Traction control is a safety device that has existed in various forms for decades, but it became mandatory on all new cars made after 2011. It operates in the background, and you may never notice it, but a car equipped with traction control is unquestionably safer than one that does not.
Its primary function is to prevent the wheel from skidding, slipping, and/or spinning, especially when traveling over a slick surface. Almost all KSA cars are equipped with traction control, so you should know everything about traction control.
Traction Control: What is it?
If a loss of traction occurs among the car’s wheels, the traction control system (TCS) identifies it. When the system detects a wheel that is losing traction on the road, it applies the brakes to that wheel or reduces the car’s engine power to the slipping wheel. If the car’s wheels lose their hold on the road, it might become unstable, putting the driver in danger.
This type of traction loss is frequent on snowy or icy roads, as well as in wet weather. Traction control can be installed on a front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive, or all-wheel drive vehicle, and the idea is the same regardless of which wheels are powered.
In some automobiles, this can seem like a little lag in power delivery or even a misfire, but modern traction control systems are so sophisticated that their involvement is largely undetectable from behind the wheel. Off-road wheel slippage is reduced thanks to the TCS, which actively controls the traction force of the front wheels.
Compact SUVs can now drive on snowy, muddy, and sandy roads with only the front two wheels thanks to this innovative technology.
How it works
Both the instantaneous speed of each driven wheel and the net speed of the vehicle must be sensed or inferred by the system. When these data are compared, the system intervenes to prevent a wheel from spinning faster than the vehicle speed allows.
Hall Wheel-speed sensing is usually done via effect sensors (these employ a stationary magnet near a spinning gear with evenly spaced teeth that alter the magnetic field as they pass the magnet). Systems can monitor the speed of non-driven wheels, use onboard accelerometers, or even use data from the vehicle’s satellite navigation system to determine vehicle speed.
Traction control systems employ modified ABS hardware to slow a spinning wheel. Whereas Anti Braking System temporarily reduces hydraulic brake pressure to allow a skidding wheel to regain traction, traction control requires the ability to add hydraulic brake pressure to stop a spinning tire. Trimming the throttle, spark, and/or fuel often reduces engine output.
When it’s best to use a Traction control
In a normal situation turning off traction control while driving on the road is not recommended regardless of how good a driver you are, the traction control system can prevent a loss of control considerably faster than you can respond behind the wheel.
When starting from a halt or slowing down, or trying to accelerate up a slippery incline, traction control is most effective. This technology has numerous advantages for drivers, including making driving more comfortable and assisting them in maintaining control of the vehicle on slippery roads or in wet weather. In this case, traction control could very likely prevent an unintentional power-oversteer slip that could result in a crash.
When one shouldn’t use it
In most driving situations, it’s best to keep all of your safety systems turned on. The only time you should switch off traction control as a responsible driver is when you’re driving up a steep incline where the surface seems loose due to gravel and stones, or when you’re trying to get your car unstuck from the mud. In such cases, you should disable traction to enable the wheels to spin a little more before burrowing into the tougher terrain beneath you for traction.
How do we know it’s working?
The traction control system, like many other safety systems, has a dashboard warning light that illuminates briefly when the system is turned on to demonstrate that it is working. If the light stays on and does not turn off when the engine is started, there is a problem with the system that needs to be looked into by a specialist. An MoT failure will also include a permanently illuminated traction control warning light.
