RLTC.Is it worth the money?

Ordered RLTC other day after having a few shickers,wouldn't have bothered normally but all reports i've heard sound good so looking forward to it.Is it all it's made out to be?

Good question. I'm not convinced that it's all it's cracked up to be.

It didn't stop LeeT losing traction on a dead straight wet motorway when accelerating gently. His car was a right mess

Or Far (write-off)

Or HiSupe (write-off)

I have RLTC on my blue car but only because the previous owner had it fitted. I don't think I'd bother with it otherwise.

I wonder if it makes you over-confident. Far and Neil (HiSupe) both crashed their cars on bends (roundabout in Far's case).

A lot of it is to do with how it's configured, Terminators settings made a big difference to the operation of mine but I certainly wouldn't put blind faith in it.

How did he managed to loose it when accelerating gently, did he aquaplane? Nothing RLTC can do about that.

thats the one thought Ive been having..

Is it really worth dropping £600 over? I dont have ANY traction at all on mine and Ive not had any problems what so ever..

I know exactly when she is going to break free and im not 100% convinced the RLTC would make a massive difference. The fact that Lee's car broke free in the rain on a straight with RLTC makes me think its really not worth it.

I think a lot of people also get cocky when they install the unit and dont always realise when its taking over and helping them so keep pushing their luck.

i think its worth it,im more than happy to demo it if people need convincing

mine was setup by mat harwood and i have no probs

i think you'd have to be near on asleep to crash with it switched on

jake i think hisupe was the roundabout king lol

I'm having a spot of bother with mine but do I wish I'd never bothered?

No.

It really does work. I wasn't prepared for how well, TBH. I still go into bends at proper speed because I know RL can't defy the laws of physics but I can get on the power so much earlier. Also, in a straight line she just squats and goes and, even in the wet, there is no wiggle,twitch,step out etc.

Fave example. The turning off the main road that heads for my village. Steep, very wide uphill section immediately upon turning. Foot to floor, crushing the carpet and not even straightened up yet. The revs go up very quickly, RL can be felt doing it's bit and I can get above the speed limit before the road narrows. That's in the wet, natch.

Tried it with RL off and at wot I spun her. 3/4 throttle, got very squiffy. Keeping her straight and trying for speed I cannot get up there quicker than I can with RL on.

Yes, the problems are a pisser but RL is amazing and has actually saved me (for certain) twice now.

I should just add that RL also works really well when you are just pootling. Driving along in the wet you can often fell RL doing it's bit and you learn to appreciate that it's handling the bits you wouldn't even think would be a problem. I'd rather pay £600 than have the unexpected step-out moments to try and recover.

i dont have rltc and i find my car very easy to drive fast, and i think thats down to the trd diff

i would say a trd diff is money well spent, rltc waste of money imo, but then my car is only a weekend car and it dont get driven in the rain:)

Once you get to really know your car, I'd say it is more of a performance modification, as it allows you to get on the power earlier out of bends and accelerate away full throttle.

I would definitely recommend RLTC to anyone new to their Supra and especially those with autos, as it provides a very competant 'safety net'.

One other benefit, after a few years the RLTC almost pays for itself in the saving in rear tyre rubber

I've got it fitted too.

When you've got it on the dry setting on a perfectly dry road on a sunny day will it prevent wheel spin totally? I'm not sure if mine does.

I know the rear wheels will have to spin a tiny amount first for the RLTC to work , should that be totally unnoticeable though?

Like Nic says, it will definately save on tyre rubber.

The only time I've managed to get the RLTC to perform badly was in monsoon style rain, loads of surface water and I decided to cane up a slip-road on the 2nd turbo. That got rather snakey snakey. (The guy in the Merc next to me looked more worried than I did. )

Apart from that incident I think RLTC is worth every penny.

I have RLTC its called common sense and my right foot

I would not drive a car as powerful as mine without RTLC. I have used it in my Soarer as well and it has never given me any problems. You still need to drive the car with respect as it is not going to automatically save you in every situation. You should not just blindly stomp on the go pedal and expect it to rescue you from every eventuality. It will give you confidence but do not let that go to your head and forget that you are still driving a high powered rear wheel drive vehicle that likes to step out if given the opportunity......

IMO, you would be silly not to run RTLC, the benefits far outweigh any negative 'thoughts' you might have.

is this a thread for the non believers? lol - not got it yet but will have it installed soon so will post my honest thoughts. I used to say the same about ABS, ahhh who needs it I can do it with my right foot, well I probably can nearly do it some of the time, it's the other times you need to worry about. ABS is a good safety net for when you havn't got time to react to rapidly changing circumstances, RLTC should be the same when your foor is buried on the loud pedal and that patch of deisel, mud, damp, black ice, whatever you were not expecting is waiting to catch you out.

Really for me I'd just like to be able to get the power down cleanly and if it can help smooth out the surge when #2 comes on and the thing tries to break traction then it is worth the money for that alone.

