So I was celebrating having passed the 1200 mile breakin today and was driving...spirited (code for "like I stole it"). Maybe it is in my head but I swear it felt faster straight line, but way faster around turns with the VDC off. Is it in my head? Anyone else care to way in?

Feels much more like my old Audi S4 around turns with the VDC off. Just need to drop it an inch and add read sway bar.

-V

 

I think it's in your head

 

that wouldn't surprise me at all on an AWD car...

Think WRC rally car drifting through a corner and then slamming it home as the exit lines up with the axis of the car.

 

Just ran 0-60 runs using a GTech the other day, first set of runs was just releasing brake and flooring car with VDC on and average was 5,72 seconds (G35x AT) in Drive mode. I thenk ran in Drive Mode with VDC on and powerbraking the car to abouit 2000-2500 RPMs and ran average 5.39 seconds.

I then did a couple of runs with AT in DS mode and VDC turned off today
and averaged 5.4 seconds powerbraking. Only difference is that it was 85F today and 70F the other day during first runs.

So I would say both transmission mode and VDC make marginal difference in 0-60 runs, and this like translates into 1/4 times.

 

What is powerbraking?

 

loading up the torque converter on an AT transmission by applying throttle and brakes at the same time, then releasing the brakes and applying more, controlled throttle to launch.

 

It is really in the corners where I notice the difference. Feels like I can power through the corners much faster for some reason.

 

that "some reason" is the front wheels are pulling the car through the corner while the back wheels push. that translates to neither understeer nor oversteer (if the suspension is set up correctly as well as the weight bias).

 

Thanks, Altersys!

I came from a Honda S2000 (stick), and didn't know u could do that with an automatic transmission.

Can you further elaborate the technique? How many RPM's should I hit before releasing the brakes? I'm gonna assume this isn't very good for my car, but how bad is?

Thanks!

 

you're right. it's not great for the transmission... specifically the torque converter. on the other hand, some drag racing trannies with high stall speed torque converters are designed for this abuse. ours are not, so i really wouldn't do it a lot.

as for what rpms etc, that's a game of trial and error. just like all racing techniques, it depends on the car, the driver, the road conditions, the tires, the air temp..... etc.... start low and work up higher. remember, the higher you go, the more potential damage you are doing to the transmission. street trannies have very low stall speeds so the internal pressure you'd be building up would be rather high.

 

of course its going to be faster with vdc off. Even though the car is AWD when powering through the corner some fuel is goign to be cut with vdc on because the computer feels that wheels are slipping.