Tech Question - Traction Control

[JP7]

if your in ORM with the trac off or in sport, you wouldn't notice it until your about to turn upside down! In normal everything mode, you should feel it quite significantly as soon as the truck back end tries to rotate over bumps even the slightest bit.

Yeah - no ORM or turning off trac control when this happens. But it only happens at higher speed, when I'm going in a straight line.

It did it a few times on me between jobsites today going up hills. I don't even get the stupid blinky light on the dash that shows the car wiping out...

I'll **** around with it tomorrow and see if I can hold the camera still enough to video it.

 

[Droid]

This is my first vehicle with traction and/or stability control. Must say so far I find it pretty lenient on road and in wet conditions. Have deliberately stepped the back end out around wet corners a few times specifically to see where the threshold is, and it was a heck of a lot farther out than I expected.

Take this with a grain of (road) salt though, I'm in CA.

I remember seeing TC work on a 2000 MB ML430 in snow though and remember thinking it was about the most dangerous safety feature I'd ever seen. My 99 Z71 would be going 40mph at light throttle and no wheelspin by the time it was going 15.

 

[JP7]

This is my first vehicle with traction and/or stability control. Must say so far I find it pretty lenient on road and in wet conditions. Have deliberately stepped the back end out around wet corners a few times specifically to see where the threshold is, and it was a heck of a lot farther out than I expected.

Take this with a grain of (road) salt though, I'm in CA.

I remember seeing TC work on a 2000 MB ML430 in snow though and remember thinking it was about the most dangerous safety feature I'd ever seen. My 99 Z71 would be going 40mph at light throttle and no wheelspin by the time it was going 15.

Thanks Droid - A point I was going to elude to later. TC inflicts bad driving skills on people these days. The majority of people use cars or trucks to get from A to B, and aren't really interested in testing the limits of their machines. Flooring it around a slippery corner when TC takes over becomes a norm for many people and they just "trust" the computer to assist them with their progress.
What happens if a sensor gets frozen or fails?
Maybe i'm getting senile, but in the good ole days you pressed the gas and got power. You lose traction, you ease off the gas.

I found this vid to be funny, yet somewhat describes the driver skill level out there. I' sure the first car is piloted by someone on crack or having a panic attack but hell - do you really need to get there that bad?
As for the chick whining about her 3 kids in the car, I couldn't figure out which car it was but hope it wasn't the first one...

YouTube - Snow Driving Fail

 

[IRONMAN]

WOW, LOOKS LIKE CURLING..Where's my broom.

 

[trolls56]

Thanks Droid - A point I was going to elude to later. TC inflicts bad driving skills on people these days. The majority of people use cars or trucks to get from A to B, and aren't really interested in testing the limits of their machines. Flooring it around a slippery corner when TC takes over becomes a norm for many people and they just "trust" the computer to assist them with their progress.
What happens if a sensor gets frozen or fails?
Maybe i'm getting senile, but in the good ole days you pressed the gas and got power. You lose traction, you ease off the gas.

I found this vid to be funny, yet somewhat describes the driver skill level out there. I' sure the first car is piloted by someone on crack or having a panic attack but hell - do you really need to get there that bad?
As for the chick whining about her 3 kids in the car, I couldn't figure out which car it was but hope it wasn't the first one...

YouTube - Snow Driving Fail

Wow REALLY????

 

[Cerberos]

Thanks Droid - A point I was going to elude to later. TC inflicts bad driving skills on people these days. The majority of people use cars or trucks to get from A to B, and aren't really interested in testing the limits of their machines. Flooring it around a slippery corner when TC takes over becomes a norm for many people and they just "trust" the computer to assist them with their progress.
What happens if a sensor gets frozen or fails?
Maybe i'm getting senile, but in the good ole days you pressed the gas and got power. You lose traction, you ease off the gas.

I found this vid to be funny, yet somewhat describes the driver skill level out there. I' sure the first car is piloted by someone on crack or having a panic attack but hell - do you really need to get there that bad?
As for the chick whining about her 3 kids in the car, I couldn't figure out which car it was but hope it wasn't the first one...

The video is from Portland, OR last winter. We had freezing rain followed by snow. The combination was beyond treacherous. Even my Landcruiser (w/chains) was rendered nearly helpless by the combination. Cars actually slid down the hills all on their own.

As for the video, who knows what was going on in the head of the women driving the Volvo. She later commented that she thought she was hitting the brake when the car darted through the intersection. She was clearly in a state of panic and, unfortunately, there was probably little that she really could have done to alter the end result. This was just one of numerous videos from that day with similar results.

In this case, conditions were so extreme that TC had no role in what happened.

 

[vcxzbnm]

Actually in Seattle

The video is from Portland, OR last winter. We had freezing rain followed by snow. The combination was beyond treacherous. Even my Landcruiser (w/chains) was rendered nearly helpless by the combination. Cars actually slid down the hills all on their own.

As for the video, who knows what was going on in the head of the women driving the Volvo. She later commented that she thought she was hitting the brake when the car darted through the intersection. She was clearly in a state of panic and, unfortunately, there was probably little that she really could have done to alter the end result. This was just one of numerous videos from that day with similar results.

In this case, conditions were so extreme that TC had no role in what happened.

This video is from KING5 which is local news in Seattle. I don't remember on which streets this occurred, but it was in Seattle.

 

[Cerberos]

This video is from KING5 which is local news in Seattle. I don't remember on which streets this occurred, but it was in Seattle.

KING5 simply picked it up from one of the Portland stations. Double click the YouTube link and it will take you out to the original posting or just watch till about the 1:30 mark and you will see the original airing of the clip.

Original Portland Newscast

 

[vcxzbnm]

I stand corrected

KING5 simply picked it up from one of the Portland stations. Double click the YouTube link and it will take you out to the original posting or just watch till about the 1:30 mark and you will see the original airing of the clip.

Original Portland Newscast

 

[FSM06]

I'm wondering if any of the Ford techs or other members out there can help me out with this.
Is traction control speed limited? (ie: only works below certain speeds)? Or only active while turning?

The snow here is finally melting, and most of the dry roads are covered in sand and silt. I've had the tires break loose numerous times in the past week while driving more than 25 mph. Not once has the trac control cut power or caused the ABS to kick in.
Specifically - this is straight line driving only. Slow take off in first gear, moderate into second, then when I push it (not rug it, but you know, make it go fast...) both tires break loose until I back off a bit. No fishtailing or sideways movement - just good ole fashioned spin.
I really stomped on it on the highway yesterday afternoon and got the wheels to spin doing about 50mph.

Not that I mind, as this is how trucks are supposed to work without all the high tech crap.

At slippery areas, inclines and turns (like my driveway with a 10% slope and 2 S-bends) the traction control is active all the time and works great.

So, is the traction control 'smart'? I'd just like to know in case I get into a tough situation where reflex and reaction could be over-ridden, causing a bad scene.

Any thoughts or similar experiences would be helpful

JP7, let me see if I can clarify your question. Traction control is designed to increase a vehicles ability to obtain traction in "start from a stop" situations. The engine will derate and power is reduces through the drivetrain. The ABS system is utilized with the RSC/Advance trac features. At higher speeds, it is unlikely that the trac control would engage as it is primarily utilized to gain traction when excessive wheel slip is detected when accelerating from a stop. The Roll Stability Control is then "in control" and uses lateral accelerometers and yaw rate sensors to keep the vehicle in control at higher speeds by using the anti-lock braking system. I believe what you are experiencing is completely normal.

FSM06