Is Traction Control Slowing Me Down????

[jasonstang]

I drove an autocross with my Tech Pack car last weekend - and besides having a blast(!) - I did have the Advance Trac cut power on me a couple of times. Even after I got brave enough to put it in Track mode. May not need to turn it off at the track, but I think I would have been faster without it at the autocross (quicker transitions and overall more violent inputs).

Or you could have spun out.

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[firestarter2]

You guys are funny. When you are spinning, you are already slow PERIOD. Traction control and stability control just shows how slow you are without you losing control of the car.
No the nannies are not slowing you down, it merely shows how slow you are.

Yeah I dont buy it sorry. That certainly is not universally true my other cars stability control was so intrusive you couldn't do anything with it on.

Or you could have spun out.

So you spin learn and dont do it again.

 

[jasonstang]

Yeah I dont buy it sorry. That certainly is not universally true my other cars stability control was so intrusive you couldn't do anything with it on.



So you spin learn and dont do it again.

At least on mine, the traction control allows enough spin to make the car dance without smoking the tires which is enough. Anymore you are not gonna get any faster.

Or you can look at the flashing light and tell yourself don't do it again without spinning out?

 

[nordique14]

Turn it off for autocross and keep it in Track setting for track. Anyone who turns fully turns it off at the track is nuts. As others have said, if you are getting it to engage at the track, then you are doing something wrong. It might feel faster without it (power slides and smoking tires are fun!) but it is not the fastest way around the track. Rule #1 is make sure you can drive you car home from the track.

 

[BoomBoy]

I bet they are the same guys who think drifting makes them go faster. :lol:

 

[Hack]

You guys are funny. When you are spinning, you are already slow PERIOD. Traction control and stability control just shows how slow you are without you losing control of the car.
No the nannies are not slowing you down, it merely shows how slow you are.

That's an interesting way to put it, and it does ring true to me - at least to an extent. There's a right hand turn with a steep elevation change in my daily commute. There's something about this particular combination of turn and elevation change that seems to "confuse" the traction/stability control into thinking I've nearly lost control of the car when really I haven't. Every once in a while the car will pull a lot of power on that corner.

Now I've been at autocross and road course events and left my GT350 in normal mode and never felt the traction control cut power a significant amount. I'm not a Sunday driver type in either of those events, but I also never try to slip any of the tires. I will supply a lot of steering angle when the car is under steering, but I don't try to spin the back tires especially. Also, those tracks have elevation changes, but not sharp or extreme elevation changes.

So, after thinking "out loud" - I agree with you in theory, but I also think it's possible at some tracks to experience an issue with overbearing traction control. For instance I wouldn't be surprised if the corkscrew at Laguna Seca caused the nannies to engage if the car was left in normal mode.

 

[firestarter2]

At least on mine, the traction control allows enough spin to make the car dance without smoking the tires which is enough. Anymore you are not gonna get any faster.

Or you can look at the flashing light and tell yourself don't do it again without spinning out?

Well I am saying mine is increasingly annoying me. A spin is not an issue at the moment it goes of. You go over a hill and the car gets light the Stability goes of every time. Mine goes off quite often after the risk of a spin has passed.

I go through a corner and right as I am undwinding and tracking out the car cuts power not hugely but its there.

Most cars on the track dont have stabilty control worth a damn anyway so why do we have to have it on? Id rather learn to not lean on it.

 

[jasonstang]

That's an interesting way to put it, and it does ring true to me - at least to an extent. There's a right hand turn with a steep elevation change in my daily commute. There's something about this particular combination of turn and elevation change that seems to "confuse" the traction/stability control into thinking I've nearly lost control of the car when really I haven't. Every once in a while the car will pull a lot of power on that corner.

Now I've been at autocross and road course events and left my GT350 in normal mode and never felt the traction control cut power a significant amount. I'm not a Sunday driver type in either of those events, but I also never try to slip any of the tires. I will supply a lot of steering angle when the car is under steering, but I don't try to spin the back tires especially. Also, those tracks have elevation changes, but not sharp or extreme elevation changes.

So, after thinking "out loud" - I agree with you in theory, but I also think it's possible at some tracks to experience an issue with overbearing traction control. For instance I wouldn't be surprised if the corkscrew at Laguna Seca caused the nannies to engage if the car was left in normal mode.

There is a lot reason why the stability control is pulling that much power but then again your car has a lot of power. It can be a combination of just simply oversteering on that particular corner due to camber change or like you said elevation. The stability control is looking at your steering angle and the actual G force as well.

Well I am saying mine is increasingly annoying me. A spin is not an issue at the moment it goes of. You go over a hill and the car gets light the Stability goes of every time. Mine goes off quite often after the risk of a spin has passed.

I go through a corner and right as I am undwinding and tracking out the car cuts power not hugely but its there.

Most cars on the track dont have stabilty control worth a damn anyway so why do we have to have it on? Id rather learn to not lean on it.

It can be annoying some of time because you feel like it's interfering with your driving. I am not saying it will make a slow driver fast by leaving them on. It has it's benefits and drawbacks. You can do some experiment yourself. Leave it on do a couple laps and then turn it off and do some laps and compare it yourself. A experienced driver will rarely make it pull power because they know and can feel where the limits are exiting a corner. For those less experienced it will pull power to regain grip before adding power back. Maybe the traction control on the GT350 is just not as good as some other sports cars and too safe.

 

[honeybadger]

From what I've felt, Track Mode gives you a decent sized leash to play with on track. However, get into a powers slide and it'll kick in regardless if you meant to drift or not ;)

In dry weather, I'd say it would be pretty hard to crash from an oversteer situation in track mode. I use mine as a coach - warns me when I am pushing too hard and when I should probably slow down for a few laps.

If you want to hoon, definitely need hold the traction control button for the 5-7 seconds to disengage it. Just keep in mind if you get rocking too violently, it will kick back on (found that out testing my donut skills).

 

[firestarter2]

From what I've felt, Track Mode gives you a decent sized leash to play with on track. However, get into a powers slide and it'll kick in regardless if you meant to drift or not ;)

In dry weather, I'd say it would be pretty hard to crash from an oversteer situation in track mode. I use mine as a coach - warns me when I am pushing too hard and when I should probably slow down for a few laps.

If you want to hoon, definitely need hold the traction control button for the 5-7 seconds to disengage it. Just keep in mind if you get rocking too violently, it will kick back on (found that out testing my donut skills).

So I'm doing something wrong because my times are going down and it's always on now. Which is possible I suck

 

[TDC]

So I'm doing something wrong because my times are going down and it's always on now. Which is possible I suck

Don't say that because that means I suck too; last time we were at Thunderbolt I used your times as a benchmark for me to reach

As others said autocross needs TC completely off to be fast. On track use Track mode with TC on as a teaching aid and life preserver.

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