When doing an HPDE is it better to have active handling on or off?
Also is competitive driving mode of any value for HPDE?
I am relatively new to HPDE's and have left the active handling on for all my events. No complaints but I hear your skill as a driver improves with active handling off. Comments?
Since you said you're "relatively new" to HPDE events then you should most definitely leave active handling ON. You may notice it activate now and then, as it is saving you from yourself. As you gain experience you can disable it from time to time and compare the difference, carefully. Although one can ultimately turn better laptimes without it given enough experience, it is not something that is so intrusive as to prevent you from going plenty fast enough for an HPDE event.
As far as traction control, I would advise turning it OFF, which puts it in "competitive mode". The primary reason for this is to prevent the rear brakes from overheating as quickly. In addition, it's easier on the drivetrain and will also afford more performance.
More important things to consider are learning and following the proper line as well as watching for signs of excessive wear on items such as the tires and brakes. Learn to bleed the brakes at the track and do so when (not "if") the pedal becomes soft.
Remember, it is not a race. You are there to learn and have fun doing so, not to pull your car out of a tire barrier because you disabled active handling in an attempt to better your laptime by a few tenths (which you shouldn't be concerned with anyway).
In my experience I leave everything on if it is raining, no exceptions. When I was starting out, and it was dry, then hold the TC button for 8 seconds until it is in Competitive mode.
As your experience level builds and you learn how to throttle steer, you will find that you are being intruded upon by the electronic nannies; they are nice and gentle, but at the expense of your rear pads. At this point is may be time to try turning everything off - as long as it is dry.
Remember, it is not a race. You are there to learn and have fun doing so, not to pull your car out of a tire barrier because you disabled active handling in an attempt to better your laptime by a few tenths (which you shouldn't be concerned with anyway).
bears repeating!
oh and put the car in comp mode. AH can mean a difference between "oops" and "oh shit"... I have experienced it. Shifting in a long sweeper, back end goes out, AH kicks in, instructor goes "very nice save for your first track session ever!"
One thing to consider is that active handling can be a crutch. It can stop you from losing it around the track, but it can also cover up bad driving habits. Running with it really depends on the driver and what they want to accomplish. I would suggest running in Competition Mode until you are familiar with the track, and then turning it off as you will learn more and hopefully become a better driver.
__________________
Jonathan
2002 QS/ModRed
LG longtubes and x-pipe
Frankly, I'd always run in comp mode. You can usually tell when it is kicking in. If it's kicking in all them time, you are probably too sloppy. Our comp mode has very high limits so using it will not really hamper your learning curve and may save your arse.
__________________
2003 QS/MR Z06--sold
2004 MS/MR Z06--dead and gone
I left it all on for my first year of driving. The second year I started using comp mode because I noticed I was chewing through rear pads (2x times faster than fronts). I was learning to slide the rear slightly but the car wouldnt let me an applied rear brakes.
Eventually you will probably want to go to comp mode, but it is safer to leave it all on. You can still have a lot of fun with traction control on. I never ride with Comp mode and traction off. Its really nice to know I have that little safety barrier in the event I lose concentration or I hit oil, etc. There is much point in running it all totally off if this is your daily driver. Lap times wont change much, in my opinion. Comp mode only interferes when you are really out of shape, and you can still "use the rear" to corner.
Have fun, be safe!
__________________
He who dies with the most toys is nonetheless dead.
Comp mode should be used when you are just getting started with DEs. As you get better, you will find the Comp mode getting more and more intrusive. I disagree with those that say the Comp mode has high limits, I found it coming on all the time. At first I thought I was 'ham fisting' my driving, but when I finally tried running with all systems off, the car freed up and the lap times fell. It was much more fun to drive and I was not eating rear brakes.
I've alway run with the active handling on traction control off i.e. Competitive Mode.
The traction control is intrusive, when you you start to spin the rear tires it pulls the throttle, which is not good for lap times.
