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The mkiv Supra Owners Club

Soon to have RLTC


paul ashton
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It's a very nice addition, well worth having, just don't put blind faith in it....:)

 

Terminator's dat file is the business too.

As Nick says, dont get too used to it to the point of driving too silly. Mine recently let me slide out in a straight line on admittedly bad wet road surface with the adjuster set to wet

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RLTC is a great driver aid. There are a few important things to check when wiring it in but Chris knows all about those. RL never intended the system to work correctly or is full potential straight out of the box. There is an assumption that owners will set it up to suit the characteristics of their car.

 

There are two windows software packages made to adjust the settings and transmit data in the form of a "dat" file to the RLTC CU. I prefer to use the software designed and developed by an ex member Graham Rudd. It is simple and I helped him with on road testing, so I am biased. RL released a windows package a few years after Graham. It is important that you use the latest version from the RL website; as earlier releases were know to cause dat corruption problems which caused temporary and correctable RL system failures.

 

Problems associated with slip in a straight line are usually associated with incorrect data in the dat or the dat not being set up for huge power hikes. To get the best from the system, dats should be altered when power levels go over 450- 500bhp. When tires sizes are changed wheel sizes should be altered if the system is expectant to give maximum benefit.

 

With a properly installed and adjusted system, it possible to drive the car in heavy rain, on a test track, in such a manner that would lead to total loss of control and potentially loss of the car and serious injury if the system were disabled. Driving at 100mph at WOT in standing water and being able to keep the car perfectly straight is an experience I will never forget, the words " I am a driving god!" spring to mind.

 

It should be pointed out that the system is bound by the laws of motion and friction. It does have its limits and cannot make up for driver recklessness. However the system reacts so many times faster per second than any "driving god" can feel and respond with their right foot. RL has the capability, in mild slip situations, to reduce power, stopping the slightest of rotational slip, without the driver being aware, with traces of activity on visible on a computer screen.

 

For the majority of us with a mortal right foot, it is an excellent driver aid. Like any safety system i.e. ABS, it has its limits, pushed beyond them, you are on you own. If the car pushed so far that RL can’t help you are in big trouble and probably should not be driving.

It also has an OFF setting

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IMO it is a great driving aid for going faster in poor conditions or all conditions where the car has excessive power.

 

I do not perceive it to be (and there's plenty of evidence on here to back it up) a great safety aid.

 

I think most who fit it 'look forward to it' not because it might help them one day in the future when pulling out of a t-junction one winters morning, but because they can test out what the car can do by pushing it round roundabouts etc.

 

After a while there must be an element of reliance/complacency that builds up because of the 'safety net' its been providing....

 

I remember Phil himself descibing a situation one time when his DAT was corrupted (or something) and he had quite a moment at a junction. He caught the car and everything was fine, but like he has said in the past he's driven plenty of rwd cars in his time (back to capri's from memory)

 

Just to be clear:-

 

I'm not saying i'm a driving God, and do believe i'd be faster wet or dry with RLTC

 

But i am saying that after fitting RLTC you will almost certainly spend more time nearer the ultimate traction of your car. So IMO the safety gains from prevention of breaking away mid corner/on kickdown etc are offset by being nearer the limit.

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