Magneride Shock replacement question

[2020GT350]

Hello everyone in this group.
Unfortunately my right read shock is leaking fluid so I’m replacing both rear shocks
My issue is I live In Italy and to date I’ve not found a dealer that os close that can program the mageride shocks to the GT350
Does that need to be done immediately or can it be driven to a location that is a 2 hour drive?
Thank you in advance.

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[mavisky]

The shocks do not need to be programmed. The programming resides inside the VDC unit that's in your trunk. There's a simple electrical connector to disconnect and re-connect at replacement and that's all that's needed.

 

[JAJ]

Hello everyone in this group.
Unfortunately my right read shock is leaking fluid so I’m replacing both rear shocks
My issue is I live In Italy and to date I’ve not found a dealer that os close that can program the mageride shocks to the GT350
Does that need to be done immediately or can it be driven to a location that is a 2 hour drive?
Thank you in advance.

As @mavisky said, you can replace the shocks without any reprogramming or other electronic updates. Just make sure you get the right shock for you car. Even though every GT350 since 2017 has had magride, Ford changed damper part numbers at various points as the years went by. Just be sure the replacement is the right one for your VIN.

 

[2020GT350]

The shocks do not need to be programmed. The programming resides inside the VDC unit that's in your trunk. There's a simple electrical connector to disconnect and re-connect at replacement and that's all that's needed.

Thank you for your quick reply. That’s great news. Some time ago I asked if it was better to replace the pair or just the one on a few Facebook GT350 groups. I received varying responses but a couple said the ride height would have to be set for the car. That seemed odd to me after I purchased them because there are different part numbers for the GT350 and GT350R, the R version actually having a lower ride height. Thanks again. I appreciate your help.

 

[mavisky]

Even that can be done with a simple laptop and forscan if absolutely needed.

 

[2020GT350]

As @mavisky said, you can replace the shocks without any reprogramming or other electronic updates. Just make sure you get the right shock for you car. Even though every GT350 since 2017 has had magride, Ford changed damper part numbers at various points as the years went by. Just be sure the replacement is the right one for your VIN.

Thank you for your reply. I live in Italy and ordered them through Rock Auto. Ising their website I ordered the ones specifically for the “2020 GT350.” I don’t remember seeing an option to enter the VIN. I hope o didn’t screw this up.

MOTORCRAFT	ASH85977
MOTORCRAFT	ASH85961

How will I know if they’re incorrect??
Thank you again for your assistance and additional information.

 

[JAJ]

Thank you for your quick reply. That’s great news. Some time ago I asked if it was better to replace the pair or just the one on a few Facebook GT350 groups. I received varying responses but a couple said the ride height would have to be set for the car. That seemed odd to me after I purchased them because there are different part numbers for the GT350 and GT350R, the R version actually having a lower ride height. Thanks again. I appreciate your help.

So, my experience in the GT350 suspension comes from the time a few years ago when I replaced my GT350 suspension with a GT350R suspension. Springs, dampers, sway bars and a hack to reprogram the VDM and ABS to R firmware. Now, with that said, mine's a 2016, so the newer ones might be different, but not very different.

On the ride height, the springs determine ride height, so swapping a damper has no effect unless you change the spring as well. And you're not. So, all's well.

When I did my suspension change, I had the dampers measured on a shock dyno and the R dampers and the non-R dampers are quite different, and the firmware in the VDM that controls them is also different. I believe, but I have no evidence or experience to prove it, that Ford changed the dampers and the programming as the GT350 evolved over the years.

What's most important in the replacement is to get a new damper that matches the old one. You only have to change one because Magride dampers don't "wear" in the usual sense. The "valves" are magnetic fields, not metal valves so there's nothing to wear out. Well, except the seals, as you've experienced.

When I want to check specific part numbers I go here:

https://parts.levittownfordparts.com/

Put in your VIN and see what they say you need. My quick check just now suggests you have the right parts already, but you should confirm.

 

[2020GT350]

So, my experience in the GT350 suspension comes from the time a few years ago when I replaced my GT350 suspension with a GT350R suspension. Springs, dampers, sway bars and a hack to reprogram the VDM and ABS to R firmware. Now, with that said, mine's a 2016, so the newer ones might be different, but not very different.

On the ride height, the springs determine ride height, so swapping a damper has no effect unless you change the spring as well. And you're not. So, all's well.

When I did my suspension change, I had the dampers measured on a shock dyno and the R dampers and the non-R dampers are quite different, and the firmware in the VDM that controls them is also different. I believe, but I have no evidence or experience to prove it, that Ford changed the dampers and the programming as the GT350 evolved over the years.

What's most important in the replacement is to get a new damper that matches the old one. You only have to change one because Magride dampers don't "wear" in the usual sense. The "valves" are magnetic fields, not metal valves so there's nothing to wear out. Well, except the seals, as you've experienced.

When I want to check specific part numbers I go here:

https://parts.levittownfordparts.com/

Put in your VIN and see what they say you need. My quick check just now suggests you have the right parts already, but you should confirm.

Thank you very much for your response. It was informative. Actually o am replacing the springs too, I bought the Steeda Dual Rate Springs.
Also thanks for the link. I will verify the part numbers when I get home.

 

[Deadly0ne]

So, my experience in the GT350 suspension comes from the time a few years ago when I replaced my GT350 suspension with a GT350R suspension. Springs, dampers, sway bars and a hack to reprogram the VDM and ABS to R firmware. Now, with that said, mine's a 2016, so the newer ones might be different, but not very different.

On the ride height, the springs determine ride height, so swapping a damper has no effect unless you change the spring as well. And you're not. So, all's well.

When I did my suspension change, I had the dampers measured on a shock dyno and the R dampers and the non-R dampers are quite different, and the firmware in the VDM that controls them is also different. I believe, but I have no evidence or experience to prove it, that Ford changed the dampers and the programming as the GT350 evolved over the years.

What's most important in the replacement is to get a new damper that matches the old one. You only have to change one because Magride dampers don't "wear" in the usual sense. The "valves" are magnetic fields, not metal valves so there's nothing to wear out. Well, except the seals, as you've experienced.

When I want to check specific part numbers I go here:

https://parts.levittownfordparts.com/

Put in your VIN and see what they say you need. My quick check just now suggests you have the right parts already, but you should confirm.

Not to hijack this thread, but I find that very interesting. Where did you get the program to re-program the VDM and ABS? Did you have any issue with the car throwing codes after you did it?

 

[JAJ]

Not to hijack this thread, but I find that very interesting. Where did you get the program to re-program the VDM and ABS? Did you have any issue with the car throwing codes after you did it?

I did my 2016 with a VCM II head unit and genuine Ford IDS software. There's an IDS workflow that will load the software you want, but it takes some convincing to get IDS to do it. The tools are expensive but the result is factory modules with factory software. Five years on, totally stable. Could it work on a 2020? No idea.

 

[Deadly0ne]

I did my 2016 with a VCM II head unit and genuine Ford IDS software. There's an IDS workflow that will load the software you want, but it takes some convincing to get IDS to do it. The tools are expensive but the result is factory modules with factory software. Five years on, totally stable. Could it work on a 2020? No idea.

This sounds like something I'd like to try - I'll have to do some digging. Thanks for the info!

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