[Z06] Traction control / Competitive driving
03-26-2017, 08:15 PM
#1
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
Traction control / Competitive driving
I haven't had my 07 Z06 for long so bear with me here.
Do most of you guys drive around with traction control on or off? I find myself usually driving with it on and I was wondering today...does driving with traction control on limit power all throughout the power band? I know it helps with traction by possibly limiting power to the wheels when they are spinning but like let's say you did a roll from 60 where you get traction. Does having traction control on slow the car down more than doing that same 60 pull without traction control on?
Also what is competitive driving mode? My 2007 seems to have traction control on, traction control off or competitive driving mode
Do most of you guys drive around with traction control on or off? I find myself usually driving with it on and I was wondering today...does driving with traction control on limit power all throughout the power band? I know it helps with traction by possibly limiting power to the wheels when they are spinning but like let's say you did a roll from 60 where you get traction. Does having traction control on slow the car down more than doing that same 60 pull without traction control on?
Also what is competitive driving mode? My 2007 seems to have traction control on, traction control off or competitive driving mode
03-26-2017, 09:33 PM
#2
Race Director
It's not that hard to break the tires loose with the traction control off. Overall, you're probably quicker and definitely safer with it on. Just my opinion.
Competitive Driving Mode eliminates traction control and reduces the level of active handling. Unless you're very experienced with light, powerful cars I'd be very respectful while driving in that mode. It can bite you in a hurry. If you're a track rat with a bunch of experience, that's a whole different situation. What's your experience level?
Competitive Driving Mode eliminates traction control and reduces the level of active handling. Unless you're very experienced with light, powerful cars I'd be very respectful while driving in that mode. It can bite you in a hurry. If you're a track rat with a bunch of experience, that's a whole different situation. What's your experience level?
03-26-2017, 09:56 PM
#3
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
It's not that hard to break the tires loose with the traction control off. Overall, you're probably quicker and definitely safer with it on. Just my opinion.
Competitive Driving Mode eliminates traction control and reduces the level of active handling. Unless you're very experienced with light, powerful cars I'd be very respectful while driving in that mode. It can bite you in a hurry. If you're a track rat with a bunch of experience, that's a whole different situation. What's your experience level?
Competitive Driving Mode eliminates traction control and reduces the level of active handling. Unless you're very experienced with light, powerful cars I'd be very respectful while driving in that mode. It can bite you in a hurry. If you're a track rat with a bunch of experience, that's a whole different situation. What's your experience level?
I always drive with the system on. Basically once I start the vehicle I don't even mess with the button so however it is once the car is started is how I leave it. But I was driving around today and it got me thinking if traction control on also cuts down on power all throughout the rpm band or if it was just when the tires were breaking loose. Basically I was wondering if by leaving traction control on my car was slower than traction control off. I know it's a noob question
03-26-2017, 10:00 PM
#4
Team Owner
On.
Only pulls timing/throttle/etc if wheel spin is detected.
Only pulls timing/throttle/etc if wheel spin is detected.
03-26-2017, 10:08 PM
#5
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
For an inexperienced driver like myself, what is the quickest/fastest way to take off and get up to full speed from a dead stop?
1) Having traction control on and mashing the gas right from the stop and staying on the gas as the traction control corrects itself?
2) Having traction control on and feathering the gas all the way until I get up to high enough speed that there is no more wheel spin?
If I full throttle it from a dead stop and then stay hard in the throttle while the wheels are spinning with traction control on will it correct itself and straighten itself out or do I still need to let off and feather the throttle with traction control on?
1) Having traction control on and mashing the gas right from the stop and staying on the gas as the traction control corrects itself?
2) Having traction control on and feathering the gas all the way until I get up to high enough speed that there is no more wheel spin?
If I full throttle it from a dead stop and then stay hard in the throttle while the wheels are spinning with traction control on will it correct itself and straighten itself out or do I still need to let off and feather the throttle with traction control on?
03-26-2017, 10:13 PM
#6
Burning Brakes
From my experience you will have reduced power once you lose traction. I've had the active message displayed on the track when I forgot to set the car in competition mode.
Just leave the traction control on. It could keep you from getting into trouble.
Just leave the traction control on. It could keep you from getting into trouble.
03-26-2017, 10:29 PM
#7
Race Director
I agree with Les comments above. For your straight line enjoyment, try getting used to the car with all the nannies on. Then in a "safe" area, push the console button once and that turns traction control off, which will allow the rear tires to spin and will not cut the throttle, however Active handling will still be in its normal mode. You will need to use the throttle foot to manage the rear wheel spin in 1st and possibly 2nd gear, depending on the grip of your tires and road surface.
