Traction control

[olbod]

If I get a new Defender I think I would stick with the factory traction control untill Ashcroft come up with a suitable diff and locker fix.

Now the question.
I have never owned a vehicle with traction control and I have read on many occasions that traction control is no good in sandy conditions, EG: beach etc.
How do these late model Defenders handle it ?
Can the traction control be turned off ?
If so, is the centre lock diff good enough to handle, on its own, hard desert sandy conditions ?
Not interested in going along the beach anymore, been there done that.

Ta.

Robert.

[Leroy_Riding]

Cant comment on Sand, but my puma 2.2 TC had me spinning all 4 on a clay hill and handled me lifting a tire no problemo, driving the mud wiht the center diff unlocked and in highrange in mud no issues what so ever the TC light flickers on and off when its working but no noticible loss of momentum, and with the CDL locked and in low range and steep rocky inclines it flickers on and off but again no loss of momentum, im happy with it I dont think ill get lockers for a long time now! (had them in my old 4x4 without TC and needed them all the time with this the TC is doing the trick so far!)

[101RRS]

Problems with traction control is caused by owners not knowing their systems and how to get the best out of it - plus a bit of urban mythology.

Remember TC brakes the wheel that has not got traction transferring drive to the wheel that has traction and when both wheels are turning at the same speed no traction control is applied.

Older systems like my Freelander 1 required generous use of the accelerator to get the wheel without traction to spin and activate TC whereas newer systems in my RRS (and I guess the newer Defender) really do not need a lot of accelerator as the system is much more sensitive.

Resisting the urge to lift the throttle is the key to getting the most out of TC.

Garry

[Psimpson7]

, driving the mud wiht the center diff unlocked and in highrange in mud no issues what so ever the TC light flickers on and off when its working but no noticible loss of momentum,

Do not do that.. All you are doing is ****ing your centre diff.

If you are off road and it a situation where you are likely to lose traction. lock the cdl.

[frantic]

Ashcroft Transmissions
You can have your cake and eat it to. Get ashcroft locker+rear axles and if your a bit flush front axles n cv's.(my next want)
The traction control in my 02 td5 110 wagon worked well but i have never tried to turn it off but i have heard if you do it may affect the ABS not 100% sure? I have the the TC combined with the rear detroit in the salisbury(last year with them in) in my def works very well (along with maxi axles in the back).

[KarlB]

I have had no issues with the ETC on my 2010 Def 90 (including in sandy conditions). The TEC in MY12 Defenders operates across all 4 wheels while with earlier Pumas, the ETC operates independently front and rear.

Cheers
KarlB

[Loubrey]

Robert,

When I first got the Puma 90 I found that on very loose sand like highly trafficked dunes, the TC has a tendency to slow your momentum a bit as it works to stop the spinning wheel (which quickly turns in all 4 wheels).

This was however at least 50% operator error as I got to know the TC system (my first after many years of 300Tdi's) and the correct amount of throttle. The remaining 50% is however still the TC system as the car will stall (or fight the anti-stall) rather than bury itself with spinning wheels. This is in itself not a bad thing as a "failed ascent backup" can be done very safely.

Same as you though, I've done the beach and desert thing in the past and I prefer the slow and steady technical stuff these days. In these conditions the TC is unstoppable...

[goingbush]

Traction control works by braking the spinning wheel, i.e. the wheel that has lost traction. So, unless the braking is only momentary, you will lose momentum, which you do NOT want in sandy conditions.

This is an issue for me as we go on extended outback trips towing an off road van, under certain I do not want to be losing any traction.

Like you I have absolutely no interest in beach driving.

I considered diff locks but that makes the traction control redundant.

I opted for Detroit True Trac front & Rear ,

Traction control and Truetracs complement each other. You sacrifice a little traction/off road performance compared to a full locker but it isn't very much and even less so with Traction Control and a Truetrac. Unless you are intentionally and only looking for the most challenging terrain in which to run the rig, you probably won't notice much difference in performance. Truetracs are also quieter, easier on axle shafts and more predictable in some conditions such as slippery side hills.

[101RRS]

Traction control works by braking the spinning wheel, i.e. the wheel that has lost traction. So, unless the braking is only momentary, you will lose momentum, which you do NOT want in sandy conditions.

If the spinning wheel has no traction as it is spinning - how does locking it cause a loss of momentum when power is transferred to a wheel that has traction and not doing anything? If anything momentum will be maintained or increased.

This has not been my experience in older TC systems and the newest as well.

Garry

[PAT303]

Garry,you said it yourself,urban myth.It's no different to people saying you can't bleed the fuel system on a TDCi or the electrics will crap themselves as soon as you hit dirt etc etc,the T/C will only work on the wheel that DOESN'T have traction. Pat