Undefeatable traction control GRRRRRRRRRR!

[shemp]

We had a couple inches of snow around here today, so I took my Vibe out to see how it does in the snow. With traction control on, the handling is truely impressive. It's hard to get it into a sideways skid without using the e-brake. Two-foot the brakes and the ABS lets it still track thru a turn pretty well... All of this with my stock 18" tires. What it doesn't do well is climbing slippery hills... you can mash the throttle and it just putts along at the speed it thinks is best. It doesn't give the driver the option of spinning the wheels, which is sometimes the best way to keep a car moving. It makes me nervous when attempting a left hand turn onto a busy road because I'm not really in control of the engine so whether I can make it between two cars or not is up to the blind computer. What I find absolutely unforgivable is that when you turn off the traction control, it automatically turns back on at around 40mph. In anything this side of a minivan, I find that unacceptable. On a car with a spoiler and "GT" badge it is offensive. I know this car isn't a ripper, and I didn't buy it to be one, but I thought it was a practical car that I could have a little bit of fun in... apparently someone at GM thinks looking sporty is good enough. I'll be sending them a nasty-gram on this one. Sorry for the rant, but this really chapped my keister and I had to vent. I feel better now.

[kunkstyle]

Quote, originally posted by shemp »What I find absolutely unforgivable is that when you turn off the traction control, it automatically turns back on at around 40mph. In anything this side of a minivan, I find that unacceptable. On a car with a spoiler and "GT" badge it is offensive.You're not too far from this side of a minivan. Considering GM has tossed the GT logo on everything from the Beretta to the G5 to the Cavalier...Stability control is supposed to do just that. Heck, the 911 turns the PSM back on if the brakes are applied, so you're not doing bad in the Vibe if it comes on at 40mph.

[shemp]

Quote, originally posted by kunkstyle »You're not too far from this side of a minivan. Werd.

[lowincash]

i'm actually ok with the system...i'm ok with the whole car lol i don't really pay attention to those things but i did test it out when it was raining last week. took a turn pretty fast while it was still drizzling and floor wet. car stayed in control the whole time...also hit a patch of water on the hwy and car took it like a champ. speaking of minivan...my neighbor calls it a mini-minivan

[kunkstyle]

Quote, originally posted by lowincash »speaking of minivan...my neighbor calls it a mini-minivan Hahaha. I like that one. I think I'll still call ours a crossover. Or sport wagon.

[shemp]

I just checked..... You can fully disable traction control in our minivan. BOLLOCKS!

[northvibe]

lol wouldnt you want it on at 40mph+ in bad weather?! I guess for a "family" car I dont see why it would be needed off over 40.... You have all the fun under 40 in the snow doing donuts and slides...

[shemp]

the car may be going under 40, but one blip of the throttle on a slippery surface and the wheels hit 40 pretty quick and the party's over. Like I said earlier, I like that the car has TC, and it works well. I'm just furious that I can't turn it off when I want to. I can't believe anyone would accept that, family car or not.

[musicmanmu]

Well, at the very least, it's good to hear another 09 GT owner state that the car is good in the snow. I drove in this morning, and while the roads were pretty much okay, I was a bit nervous as to how it may handle since this is the first time my car has ever seen snow...

[SinisterMind]

I will repeat myself. Vibe = Matrix. Toyota's ESC cannot be completely turned off. It's always been this way for years. It's not like they did that recently. That's why you're Vibe's ESC can't be defeated. Please stop whining about it.

[shemp]

I'll repeat myself as well. I did not know that about Toyotas. Now that I know that however, my complaint stands. This being a forum where one can express their thoughts regarding their cars, I will continue to do so. You saw the title, and knew what the thread was about and you read it anyway, so please stop whining about me whining.

[ned23]

Someone would probably sue GM if they either deliberately or accidentally turned the TC off and had an accident. Anyway, why would you want it off over 40 anyway?

[SeattleJeremy]

Quote, originally posted by shemp »... apparently someone at TOYOTA thinks looking sporty is good enough. Fixed. As others have said, you really don't need traction control to be off when doing 40mph.

[GoodVibErations2004]

i dont think its a matter of need but a matter of want. my wife drives a taurus relatively newer with tc. only when u turn itoff it stays off. i turn it off whenever im in the car. traction control caused me to be sideswiped by some *** blowig a red light. i saw him comig through and hit the gas, and watched the tach jmp 1 whole rpm. not 100 or 1000. 1. so TC SUX BALLS