Craig asks:
>I'd be interested to know if anyone running at 3COM in
>a BMW/Lexus/Vette/Audi/Porsche etc. left their
>traction control turned on? Did it help? - I'm
>curious about exactly when TC starts to become useful
>- vs. cutting in too early. ABS?
I can only speak on the effect of traction control on my '96 Corvette. On
the street there are times when its done its job, although with the kind of
relatively mild techniques used on the street, an experienced autocrosser
probably doesn't "need" it very often.
However, on an autocross course, regardless of the surface conditions, my TC
restricts performance so severely as to be useless. After initial street
experiments, the only time I've experienced TC on an autocross course is
when I've forgotten to TURN IT OFF before a run! The "drill", before the
start, in my car is: is AC off?, is TC off?.
Now, ABS is a little different. When autocrossing, we try not to engage the
ABS, as the result is less effective braking. However, when we do get in too
deep and engage the ABS, the ability to recover is so much better than with
my previous non-ABS Corvette.
Don
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