Is anyone turning their traction control off under normal dry conditions?

[Pakrat]

I was just thinking about this last night when driving home under heavy rain. It was nice to have it on the highway turns where there was heavy flooding and hydroplane possibilities, especially since I am used to 4 wheel drive in these conditions. I was wondering if I shouldn't be turning it off under normal conditions though? I know it's handy to do so if you are stuck in heavy snow but since the default is always on I wonder if there is any other gain to only using it when needed rather than only turning it off when needed?

[someguy]

I leave mine on all the time

[Buerkletucson]

Originally Posted by Pakrat

I was just thinking about this last night when driving home under heavy rain. It was nice to have it on the highway turns where there was heavy flooding and hydroplane possibilities, especially since I am used to 4 wheel drive in these conditions. I was wondering if I shouldn't be turning it off under normal conditions though? I know it's handy to do so if you are stuck in heavy snow but since the default is always on I wonder if there is any other gain to only using it when needed rather than only turning it off when needed?

I can't see any reason or advantage to turn it off during normal driving.

If I understand the way it operates it's not doing anything unless needed anyway. It continues to monitor for tire slip on acceleration using the ABS sensors and will only add braking or reduce engine power if it detects lack of traction. Otherwise it's just monitoring.......

[Pakrat]

So then the only reason the option is there to turn it off is if you are stuck in mud or snow basically. Or wan't to try and chirp your tires I guess.

I figured since it goes back to the default whenever you shut the car off, unlike the ECO button, that was probably the case but wasn't sure.

[KrisLW35]

I've driven with it off around town just to see if I noticed a difference, but nothing groundbreaking. A couple of times it felt like it made the rear-end-hop a little less dramatic, but I think that was more or less just because I approached the bumps differently. After a while I forgot that I had it off, and I was very surprised when I chirped the tires pulling out of a parking lot

I also turn it off when I drive on a particular stretch of brick road - it's partially covered in grass, and thus the traction controls LOVES to kill the gas pedal anytime I go over like 1000 RPM. Very frustrating when trying to accelerate from a stop and the gas pedal doesn't work! As long as I stay at a relatively modest speed, no problems handling either on the bricks with it turned off.

Does anyone know if our traction control system has any influence over the steering of the front wheels, or does it just modulate the gas pedal and ABS?

[Don67]

Originally Posted by KrisLW35

Does anyone know if our traction control system has any influence over the steering of the front wheels

It does.

The 2011 Elantra now takes compact car safety to the next level with the introduction of Vehicle Stability Management (VSM). Similar to the one found in the Hyundai Equus, VSM optimally manages ESC (Electronic Stability Control) and the Motor-Driven electric Power Steering (MDPS).

VSM works to control two effects. The first is when a driver accelerates or brakes on a split-mu surface (slippery on one side, dry pavement on the other) and the vehicle wants to pull in one direction. VSM detects this condition and sends a signal to the MDPS to apply steering assist. VSM counters the pull and automatically provides 8 Newton meters of counter steering. VSM reacts the same way during sudden lane changes or fast cornering.

Newsroom - Hyundai Motor America

[KrisLW35]

Originally Posted by Don67

It does.

The 2011 Elantra now takes compact car safety to the next level with the introduction of Vehicle Stability Management (VSM). Similar to the one found in the Hyundai Equus, VSM optimally manages ESC (Electronic Stability Control) and the Motor-Driven electric Power Steering (MDPS).

VSM works to control two effects. The first is when a driver accelerates or brakes on a split-mu surface (slippery on one side, dry pavement on the other) and the vehicle wants to pull in one direction. VSM detects this condition and sends a signal to the MDPS to apply steering assist. VSM counters the pull and automatically provides 8 Newton meters of counter steering. VSM reacts the same way during sudden lane changes or fast cornering.

Newsroom - Hyundai Motor America

Ah, thanks!

The reason I ask is I recently let a friend drive my Elantra, and there is a particular bump that in his car that requires a significant turn to the left in order to keep the car going straight over. He did the same thing in my car and the car almost turned left So I figured it automatically countered. Also, when hitting sewer lids the entire car slides to that side (not just the rear end hop thing) and it feels like the steering disconnects for a second. Good to know I'm not as crazy as I thought

[mnboy]

I would think someday, when you get into your 2020 Elantra, you say, "start" and the voice recognition system starts the car... then you say "traction contol off" and it does it... then you say, "reverse" and back you go.., even then, you say on a rainy day, "wipers on", and voila! It can't be far off. I just wonder what I'm going to say to the computer girl when my wife isn't with... LOL.

[daddyniowa]

I never had a car with traction or stability control before. If I understand correctly when the light is off, the traction control is on? Then when I depress the button the light comes on, and the traction control is off? The dealer said that was so the traction control did not try slowing down a tire you needed to spin to get out of say snow. But when I turned it off, I jumped on my 6 speed manual a bit off the line, and it wheel hopped terrible. So is having the traction control off more like posi traction or not? I did hang quite the corner from highway to highway the other day, and it felt like the brakes came on, and the car did not slide, went around the corner like on rails, and I'm used to road racing in the past. The car corners "much" better than I expected. Confused about the traction control.............

[Don67]

Originally Posted by daddyniowa

I never had a car with traction or stability control before. If I understand correctly when the light is off, the traction control is on? Then when I depress the button the light comes on, and the traction control is off? The dealer said that was so the traction control did not try slowing down a tire you needed to spin to get out of say snow. But when I turned it off, I jumped on my 6 speed manual a bit off the line, and it wheel hopped terrible. So is having the traction control off more like posi traction or not? I did hang quite the corner from highway to highway the other day, and it felt like the brakes came on, and the car did not slide, went around the corner like on rails, and I'm used to road racing in the past. The car corners "much" better than I expected. Confused about the traction control.............

Warning light on= System disabled. Warning light off = system ready.

The system actually has two separate components:

(1) Traction control cuts the throttle when significant wheel slippage is detected during acceleration. It feels like your engine is bogging down, and is pretty quiet except for some mild exhaust pipe burping and farting. Traction control sometimes needs to be turned off in deep snow, if you're stuck and there is no throttle response.

(2) Electronic Stability Control uses individual wheel braking and/or active steering assist to correct direction when the car isn't going where you're steering (ie: when you go too fast around a slippery corner). It feels like somebody pounded one of the wheels with a giant rubber mallet, and makes a bit of noise. There is never a reason to turn Stability Control off, unless you want to do handbrake turns or have other hooligan fun.

There is no positraction or limited slip differential on the Elantra. When one wheel has low traction it tends to spin out of control until the traction control cuts the throttle. FWD cars rarely have limited slip; I am aware of some older Nissans and not much else.