Road Sensing Suspension Description and Operation: Notes

Fig 1: Electronic Suspension Control System

Courtesy of GENERAL MOTORS CORP.

The Electronic Suspension Control (ESC) system consists of the following components:

Electronic Suspension Control (ESC) module (3)
Four dampers contained in the 2 front struts (5 and 6) and the 2 rear shock absorbers (1 and 9)
Four positions sensors (2, 4, 7, and 8)
ALC air compressor module (10)
Damper relay (not shown)
ELC relay (not shown)

The Electronic Suspension Control (ESC) system with rear Automatic Level Control (ALC) controls damping forces in the front struts and rear shock absorbers in response to various road and driving conditions. The rear ALC portion of the system maintains a proper vehicle trim height under various vehicle load conditions. For more information on the ALC, refer to AUTOMATIC LEVEL CONTROL DESCRIPTION AND OPERATION (W/F45) or AUTOMATIC LEVEL CONTROL DESCRIPTION AND OPERATION (WO/F45) .

The Electronic Suspension Control (ESC) module receives the following inputs: wheel-to-body position, vehicle speed, and lift/dive. The Electronic Suspension Control module evaluates these inputs and controls actuators in each of the dampers independently to provide varied levels of suspension control.