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Originally Posted by dustinr
I agree with that statement in the case of SUV's and station wagons but the TC systems that come on sports cars do aide in faster lap times. Where as a good driver can make a mistake and correct for it, or slide the car around and still have control it still doesn't make for faster lap times, TC by not allowing these things to happen although maybe not as fun do account for faster lap times. Regardless of how tuned a drivers senses are and their skill level they can never match the speed and response of dedicated systems of sensors and actuators that can allow a car to be driven to it's exact enevlope and not cross over. I'll try to find the video of the Japan test where they were attempting to do exactly what you claim, they thought they could lap faster with traction control turned off and they ended up proving they couldn't.
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That's a pretty general statement. I guarentee a Group N STi is faster on gravel with the ABS and TC turned off. Those systems are designed to keep the car in line, and keep your car from sliding, both of which are necessary things to go fast on gravel. The same is true for some tarmac situations.
Plus, the way the TC works on the new STi seems to use braking to create yaw moments (rather than L/R torque split like the EVO's AYC). Braking is never the ideal way to control a car at the limits of traction. I can imagine a system like that applying the brakes during a high speed sweeper that would put the rear-end of the car in front of the nose... and I'll guarentee that spinning is not the fast way around any race track.
The bottom line is that the system in the STi is not designed for at the limit race driving, it's designed for street use. I bet an experienced race driver with all the ABS and TC turned off will destroy the lap times of an experienced street driver with all the aides turned on.
The only time TC and ABS are really advantageous in racing is when the systems are specifically designed for racing. And like most things, what's good on the race track isn't all that good for the street... race brake pads, race suspension, race tires, etc. all make a car more dangerous on the street.