Ok, I know it's talked about here and there in little snippets, but could someone truly in the know please fill in the blanks for me? The other day two of us headed into the hills for some 'aggressive' driving on some great roads that God made just for us - me in my 99' automatic and my buddy in his 98' 6 speed. He's in front of me, hits a right turn at about 35+ in a 30 mph curve (really!), his *** end comes around and into the hillside he goes! We pull over, and both express our surprise and wonder over what the heck had just happened (that is after he recovered from seeing the damage to the side of his beautiful car. FYI, his right rear tire lost all the air, but the run-flat got him back to a shop for a quick and simple repair.) While he sat there and recovered, I doubled back and hit the same curve a lot faster than he did just to see what would happen, but I sailed through like a rocket ship. Could someone please take the time and tell us what might have happened? Burnouts aren't my thing at all, but I love 'aggressive' rides on curvy roads, some which allow for some pretty nice speeds. Do I need the Traction Control 'on' in my automatic or am I better off driving by the seat of my pants? What about Active Handling? Could someone who's confident in their knowledge address both Active Handling and Traction Control for both automatics and 6 speeds, maybe starting with what they really do, then progress into what settings are best suited for different driving situations? I don't want to spin out just because I have something set that's not right for the driving I'm doing, and I am fully aware that every car has it's limitations. THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR THE WISDOM YOU GUYS ARE ABOUT TO SHARE WITH THE REST OF THE WORLD!!

 

Unless you are very experienced sliding your car, and very familiar with the road you are on, I'd recommend leaving your AH/TC on. You're going to feel awfully silly in the ditch with it turned off.

The reason you were able to easily negotiate the corner your buddy slid off of could have been a couple of things. Could have been better tires, but most likely you just drove a better line.

Stay safe and keep it between the lines.

 

Is it possible the slide into the ditch was caused by the flat tire? I don't see any other way that could happen 35 mph around a curve marked 30???? I don't have whatever it takes to make my vette go into a slide around a corner. Man, you'd probably have to triple the marked speed. Those big old meats!

 

No doubt... that makes a lot of sense. I also failed to mention that although he was only going 35+ mph, it was a VERY sharp turn and he had slowed quickly for the curve. I was just surprised that it didn't take that much to lose it. Of course I wasn't behind his wheel, so who knows what he actually did to get it to go out like that.

 

Probably still on the brakes in the turn. Makes the rear VERY light.

 

i don't have the complete answer, but ever notice in the rain when you take off in a straight line the trac ctrl active comes up and when taking a corner the active handling come up; the active handling cars definitely have an advantage in these situations; it's the one option i wanted on my 99 hardtop-->jl4 active handling

 

i agree it sounds like the flat tire was the cause, not a result of. i've taken pretty much any turn at twice the posted limit with no trouble and never have gotten it to really slide around. if you took it fine with no trouble and didn't sliding then i doubt it was his driving that made him lose control

anyways, i always turn my TC/AH off because a steering wheel angle sensor is messed up on mine and sometimes does some odd things....such as lock one of my tires when i turn left.

anyways, thats about all i can tell ya

 

It wouldn't take much to upset the car under those conditions. If his run flats were old, the rubber hardens and has less traction...
Its all about smooth steering inputs when it comes to taking the twisties... too much at the wrong time can really upset the car.

 

Are you certain your buddy's car has active handling? I think it was an option up until 2000 or 2001 when it then became standard on every C5.

There are so many things that could have caused your buddy's mishap, maybe he tried to accelerate through the curve and lost it, maybe he's just a lousy driver, or maybe it was just plain bad luck. Whatever, glad you didn't match his performance.

35 mph through a curve marked 30 mph driven in a Corvette should not be a challange for any driver, so why he failed to negotiate sucessfully it is a good question, and was probably not the fault of the vehicle.
Even if the runflat tire was low or completely out of air, tests have demonstrated that the runflats do not degrade handling performance that would be noticable to the average driver. I doubt if that caused the mishap.

I believe that when it comes down to it, driver error is the most likely culprit here.

zo6vettepilot

 

as if he was on he brakes too much into the turn. I attended www.corvettedrivingschool.com and the instructors explained what the road sees of a car under extreme acceleration and braking. Basically when the car is at rest the road sees something about the size of a softball flattened out from each tire. When under extreme braking the rear tires have a much smaller contact patch which is about the size of a tennis ball flattened out. Add a bit of oversteer and the car will spin easily even at the slow speed. They, well we domonstrated this on a slalom course with a watered down area and the car easily spun at slow speed.

It also does sound as if the active handling was not active or not an option on the car.

I would highly recommend the course if you are going to push the car. You will actually see that it takes alot to push the car to it's limits. It would definitely let you experience what the car and yourself is capable of and also driving a couple of race prepared z06's is a blast.

 

A couple of thing may have happened. Are you sure your buddy was showboating and reved the motor and popped the clutch through the turn that made him loose traction. Also If he was on the brakes through a turn on a hill it very well may have uloaded the suspension and shifted the cars inertia and momentum. Remember always brake before and accerlate through the turn,

 

also you have to remember that TC and AH dont always work, its very easy to overpower both of them, espeacially TC.

 

?????????

Bill

 

Interesting discussion. That corvette driving school sure sounds good. I can't get the link to come up though. I'll find it, Mr Google will do it!

 

Everything you guys had to say makes so much sense, especially how much braking can effect handling, even at low speeds. It never ceases to amaze me how not a single day passes that I don't learn something useful browsing through these threads. I think I'm going to find a nice big empty parking lot on a weekend, set up some cones, and experiment with rapid deceleration into a sharp turn with varying degrees of braking. Thanks again to everyone for the great feedback and discussion -

 

If you can't find that school, check out: www.autocross.com/evolution
Great way to learn how to drive your own car at the limit, even if you never plan to autocross.

 

For fun, do a U-turn with AH/TC off and mash the gas. Then when you've straightened your car, do the same thing with the AH/TC on. Last, do it again with AH on and TC off if your car is so equipped.

Surprising how good the electronics are, with AH/TC off, you can lose traction and spin VERY quickly when your playing around.

I like AH on and TC off personnally. Hate when I want to smoke the tires or catch some rubber in second, only to have the car pull power and push my face into the windshield...

 

Too many variables in the situation you describe. Could have been anyhting. You're best (safest) bet is to leave everything on.

Remember -- AH/TC will not overcome the physics of a slippery road.

 

.........or a flat runflat

 

Go to the C5 Z06 and read the FAQ, it will explain AH/TC very well.

Also, you should not "race" or push your car on the street, it is dangerous and illegal, tack it to the track.