What does traction control actually do?

[BanziBarn]

As I'm sure you know, 260 ft/lbs torque can be quite hard for the leon to put down in slippery conditions. I've been seeing the TC light a bit but not sure what it actually does. The wheels still spin, and the revs shoot up.

I'd have thought that TC would stop the wheels loosing grip and hence the revs would stay low?

Thanks

 

[DanGB]

It sure does work mate

I noticed it alot on the track actually. 'Extreme' conditions such as this really highlights its job.
When I turned it off, it made a huge difference. Coming out of the corner there was so much more power. With it on, it just seemed to limit it somehow!
Not long after i turned it off, I spun off the track, so it definatly done its job beforehand! It was pretty wet mind you
I think with it turned off in the wet, it would be more dangerous in the wet especially for an inexperienced driver. With the traction contol on, it would be differcult to push iot too hard. A very handy driver aid I think.

 

[m0rk]

it backs the throttle off (electronically) rather than cutting it like older systems

 

[BanziBarn]

Suppose I need to turn it off then to compare. I even got wheel hop yesterday which I thought would have been stopped. But I'm sure it's working, my civic doesn't have TC so I'm not used to these aids

Thanks for the replys.

 

[matth1j]

My wife was complaining that she's always spinning the tyres at traffic lights So I asked the dealer to check the TC, while the alarm was being fixed...

He said it doesn't stop the wheels spinning altogether- it only cuts in if it detects one wheel spinning more than another. Which is unlikely pulling away in a straight line on a flat road.

John
Black Magic FR TFSI

 

[BanziBarn]

Ah, very interesting.

So, acceleratring out of a roundabout would be helped by TC, where as pulling onto it from a standstill probably wouldn't....

 

[Tam]

Ah, very interesting.

So, acceleratring out of a roundabout would be helped by TC, where as pulling onto it from a standstill probably wouldn't....

I assume therefore that if both wheels are spinning at the same speed, whats to say your wheelspinning rather than just driving down the road.

Only real way to tell is to monitor the speed of the rear wheels too... but doubt they've done that.

 

[andycupra]

think there is some system that works below 15mph, edl maybe? not sure.
think thats what dealer was refering too about putting more power to other wheel.

traction control just limits power, like said previously electronically.

in extremes of slipperyness the traction control wont appear to stop the wheels spinning too much, but it is.
If it was so sensitive as to work well in snow would be far too intrusive in normal conditions.

 

[matth1j]

Ah, very interesting.

So, acceleratring out of a roundabout would be helped by TC, where as pulling onto it from a standstill probably wouldn't....

That's what the dealer told me I would have thought TC would be useful in both situations; perhaps SEAT are trying to be safe without spoiling our fun too much?
John
Black Magic FR TFSI

 

[dchbrown]

Just to muddy the waters a bit...

I thought accelerating round corners was help by the ESP working rather than the traction control??

 

[matth1j]

Just to muddy the waters a bit...

I thought accelerating round corners was help by the ESP working rather than the traction control??

AFAIK the TC is just one part of the ESP?

 

[dchbrown]

From the Leon Manual:

"Traction Control System (TCS)
TCS reduces engine power to help prevent the drive wheels of front-wheel dirve vehicles from losing traction during accelration. The system works in the entire speed range in conjuction with ABS. TCS helps the vehicle to start moving, accelerate and climb a gradient in slippery conditions where this may otherwise be difficult or impossible."

"Electronic Stability Program (ESP)
ESP reduces the danger of skidding by braking the wheels individually. The system uses the steering wheel angle and road speed to calculate the changes in direction desired by the driver and constantly compares them with the actual behaviour of the vehicle. If the desired course is not being maintained (for instance if the car is starting to skid) then the ESP compensates automatically by braking the appropriate wheel."

And my favourite phrase from the whole manual is after each section:

"It must be remembered that ESP/TCS cannot defy the laws of physics."

