So another thread here regarding the pedal box got me thinking. I haven't tried turning off traction control in a while - ok years. Lets see if there is any difference and whether a faster accelerator response will indeed improve performance. I turned of the speed limiter, turned off all traction (well as much as you can do in the SE) by holding the traction button. I was in sports mode - ok, I am *always* in sports mode, but I thought I better confirm it. Stamp on the accelerator and...... wheelspin. I have track tyres with insane amounts of grip, and I spun the wheels! Not just a bit either. Ok, there is more than enough power to break traction.
I stepped it back to the standard dsc mode, by first engaging normal "nanny" mode, then a quick flick of the dsc switch. The warning came up again, and....... wheelspin - but just at the beginning. Engaging "nanny mode" again, and no wheelspin. Not unsurprisingly, the best starts were in fact with traction control on. It is actually faster off the line when you don't spin the tyres. Now with practice, I think the simple dsc mode (ie not completely off) could be faster, but by so little it probably isn't worth it.
I don't know if a faster accelerator response will in fact make any difference - maybe spin the wheels sooner. The AD09 tyres are about as good as you can get on a dry, well maintained road after the cyclone washed away all the ..... um .... stuff on the road. Has the little beast bedded in, or maybe one of the firmware updates recently actually *increased* performance. Very odd. The best take off I managed was simply stamping on the accelerator with traction control fully on. No wheelspin, no torque steer, just enough acceleration to feel it in your cheeks. No the ones on your face.......
Not at all what I expected, but has confirmed that the perceived "delay" when starting off is simply the car overcoming momentum in the fastest possible way. Not the most "fun", but definitely the fastest. Even lightening the car wont change the initial start, but once the car is going and the tyres are doing their job, they can put more energy into the road, and accelerate faster.
I stepped it back to the standard dsc mode, by first engaging normal "nanny" mode, then a quick flick of the dsc switch. The warning came up again, and....... wheelspin - but just at the beginning. Engaging "nanny mode" again, and no wheelspin. Not unsurprisingly, the best starts were in fact with traction control on. It is actually faster off the line when you don't spin the tyres. Now with practice, I think the simple dsc mode (ie not completely off) could be faster, but by so little it probably isn't worth it.
I don't know if a faster accelerator response will in fact make any difference - maybe spin the wheels sooner. The AD09 tyres are about as good as you can get on a dry, well maintained road after the cyclone washed away all the ..... um .... stuff on the road. Has the little beast bedded in, or maybe one of the firmware updates recently actually *increased* performance. Very odd. The best take off I managed was simply stamping on the accelerator with traction control fully on. No wheelspin, no torque steer, just enough acceleration to feel it in your cheeks. No the ones on your face.......
Not at all what I expected, but has confirmed that the perceived "delay" when starting off is simply the car overcoming momentum in the fastest possible way. Not the most "fun", but definitely the fastest. Even lightening the car wont change the initial start, but once the car is going and the tyres are doing their job, they can put more energy into the road, and accelerate faster.
