Excuse the ignorance, but when did vettes get active handeling and what does it do? Thanks.

 

I don't know what year it was introduced.. What it does is attempt to make the car do what you want it to do by selectively applying individual wheel brakes. It uses sensors on the steering wheel, throttle position, speed sensors on wheels, lateral acceleration, etc to determine what you're trying to make the car do. If it detects a significant difference between your intention and the car's ability to do the desired thing, it intervenes.

 

thunderbolt47:

I don't know when it became available, but my 2000 FRC has it . The Active Handeling System helps the driver maintain directional control of the car by selectively applying any one of the car's brakes. So if you are cornering too fast and the rear starts to come out (oversteer) the system will sense this "abnormal" attitude of the car and apply the inside rear brake to help bring the car back into proper allignment with the front wheels. It is a very complex and sophisicated system and will do what it can to help the driver gain control of the car, but if the driver has gone beyond the "corrective envelope" then, guess what, you're going to spin and possibly leave the road and hit something! Damm!!!!

The point is, it as a great system, but can't save the complete idiot driver from disaster. You can disable the Active Handeling and the Traction control with the button on the console, and also use this button to put the system into the Competitive Driving Mode, which means that the Active Handeling and the ABS is still working but the Traction Control System will not be operating. Ah science, isn't it wonderful. :D

 

To the best of my knowledge, it became an option on the '98 C5 and became standard on the 99's.
Dave

 

My son demonstrated Active Handling to me last week. We were stopped at a stop sign, no one was coming, so he floored the accelerator while turning left. You never heard such commotion coming from the rear of the car as the brakes were squealing and the rear end was wanting to go where it wanted to go but the computer and sensors said otherwise. It other words, even with some slight pea gravel, we did a perfect 90 degree *****-to-the-wall turn, where otherwise it would have been a spin no doubt.

Of course, as Chevrolet's video says, you have to have traction for the system to work correctly. Even with the pea gravel, I was impressed.

 

It was a mid year '98 option. A second generation AH system was introduced in '01.

 

http://www.chevrolet.com/corvette/index_active.htm

 

It is indeed an awesome system. It really shines in Competition Mode, where Traction Control (which is terrible on the C5) is disabled.

It was available on some late '98 cars and became an option in '99 for all models. In 2000, it became standard.

Mike :flag

 

Actually it became standard in 2001 which also introduced active handling generation 2. :cheers:

 

Jim 47, you state" So if you are cornering too fast and the rear starts to come out (oversteer) the system will sense this "abnormal" attitude of the car and apply the inside rear brake to help bring the car back into proper allignment with the front wheels". Jim, I believe with oversteer, the rear tires are at their limit, and the A/H will apply the outside front tire. What you may have been thinking of is understeer, where the front tires are at their limit, and the A/H will apply the inside rear brake....