The other side of that coin is that you must learn to squeeze the throttle in, not hammer it, to avoid wheel spin. There are times when you want the rear wheels to spin comming out of a turn and that's why you turn it off, most of the time you don't want the tires to spin.
With that said I think competitive mode is typically more beneficial at autocross events rather than road course events since you have more tight corners where you want the oversteer.
I must also add that I have never heard the active handling dinging except when I blew it in a turn. So I don't think I have reached the point where I am better than the computer! But I keep trying!!!
I've alway run with the active handling on traction control off i.e. Competitive Mode.
The traction control is intrusive, when you you start to spin the rear tires it pulls the throttle, which is not good for lap times.
The other side of that coin is that you must learn to squeeze the throttle in, not hammer it, to avoid wheel spin. There are times when you want the rear wheels to spin comming out of a turn and that's why you turn it off, most of the time you don't want the tires to spin.
With that said I think competitive mode is typically more beneficial at autocross events rather than road course events since you have more tight corners where you want the oversteer.
I must also add that I have never heard the active handling dinging except when I blew it in a turn. So I don't think I have reached the point where I am better than the computer! But I keep trying!!!
I would never want wheel spin on a Road Course - bad right foot, bad, bad, bad.
I am happy to throttle steer though. Perhaps there is a definition problem here; to me throttle steering happens when you ask the rear to both accelerate and corner at the limits of their ability to grip. Wheel spin occurs (and spins in general) when you exceed the tires ability to grip - cornering or not.
When you do either with Active Handling on (Competitive Mode) the system will detect excessive yaw and kick in.
I see where you may want to slide the rear in Autocross, but isn't doing so in Competitive Mode akin to cheating? I'm not an Autocrosser so I don't know the rules. I guess if everyone is using it all is fair.
IMHO Competitive Mode is an extremely useful tool to use as you are learning to drive Road Courses. As you improve you will notice it engaging more frequently. This is where you need to be honest with yourself: are you actually improving or are you beyond your limits and letting the car save your wax job?
All that said, this thread was started by a newbie looking for an opinion on what mode to use. Initially I left everythin on until I felt Traction Control kicking in when it was not needed. At that time I switched to Competitive Mode. On the (off the record) advice of my instructor I started driving with everything off, slower at first so I could identify how the car behaves on its own. I have gone beyond my ability at times and the car behaves very well in a slide as long as you don't do anything silly to unsettle the car further - like lift completely. Listen to your instructor and all will be well.
Yes I agree that wording may be confusing. When you are putting the power down out of a turn you can get some wheel spin, which is when you modulate the throttle to get the maximum power down without spinning the tires.
On an autocross course they sometimes have very slow 180 degree turns in 1st gear and you want the wheels to spin to kick the rear end around, i.e. faster time.
I leave the active handling on because if I screw up big time I want all the help I can get. Most of the time it never intervenes on the road course, but during an autocross I've managed to spin quit a few times pushing it past the limit.
What was that they said in the maual "You can't defy the laws of Physics"!!!!! They were right!
Comp mode should be used when you are just getting started with DEs. As you get better, you will find the Comp mode getting more and more intrusive. I disagree with those that say the Comp mode has high limits, I found it coming on all the time. At first I thought I was 'ham fisting' my driving, but when I finally tried running with all systems off, the car freed up and the lap times fell. It was much more fun to drive and I was not eating rear brakes.
I agree, exactly the same for me.
Although I don't have anything on during the day, I always run the first session in comp mode since some organizations have first session spin rules.
The good thing about Comp mode is piece of mind that you are less likely to spin off track into a wall because of some erratic driver input.
With experience, speed may be more important to you and you might run with nothing on. While you are new to the track safety for you and your car might be more important so you should run with Comp mode on.
AutoForums.com is the premier network of enthusiast-owned
enthusiast-operated automotive communities.
We operate more than 100 automotive forums where our users consult peers for shopping information and advice, and share
experiences and opinions as a community.
Linear Mode
