When Ford Motor Company introduced the 2016 Shelby GT350, it came equipped with the MagneRide suspension. It wasn’t long after that this new high-tech suspension would become an optional upgrade on the 2018 and newer EcoBoost and GT Mustangs. Finally, in 2020 the suspension package found its way to the GT500, Mach 1, and Bullitt. The MagneRide suspension was set to change the way we viewed the spectrum of suspension on our Mustangs.

Mustang owners love to cruise the street, but they will almost never skip the opportunity to attend a track day. In the past, owners would have to find their own happy medium between comfort levels and track advantages in the suspension department. MagneRide was designed to cure this by having a vast amount of damper force being sent to all four corners creating multiple ride qualities in the process. While the MagneRide system factors in road surface, driver’s modes and driving style, it also makes calculations at millisecond intervals. This allows it to remain soft on the street, but attack the track like a well-tuned traditional race damper. However, the MagneRide calibration was built with a production vehicle in mind. Once you add full Steeda suspension and push past the limits of most owner’s driving capabilities there is room left to grow in the calibration.

MagneRide Gets A New Controller

Up until this point, the MagneRide’s controller and calibration has been left untouched in the aftermarket realm. This unfortunately meant that creating a softer ride for the street or a firmer track setting was not attainable. That was until Steeda released its new MagneRide Controller with High-Performance Calibration Powered by DSC Sport. If you are familiar with road racing and Mustangs, then the name Steeda comes as no surprise. Steeda has built their market share on the back of road racing Mustangs since it campaigned a white hatchback Fox Body Mustang across the south in the late ‘80s.

In addition, Steeda is well known for creating solutions to problems that were previously deemed to be completely locked down, especially in race applications on modern vehicles. Since the stable at Steeda has escalated from the analog days of Fox Body and SN95s to the newer S550, including Mach 1 and GT350, it was time to attack the modern electronics in the MagneRide suspension. After nine months and hundreds of man hours, Steeda now offers a plug-and-play unit that comes equipped to give your MagneRide Mustang a boost of Steeda handling enhancement through its calibrated controller.

Function And Feel

The installation process is extremely simple and only requires you to open your trunk and remove the passenger side carpet. Once there, you’ll notice the mysterious box from MagneRide. You disconnect the harness from the original MagneRide controller before installing the harness onto the Steeda MagneRide controller. Once done, simply start the car and enjoy the changes.

So, what does the Steeda calibrated MagneRide controller change? The locked calibration provides distinct differences in each driving mode. In Normal Mode it provides another level of comfort, but avoids the floaty feeling. In Sport Mode it provides a slightly stiffer feeling that allows you to carve canyon roads, but not lose the creature comforts from the Normal Mode.

Where the Steeda Calibrated MagneRide Controller shines is on the track. Steeda developed this control unit to work around its handling package, including its new dual rate springs. While most enthusiasts who are at this level of track time already run Steeda products, it’s nice to be able to complement the MagneRide vehicles that have already optimized their chassis as best as possible, the new control unit allows yet another variable of the chassis to be touched.

Conclusion

Steeda’s testing of their new controller indicates that the calibration can provide more grip on corner exit speeds and keep the chassis more composed while thrashing the road race course. Meanwhile, it allows the rear end to stay in place through hard corning and continues to transmit power to the ground. For those looking to complement their Steeda suspension package and MagneRide equipped Mustang, GT350, or GT500 then Steeda has you covered. Don’t forget to check out all the suspension products that Steeda used on their test mule for a prime example on how to equip your Mustang for the best handling available.