[Z06] Active Handling Not Working?
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 630
Likes: 157
Active Handling Not Working?
Almost flipped my Z going into a long sweeping right hand turn today.For LI guys-this is the entrance to that bridge leaving Captree.I was in 3rd doing 70 going into the ramp and I hit it alittle bit coming off the ramp and the *** swung out to the left where if I didn't let off I would have spun or worse flipped it.I never felt the active handling kick-in and think it should have.I warmed her up about 5 minutes before this happened and never get active handling warm-up message.Anyone ever get this with there Z,where they felt AH should have kicked in but didn't? I definitely thinked I pushed it hard enough for it to have kicked in.
Safety Car
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 4,847
Likes: 10
From: Bartlett, IL
Cruise-In XI Veteran
St. Jude Donor '06-'07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12
Active handling is only as good as the traction is, it is not fool proof, Im guessing your tires were cold and that the car just snapped sideways unexpectedly, AH may have tried to correct but the car was already sliding and in the heat of trying to correct you may not have noticed it activate. I have been able to pitch my car pretty sideways even with the AH on.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 884
Likes: 1
From: McKinney TX
AH will let you get out a good bit before it kicks in. I can get the car sideways and back in line before it engages, but if you hang it out too long it will set you straight. Never heard of it not engaging when it should though.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 2,087
Likes: 4
From: granville mass
I've hit AH more than a few times. In all cases it was on entrance ramps when putting too much power down. The back end breaks loose and things happen pretty quick. I've always gotten a message "AH active" or something like that. Usually only catch it out of the corner of my eye as the DIC message is only up for a very short time, about the amount of time to notice anything except what's in the windshield.
In all cases but one I felt that I had control anyhow. The one case I think it saved me, and the car, was a right angle type entrance where I was "showing off" for a passenger on cold tires. That happened so fast that I'm sure I would have gone around if the computer hadn't been smarter than me.
mk
In all cases but one I felt that I had control anyhow. The one case I think it saved me, and the car, was a right angle type entrance where I was "showing off" for a passenger on cold tires. That happened so fast that I'm sure I would have gone around if the computer hadn't been smarter than me.
mk
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 630
Likes: 157
The temp. was 60 degrees that day,so I don't know if that wasn't warm enough for the tires.She sat for about 2-3 hrs before this happened. I know and can feel when AH kicks in-maybe I let up before the computer could have kicked in. Anyway these are hp beasts and it never ceases to amaze me every time I take her out.The thing is I don't think I could have feathered the throttle anymore.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Tech Contributor
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 41,058
Likes: 9,822
From: Charlotte, NC (formerly Endicott, NY)
AH will let the back end swing out quite a bit at times. Other times it will react so quick the slide will be corrected before you can react. I have experienced the same types of behavior in my 03 Tahoe with Stabilitrak and my 03Z.
Bill
Bill
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 1,756
Likes: 6
From: Gulf of Mexico Florida West Coast
Got to tell you, I've been there recently and AH save me big time! I was very much aware (nano seconds) that the car was reacting. It is amazing how in a blink of an eye how time really can stand still. My guess is maybe it did engage and disenaged so quickly you did not notice. ckeck for codes on your dash. (run the diagonostic program), the second scan pertains to the active handling program. See if any codes are indicated. Glad your okay.
Pro
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 556
Likes: 0
From: Jacksonville FL
St. Jude Donor '06-'09
found out mine works a few weeks ago.... 
I was buzzing home from work in driving rain (what the hell its wet now, might as well ring it out a little)
Anyway...
I was feeling proud and glued to road when I hit some standing water at about 60, the car bobbled a little then the AH active lit up.
INSTANTLY, I was back on the straight and narrow, must have looked like Johnny O was driving my Z.
I was buzzing home from work in driving rain (what the hell its wet now, might as well ring it out a little)
Anyway...
I was feeling proud and glued to road when I hit some standing water at about 60, the car bobbled a little then the AH active lit up.
INSTANTLY, I was back on the straight and narrow, must have looked like Johnny O was driving my Z.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 2,911
Likes: 1
From: Augusta GA
St. Jude Donor '05-'06
It will save you on a minor step out, but if you have yuor rear tirres in the air... 
I got caught in the rain last year coming hoem from the track, with DRs out back. Just tooling along AH kicked in and kept my rear end following the front. I have explored the limits of traction on some off ramps and fealt like I was exporing pretty deap, and the car yawnws at me... not even close to AH... be careful! 
Dave
I got caught in the rain last year coming hoem from the track, with DRs out back. Just tooling along AH kicked in and kept my rear end following the front. I have explored the limits of traction on some off ramps and fealt like I was exporing pretty deap, and the car yawnws at me... not even close to AH... be careful! Dave
Advanced
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 73
Likes: 0
From: long island ny
Something about that bridge,that long straight climb to the top,brings out the kid in us and the beast in the Z. I had mine step out in the same place a few weeks ago and I think that the AH works just not as fast as we would like it to with a limited amont of space for recovery.
Drifting
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 1,824
Likes: 1
From: Middleboro Massachusetts
Originally Posted by DA KAR
I didn't have it in comp mode-would it have been better? AH/TC were on. I think it was just cold tires.
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,642
Likes: 0
I think some people in this thread are confusing active handling with traction control.
Traction control tries to control slipping of the tires.
Active handling is a bit more complex but basically independently applies each brake to point the car in the correct direction.
Although its not 100% accurate it has saved me a few times.
Also the "warm up" sequence of the active handling is actually a calibration of the active handling system. It has nothing to do with temperature. You’ll get that message if you do not drive your car straight for a short period of time when you first start your car.
Traction control tries to control slipping of the tires.
Active handling is a bit more complex but basically independently applies each brake to point the car in the correct direction.
Although its not 100% accurate it has saved me a few times.
Also the "warm up" sequence of the active handling is actually a calibration of the active handling system. It has nothing to do with temperature. You’ll get that message if you do not drive your car straight for a short period of time when you first start your car.