that it will cause their life span to be severely shorten. and most of the time they feel something is amiss and they blame the bad shocks but in reality they have damaged the internal part of the mag shocks. :facepalm: there is way less travel and more often they are bottoming out. after market branded coilovers even begun to notice this like BC racing. they offer an option to fix this, its called the super low coilovers. what this does is simple. it makes the shocks shorter along with shorter springs (about 0.5 inch or so shorter). simple solution but you cant do that to full length stock shocks and shorter springs. it just damages them. 

i prefer coilovers for my setup in the long run. so a non magride car is way better for the wallet. the system is a no no unless they allow a quick button in the mmi to turn it off when switching out the system. at that point i feel it might be worth a try if you have never had it before.


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## cup1chris (Mar 12, 2018)

prefer coilovers over magride tbh


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