Drive Modes

[Cranky]

Do drive modes matter? Asking for my ‘20 GT 10A with no frills. Still rocking the calculator screen. Bone stock.

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[paulm1]

If you drive in snow/ice/rain it matters.

 

[Vlad Soare]

Depends on what you mean. In some respects they do, in others they don't.

Sport+ mode opens the throttle more than you press the pedal, giving you the impression that the car is faster. But it's just a scam. You can simply press the pedal more in Normal mode and get the exact same effect (and even more predictably at that).

Rain/Snow mode is hideous. Avoid it at all costs. It feels like the car is broken. Absolutely horrible.

Track mode behaves just like Normal in some vehicles, or like Sport+ in others. I think it depends on the manufacturing year, but I'm not sure. In my 2020 GT it was programmed like Sport+ before I changed it. Apart from that, Track mode will make the traction control a bit more loose and will stiffen the suspension (if you have Magneride).

Drag mode softens the front suspension and stiffens the rear (or the other way around, I can't remember). Again, if you have Magneride. If you don't, it doesn't do anything.

They also make the exhaust a bit louder as you go from Normal to Sport+ to Track, if you have the active one. You don't, so scrap this.

That's it, in a nutshell. So, without Magneride and active exhaust they don't really do much except make the car seem faster in Sport+, or make it utterly undrivable in Rain/Snow. And in Track, tell the traction control to let you play a little before it steps in.
Keep it in Normal, use the throttle judiciously, and you're good.

 

[sirben711]

I personally stay in regular sport mode all year. Its far better than the regular drive mode. Sport+ is just too, I don't know- erratic?

I do like track mode, I feel like it gives me the RPMs I crave...but the downshifts suck.

 

[JetGray_Mach1]

I am always on sport +. I like the more responsive pedal feel. When it rains I put on wet.

 

[GL95]

Depends on what you mean. In some respects they do, in others they don't.

Sport+ mode opens the throttle more than you press the pedal, giving you the impression that the car is faster. But it's just a scam. You can simply press the pedal more in Normal mode and get the exact same effect (and even more predictably at that).

Rain/Snow mode is hideous. Avoid it at all costs. It feels like the car is broken. Absolutely horrible.

Track mode behaves just like Normal in some vehicles, or like Sport+ in others. I think it depends on the manufacturing year, but I'm not sure. In my 2020 GT it was programmed like Sport+ before I changed it. Apart from that, Track mode will make the traction control a bit more loose and will stiffen the suspension (if you have Magneride).

Drag mode softens the front suspension and stiffens the rear (or the other way around, I can't remember). Again, if you have Magneride. If you don't, it doesn't do anything.

They also make the exhaust a bit louder as you go from Normal to Sport+ to Track, if you have the active one. You don't, so scrap this.

That's it, in a nutshell. So, without Magneride and active exhaust they don't really do much except make the car seem faster in Sport+, or make it utterly undrivable in Rain/Snow. And in Track, tell the traction control to let you play a little before it steps in.
Keep it in Normal, use the throttle judiciously, and you're good.

You're missing a lot of what drag mode does for an A10. Removes a significant amount of torque management and increases shift pressure. There is no debate th car is quicker and faster in drag mode by a large margin on an A10 car

 

[fiveoboy01]

You can also turn off Advancetrak by holding the brake pedal and the drive mode switch together for a number of seconds, at least on my car.

My gut feeling is that this does not fully disable stability control, just neuters it though. Anyone know for sure? Do I need to pull a fuse to completely disable it?

 

[MidwayJ]

Sport + mode changes more than throttle response. The transmission is more eager to downshift, both when braking and when accelerating at part throttle. Also, once downshifted to lower gears it won't upshift as soon. In normal mode the A10 upshifts more quickly to keep the engine at lower rpms. Good for gas mileage but not performance.

 

[Vlad Soare]

You're missing a lot of what drag mode does for an A10. Removes a significant amount of torque management and increases shift pressure. There is no debate th car is quicker and faster in drag mode by a large margin on an A10 car

Fair point. I was thinking of a manual gearbox. I missed that the OP had an A10.

 

[Bob Lob Law]

You can also turn off Advancetrak by holding the brake pedal and the drive mode switch together for a number of seconds, at least on my car.

