traction control question

[yellow3.8track]

Should the rear tires spin freely when traction control is "on"?

For the first few weeks I had the car it did not spin the tires other than a little chirp on the street going around a corner or getting second gear. Sunday it slipped the tires pretty good starting off in a spot that had some sand/dirt built up on the pavement after the recent rains and I figured it was due to the dirt.

Then, yesterday while I was leaving the car parts place I hit the gas to cross the south bound lanes to head up Rt. 1 to Rt. 288 and it burnt the tires across three lanes of traffic as the back of the car went sideways - I didn't let up on the gas partly because I was surprised it was spinning the tires and expecting the "traction control" to kick in and stop the wheels from spinning.

Either I'm confused about traction control (meaning the Coupe doesn't work like folks have described their cars traction control to me) or the Coupe has an issue.

Anyone here that can explain whether traction control "steps in" and reduces gas/air to the engine to cut power in a loss of traction situation or how it works it controlling engine power isn't how it works.

Thanks.

 

[jpc647]

My 2010 3.8 Track won't spin the tires like that. Do you have a list of mods to the car? Has it been re flashed?

 

[yellow3.8track]

No mods at all. The only difference between now and when I drove it off the dealer's lot 7 or 8 weeks ago is a little dust and 2300 miles.

I've also noticed in the last few days that its spinning the tires in the gravel driveway more than it did in the first few weeks.

I can press the button and the off light comes on in the instrument panel but I haven't tried to drive it like that yet.

We'll see.

 

[JTRFLASH]

I had a 2000 Trans AM, 6sp, one of my worst experiences was forgetting to turn off TCS when I put my foot into it the first few times. Imagine at 6500rpm power shifted into second, OMG, the loudest "bang" heard, the rear end jumped in the air, I just shut it down and sat at the side of the road for a while. I must damaged something, as it turned out, no harm done. I didn't forget again. Perhaps now 11 years later the technology has changed so much that it recognises that kind of a agressive shifting and high RPMs. Although I am still confused, I don't have my 2010 yet, can you turn off TCS? as normal a button, or is it an ESC button? Thanks Jim

 

[yellow3.8track]

There is a button on the left side of the dash that is supposed to enable/disable the traction control.

Seems it may work pretty good in straight line acceleration situaions but if you've got it in a bind (making a turn) it doesn't seem to engage. Mine doesn't, it'll spin the tires with the back end fading sideways till I let up on the gas. Now that I know that I'm more careful turning right or left off a stop light/stop sign.

 

[JTRFLASH]

Thanks for the tips, great information.

 

[yellow3.8track]

Got caught out in the rain today. The road was (of course) wet.

I "played with it".

Button "on".

Stop at a stop sign, look both ways, its clear, step on the gas and turn the steering wheel and the back tires would break loose and the rear slide sideways. Let up on the gas and it would get traction. Hit the gas pedal and it would spin the tires and drift sideways again.

However, stop at a stop light, wait for it to turn green and hit the gas pedal and it would accelerte smartly but no spin the tires. I was amazed at how fast it would accelerate on a wet road without spinning the tires.

More fun.

 

[JTRFLASH]

this seems to coincide with other comments on various forums, the ECS control knows when the wheels are turning, in order to activate and help you go in the direction you are steering. Going straight I have done the same you have stated.

 

[Lunatyk]

my 3.8 track edition will only spin tires for about 1.5 seconds with traction control OFF. I cant even do a proper burnout. Is this normal?

 

[RBRSPEC]

Not really sure what`s normal with these cars.The more you read the more variations you learn of on this topic.My 3.8 r-spec will spin through 1st into 2nd with the TC turned off but will wheel hop on occasion.I don`t know of any differences between the track an rspec that would prevent your car from doing the same.When I do forget to turn the TC off and the car detects some tire spin it kills the engine for a second and damn near throws you through the windshield.Has anyone else had that happen?I have read on other forums about TC/ESC button issues.

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[Philth]

I don`t know of any differences between the track an rspec that would prevent your car from doing the same.

Weight? LOL

 

[Top Gear]

Copied my from a similar thread... I think there are differences between the Coupe trim levels, and between Genesis models, and of course, between manufacturers. The 2013 Coupes have a 3-stage system, but on my 2012 3.8 R-Spec it's a 2-stage.

On mine, the Stability (yaw) and Traction (wheelspin) ESC system is ON or OFF, while ABS is always on, except for the handbrake. When ESC is ON, the engine is slightly detuned or certainly more sluggish, with any hint of wheelspin handled using various levels of reactions, as we all know. Drifting or burning out is nearly impossible with the system ON. With ESC OFF, the R-Spec engine is tuned back up, drifts and burns are easy although tricky because of manual transmission, which is normal. Only when the system is OFF is the incredible balance of the R-Spec's handling revealed. It's just a very different car under hard driving, while at low speeds and light acceleration in dry conditions you can't really tell the difference between ON/OFF. I think of it as having "safe" vs "sport" modes.

The other models and/or years seem to be different in configuration, or perhaps the drivers who post on various forums like this, for fear of being attacked, are really unsure as to what is going on - many do not seem to race or even drive really hard. In this thread, I'm with some of you - maybe there just are differences between the various trims/years.

On mine, the button is there for a reason. When driving hard, the ESC system can be as dangerous as the easy drifting from having it off under wide open throttle. It comes back to the driver and their level of experience. The R-Spec Coupe is designed to perform with cars costing two and three times more More expensive "supercars" can have various modes and separate system controls for traction, stability and throttle response, etc.

 

[oldjohn]

I turn the ESC off every time I start the car. I find it worse than useless. For example, when accelerating to get on the highway, if there are any bumps in the lane, it nearly shuts the engine down, with obviously unsafe results. Same thing on an innocent turn - if there are bumps, it shuts down.

I have not had a tire spinning problem with Conti ExtremeContact DWS tires.

 

[tmcnealy576]

i agree, TCS is a POS. terrible on my 3.8. If the is a slight bit of moisture on the road, it just about makes the car worthless if not dangerous. Asked the dealer if they can tune sensitivity, they looked at me like i was crazy. This system sucks so bad if your wheel bounces while accelerations is hard, it will drop power to both wheels leaving you in a bad situation.