Active handling intervenes when it senses too much wheel speed differential between the front and rear wheels. It will automatically apply one brake to help straighten out the car. Competition mode (two presses of the console button) allows the car to get more out of shape before it intervenes. This mode is frequently used by reasonably experienced drivers on road course tracks. One of the side effects of competition mode if you don't adjust your driving is that it will tend to heat up the brakes more and with track pads and sticky tires drivers don't need any more heat in the brakes. Experienced drivers with a calibrated *** and sensitive throttle foot will turn off the TC/ AC entirely by holding the console button down for about five seconds. It can also be usefull if you want to do burnouts and smoke your tires. Extreme caution is needed if you do not have the experience.
I don't mess with TC/AH on the street, but do turn off TC for straight line performance events . For road circuit duty I either run in Competition mode or with both TC/AH turned off - 40+ years of road course experience, but I'm still a beginner at straight line events.
Read the Owners Manual on the function of the TC/AH. If you do not have a paper copy with the car, you can download the OM from www.chevrolet.com website.
Active handling intervenes when it senses too much wheel speed differential between the front and rear wheels. It will automatically apply one brake to help straighten out the car. Competition mode (two presses of the console button) allows the car to get more out of shape before it intervenes. This mode is frequently used by reasonably experienced drivers on road course tracks. One of the side effects of competition mode if you don't adjust your driving is that it will tend to heat up the brakes more and with track pads and sticky tires drivers don't need any more heat in the brakes. Experienced drivers with a calibrated *** and sensitive throttle foot will turn off the TC/ AC entirely by holding the console button down for about five seconds. It can also be usefull if you want to do burnouts and smoke your tires. Extreme caution is needed if you do not have the experience.
I don't mess with TC/AH on the street, but do turn off TC for straight line performance events . For road circuit duty I either run in Competition mode or with both TC/AH turned off - 40+ years of road course experience, but I'm still a beginner at straight line events.
Read the Owners Manual on the function of the TC/AH. If you do not have a paper copy with the car, you can download the OM from www.chevrolet.com website.
Last edited by AzDave47; 03-26-2017 at 10:31 PM.
03-26-2017, 10:30 PM
#8
Race Director
What exactly is active handling?
I always drive with the system on. Basically once I start the vehicle I don't even mess with the button so however it is once the car is started is how I leave it. But I was driving around today and it got me thinking if traction control on also cuts down on power all throughout the rpm band or if it was just when the tires were breaking loose. Basically I was wondering if by leaving traction control on my car was slower than traction control off. I know it's a noob question
I always drive with the system on. Basically once I start the vehicle I don't even mess with the button so however it is once the car is started is how I leave it. But I was driving around today and it got me thinking if traction control on also cuts down on power all throughout the rpm band or if it was just when the tires were breaking loose. Basically I was wondering if by leaving traction control on my car was slower than traction control off. I know it's a noob question
Traction control only activates when slippage is detected at the rear wheels. It steps in to control that slippage, which is a good thing. There aren't many folks who can accomplish better acceleration than they can get with help from traction control.Active handling helps keep the car from sliding out of control by detecting yaw and correcting for it. The laws of physics always apply, so it can't save you from foolish driving.
Years ago I was doing about 75 MPH on an interstate when a large piece of plywood, about 4'X4', got kicked up by a semi truck and came at me like a frisbee. I knew I had enough room to swerve into the next lane- if I didn't, my Z06 was going to take a big hit in the hood and windshield area. I swerved hard right and began a slight slide, which I made a slight correction for. Not a big deal and the frisbee flew by, just missing my driver's side mirror. I felt what I thought was contact in the rear of my car with another semi truck in my new lane but I couldn't imagine how I could have hit him- I could have sworn I had enough room.
Feeling sick, I pulled to the side and the truck went on by. Upon inspection, my car was still perfect. It took me a minute to understand that Active Handling had tapped the brake in my right rear to control the slight slide it detected. That's a perfect example of what it does. I've never completely disabled it. By the way, the car behind me wasn't so lucky. It was pulled over a short distance ahead with a damaged hood and windshield. The plywood was still covering the windshield when I went by. I'm convinced that I've never driven another car that could have avoided that plywood without going into a serious slide or worse.
03-26-2017, 10:49 PM
#9
Team Owner
You don't ever just mash the gas. You have to ease into it.