My gut feeling is that this does not fully disable stability control, just neuters it though. Anyone know for sure? Do I need to pull a fuse to completely disable it?

You don't need to hold the brake. It's just a long hold on the traction control button. It does NOT turn it all the way off. The only way for that is the "dyno" plug under the hood.

 

[NightmareMoon]

You can also turn off Advancetrak by holding the brake pedal and the drive mode switch together for a number of seconds, at least on my car.

My gut feeling is that this does not fully disable stability control, just neuters it though. Anyone know for sure? Do I need to pull a fuse to completely disable it?

Actually it does turn it all the way off, as long as you hold that button for the full 7 or so seconds. It can error and reboot (it dings a dash message), but that's rare.

You don't need to hold the brake. It's just a long hold on the traction control button. It does NOT turn it all the way off. The only way for that is the "dyno" plug under the hood.

I have spent a lot of time on closed courses with a helmet on with both pulling the dyno plug or just using the interior switch are exactly the same. No nibbling at brakes or cutting power with the switch. Its pretty obvious at a track day or autocross when its active, even a little bit.

I guess people think its active when they break traction with the rear tires and aren't going anywhere because they're just spinning wheels. That's a lack of traction, not traction control.

There's not a ton going on with the Mustang stability/traction control. its not like the GM e-diff in the camaro. The only tricks up the Ford's sleeve is to cut engine power or nibble at the brake on one corner to keep the car straight.

 

[Bob Lob Law]

Actually it does turn it all the way off, as long as you hold that button for the full 7 or so seconds. It can error and reboot (it dings a dash message), but that's rare.



I have spent a lot of time on closed courses with a helmet on with both pulling the dyno plug or just using the interior switch are exactly the same. No nibbling at brakes or cutting power with the switch. Its pretty obvious at a track day or autocross when its active, even a little bit.

I guess people think its active when they break traction with the rear tires and aren't going anywhere because they're just spinning wheels. That's a lack of traction, not traction control.

There's not a ton going on with the Mustang stability/traction control. its not like the GM e-diff in the camaro. The only tricks up the Ford's sleeve is to cut engine power or nibble at the brake on one corner to keep the car straight.

I does NOT turn is off all the way on mine at least(2022 A10)! I have tried several times to do donuts and the ONLY way it'll let me is by pulling the dyno plug. If I try to just turn it off with a long press, it'll spin out and throw about every light on the dash and shut off the car every time! It may be different with the '15-'17 or with the manual.

 

[fiveoboy01]

You don't need to hold the brake. It's just a long hold on the traction control button. It does NOT turn it all the way off. The only way for that is the "dyno" plug under the hood.

That is not what my owner's manual says:

The electronic stability control portion of the system is disabled when the transmission is in reverse (R) or, on some models, if you press and hold the electronic stability control button for more than five seconds when you apply the brakes and the vehicle is at a stop.

 

[NightmareMoon]

I does NOT turn is off all the way on mine at least(2022 A10)! I have tried several times to do donuts and the ONLY way it'll let me is by pulling the dyno plug. If I try to just turn it off with a long press, it'll spin out and throw about every light on the dash and shut off the car every time! It may be different with the '15-'17 or with the manual.

Interesting, thanks for the additional context. Yeah that's not a thing I've seen in any manual that I've been in.

 

[BullittBoy]

If you want to COMPLETELY turn off ALL traction control influence, you have to unplug the ABS plug (or Dyno plug as some call it) to stop input to the system from the wheels. Even when you hold the button down and turn off ADVANCETRAC, there is still some timing retard left in the system. Same for the F150 (I have both). You will get 4 dialog boxes telling you ABS, ADVANCETRAC and other crap not avail or something to that effect. you "okay" out of the boxes and go. Now when you do this, you cannot switch out of Normal drive mode. You can try, but with out the speed sensor input to the system, it will not let you change.

5Star sells a switch you can install so you don't have to go under the hood to disable it.
5 Star Tuning Traction Control / Dyno Switch (2015 - 2024 Ford F-150)

I have one on my F`150 as I use it for drag and drive events and get more consistent times when it is truly disabled.

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