Ye canny change the laws of physics Jim!!

que 80's startrekking music

 

[matth1j]

TCS reduces engine power to help prevent the drive wheels of front-wheel dirve vehicles from losing traction during accelration. The system works in the entire speed range in conjuction with ABS. TCS helps the vehicle to start moving, accelerate and climb a gradient in slippery conditions where this may otherwise be difficult or impossible.

ESP reduces the danger of skidding by braking the wheels individually. The system uses the steering wheel angle and road speed to calculate the changes in direction desired by the driver and constantly compares them with the actual behaviour of the vehicle. If the desired course is not being maintained (for instance if the car is starting to skid) then the ESP compensates automatically by braking the appropriate wheel.

Hmmm.... sounds like dealer was talking about ESP rather than TC, and that the TC should cut in when pulling away in a straight line. I'll ask again next time I pay a visit. And perhaps I'll RTFM

John
Black Magic FR TFSI

 

[dchbrown]

I have to say though that i can get the front wheels of my car to spin and ive had them hop on a couple of occasions so i dont think the system is totally foolproof...

 

[wurzel]

The system is good and does work, as per DanGB's comments, turn it off and push hard to notice the difference.

Driving hard with ESP on limits the revs, when I change into second @ 5500 rpm there is no wheel spin and limited revs, driving hard with ESP turned off into second @5000rpm loads more power and plenty of wheel spin...

The system does work in a straight line, I think you'll find it compares the abs sensors between the front and rear wheels (I could be wrong) EDL detects differences between two front wheels, at low speeds if one wheel revolves more that 50 times per minute more than the other wheel the electronic diff cuts in... (well I think thats how it works)

On a wet road no matter how good the ESP/TCS is you'll still get wheel spin. Its common sense would you try to accelerate hard from stand still without TCS on a wet road? No!! So why would TCS/ESP magically remove all traces of wheel spin? Its not clever enough to know the driver isn't too intelligent and that it is p*ssing with rain (even with the rainsensor fitted ;-) )

 

[lil3520]

As I'm sure you know, 260 ft/lbs torque can be quite hard for the leon to put down in slippery conditions. I've been seeing the TC light a bit but not sure what it actually does. The wheels still spin, and the revs shoot up.

I'd have thought that TC would stop the wheels loosing grip and hence the revs would stay low?

Thanks

HOW DO YOU IF TRACTION CONTROL IS BEFORE YOU SET OFF DRIVING.

WIFE BORROWED CAR AND FUEL IN IT, SHE MIGHT OFF PRESSED WRONG BUTTON !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[wurzel]

Mk2 doesn't have remote fuel cap release.

On Mk1 it resets to being on everytime engine is started so wouldn't matter if wrong button was pressed.

 

[lil3520]

Mk2 doesn't have remote fuel cap release.

On Mk1 it resets to being on everytime engine is started so wouldn't matter if wrong button was pressed.

CHEERS FOR REPLY, YOU HAVE PUT MY MIND TO REST.

regards

ANDY

 

[matth1j]

On a wet road no matter how good the ESP/TCS is you'll still get wheel spin. Its common sense would you try to accelerate hard from stand still without TCS on a wet road? No!! So why would TCS/ESP magically remove all traces of wheel spin? Its not clever enough to know the driver isn't too intelligent and that it is p*ssing with rain (even with the rainsensor fitted ;-) )

I was pulling away at a roundabout and

• I'm not used to driving a car with TC
• I'm way too old to be a boy racer

so I was erring on the side of caution, not flooring it.

But the wheels still spun. Either there's a fault, or my understanding of what TC should do isn't the same as SEAT's

 

[wurzel]

Does sound like something isn't right.

Are you able to describe what happens when you pull away quickly?

In my FR I get an initial short dose of wheel spin before the TCS/ESP cuts in, limits the revs, there is a cycle of this as the TCS deactives if there still isn't enough traction the wheels spin again before TCS activates.

How many miles as it done? What state are the tyres in and what make are they?