03-27-2017, 11:09 PM
#10
Tech Contributor
Member Since: Oct 1999
Location: Charlotte, NC (formerly Endicott, NY)
Posts: 40,089
Received 8,928 Likes
on
5,333 Posts
Traction Control activates under certain kinds of wheel spin or differences between rear wheel speeds. When accelerating in a straight line TC will permit a certain amount of wheel spin from both rear wheels. However, if it gets excessive it will reduce torque (or if that doesn't stop the slippage it will apply the rear brake/brakes) to get the rear wheel speeds under control. If you are turning from a stop and pop the clutch it probably will cut in quickly since one rear wheel speed will be different than the other and that is a condition that won't be allowed.
Active Handling is Corvette's way of describing Stability Control. In full auto mode AH will react to the driver's steering inputs by looking at the yaw rate sensor and the lateral G sensor and calculating whether or not the car is yawing too little, just enough or too much to amount of steering wheel angle being put in by the driver and the lateral Gs being experienced by the vehicle. If the car isn't yawing fast enough (under steer) it will apply an inside brake to slow down the car on that side. The drag on that side increases the car's yaw rate to get it to catch up with the steering input. If the car is yawing quicker than the steering input then an outside brake is applied to slow that side of the car and to reduce the yaw rate to amount of steering input. If the yaw rate is correct for the steering input then it does nothing. The Electronic Brake Controller can also request a torque reduction from the engine if that will help change the yaw rate.
Competition Mode is a GM special version of AH that increases the dead band around the center of the envelop that AH works in. As the dead band is increased it permits larger variations in yaw and lateral Gs before it activates. This permits the driver to slide the car around a little more without losing all the protection AH provides when braking into corners, in mid corner or when accelerating out of corners.
A lot of people decry Active Handling and say it hinders them. I have found the smoother you drive the less it activates and use it as a teaching tool. We are always coached that smooth is fast. It is noticed in autocrossing all the time that a car that looks slow and smooth will always run less time than a car that is squealing its tires and sliding the front or rear end even though all of the sliding makes the car look fast. I tell students if they want to run with AH on to notice what is doing. If it is activating it is highly likely a student especially a Novice is doing something wrong. They aren't slowing the car enough going into a corner, turning the steering wheel at the wrong time or hitting the gas too hard coming out of a corner. There are certain times all you feel is a slight vibration in the car but on slow speed corners where the car is severely under steering you can feel the inside rear brake hammering like hell trying to get the car to turn in more. As with all things physical the laws of physics apply and there is a certain point where the system will not be able to correct a serious driver error. One other thing that a lot of people don't think about is the system has the ability to do something a driver can't do by them selves. It can apply the brake at just one wheel. Practicing to use that ability can gain an advantage in certain courses.
Bill
Active Handling is Corvette's way of describing Stability Control. In full auto mode AH will react to the driver's steering inputs by looking at the yaw rate sensor and the lateral G sensor and calculating whether or not the car is yawing too little, just enough or too much to amount of steering wheel angle being put in by the driver and the lateral Gs being experienced by the vehicle. If the car isn't yawing fast enough (under steer) it will apply an inside brake to slow down the car on that side. The drag on that side increases the car's yaw rate to get it to catch up with the steering input. If the car is yawing quicker than the steering input then an outside brake is applied to slow that side of the car and to reduce the yaw rate to amount of steering input. If the yaw rate is correct for the steering input then it does nothing. The Electronic Brake Controller can also request a torque reduction from the engine if that will help change the yaw rate.
Competition Mode is a GM special version of AH that increases the dead band around the center of the envelop that AH works in. As the dead band is increased it permits larger variations in yaw and lateral Gs before it activates. This permits the driver to slide the car around a little more without losing all the protection AH provides when braking into corners, in mid corner or when accelerating out of corners.
A lot of people decry Active Handling and say it hinders them. I have found the smoother you drive the less it activates and use it as a teaching tool. We are always coached that smooth is fast. It is noticed in autocrossing all the time that a car that looks slow and smooth will always run less time than a car that is squealing its tires and sliding the front or rear end even though all of the sliding makes the car look fast. I tell students if they want to run with AH on to notice what is doing. If it is activating it is highly likely a student especially a Novice is doing something wrong. They aren't slowing the car enough going into a corner, turning the steering wheel at the wrong time or hitting the gas too hard coming out of a corner. There are certain times all you feel is a slight vibration in the car but on slow speed corners where the car is severely under steering you can feel the inside rear brake hammering like hell trying to get the car to turn in more. As with all things physical the laws of physics apply and there is a certain point where the system will not be able to correct a serious driver error. One other thing that a lot of people don't think about is the system has the ability to do something a driver can't do by them selves. It can apply the brake at just one wheel. Practicing to use that ability can gain an advantage in certain courses.
Bill