CT5-V PTM modes for daily driving?

[Tall Steve]

Figured out the modes after Spring Mountain and also saw the V button double tap thing that @Tall Steve mentioned before. Question - for those with manual transmission what does the powertrain setting (engine/shift) in V mode do? I can see it makes a difference in the auto cars with shift points but not sure what it does in a manual car. I had it in sport setting, shifted it to track...will try it out tomorrow.

I have never double tapped my 5BW so I don't know how it reacts....On a side note I'm taking the 5BW out this coming Saturday for cars and coffee.... Fist drive since Nov of last year......

 

[VBhak]

Do you guys turn on PTM for daily driving? I have used dry when weather was good and roads were dry but mostly I have not set PTM (off by default). I know PTM wet is more for a wet track setting (at least that's what I have heard) and I haven't tried the PTM snow mode yet. In general what is the best PTM setting for:

Drag racing on good surface/drag strip
Spirited driving on dry roads
Driving on wet/damp surfaces

I generally don't use PTM.
Thanks

The instructors at Spring Mountain actually discussed that the Cadillac engineers recommend NOT using Track/PTM modes for daily driving due to how stiff the dampers calibrate as well as the diff slip -- I.e. a single pot hole will screw up wheels and suspension in Track mode, where-as it shouldn't be much of an issue in Touring or Sport mode.

Per the instructors, Track mode was specifically for a track, which typically never has severe road issues (potholes, etc). Came as a surprise to me.

 

[Ergoc5]

The instructors at Spring Mountain actually discussed that the Cadillac engineers recommend NOT using Track/PTM modes for daily driving due to how stiff the dampers calibrate as well as the diff slip -- I.e. a single pot hole will screw up wheels and suspension in Track mode, where-as it shouldn't be much of an issue in Touring or Sport mode.

Per the instructors, Track mode was specifically for a track, which typically never has severe road issues (potholes, etc). Came as a surprise to me.

Yeah I was there last week...they were referring to suspension in track (stiffest mode). You can adjust PTM mode without setting suspension to stiff.

 

[rubberduck]

Yeah I was there last week...they were referring to suspension in track (stiffest mode). You can adjust PTM mode without setting suspension to stiff.

With V-mode would be the only way.

 

[Ergoc5]

With V-mode would be the only way.

Yeah in V mode

 

[LF4472]

The instructors at Spring Mountain actually discussed that the Cadillac engineers recommend NOT using Track/PTM modes for daily driving due to how stiff the dampers calibrate as well as the diff slip -- I.e. a single pot hole will screw up wheels and suspension in Track mode, where-as it shouldn't be much of an issue in Touring or Sport mode.

Per the instructors, Track mode was specifically for a track, which typically never has severe road issues (potholes, etc). Came as a surprise to me.

This advice was common with the wide-body Corvettes (Grand Sport, Z06) because their wheels were prone to bending and breaking.

 

[jvp]

The instructors at Spring Mountain actually discussed that the Cadillac engineers recommend NOT using Track/PTM modes for daily driving due to how stiff the dampers calibrate as well as the diff slip -- I.e. a single pot hole will screw up wheels and suspension in Track mode, where-as it shouldn't be much of an issue in Touring or Sport mode.

And this is one of the primary reasons you don't listen to the folks at Spring Mountain when it comes to engineering aspects of the car. No engineer from GM has ever said that, about any of their cars. Neither the Corvette nor the Blackwings. It's such a pile of horseshit.

What the GM engineers may have said is that single wheel impact events (aka: potholes) risk bending the cast wheels on the cars. And that's 100% true. And it'll happen regardless of the suspension and/or PTM settings. In fact, I had it happen on my '10 ZR1 because I didn't see how bad the pothole was on the right side of the road. Both passenger side wheels were toast after that impact.

Run whatever mode you want on the street. GM's lawyers will not let them put a suspension or PTM mode in the car that will risk destroying it. And again: don't listen to SM folks when it comes to technical aspects of the cars they're instructing in. They're decent track driving instructors. They're not engineers.

 

[NorCal Blackwing]

Run whatever mode you want on the street. GM's lawyers will not let them put a suspension or PTM mode in the car that will risk destroying it. And again: don't listen to SM folks when it comes to technical aspects of the cars they're instructing in. They're decent track driving instructors. They're not engineers.

To be fair to the SM guys, during the tech talk they admitted as much - i.e. they're more familiar with the Corvettes than the Cadillacs, and none of those guys were involved in actually developing the car. I would assume they just received detailed technical briefings from GM including what they can and can't say - and that's fine because 9 times out of 10 the questions are going to be the same in every session.

