what do each of these driving modes do to the car?

 

Hold the button down for about 8 to 10 seconds and the DIC will say TRACTION CONTROL AND ACTIVE HANDLING OFF.

Procede at your own risk....

You can also press the button twice to go into Competetion mode, which is traction control off, and active handling on, but in a reduced capacity.

 

I'm glad someone brought this up, just what is active handling?

 

It's pretty self-explanatory except for comp mode...in comp mode AH is on but in a reduced state...comp mode affords greater tolerances for drifting or sliding your car (such as you would want on a road course).

A good place to start is reading your owner's manual...it contains lots of worthwhile information. The following is from my owner's manual:

The Active Handling System is a computer controlled system that helps the driver maintain directional control of the vehicle in difficult driving conditions. This is accomplished by selectively applying any one of the vehicle’s brakes. When you first start your vehicle during cold winter weather and begin to drive away, the message ACTIVE HANDLING WARMING UP may be displayed in the DIC. This is normal. You can acknowledge this message by pressing the RESET button. The Active Handling System performance is affected until the message, ACTIVE HANDLING READY, is displayed in the DIC.

The ACTIVE HANDLING CALIBRATING message may be displayed in the DIC and the instrument panel cluster light will be on after exceeding 18 mph (30 km/h) for 10 seconds. The Active Handling System is off
until the ACTIVE HANDLING READY message is displayed. This could take up to 15 minutes. The ACTIVE HANDLING message will come on when the system is operating. See DIC Warnings and Messages on page 3-53 for more information. You may also feel or hear the system working. This is normal. The SERVICE ACTIVE HANDLING message will
be displayed, the instrument cluster light will come on, and a chime will
sound to let you know if there is a problem with the system. See DIC Warnings and Messages on page 3-53 for more information. When this light and the SERVICE ACTIVE HANDLING message are on, the system is not operational. Adjust your driving accordingly.

The Active Handling System comes on automatically whenever you start your vehicle. To help maintain directional control of the vehicle, you should always leave the system on. You can turn the system off if you ever need to. If you turn the Active Handling System off, the Traction Control System will also be turned off. Adjust your driving accordingly. To turn the system off, press the ACTIVE HANDLING button on the console for five seconds. You can turn the system on and off at any time by pressing the button. The DIC will display the appropriate message when you push the button. If the Tire Pressure Monitor (TPM) system detects a flat tire and the Driver Information Center (DIC) displays TIRE FLAT, or if the TPM system is malfunctioning and the DIC displays SERVICE TIRE MONITOR, the Active Handling System will be affected as follows:
• The Active Handling System cannot be turned off by the driver.
• If the Active Handling System is off, it will be turned on automatically.
• Competitive Driving Mode is unavailable.
• The Active Handling System will feel different in aiding and maintaining directional control.

 

I only drive with TC and AH off. There's no other way to drive!

First time I brought my car to ECS for a tune, Doug told me that my T/C was not functional. No matter what setting it was in, TC would not be there to save my ***. Weird

 

I still don't see the difference between TC and AH. They both sound simply like a brake being applied at loss of traction. That's why I asked. I understand the value of an owners manual, just thought that I'd ask the question while we were on the subject.

 

From another forum

Summary
There are 3 modes
1) Traction Control Off, Active handling Off
2) Traction Control On, Active handling On
3) Competitive Driving = Traction Control Off, Active Handling On

Traction Control (TCS)
This limits wheel spin by working the rear brakes and reducing engine power.
TCS comes on automatically when you start the car.
If it engages (i.e. if you start spinning the wheels and it kicks in to reduce spin), the DIC shows TRACTION SYS ACTIVE (momentarily)
To toggle TCS on or off, press the Active Handling button on the center console briefly. This will also toggle the Active handling System in conjunction with TCS. The DIC will briefly display "TRAC/ACT HNDLG -ON" or "TRAC/ACT HNDLG -OFF".
If it is OFF, then the skidding-corvette-rear-end light (TCS light on the instrument panel) is ON.
Active Handling System
Active Handling helps maintain directional control by selectively applying any one of the vehicles brakes.
(The video has an interesting segment on this feature)
Active Handling comes on automatically when you start the car.
If it engages to regain vehicle control, the DIC says "ACTIVE HANDLING" (briefly).
If you turn the Active Handling System Off, the traction control system will also be turned off. It is toggled on or off the same way the TCS system is toggled (see above)
If it is OFF, then the skidding-corvette-rear-end light (TCS light on the instrument panel) is ON.
Competition Mode:
Competitive Driving mode allows the driver to have full control of the rear wheels while the Active Handling system helps steer the vehicle by selective brake application.
When on, the DIC displays "COMPETITIVE DRIVING"
To turn on Competition Mode, press the Active Handling button on the center console for more than 5 seconds.
To turn it off, press the button briefly. Does the active handling/traction control then turn ON?

San