First autocross for the electric Cadillac!

First autocross in 5 or 6 years and the first autocross in a FWD car since high school, almost 20 years ago.  I went to the Central Oregon Autocross Club event Saturday at Hoodoo Ski Area.  I figured that my electric powertrain would have an advantage at the 5,000 foot elevation.  245 width tires on all 4 corners should help mitigate the 4,000 pound curb weight and 700 treadwear rating.  My friend just bought a 2019 VW Alltrack and since he had almost a thousand miles on it figured it was ready for an autocross.  We were both in G Street.  

Autocross 11 July 2020 by Petrolburner, on Flickr

Autocross 11 July 2020 by Petrolburner, on Flickr

Autocross 11 July 2020 by Petrolburner, on Flickr

Autocross 11 July 2020 by Petrolburner, on Flickr

Autocross 11 July 2020 by Petrolburner, on Flickr

I grabbed some electricity over lunch and during my work group.  This was critical and I'm glad I did.  

Autocross 11 July 2020 by Petrolburner, on Flickr

I had the car set in sport mode which uses all the electric and the gas engine for max power. It also firms up the adaptive suspension. When I hit the brakes for the first right hand corner the engine didn't spool down fast enough and I wasn't able to slow down enough to make the gate. I felt the same phenomenon in the next run and opted to run in the touring mode for the rest of the day, on purely electric power and normal comfy suspension. The powertrain doesn't seem capable of going from full power to full braking fast enough. I'll have to do more testing in a safe environment. Very disappointed to say the least.

https://youtu.be/0qMkSfvREuc

On all electric it was great.  It still had plenty of juice to smoke the tires at will but I couldn't help the disappointment of not having all the power on tap as well as the firmer suspension setting.  

Untitled by Petrolburner, on Flickr

Untitled by Petrolburner, on Flickr

After lunch we did fun runs.  My friend with the VW wagon and I parked two rows apart so we could ride shotgun in each other's cars.  I went until the battery was depleted and I ran this 48.70, a full second better than my fastest lap of the morning and with a passenger on board.  Larry let me drive his VW for two runs and I ran two 49 second laps.  We should have done this in the morning because we both learned the track better and could coach each other on where to pick up time.  

This is the video of my fastest run of the day and the proper example of the course and the car.  

https://youtu.be/jr2oGu6PM_g

It was the most fun autocross I'd ever participated in mostly because the track was really fast and we got a lot of runs in.  Also, nobody had ever seen an ELR and most had no idea there was an electric Cadillac in existence.  Now I'm browsing sticky tires on tirerack.com

What numbers did you run with your corvette? 

mr2s2000elise said:

What numbers did you run with your corvette? 

I sold my Corvette.  Unless you're talking about the numbers on the door, there I ran 63 AS.  

I love when cars show up at autocross that don't fit the typical stereotypes.  I've had the most fun piloting those types of cars around the cones.  I've been wanting to run my Volt for awhile now just for E36 M3s and giggles to see what it can do.  

That ELR is such a good looking car. Nice write up. 

A couple years ago I was an instructor at my local region's autocross school and I ran into a similar throttle issue to what you're describing. I believe that was an automatic hyundai genesis, maybe? Lift off the throttle, hit the brakes, and what felt like a full second later the car finally stopped accelerating. It's extra terrifying when it's not your car. Also a bit embarrassing to get in the car to teach somebody how to drive and you go and blow out the back of the first element on the course.

Electric Cadillac would make a great band name.

When your caddy stopped in the stop box, the soft sprung ness made the whole body bounce...twice. I loved watching your car stop. Me and Casey kept watching with awe. 

Petrolburner said:

mr2s2000elise said:

What numbers did you run with your corvette? 

I sold my Corvette.  Unless you're talking about the numbers on the door, there I ran 63 AS.  

I meant what kind of times were you putting down on that course in the vette - so we could compare the caddy and get an understanding of relative time

mr2s2000elise said:

Petrolburner said:

mr2s2000elise said:

What numbers did you run with your corvette? 

I sold my Corvette.  Unless you're talking about the numbers on the door, there I ran 63 AS.  

I meant what kind of times were you putting down on that course in the vette - so we could compare the caddy and get an understanding of relative time

It's an autocross so the course is different every day and incomparable.  But there was a C6 Corvette that ran that day and you can see it in the list of times I posted.