Traction Control

[pompei]

This morning whilst going at about 20 around a damp 90 degree corner, the back end of the car let go - almost a DRIFTIN situation. Quite scary The TC was on, and I didn't see the warning light come on (although it will if you hammer the throttle when taking off on a loose surface ...)I've never had TC until I got this car a few months ago (Lexus is 200), but isn't that what it's supposed to stop happening? Does it only work if your foot is still planted on the gas when the car loses traction? (as the car skidded, I took my boot off the pedal, and steered into the skid) Would've been nasty if someone was coming the other way.So it appears that TC doesn't stop oversteer in a RWD car; does it stop understeer in a FWD car? Or is it all a load of tosh?

[M'coli]

TC will only work when there's a significant discrepancy between the relative speeds of the front and rear wheels: at 20 mph on a greasy surface, it's just loss of grip, not loss of traction. If you'd have floored it in a straight line then the TC would probably have worked (unless of course it doesn't - that would explain everything).

[r.welfare]

Hmm, sure the TC in my late great Omega 3.0 seemed to work when accelerating hard out of obliquely-angled junctions, but not in a straight line - I thought it's meant to stop one wheel on a particular axle accelerating faster than the other.Mrs W's Fabia has TC on it (for some reason, even though it's only a 1.4), will take it out on a grassy field at the weekend and experiment.

[wuvvum]

The only RWD car I've had in recent memory with working TC was the Omega (although the TC on the Celsior may have worked - I never got it sideways, never really tried). The Meeger TC did kick in in a straight line when I got too enthusiastic in the wet, and it also seemed fairly good at reining in powerslides. TC is powerless against slides that are simply due to the rear wheels hitting a slippery surface while cornering though, and it can't do much against lift-off oversteer à la 205 GTI (or Alfasud with 8psi in the rear tyres or Renault 4 with a broken trailing arm mount ) either. You need stability control to prevent that kind of a slide.

[andrew e]

I have a E39 and the traction kicks in straight line, out of junctions everywhere. You don't notice it because it is a soft cut limiter that stranglers rather than cuts dead. Mind you switch it off and press on and you know it was working The thing was flashing like rave lighting system with snow chains on. There was snow I hasten to add.

[pogweasel]

I have never driven anything with traction control to my knowledge. But then again I have spend almost all my motoring career in sub-100bhp shitters. I regard it with suspicion. I have a reasonably powerful RWD car now but still have no need of traction control as the horror of the 'swingometer' fuel thingy means I drive like a silvertop on pension day anyway.

[pandamonium]

The Transit automatic at work has traction control, but I can still get the tyres to squeak under hard acceleration.

[r.welfare]

God man, I do hope you open the taps once in a while. The wail of a BM straight six as it sings to redline (particularly the older versions unencumbered by emissions devices, which probably emit pure Strontium 90 for all I know) should be experienced by every driver at least once in their lifetime.

[andrew e]

The metalic chunk noise the starter makes is fabulous, but the older the better sound. The old man had a E23 shitter (alas it was sold before the metrics wore out!) and I remember coming off nights in the rain, going for a gap into a box junction a bit sharpish and it biting with a full Smokey & the Bandit style powerslide which I could not get out of not matter how much lock and throttle I applied Actually that event and the avons going bald might just be connected

[pogweasel]

Well, maybe when no-one's looking...

[stoterstangen90]

My Morris Marina has TC(something completly diffrent.....)

[andrew e]

TC? Tragic corrosion?

[M'coli]

My Morris Marina has TC(something completly diffrent.....)

If it's got no brake servo, most likely it'll have anti-lock brakes too...

[Guest]

My dad's Avensis diesel has traction control, I turn it off because I'm really cool like "The Driver".

[r.welfare]

My Morris Marina has TC(something completly diffrent.....)

I guess it's unlikely the TC on your Marina reduces the understeer...!