DoctaM3, I just want to let you know that I'm not singling you out but just using your post as my response to other posters on this thread as well.
Many years ago, I was an engineer by trade, worked at Multimatic and Delphi for a few years before giving up engineering and going into the other direction.
Ok, let's get the math out of the way first. Downforce = 0.5*W (width of the wing) * H (thickness of the wing) * F (coefficient) * Speed squared.
So as you can see, downforce is dependent on speed. Using the Huracan Performante as an example, Lamborghini claims that the Performante produces 350kg (770lbs) of downforce at 300km/h (186mph). Using quick math, we find out the constant (W*H*F = 0.00777778).
From this, the downforce produced by the Performante at 160km/h (100mph) is roughly 100kg (220lbs).
I'm using 100mph, because you said you could feel the difference on the canyons, and I think for most people, taking corners on the canyon at about 100mph is pretty much as fast as anyone would go. I'm not talking about straight lines, but taking corners at 100mph.
So at 100mph, your Performante is producing 220lbs of downforce. Now, so that there is no confusion for everybody here, 220lbs of downforce is the TOTAL downforce. So you need to split the downforce between the front and the back of the car.
I don't have the exact split of the downforce, since Lamborghini doesn't provide that info publicly, but I would assume that this is somewhere in the range of 35:65 split between the front and the back. So now, your 220 is split between 77lbs (front) and 143lbs (back).
The ALA technology by Lamborghini claims that it can split the downforce between the right and left side of the car. But what that means in reality is that it can only REDUCE (remove downforce) the downforce on one side of the car over the other to help with rotation. So on the canyons, by reducing 38.5lbs (it's 77 divided by 2) on the inside front wheel, how much faster can you take that corner?
My thoughts exactly.....
So the performance difference that you experienced is NOT from the ALA, but rather, you are experiencing the hours of engineering development of the suspension/tire technology on the Performante over the regular Huracans, not the 38.5lbs of downforce that Lambo removed for you to help you with rotation.
I have spoken at length with Porsche engineers in Weissach about the ALA system and they concluded that in order for the ALA to be effective, the car needs to generate at least 1200kg of downforce at top speed and taking corners at 160+mph. Is there any race track in the world where you take corners at 160mph+ ?
This is why Porsche doesn't use systems similar to ALA and this is why Pagani had to add a big ass wing to the Hyuara BC later on because their original active aeros doesn't do squat. I'm guessing STO didn't use the ALA for the same reasons as well.
P.S. I placed my order on the STO as well. I'm excited to see it and read the reviews on the STO as they become available. This is the first Lambo with the ethos of less is more.