danbuc Posted February 24, 2004 Report Share Posted February 24, 2004 I have a 98 STS and was wondering why whenever I turn off Traction Control I'm am much slower off the line than with it on. I read on an earlier post that when it is turned off the transmission is programmed to start off in second gear. This would probably explain why it takes twice as long to get to 40 mph for example than when Traction Control is left on. I was just wondering if anyone might have heard of a way around this like maybe a series of buttons that could be pressed in a sequence or something like that. If anyone has any insight on this situation it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TDK Posted February 24, 2004 Report Share Posted February 24, 2004 I don't have a "solution", but then again, why would there be any need to turn the traction control off? Better burnouts? Its not like it gets better milage w/o (like not having the truck in 4wd). I'm not sure why the button even exists in the STS/SLS and not my DCS? Perhaps the engineers, marketing, etc. were embarrased about the whole thing and decided to hide the button and hope no one ever asked? Can you imagene a scenario where the Driver yells to the Navigator "Quickly now - Traction Control Off!", only to have a flurry of fumbling inside the glove box? LOL Sorry about my flippant replies. If you have a serious need to know, I'm sure someone... might know and share their knowledge. Add power to leave problems behind. Most braking is just - poor planning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted February 24, 2004 Report Share Posted February 24, 2004 I think there is an override on the OBD but it only lasts for 9 start-ups (not sure of the procedure either). If you need TCS off just to do a burnout or something, just pull the ABS fuse. You will lose TCS w/o the 2nd gear starts -Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bc6t Posted February 24, 2004 Report Share Posted February 24, 2004 I have a '98 as well and I don't think you can overide ODBCII settings for TC. Also, I'm not really sure why you need to override -- neutral drops? Tom R. 1998 Cadillac STS with 102K Miles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danbuc Posted February 24, 2004 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2004 I was just curious if it could be done. The main reason I wanted to know it that when you turn it off you get second gear starts. On the other hand with it one you get first gear but run the risk of engaging the traction control system which the only purpose it has it to limit any wheel spin by decreasing the output of the engine for a brief moment to regain traction. So either way you limit your ability to get good 0-60 times without easing on the throttle and then punching it or by getting slicks. I will admit that probably at least 80% of the time it will try to engage but the sheer amount of power being fed to the wheels inhibits it. There is however a split second where the car seems to stall but then immediately rockets down the road like nothing happened. Thats it what makes it worth it to deal with TC. So overall it not so bad. Sorry if I gave the wrong impression Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimJ Posted February 24, 2004 Report Share Posted February 24, 2004 You can turn it off for the time you are stuck in snow or mud or sand. You can rock it back and forth and the brakes won't fight you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danbuc Posted February 24, 2004 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2004 JimJ, the problem with simply turning it off in dry weather is you are stuck in second gear. This becomes a problem when you are trying to accelerate really fast. The engine still has the power but it has to wait for the gears to catch up so to speak. This is why simply turning it off doesn't work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonA Posted February 26, 2004 Report Share Posted February 26, 2004 The reason that 1st gear is locked out when you turn traction control off is to help protect the differential and driveline. Theoretically, the only instance in which you turn it off is when you're trying to rock the car in an icy situation or something, and with the increased torque at the wheels in 1st gear, you run the risk of damaging something if the tire suddenly hits a dry spot, etc. Leaving traction control engaged is best in all situations. The only reason for turning it off when dry would be for burnouts, and those don't do anything for you anyway. If you're accelerating hard enough to spin the tires, having traction control disengaged certainly wouldn't gain you anything performance-wise. It'll just allow that tire to spin freely. Jason(2001 STS, White Diamond) "When you turn your car on...does it return the favor?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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