'99 A4 Hatch.

The following happened in the space of about 2-3 seconds (but seemed much longer):

Sitting at stop sign, waiting to make a left onto a major street. People often go about 60mph, though limit is 35. I knew that. To my left is some traffic coming, but plenty far away. I figure I should be able to make across that, across the median, and make my left and be on my way. I give it a little bit of extra gas for good measure, nothing radical.

Problem: Sprinklers had been watering the grass near the intersection. Wet bircks and wide tires = on takeoff.

T/C kicks in. I felt the wheels slip and eased up right away, tires hooked up again almost instantly, so I figure I should be good to go and get out of the way of the oncoming 4x4. Wrong.

The engine power was still reduced, "protecting me." Hoo boy... So here I am in this quick red Corvette doing all of 5 mph to get out of the way while the oncoming truck gets ever closer and bigger. And all I'm really doing is limping farther into his lane.

Well, obviously I'm here to tell about it, no collision or anything, but wow, was that unexpected. I'm sure he had to brake for me. I know T/C has its place, but in this particular case I would have been better off if it wasn't on. I guess I understand how long it cuts engine power for, now, (an eternity, it seemed like).

 

I'm not so sure it was TC that caused the stumble. I've had this happen years ago when I first got the C5, but don't get it anymore. It may be the way you worked the gas pedal...I'm not kidding. Once I got used to the car and it's response the problem went away.

 

TOXDOC
The same thing happen to me.. After that happen to me I turn it off..
Now I turn it off everytime I drive the vette before it gets me killed.

 

$$$frumnuttin',

Thanks for the input. I have no doubt you are completely right, in that it was the way I worked the gas pedal that created the problem. if I hadn't applied too much torque to the rear wheels, one of them would have not broken loose. If I had known about the car's characteristics better, this would not have happened. I had taken the car on several controlled runs to explore its limits before I ever got into an emergency situation. I didn't think to simulate this one, I had no idea such a thing could happen.

The thing I did not expect, and didn't particularly like, was how the car responded when I did the "normal" stuff to regain traction and get out of the way. Once I regained grip, which was really quickly, the car wouldn't go forward much at all when I gave it some gas pedal. The engine did not respond, and would not accelerate the car, for something like 1-2 seconds.

I'm not saying that the design or programming is bad, but I do have two other cars with T/C and/or yaw control, and though they do pretty much the same thing, one's engine is not crippled for nearly as long after an "event." They are also newer, which probably makes the difference.

Thanks again for your thoughts. I'm constantly learning.

 

The early C5 TC is very intrusive. Just a little bump in the road while turning and accelerating will spike a wheel speed difference and the engine power will be dead for what seems like an eternity. Two things to do. 1. Switch off TC all the time, or 2. Find out what triggers it by playing around in an empty parking lot that has some bumps in the exit to a street or whatever. The TC usually will let both wheels spin some if you start in a straight line but it does not like having one wheel faster than the other and will shut things down. From the way it responds it seems to have been calibrated for operation on ice. Once you get used to it you can work around it.
Bill

 

Thanks much Bill,

Yes, if I were accelerating straight ahead on ice, the way it behaved would have been just fine with me, and would have helped since if it was icy every would have (hopefully) been going slower anyway.

Problem was of course that one wheel had wet brick under it, which the programming "thought" was ice, while the rest of the world including the 3 other wheels on the car, and the rest of the traffic, was living in a different world, i.e. a really nice sunny dry day.

So I'm not sure which to do, switch it off all the time, or leave it on and learn more about it. I have the skills to correct for a skid and regain traction fairly quickly, (grew up on cars with no modern ABS, etc.) so this is really not so easy of a decision.

 

I'm glad to see you are approaching it this way. In my opinion, this is a design defect, in a sense, because before you got your C5 this never would happen in any of your previous vehicles. It's not stressed enough how unique this car is.

Let me add my story; I was following a garbage truck and went to pass with a big 'effect' on the left because I was so impatient with the slow speed and couldn't see ahead. I revved the engine and made a quick jerk to the left, then she died! How embarassing, and how dangerous. I couldn't get out of the way of cars coming up in the left lane....horrible! If I was rear-ended it would have been my fault, even though I attempted to accelerate again to no avail. I guess I unconsciously learned how to 'work' this beast over the years!

 

I had a 2000. Now my 01 is much better after the Gen II T/C and A/H. You can get more wheel spin and it recovers more than twice as fast. Drive a 2001 and up and see for yourself.

 

Unless its raining I put it in competetive mode every time I drive. That limits the wheel spin but the engine doesn't cut out.

 

Unfortunately on mine it's all-or-nothing. No competitive mode.

As for me I've decided to just turn the darned thing off unless the weather is bad. Now i just have to rename the yellow dash light that stays on. Maybe I'll call it "Normal Operation Mode Engaged."

 

I always turn mine off when I first start my car.

 

I like that! Also, cool acronym: NOME

 

That is odd because I've got a 98 and I find my TC isn't very intrusive at all. I can floor it off a light and it'll give me a bit of wheelspin and even chirp the tires on the 1-2 shift and it won't kick in for more than a split second. You can barely feel the loss of power, it comes back on right away. But I also drive in the winter and when needed the TC will kick in enough to really help out (so mine isn't defective by any means)

I owned a 95 Firebird Formula which had the first traction control system for the f-bodies and that system was ridiculous. Even just a hint of wheelspin would completely kick in the TC system.

 

What about when you hesitate, then hit it again real quick...sort of like double clutching? That's where I had the most trouble with my 97. I found out you have to be deliberate and go for it...not fool around with the accelerator.

 

did you have your car tuned? You could eliminate the torque management system in your car...that helps, my 2000 coupe T/C is not intrusive at all, unless I floor it from a stand still. I also have a 3200 stall converter with way more torque than stock when accellerating and There is no problem. Get your car tuned

 

Really? I've got a '99 and if at a dead stop I hold the TC/AH down the DIC will display Competitive Mode. Have you tried that? Later models will switch on the fly. Be careful when the TC is off as it's wheelspin city.

 

I've tried that. I think the TC/AH was an option that I don't have, and the TC by itself was standard. I could be wrong.