Traction control - the good and the bad.
Discussion
On the bad I nominate the BMW E90. Specifically the diesel and even more specifically the 318d.
It was a turd of an engine to start with and suffered absolutely horrific boost threshold lag so any "fast" getaway required revving it past the hole. If you however were at all hamfooted or just there wasn't as much grip as you expected the TCS killed the engine dead and dropped you right back in the lag hole.
It was a turd of an engine to start with and suffered absolutely horrific boost threshold lag so any "fast" getaway required revving it past the hole. If you however were at all hamfooted or just there wasn't as much grip as you expected the TCS killed the engine dead and dropped you right back in the lag hole.
Fastdruid said:
On the bad I nominate the BMW E90. Specifically the diesel and even more specifically the 318d.
It was a turd of an engine to start with and suffered absolutely horrific boost threshold lag so any "fast" getaway required revving it past the hole. If you however were at all hamfooted or just there wasn't as much grip as you expected the TCS killed the engine dead and dropped you right back in the lag hole.
Interesting. I've got a 2007 E90 320d as my daily driver and think the TC and DSC are marvellous It was a turd of an engine to start with and suffered absolutely horrific boost threshold lag so any "fast" getaway required revving it past the hole. If you however were at all hamfooted or just there wasn't as much grip as you expected the TCS killed the engine dead and dropped you right back in the lag hole.
(as per my first post on this thread).The RX-8's stability control was excellent when you were moving, but was as prone as any other to bogging down when you try to execute a smart getaway. I used to turn it off if I needed to pull out sharply, although I once turned it off to get out onto a large wet roundabout and then forgot that it was off and got very sideways on the exit road.
It would allow quite a lot of slip on the move, though, yet always stepped in when talent ran out.
As for that aquaplaning clip;
It would allow quite a lot of slip on the move, though, yet always stepped in when talent ran out.
As for that aquaplaning clip;
The DSC on my '04 e46 320d is the best I've used, so perhaps the later system is the better one. Or perhaps it just works better on the lower powered models.
You can get the back out a little bit before it stops play. Works well in the snow and did a good job of crawling up a steep track covered in loose stone - I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have made it half way up without it. I've only ever had it kick in unintentionally a few times... and while I'm not going to dent my ego and say I would have ended up in a hedge without it, I'm pretty sure if I didn't know what I was doing it would still have saved my ass. It does have an off switch though
To be honest I've not driven a lot of cars with traction control, but the Ford Galaxy hire car I once had was awful. It was probably an '09, and it had one of the more powerful diesel lumps and taking off with any gusto meant the one wheel peeling while the t/c had kittens.
You can get the back out a little bit before it stops play. Works well in the snow and did a good job of crawling up a steep track covered in loose stone - I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have made it half way up without it. I've only ever had it kick in unintentionally a few times... and while I'm not going to dent my ego and say I would have ended up in a hedge without it, I'm pretty sure if I didn't know what I was doing it would still have saved my ass. It does have an off switch though
To be honest I've not driven a lot of cars with traction control, but the Ford Galaxy hire car I once had was awful. It was probably an '09, and it had one of the more powerful diesel lumps and taking off with any gusto meant the one wheel peeling while the t/c had kittens.
Fastdruid said:
On the bad I nominate the BMW E90.
Agree and I hate it on my E90 330i as it just cuts in sharply and kills all the power, I also didn't like it on my Z4M for exactly the same reason.I personally prefer cars like my old TVR/200SX that don't have traction control as you always know where you are with them, if I had to nominate a reasonable traction control set up then it would be the MDM set up on my old V8 M3.
Dodsy said:
Pretty much the opposite in my X350 XJR . Boot it wet or dry the rears start to slip and it hits the rear brakes and cuts power. Any spirited pulling out of junctions leaves you crawling out /on to roundabouts so it does require some careful throttle control to avoid being T Boned when the car just wont go.
Shame its all or nothing, there must be a middle ground where it cuts the power a bit but still allows some progress.
In the XJR its either on or off. In off mode it just creates smoke and the back end snaps out given the slightest provocation.
Mind you, once its on the move its a beast !
The TC in my supercharged X350 is unpredictable, it either cuts in very early (meaning no power) or it allows huge wheelspin and the back-end twitching out. Shame its all or nothing, there must be a middle ground where it cuts the power a bit but still allows some progress.
In the XJR its either on or off. In off mode it just creates smoke and the back end snaps out given the slightest provocation.
Mind you, once its on the move its a beast !
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