Bossman2024

I took my Corvette out on the track for the first time this past Friday and it was awesome! Way better than my M5 ever was. Anyway I was wondering what folks suggest in terms of the PTM settings to use in track mode? My 2020 Corvette has Sport 1, Sport 2 and Race. I was driving in Sport 1 as it still has some ESC enabled, but based on my experience with the M5 where the MDM track mode still destroyed rear brake pads I am wondering if I should consider using wither Sport 2 or Race mode on the track? How does the traction control work on the Corvette? If its activating on track, is it also going toast my rear brake pads?

I guess the question I have is, what mode do you guys use when tracking your Corvettes?

z28lt1

While ESC can come on if you are a driving very well close to the limit and managing a slide or rotation, very often you if someone is destroying brakes in a track mode because ESC is kicking on it means that person is often doing something that ESC thinks will put you in a bad position and it has to intervene -- which means it's useful and saving you from something. I'm not familiar with the BMW track modes, but on the Corvette in Sport 1, ESC is much more lenient than standard (non PTM) ESC.

My advice (and I think I've posted this before with a similar question) is:

Start at Sport 1 (so ESC will be on). If you feel ESC kicking in, figure out if you know why it did and how to correct it. In general, I would expect very limited engagement on clean laps, although there are some corners at some tracks where even driving "properly" it might come on in Sport 1. Once you've minimized its intervention and know why it is intervening other times, feel free to "graduate" to Sport 2 and then to Race. Sport 1 will slow down a good driver a little. It's also a good safety net for those that need it. Up to you to figure out where you fit.

Bossman2024

The issue with the M5 is that hard acceleration out of corners or especially in sweepers (like out of Turn 12 towards 13/14 at CMP) it tends to activate a little inside rear brake. It was always the right rear that was dusted first.

As for the Corvette I am not sure how to tell if the traction control is doing anything. Is there a light that would come on? I did lose the rear end slightly trail braking into turn 4 but corrected it (and another time out of turn 3 on the gas). So I don't know if the ESC was helping there or not. Might just have to go to Sport 2 and see how I like it I think. Most of the time when it felt like the rear end was coming around was actually off power coming off trail braking through the turn. So since I was not on the gas there, not sure ESC would be doing anything?

z28lt1

For sure, ESC will help you in the turn. The Traction Management part of PTM is what generally helps you on throttle by reducing torque when wheel is turned - and Sport 2 will be exactly like Sport 1 in that regards, but that won't impact brakes at all unless it failed to due its job and sensed an improper yaw. If the BMW's problem was hard acceleration out of corners, you wont have brake wear from that on the Corvette, as the primary management of acceleration out of corners is torque reduction and, other than sometimes it being a little too much reduction of torque in Sport, the GM programming is quite good -- no brake usage there.

Do you have PDR in your Corvette? If so, you can see on video if it engaged, or in the data files as well. That said, think you won't have the same issues as the BMW based on how the system operates.

Bossman2024

Cool thanks. Yes I have PDR in the car and I did record the sessions. I will grab the SD card out and take a look at the videos, thanks! And yes, it sounds like the Corvette is different to the M5 as it would use the rear brakes to take corrective action. I think the only way to drive the M5 is to turn it completely off or you will just destroy the rear brakes. But I went for the Corvette because it's so much lighter than the M5

Bill Dearborn

Traction control and stability control are two different things. Most stability control systems will activate the inside rear brake if the car is understeering (you can control that with the steering wheel and how you enter the turn plus when you get on the throttle exiting a turn). If the car is oversteering in a turn then it will apply the outside front brake to keep the rear of the car from swinging around. If a driver is wearing out the rear brakes that typically are coming into the corner too hot, early apexing or getting on the throttle without unwinding the steering wheel. Stability control activates based on the steering wheel position plus a calculation based on inputs from the lateral G and acceleration sensors. The driver has a lot of control over how it activates and if it is activating they are making a mistake.

The C7 PTM Sport 1 turns off traction control and puts the stability control in a similar mode as the base car's Competition Mode where the dead band of the system is opened up so it doesn't react as quickly. I think the C8 is similar but haven't studied it. Performance Traction Management combines suspension reaction with control of the eLSD to ensure power goes to the rear wheel with the most traction. Since there is no traction control the brakes aren't used and PTM modulates engine torque to keep the tires from spinning. However, it can be overridden by the driver in some situations usually when it is detrimental to the driver. Again, I don't know whether the C8 Sport 1 is the same as the C7 version but the C7 Sport 1 and 2 include some programmed in throttle dampening to reduce the impact of sudden changes in throttle position which can upset the car.

Bill