Surprising Advice re Traction Control

gilbert_and_sullivan

!!!!!! wrote: »

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

And somehow managed with old as the hills Austin a40/Cambridges, Ford Anglias/Zodiacs, Hillmans Minx etc, all RWD, somehow we got them going and managed to stop them too, on drum brakes all round with no servo assistance, no seat belts, no airbags, no crumple zones.

Could it be that we learned to drive and had to or we didn't get any pay and the dole wasn't regarded as an alternative to a job.

System

gilbert_and_sullivan wrote: »

And somehow managed with old as the hills Austin a40/Cambridges, Ford Anglias/Zodiacs, Hillmans Minx etc, all RWD, somehow we got them going and managed to stop them too, on drum brakes all round with no servo assistance, no seat belts, no airbags, no crumple zones.

Could it be that we learned to drive and had to or we didn't get any pay and the dole wasn't regarded as an alternative to a job.

You forgot to mention crossply tyres

gilbert_and_sullivan

!!!!!! wrote: »

You forgot to mention crossply tyres

And cart springs and king pins and grease nipples, and worm and peg steering boxes with no power steering..;)

Oh yes and the windscreen washer was a squeezy bottle of water squirted out the drivers window.

anotherbaldrick

gilbert_and_sullivan wrote: »

And somehow managed with old as the hills Austin a40/Cambridges, Ford Anglias/Zodiacs, Hillmans Minx etc, all RWD, somehow we got them going and managed to stop them too, on drum brakes all round with no servo assistance, no seat belts, no airbags, no crumple zones.

Could it be that we learned to drive and had to or we didn't get any pay and the dole wasn't regarded as an alternative to a job.

They were modern cars when I started. I was more into Austin 7 and Morris 7 with rod operated brakes 3 speed gearbox and no synchro on bottom,peg and worm steering and opening windscreen. Wish they still made them , far more interesting to drive especially when you got to a 1in4 hill and could only make it up in reverse.

cardinalbiggles

adamc260 wrote: »

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.

Not that I would suggest people do this but I have it as well and went late one night to a carpark in the middle of nowhere in the countryside and put the car sideways in the snow, it started working.

If you were to experience it working in everyday driving you would be in trouble, it took quite a bit to get it to kick in. It worked but to get to the stage when its starting to work you need to be pretty much out of control. This makes me wonder when people rant on about being able to turn it off what they are actually doing! Its a safety feature and one that I hope I never have to use.

Happychappy

Take the time to watch the below videos, only a couple of minutes each, I use these for training and it helps students understand the systems on the cars ; )

Traction control and click watch video on the right

ESP

They are both produced by Bosch, the ESP film takes a little time to load, but it is a good teaching method and hopefully you will now know what the ESP button does and why you shouldnt switch it off? basic but a good starter before getting too technical

thescouselander

Yes, I agree it is better to turn off the TC when moving at low speeds. Of you don't this can cause all sorts of problems (depending on the system your car has). On my last two cars the braking system applies the brakes to the spinning wheels. That means when pulling away on ice the engine ends up in a fight with the brakes and you go nowhere.

Once your moving its probably best to switch the TC back on - on my current car you don't have a choice as it comes back on automatically over a certain speed. I think the best advice is to read the cars hand book - all this info should be in there and it will provide the advice appropriate to the features of your car.

adamc260

My car doesn't let you switch it off (2011 fiesta titanium). Hopefully I won't get stuck in the snow!

Notmyrealname

21Twinkle wrote: »

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

No. You just sit there going nowhere with it on.

bob_a_builder

Yes, I agree it is better to turn off the TC when moving at low speeds.

No. You just sit there going nowhere with it on.

doesn't the Bosch video indicate the opposite !