Has anyone here put RaceLogic Traction Control on a LS1 firebird/camaro?
Is it doable? Any problems with it? Which version did you get?
thanks,
Marcin

 

I wanna know some info on this too. Would it work on an LT1?
Peace
omar

 

Looks cool, but a bit pricey. Retail is $2000US for the pro package (logging, 5-stage adjustable, full throttle & launch control).

 

Well, i got it. The basic version (no launch control, no logging, but the adjustability is still there) cost me ~800 USD. not too bad. right now it's sitting there, waiting to be installed, but with snow and low temps outside I really have no motivation to get out there and start ripping apart the cabling.
Does ANYONE here have it on the f-body? i talked with jeremy from matrix eng. (the only US dealer of that stuff) and he said there's like 2 fbodies and 3 mustangs in this country equipped with it. pretty rare stuff.
I'll try to make a nice writeup and post results once it's in.
Let us know if you or someone you know have it on the fbody, i really don't feel like pioneering the whole thing 'ex nihilo' :/

 

I received this reply from OOParts International, another US dealer in Miami:

 

these are the regular prices, i got it on a 20% off group buy.
too bad i didn't buy it on a supraforums groupbuy, it was huge, they moved like 100+ units, so the discount was like 35%. oh well, you snooze, you lose.

 

Well there was someone in the for sale section selling one for 900 dollars,forgot whats all in it. Im just more worried about the install, and whether this thing really works or is it just a gimmick. I dont want my car bogging down like the traction control that comes with the fbod. Thank God i didnt have that in mine. Plus lets say you have a supercharger or nitrous set up. Wouldnt it be a bad thing if it cut your fuel out?
Peace
Omar

 

Normally it works great. I've seen it work wonders on a T78 supra (big laggy turbo, but when it hits, it can go from 200 to 700rwhp in like 700rpm which is a handful).

There is a special mode for launching (no bogging, just enough spin to prevent that, but enough to get you out of the whole quick, plus it does work as a 2step, so in a manual you can build boost off the line for all you boosted people)

Injections of all sorts, especially the more explosive ones, like n2o or ethanol, can cause problems. last two weeks on RLTC's yahoo group there was a lot of discussion about that. Basically it comes down to what happens when you got fuel, air, alki/nos and then you don't get a spark in one cylinder (that's how RLTC regulates power). Common sense would dictate it goes out the manifold and into the nicely heated exhaust, which will probably cause a small explosion.
looks cool, but it will kill your exhaust pretty quickly, titanium or not.

any sort of forced induction is fine. like i mentioned before, supra's are a fine example of RLTC helping mad turbo cars stay planted on the road when the boost hits. no problems there.

this would be more of a help for a street, where you have limited, varied, and quite unpredictable traction. at the track, it really shines, as you feel like a Formula1 driver, toss it into a corner, nuke the gas, and just watch it 'walk' you out of the corner with just enough spin to make it in good time, with little risk of spinning.

i never heard much of people using it for drag, as for that much money they'd rather buy just few extra sets of slicks, and be done with it
i could possibly see this as quite the weapon in street races, you come out on some crap all weather tire, get spotted out, and then come out at the best time possible for that crap tire, and do it consistently, as each time you just keep your gas buried, and electronics does the rest. oh yea, did i mention you can hook it up to your clutch so you can do 'no gas pedal lift' shifting?

yea, it's a cool box, i think it's worth the money. we'll see the results once i take it to the track, or apply some of that ls1 torque in the twisties. I'm rather amazed that domestics, famous for the truly useless amounts of low-down torque haven't tapped the electronics to do the dirty work of dosing power. yea, i know, it would be nice if we could learn it, but it also could be potentially some seriously expensive lessons, if you get a bit overzealous in the twisties, or go off a track at 90mph.

hope that clears up some concerns

 

well, if you read around in the drag racing forum, everyone usually figures out how to launch by modifying their tire, suspension, and power setups.... It sounds like they have a pretty good grasp on getting the f-bod's to hook up cause its seems anyone thats serious into drag has gotten a highstall tq converter to even more agressive multiply tq with a transbrake, or do high rpm clutch drop stalls with a manual.. Having a relativly big displacement NA engine helps, with power being smooth and predictable.... Turbo guys have a moving target.. the more load they put on, the more their turbo's spool up... and if they lift off the gas betwen shifts their boost goes back down.. so I can see why they would turn to electronics for help.

I know a while back someone on LS1.COM custom made a stutter box for his turbo'd LS1 to build boost before he launches..


Same goes with turns.. The focus here is getting the car's tire and suspension setup right and improving driver skill.. having a smooth predictable power curve helps controlling the car too.. When you roll back on the gas, the power comes in instantlously and linearly. The "useless" lowend tq also helps out in pulling out of a turn in a lower rpm when shifting would be awkward.. Its easier to drive.


Ultimately, I bet an unassited driver would do better, and improving your own driving is where the most fun is.. Not to mention traction assist is banned in most racing classes anyways.


Still, it would neat to see someone try it out on a f-bod... you can be one of the first!

 

Well i wasnt planning on useing it for drag racing. Just thought it would be a cool thing to work with. Just a bit to expensive for me right now, but something i could think about doing later on.
Thanks
OMar