Someone with more knowledge of the regs could advise but I suspect they say PTM is a 'track only' mode because of NHTSA testing/compliance than actual suitability for road driving.

 

[Ergoc5]

Yeah in V mode

Actually you can still setup suspension in the middle setting (sport) for your V mode setting and adjust PTM with the PTM toggle independently. When I tried setting PTM in V mode it forces suspension into full stiff mode.

 

[Throat Yogurt]

Figured out the modes after Spring Mountain and also saw the V button double tap thing that @Tall Steve mentioned before. Question - for those with manual transmission what does the powertrain setting (engine/shift) in V mode do? I can see it makes a difference in the auto cars with shift points but not sure what it does in a manual car. I had it in sport setting, shifted it to track...will try it out tomorrow.

It appears to be throttle mapping.

What I like about the Blackwings are that "Track" throttle mapping is actually more linear than Tour or Sport, therefore more useful on a track where you want precise control over the throttle. Other cars when you put them in sport or sport+ or whatever will increase the initial throttle ramping which tricks you into thinking the car is more responsive. So instead of 50% pedal giving you 70% throttle, 50% actually gives you 90% which is "sporty" I suppose. Thank you, Blackwing engineers, for giving us modes which actually enable us to control the car better.

 

[Speed Racer 007]

Yeah I was there last week...they were referring to suspension in track (stiffest mode). You can adjust PTM mode without setting suspension to stiff.

Thanks for this tip. Hopefully soon I'll be able to enjoy my BW more and will fool around with these settings.

 

[CBH]

It appears to be throttle mapping.

What I like about the Blackwings are that "Track" throttle mapping is actually more linear than Tour or Sport, therefore more useful on a track where you want precise control over the throttle. Other cars when you put them in sport or sport+ or whatever will increase the initial throttle ramping which tricks you into thinking the car is more responsive. So instead of 50% pedal giving you 70% throttle, 50% actually gives you 90% which is "sporty" I suppose. Thank you, Blackwing engineers, for giving us modes which actually enable us to control the car better.

My fairly limited anecdotal experience with engine modes (in V mode) didn't seem to have much effect. Stabbing the throttle at idle, in all settings, produced virtually no increase in RPM. So the ECU mapped my 100% pedal to about 2% actual increase in the throttle body to the engine. I feel cheated every time RevMatch gets the full 100%.........

I presume that ratio climbs with RPM, but in street driving it doesn't have huge effect.

What have y'all observed with various engine modes ?

Do the same engine settings in V Mode behave the same as they would when set as part of an overall mode (like Tour, Sport, Track) ?

 

[Blackwing16]

I have never double tapped my 5BW so I don't know how it reacts....On a side note I'm taking the 5BW out this coming Saturday for cars and coffee.... Fist drive since Nov of last year......

Which Cars and Coffee are you attending on a Saturday?

 

[Throat Yogurt]

My fairly limited anecdotal experience with engine modes (in V mode) didn't seem to have much effect. Stabbing the throttle at idle, in all settings, produced virtually no increase in RPM. So the ECU mapped my 100% pedal to about 2% actual increase in the throttle body to the engine. I feel cheated every time RevMatch gets the full 100%.........

I presume that ratio climbs with RPM, but in street driving it doesn't have huge effect.

What have y'all observed with various engine modes ?

Do the same engine settings in V Mode behave the same as they would when set as part of an overall mode (like Tour, Sport, Track) ?

I don't think revving in neutral is going to reveal much...just drive it. There is a noticable difference between track and sport in terms of throttle mapping.

To answer your last question- yes.

 

[dribs15]

Fist drive since Nov of last year......

Fist drive?!

... sounds like something I may need to Google or at least look up in urban dictionary

 

[Throat Yogurt]

Fist drive?!

... sounds like something I may need to Google or at least look up in urban dictionary

 

[Tall Steve]

Fist drive?!

... sounds like something I may need to Google or at least look up in urban dictionary

lol, slow down, that was just a typo..... I think @Throat Yogurt kind of liked it....Giggity!

 

[Tall Steve]

Which Cars and Coffee are you attending on a Saturday?

If the weather is not bad and I get my butt out of bed early I'm going to Cars & Coffee Southlake...

 

[savethemanual]

Can anyone explain if there's a tangible difference between PTM dry and inactive on the street? Sport forces suspension to track and the roads around here might cause me to lose a wheel in that setting.

 

[Ergoc5]

Can anyone explain if there's a tangible difference between PTM dry and inactive on the street? Sport forces suspension to track and the roads around here might cause me to lose a wheel in that setting.

There is def a difference ...as per my post earlier I invoke V mode and then adjust to ptm sport via the toggle. This keeps the original V mode settings without turning suspension to full stiff