No one chimed in yet? ok, I'll go again.
If I slow down just a bit and hit the shots, will that decrease my time? Where is the balance?
PDs, HNTs, FNs and PEs rise
very quickly once you cross your control point, so slowing down a bit ought to be a big help, so long as you're now shooting in control. Think of a NASCAR driver: If he goes a "little" beyond his control, his car's out of control, and bad things quickly happen, and often not in a "little" way.
I think it was mrBorland that said adding more than 10% to the raw time is too much.
If you cruise the results of the IDPA Nationals, you'll see some of the top shooters add more than 10%. But these are top shooters, and even they do it occasionally, especially in major matches, where taking some risks in necessary when you're trying to beat other top shooters. In general, though, you'll see master level shooters are more accurate than the rest, and the top masters even more so. To use the NASCAR analogy again: You might see a driver wreck at Daytona, but he didn't get to Daytona by wrecking every car he drives.
Some might have issue with whether
precisely 10% is the max. OK, fine. Maybe it's a little more, maybe a little less. And yeah, some is likely individual. Nonetheless, it's a good guideline for someone trying to improve their hits.