Surprising Advice re Traction Control

50Twuncle

With an increasing number of cars coming fitted with Traction Control - I have discovered an extremely piece of advice - that goes against common sense ........

Switch off TC when driving on ice and snow - it counters your ability to control a skid !!

System

Yes it does go against common sense....for a good reason :rotfl:
Don't know where you got that info from, but I think you will find that it is wrong.
The traction control when coupled with the other stability systems and anti lock braking systems all work together to aid road holding and skid control.

Switching off the Traction Control can help you get moving if on an icy surface when the traction control removes all the drive due to lack of grip.

gilbert_and_sullivan

21Twinkle wrote: »

Switch off TC when driving on ice and snow - it counters your ability to control a skid !!

And lets you sail gracefully off the first bend into the ditch.

Not so simple as just turn it off, its knowing when to turn it off, and more inportantly when to turn it back on again.

TC may well prevent one from getting going on a slippery road, as it cuts the power just when you might need a bit of wheelspin to get the car going.

However once under way not everyone should continue with TC turned off, its interference when travelling on ice and snow may well help to keep some out of trouble.

Not all drivers are the same, one size doesn't fit all, not everyone has the feel or finesse for slippery road driving, so not everyone should simply turn such traction aids off.

The opposite could be true, if TC is preventing someone getting going on ice, and they haven't for themselves figured out why by feel, then maybe they shouldn't turn the TC off under any circumstances and are better not driving at all in those conditions.

50Twuncle

BAA1 wrote: »

Yes it does go against common sense....for a good reason :rotfl:
Don't know where you got that info from, but I think you will find that it is wrong.
The traction control when coupled with the other stability systems and anti lock braking systems all work together to aid road holding and skid control.

Switching off the Traction Control can help you get moving if on an icy surface when the traction control removes all the drive due to lack of grip.

From "Honest John"

Premier_2

21Twinkle wrote: »

With an increasing number of cars coming fitted with Traction Control - I have discovered an extremely piece of advice - that goes against common sense ........

Switch off TC when driving on ice and snow - it counters your ability to control a skid !!

With many modern cars you cannot turn TC off (it's linked to stability controll) ... and even the ones that do have a switch often will not allow stability control to be turned off completely.

If stability control is working correctly, and you are driving correctly, then you shouldn't be in a skid in the first place. :cool:

50Twuncle

But for "pulling away" on ice or compacted snow - I would have assumed that to switch TC off would be foolish ?

banger9365

all this talk about TC been off to move away on ice and snow how do's it work ,i try every time its icy and snowy my car just sites and spins on tick over ,with it on it moves and it do's not cut the power on my car or is that because different cars and models have different TC unites and the last two winters it not got stuck any where,even standing starts on hill it pulls away with it on,
i just got to remember it takes 10 to 20 times longer to stop on the stuff

Strider590

21Twinkle wrote: »

With an increasing number of cars coming fitted with Traction Control - I have discovered an extremely piece of advice - that goes against common sense ........

Switch off TC when driving on ice and snow - it counters your ability to control a skid !!

This is one of those text message rumors isn't it?

It doesn't affect your ability to control a skid at all, it prevents (sometimes) your car moving at all on ice.

andrew-the-cat

I often read people complaining about traction control, that it always interferes with their driving and the wannabe racing drivers always switch it off as soon as they get in the car. In my opinion if that is the case then there is something SERIOUSLY wrong with their driving style.

My car has the latest traction control, electronic stability control etc and I have only had the traction control activate ONE TIME unintentionally and that was last Sunday morning when I tried to accelerate on some ice which I did not know I was driving on. I've had it on a few times since then as it's easy to get it going if you try to pull out of junctions, roundabouts etc with a bit too much enthusiasm plus it always puts a smile on my face when my 100bhp car has the little skidding car light flashing on the dashboard

I have never had ESP activate on me, although I have managed to get it to activate a few times when trying, it's very easy on ice/snow due to the lack of grip and I was keen to see how effective it is and what it would feel like if it were to save my life some time. It's one of those things which is always waiting to come on, and when you least expect to need it but you MOST need it, it will help you.

As for turning off TC in snow...yes it can help but only in certain situations. Spinning your wheels may help you dig through the snow and get to tarmac underneath, which could help you get started. In a rear wheel drive car it could lead to fish tailing so I'd personally leave it on if you drive a BMW or something like that. I found myself in a situation in the snow last year on ice which was so slippery that traction control or not, I could not get the car to move. If you are likely to find yourself in a similar position it might be worth investing in winter tyres or snow socks.

I also got stuck trying to reverse on to my driveway because of ice on the kerb, with TC on it would constantly cut the power and not allow me to spin the wheels, with TC off it just span the wheels up and also didn't get anywhere. I could actually put the car in reverse and GET OUT and watch the wheels turning as it idled. In the end I managed to get up - by taking a run up.

adamc260

My last 2 cars have had ESP and even in bad weather I've never seen it kick in... just goes to show I don't drive anywhere near the level that is required for it to activate.

System

My god! however did we survive winter driving without traction control, EPS, ABS (and any other TLA you can think of)?

Safety systems removing the need for sensible/safe driving