Help! traction control info?

[jasonstang]

Hmm, I'm just shocked that in this day & age, it doesn't work better.

I feel the tc kick in a little routinely in super slow turns.

Previous car was '98 Cobra, granted only 300hp/tq.

Rick

300hp/tq and probably not very torquey at lower rpm and probbaly had all season tires.
summer tires don't work when it's cold.

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[neodark]

Hmm, I'm just shocked that in this day & age, it doesn't work better.

I feel the tc kick in a little routinely in super slow turns.

Previous car was '98 Cobra, granted only 300hp/tq.

Rick

Dude, it's the tires. :doh: These P-Zeros are hard as hell when cold, they don't have much traction in colder temps, they are NOT made for cold weather.

I could tell this morning on my way to work. (I have GT PP wheels tires on my EB). Florida only has like 1 or 2 weeks of this, so simply be careful or don't drive on them

 

[mada808]

18 degrees in SC this morning. Tires spun like crazy going uphill out of my neighborhood and I barely pushed the pedal. Be careful. Under 40 degrees I drive like a grandma.

 

[Dary]

Always watch for the temp and dew in the morning. I'd suggest switching to Snow/Wet mode till it gets warmer.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Hmm, I'm just shocked that in this day & age, it doesn't work better.

The laws of physics haven't changed in months so you probably want to adjust your driving. Three close calls confirm that. OR get some cold weather tires but remember even those have to obey the laws of physics.

Don't get yourself (or others) hurt.

 

[15DIBGT]

The tires should not matter. A spinning tire is a spinning tire and TC should kick in. I have zero faith in the TC system in my car. I was messing around one day with a co worker in the car (fully expecting TC to save the car) I floored it out of a turn and the car fishtailed repeatedly and I nearly lost it. You have to spin a lot (to much) for TC to kick in. The TC on my 03 gt worked better than this.

 

[RevvdMedia]

The tires should not matter. A spinning tire is a spinning tire and TC should kick in. I have zero faith in the TC system in my car. I was messing around one day with a co worker in the car (fully expecting TC to save the car) I floored it out of a turn and the car fishtailed repeatedly and I nearly lost it. You have to spin a lot (to much) for TC to kick in. The TC on my 03 gt worked better than this.

I disagree. I have had the TC/Stability kick in numerous times, well before I feel I exceeded the limits of the car. Winter proves this especially, you can't successfully do a 180 degree spin even in track mode, the stability control kicks in. I have only pulled a good 180 with everything off (TCS held for 8+ seconds).

I have had the stability control kick in mid-drift in track mode with maybe a 30 degree slip angle. I'd say it's doing its job damn well. I've never had the ass end go out of control, even on ice.

Maybe I'm old school, but I kind of miss the good old days of cars without TCS/stability or ABS. I never had an issue with my old cars that had no nannies...and I'm not that old...

 

[15DIBGT]

All TC does is detect a slipping or spinning tire based on individual wheel speed sensors. Doesn't matter what kinda tire it is. Mine kicks in way to late. I can spin on ice for 10 sec it seems before it kicks in.

 

[drbrian722]

As stated above, too cold for the tires to have any grip. The stability and traction are 'retuned' on the PP cars to allow more give than what a non-PP car would give. Add to that 50-60 MPH in 3rd will put you mid 4k in the RPMs which puts you around 300HP and 350 torques (ballpark) so you're asking a lot of tires that are operating outside of their designed limits.

The traction control system is monitoing wheel spin and can only apply brakes and cut throttle as corrective measures. If the system sees a loss of traction it will respond, but if it's inputs are not producing the desired changes (read as no traction between tire and road) it can only escalate so far.

Finaly, torsen diffs do react differently than traditional open or posi rear ends. Where a standard diff will transfer torque to the wheel with less traction, a torsen will direct torque to the wheel with the most traction. If you lose one side the torsen sends the torque to the opposite side and if that causes it to break free, you'll send torque back and forth and wag the rear end. Of course the car will cut throttle to try and correct this, but the sensation is different if you're not used to a torsen.

All that said, I feel for you! I'm stuck with snow tires right now and that 4K RPM number just rips them off the pavement. I suspect you'll see 45+ degree temps before me, when that happens please enjoy some high RPMs for me!

 

[Trackaholic]

TC detects a spinning tire based on comparing the speed of the tires with eachother, while Stability uses the yaw sensor, accelerometers, steering sensors, etc, to determine if a car is moving in a manner that indicates a spin.

Keep in mind a couple things:
1. Both systems are reactive. You must first break traction before the system can try and restore it. If the tires have very little grip, you will break traction more quickly, but also take much longer to restore it. If you are on a very slippery surface it may be that you will never regain traction.
2. The Mustang is a performance oriented vehicle. It is very possible that the intervention thresholds are higher in this car than they would be in an Explorer, Fusion, or similar vehicle. Therefore, you may be able to get much more out of shape before the car attempts to correct things.

Because the systems are reactive, any time they activate you have already broken traction. On a slippery road, it means that you need to work on being smoother and dial back the various inputs.

Be safe out there!

-T

 

[Norm Peterson]

Hmm, I'm just shocked that in this day & age, it doesn't work better.

You're expecting way too much from the electronics, which can only follow their programming . . . which is based on somebody else's assumptions and decisions. And demanding too little from yourself, as anybody else with snow belt experience driving moderately powerful cars that never had any of the modern nannies can tell you.

With apologies to Ian Fleming, think "squeezed, not stomped" on the pedals. And if you learn this, it'll also make you better equipped to seek out the car's ultimate cornering limits come warmer weather and venues open up for autocrossing and HPDE track days.

I feel the tc kick in a little routinely in super slow turns.

Previous car was '98 Cobra, granted only 300hp/tq.

Rick

You're still not being gentle enough on the skinny pedal. If you could keep a '98 Cobra under control there's no excuse for not being able to keep an S550 under control and out of nanny interruption under identical conditions. I will give you that in really tight turns a limited slip differential will exaggerate any tendency for throttle-induced tailhappiness, but you don't have to use so much throttle that it's guaranteed to happen.

Not intended as flame, I really want you to learn what I'm trying to get across. It's winter. Dial your driving back a bit.


Norm

 

[Colleton]

Greetings,

I've had my '15 GT PP for just over a year now.

I need to know when the traction control works, & when it doesn't.

I always leave traction control on.

I had my 3rd crazy close call this morning. (didn't work when I think it should have, car got sideways in 3rd @ about 50-60 mph passing someone, returning into right lane)

Thanks,
Rick

I'm about 150 miles west of you in the panhandle, and the rear end has been breaking loose every time I get on it in these cold temps. The only time I'm getting on it though is accelerating from a stop, going in a straight line, so while I've had plenty of wheel spin I haven't had any yaw.

As has already been said, it's the tires. They are summer performance tires and are hard as hockey pucks in winter temps, even our winter temps. You just have to take it into account and be a bit more careful. The nannies won't always be able to save you.

 

[350Mike]

All TC does is detect a slipping or spinning tire based on individual wheel speed sensors. Doesn't matter what kinda tire it is. Mine kicks in way to late. I can spin on ice for 10 sec it seems before it kicks in.

How else are you going to do a burn out. Only you can prevent forest fires.... Or a car crash. Don't drive over your head. Those features are an assistant, not a life saver. If you drive properly you shouldn't ever need them. And maybe net even feel them.

 

[Pnasty]

TC can't stop a car in a slide... sounds like you immediately broke the tires loose and started sliding

 

[Starkk]

As everyone is saying, it's the tires. Under 40 and they are like hockey pucks. Almost no traction at all.

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