Street driving without traction control
Safety Car
Joined: Jul 2018
Posts: 4,303
Likes: 2,055
From: Margate, FL
My guess - the rear tire size is different then OEM thus confusing the TC system. There is a F-to-R ratio that has to be maintained, if you run a taller or shorter rear tire (like many drag racers do) that messes things up.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 5,775
Likes: 585
From: Texas
Very interesting.
I expect traction control compares the speed of the rear tires to the fronts to determine whether the rears are spinning. Thus, it does not matter how the fast the car accelerates for traction control to kick in, only that the rears are spinning faster than the fronts. My suspicion is your rear tires are in fact actually spinning.
I expect traction control compares the speed of the rear tires to the fronts to determine whether the rears are spinning. Thus, it does not matter how the fast the car accelerates for traction control to kick in, only that the rears are spinning faster than the fronts. My suspicion is your rear tires are in fact actually spinning.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 5,775
Likes: 585
From: Texas
Both the front and rear tires I have on the car are about 3/4 of an inch taller than stock, so that variable shouldn't affect things much. Something to think about though.
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2019
Posts: 1,285
Likes: 648
Had a viper 550 ft/lb tq. no nannies. Made me real careful. Some fishtailing on the street once in a while teaches you to get out of it.Spun a couple of times on a track.I would never turn off everything street or track. I like the fact that the car can help save my azz.
Pro
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 632
Likes: 173
I've had instances where accelerating quickly it activates in a way that I'm not particularly fond of. I can manage light tire spin without losing the car and don't need the computer to intervene in those situations.
I know that if I just mash the loud pedal the car will get out of shape faster than I can recover it, that's why I leave the stability control on at all times now. With the TC off the tires will spin as long as the car is still pointed straight, if the back end starts to come around the stability control jumps in and corrects things. This allows me personally to have the most fun with my car.
I know that if I just mash the loud pedal the car will get out of shape faster than I can recover it, that's why I leave the stability control on at all times now. With the TC off the tires will spin as long as the car is still pointed straight, if the back end starts to come around the stability control jumps in and corrects things. This allows me personally to have the most fun with my car.
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 16,025
Likes: 1,656
From: Toronto, Canada
C7 of the Year - Unmodified Finalist 2021
How often, if ever, do you turn off just traction control while doing normal street driving? I have the seen the videos of C7’s getting very squirrely if you accelerate and turn the car in an “unbalanced” condition. This was drummed into us at the Ron Fellow Driving School.
I think we get used to the traction control and would be wary turning it off, especially on the street.
Thoughts appreciated.
I think we get used to the traction control and would be wary turning it off, especially on the street.
Thoughts appreciated.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 5,197
Likes: 190
From: ALL governments are legalized mobsters, so doesn't matter where I live :(
^^^^
THIS!
I used to track my C5 heavily, and a few times in the C7 and if you don't know what you're doing it will be very easy for the car to get away from you. Proof of that all over youtube, and there is no way I want to be a potential highlight reel.
THIS!
I used to track my C5 heavily, and a few times in the C7 and if you don't know what you're doing it will be very easy for the car to get away from you. Proof of that all over youtube, and there is no way I want to be a potential highlight reel.
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Instructor
Joined: Nov 2021
Posts: 141
Likes: 65
From: SoCal
With my 2017 M7, I never turned TC off for the first 3 years but then out of curiosity tried TC off but with SC on, and spun the tires accelerating from 1st gear for the first time, but still able to stay in my lane. That was so fun compared to keeping TC on with no wheelspin, so these days I always turn TC off and when conditions are safe, I enjoy some fun wheelspin while still keeping the SC on. I couldn't spin the wheels in any car I've ever had before, so IMHO it's a lot of fun and relatively safe in the C7 to keep TC off.
Actually it was quite frustrating at first because my '14 Stingray (which I bought about a month ago) had the original 8-year-old MPSS ZPs, so fossilized that they had next to no grip, and an incredibly small window between adhesion and wild wheelspin when getting into the throttle aggressively.
New tires made all the difference. Got me some fresh Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar 3s and the car is vastly more fun.
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,441
Likes: 557
I ran without TC religiously. You better know what your doing. The C7 has a snap point. Good to understand it before turning off TC. I advise doing a drift school to safety find it and understand it. Not a good idea to experiment on the street, if you’ve never spun under throttle. When it happens, it goes fast!
Last edited by rb185afm; Jan 3, 2022 at 12:36 AM.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 2,385
Likes: 160
From: Orlando FL
I leave the TC on all the time. Yes, I have been to Ron Fellows driving school - twice. There is much to learn with these great cars. Having choices reminds me of the days when we did not have those choices - the 60s. Driving GTOs, Chevelles and GTXs on the streets were a handful and driving in the snow, because you had to, was borderline crazy. We had no idea how good we would have it in 2022!
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jul 2018
Posts: 307
Likes: 72
Traction control in high horsepower cars is like turning a high spirited bucking bronco into a much tamer saddle horse. The Soler TB and throttle controller takes you a little to the wilder side, but still in control with traction control on. I will turn it off when I find a nice open area with no light poles or other things to run in to if it gets dicey.
At the Ron Fellows school we were always in Track Sport Mode, so still had some traction control.
At the Ron Fellows school we were always in Track Sport Mode, so still had some traction control.