Bugatti Test Driver Andy Wallace Explains How to Use Your Chiron

Bugatti’s official test driver Andy Wallace has been with the company since 2011 and now explains how to use your Chiron including the drive modes, launch control, and speed key.

If there is anyone that knows a thing or two about the Bugatti Chiron and is qualified to explain its nuances, it’s Bugatti’s official test driver Andy Wallace. Having been with the company since 2011 he’s already covered 150,000 km’s in the Chiron over the last few years, taking the car through its paces in the testing phase as well as demonstrating to clients the full extent of its capabilities.

Before joining Bugatti, Wallace spent the last 30 years of his career racing around tracks as a professional race driver, competing in both the 24 Hours of Le Mans and 24 Hours of Daytona a combined 21 times (taking home the winners trophy on four occasions) and driving the 12 Hours of Sebring 19 times (and winning twice).

When Bugatti was looking for an official test driver back in 2011, former race engineers remembered Andy Wallace as a reliable and precise driver.

 “Actually, when my racing career ended I thought that would be the end of me sitting in powerful cars. But then Bugatti came up with an offer I couldn’t refuse,” recalled Andy Wallace.  “I’ve been mad about cars since I was five years old. I watched my first race at the age of eight, and then I drove in races myself for 33 years. And now I have the opportunity to drive such fantastic cars, with all that incomparable acceleration incorporated into a true luxury car. As a racing driver, it goes without saying that I love speed and lateral forces.”

Nowadays, Wallace has by no means slowed down the pace – in fact he was the driver of the record-breaking Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+ which was the first series-production car to break the elusive 300 mph barrier – hitting a top speed of 304.773 mph (490.484 km/h).

So it seemed a no-brainer to have Andy Wallace share a few thoughts and tips around how to use the Chiron given his extensive experience in the car. Below are 5 short clips with a summarized version or reference purposes if you don’t have time to watch the videos.

Episode 1 – A Few Fast Facts About the Bugatti Chiron

• The Chiron is powered by a large W16 8-liter engine capable of producing 1500hp. As it is so incredibly fast, it also needs massive brakes capable of bringing it to a halt safely
•  The Chiron has four large turbochargers that take a while to spool up but the Chiron’s unique two-stage system activates by closing off two of the turbochargers at low RPM and forces 8 cylinders on each side through only two of the turbocharges – thus they spin up very quickly and you reach maximum boost with only two turbocharges. As the revs rise and you need more volume the other two are engaged
• The Chiron needs 1000 liters of air a second for combustion
• The forces acting on the wheel when the car is at top speed (420km/h) mean that the outer edge of the wheel is subjected to 3000x gravity, making a tiny valve cap that weighs 2.5grams is equivalent to 7.5kg at maximum speed

Episode 2 – The Interior of the Bugatti Chiron

• Despite the staggering performance of the car it’s still designed to be comfortable and all materials used are high quality
• The Chiron does not have a center screen but all of the information you would find there is included on the dashboard.
• The aircon dials can display extra information regarding driving performance but need to be activated (and viewed preferably after driving for safety reasons)

Episode 3 – How to Use the Bugatti Chiron Drive Modes

• There are three normal modes in the Bugatti Chiron plus the top speed mode
• Bugatti Chiron EB Mode: Is the standard automatic driving mode that you can drive in all day long from 0 – 380 km/h but when you reach 180km/h it will automatically switch to the autobahn mode without you doing anything
• Bugatti Chiron Autobahn Mode: The drive will drop the ride height and rake the car 20mm at the front and 1mm at the back. Suspension will be stiffer, steering program stiffer and the wing will deploy to 10 degrees. What that does is drop the center of gravity and gives you more downforce, more stability and sharpens the reaction of the controls
• Bugatti Chiron Handling Mode: Even more downforce and more stability than the autobahn mode

Episode 4 – How to Use the Bugatti Chiron Launch Control

• How to launch control in the Bugatti Chiron
• Have the pressure on with your left foot on the brake and push the launch control button. Done.

Episode 5 – How to Use the Bugatti Chiron Speed Key

• The Bugatti Chiron Speed Key lets you override the standard 380km/h top speed to achieve a maximum speed of 420km/h.
• All you need to do is slot the key into the holder and turn the key. Once the Chiron has gone through a series of checks to make sure it is safe to drive 420km/h it will show a new top speed limit of 420km/h on the dash and you’re free to go.