I "suspect" my traction control might be misbehaving on my '07. I had an '05 before this one and it was always pretty obvious that real soon after the car would break traction the system would take over. Trust me, for me the system is a good thing and has saved me a couple of times during normal course of daily driving, especially in the rain.

I've had the feeling since owning my '07 for several months the traction control doesn't seem to take over when I would expect it to. It does "sometimes" and "other times" it does not. It's hard to explain as it's just a "feeling" you get from the car/system. But it is "obvious" when the system takes over. I know there's a DIC message however if you're driving the message is usually gone before you can see it since you're "driving".

Yesterday it was rainy and as I accelerated on an on-ramp the a$$ end came out from under her and the car spun out clockwise landing me in the grass off the road (the tires I have suck by the way, I really want my Michelin's). No harm done accept for getting stuck due to the wet ground and downward grade of the land. I tried to rock the car out of the muck with no luck. In hindsight the traction control could have been hindering that effort as in the moment that didn't occur to me.

I phone AAA and while waiting a cop happened by and gave me a citation for "failing to maintain lane". That's lame. I'm going to court.....

Seriously though, I need to know and believe my system is working. I'm not seeing any errors on the DIC and it seems difficult to "safely" test the system. Any ideas appreciated.....

 

If no codes set and it checks out okay at dealer they may have changed the program for it. But have them look at it maybe it got disconnected by previous owner.Oh I see you are just across the way from me I suggest you go to Jim Ellis Chev and let David Fulcher check it out he's the best tech around this area.
z51vett

 

Thanks z51 . I thought I remembered reading where the parameters could be altered. What's the point in that when you can push the button to disable the system or performance mode (which I never do)? It is a problem with many used cars where you just don't know what pervious owner(s) did to the car.

I've had good experience with a Service Tech at Rick Hendrick in Buford (Jerod McLaughlin).

I think for peace of mind (and fighting the citation) I need to get it checked out.

 

It's possible to alter the programming for the TC, just like you can alter any program if you have the proper knowledge and equipment. But I don't recall hearing of anyone actually doing it, except to simply turn it off with the console button.

We had a 2006 and now a 2009, both Z51 A6 coupes. In both of them, the TC is pretty relaxed, you can get a fair amount of wheel spin before it steps in and even then I've heard you can override it with more throttle.

I certainly don't know the courts or laws in your area, but since you used too much throttle for the existing conditions, spun out, and avoided a nasty accident only by luck, I wouldn't bet much money on winning your case. If you want to keep the ticket off your record, an attorney who handles these kinds of things might be worthwhile. Of course, if you take the car to a dealer and they do find something wrong, that's a whole 'nuther story.
Good luck, either way!

 

wow

mom (god rest her soul) used to have a saying for everything.
she would have said..

well, thats just adding insult to injury

good luck in court, glad no one hurt!!!

 

Seems the car has so much power the traction control can't keep up with it. If I bring the rpm up to 3,000 from a full stop and let the clutch out smartly, the traction control will pull the power back and I will limp off the line. On the other hand if I pull out normally then add considerable power the tires will brake traction and spin, traction control will not keep up with a major power advancement. Second gear must place considerable torque to the wheels, I notice that the tires can easily brake traction upon clutch engagement during the shift first to second with what seems like a moderate increase of power. Seems from what I read here on the forum, others have experienced this with interesting results.

 

If both wheels break loose evenly then the tc will not activate...try this while cornering and it should

 

Traction control on my '07 rarely, if ever, kicks on unless I'm under heavy acceleration and the rear end is starting to fishtail. It's pretty lenient as long as you're going straight. Once the rear starts to wander the TC blips on for a few seconds just to make sure I'm not having a seizure and about to crash into someone's living room.

 

I do believe it was due to the off brand (can't even remember what brand) of all season tires that came with the car. I just put on a set of Michelin Pilot® Sport A/S Plus ZP's and there's a notable improvement in grip in all weather conditions. I had a set of these on another car before. In you want run-flats and all weather grip this is the tire to have, IMHO.

 

Glad you found your problem.

As you have discovered, different tires have different traction. The traction control can only do so much. I don't spend much time looking around the inside of my car while driving so I never notice the traction control warning but I know mine works ('07, Z51) because I know when it doesn't when the car is moving slowly and the system doesn't have enough input to know the rear is moving just slightly faster than the front. But your issue sounds like the traction control was just overwhelmed by your foot, the road conditions, and the tire traction. The traction control is very good but there is only so much it can do and once you significantly break traction there is nothing that is going to get the car under control again except letting off the gas and brake and riding it out.

 

I agree. It was more than just the tires. But the old tires had plenty tread and no glue, even in warm/dry conditions.

Lesson learned :-)

 

TC on the C6 is absolute crap now; even when it came out in '05 it was crap, just like the nav. Newer systems are way quicker. But like somebody said, there's only so much TC can do; even a good one. TC works well when things start getting out of control gradually. If you just stomp on the gas at 3K rpm on a wet road while turning aggressively, no TC will save you. And yes, the tires on the Vette are crap in the cold, and even worse when cold and wet. But you already knew that, right? . Even the Michelin Super Sports are still SUMMER tires, so have to be extra careful in the winter months. Good luck, and glad nothing happened. And yes, that cop was an a$$ IMO; it was an accident and nothing happened.