No substitute for knowing how to drive, in perfect conditions I'll be happy to switch it off altogether or put it on max slip as a safetynet that isn't too intrusive.

we shall see, a lot of people seem to rave about it as one of the single best mods you can do, they can't all be completely wrong?

I wonder if the 'my TC is my right foot' and 'i know when my rears about to go' brigade are the people who post threads about losing the car on a gentle bend in a light drizzle while driving steadily?

I think it is one of the best, if not the best Mod you can do to a high powered Supra. It needs to be fitted by and expert ( Matt Harwood) and set up by one ( Terminators config file). I would love to see two high powered Supras in the wet on some twisties, one with RLTC, one without....

Really for me I'd just like to be able to get the power down cleanly and if it can help smooth out the surge when #2 comes on and the thing tries to break traction then it is worth the money for that alone.

 

No substitute for knowing how to drive, in perfect conditions I'll be happy to switch it off altogether or put it on max slip as a safetynet that isn't too intrusive.

Exactly.

I switch mine down to 10% slip in the dry. Sometimes I even switch it off.

As Terminator says 'Racelogic -for when your right foot screws it up'

Never be without mine & like Terry say's must be fitted & configured correctly RLTC all the way best mod money spent on so far

I wonder if the 'my TC is my right foot' and 'i know when my rears about to go' brigade are the people who post threads about losing the car on a gentle bend in a light drizzle while driving steadily?

Those threads usually come about from the people who rely on RLTC day to day in order to mask their lack of car control

Don't get me wrong here I think it's a great piece of kit and far more capable than the standard setup, I just think some people use it to mask the fact that they they drive with lead shoes and no awareness of the conditions they are driving in.

Well worth it IMO

and for those using #2 Turbo in the wet on public roads, now that's just asking for trouble.

Jake, was it proven with Far's & Neil's that it was a faulty RLTC unit that caused the crash ? or that RLTC did not do what is says on the tin ?

I'm not saying that you can't have a faulty unit, bad install etc...but, your post reads that 3 cars have been written off due to RLTC, which, I question.

RLTC can't save you from everything.....

It's great, but DOES make you over confident.

I do find myself pushing the car harder than I did before around corners, but then I drive very conservatively anyway.

In my experience it helps tremendously at lower speeds in the wet on roundabouts etc - but then you shouldn't be going fast in the rain anyway.

Of course it all depends on tyre condition and which DAT file you're running too. I note on mkivstore.com there's a selection, Tight Winter, Medium and Fast. I went for tight winter all year round as if I wanted to drive properly in sports mode on a track, I can just turn it off! I wonder what other people went for on their cars when they crashed?

The more sceptical part of me wonders if these people are likely to admit that they left it on 10% in the wet on a 'Fast' DAT when loosing it for fear of looking stupid or affecting their insurance claim? Please note that I am in no way pointing these comments towards any people as I do not have any facts to comment on individuals experiences/events.

There are many factors into configuring an RLTC unit which can easily lead it to being setup quirkily or wrong for the conditions - thats not the hardwares fault.

I wonder if Terminator Phils has ever let him down?

[edit] I guess it also depends on the level of tune of your car. I expect it needs to work harder when a single turbo comes on boost compared to stock twins?

I don't think it works harder with a more powerful car, just more frequently.

And Micheal, are you saying I drive with a lead foot? Please don't take the last time I saw you as indicative. You remember? Me hooning round a roundabout, one handed.

RLTC is brill. Not only does it act as a safety net for those moments when the road surface changes, it also allows you to enjoy your turbo'd monster more. Especially in the wet.

Speaking of which I left mine on 10% during the pouring rain a few days ago because I forgot to change it. I overtook a couple of cars and the back end went because 10% (actually it's 15% due to the way RLTC works) slip means in the wet the back can wiggle about. That was a hairy suprise moment but I lifted and caught it and carried on because I do not rely on RLTC to sort everything out, I'm always ready for it to not show up for work. That's how I think it should be treated...

JamieP, you said when you got 19's you had less traction than with the 18's. How did you initially sense that without breaking traction suddenly and unexpectedly...?

-Ian

RLTC is brill. Not only does it act as a safety net for those moments when the road surface changes, it also allows you to enjoy your turbo'd monster more. Especially in the wet.

It's like reformed smokers, always argue the case harder

For those who don't remember, Ian used to be a "all you need is your right foot" kinda guy. It takes a fair bit to persuad Mr C so you can rest assured its a good bit of kit when set up correctly

I definitely find it better than the standard setup, obviously if you have it on the wrong setting in the wet then its not going to help, but I always make sure its on wet setting even in slightly damp conditions and drive much more carefully and I can still feel the mild fuel cut when pulling away.

At least it can be turned right down or off for more fun in the dry.

But it cant change the laws of physics, if your going too fast for the road conditions your going to lose it.