Poll on the Vibe's Traction Control - Should the driver be able to manually turn off TC

[ou.grizzly]

The options are below. Traction Control is considered a safety measure and the systems in different brands are different. The Pontiac Vibe has Toyota's traction control in it and it can not be turned off manually. Let me clarify, this thread and poll is about traction control and it's effectiveness as a safety measure, nothing else. Question is Vote and discuss.

[shemp]

The option I would vote for is not listed:It does serve its purpose for added safety in most cases but the driver should be able to manually override it if they choose to.

[Wolfman213]

Quote, originally posted by shemp »The option I would vote for is not listed:It does serve its purpose for added safety in most cases but the driver should be able to manually override it if they choose to.+1

[dragon64]

Quote, originally posted by Wolfman213 »+1I would concur with this third option. Even the owners manual states there are time were the TCS should be disengaged. the existing button only allow the system to be bypassed upto a certain speed before it automatically re-engages. One of the prime examples of when you would need to bypass the TCS that is not mentioned any where is when you have a flat and put on the spare tire and have to travel a distance to the nearest garage. The TCS would sense the smaller diameter spare as turning faster and would be constantly applying the brakes and cutting back engine power. In Volvos they have a winter mode that allow for a greater percentange of speed difference which you also engage to drive with the smaller spare tire in place on the car this could also be a 4th option

[DarkSpork]

I thought our right foot serves as traction control?

[JohnC]

Quote, originally posted by shemp »The option I would vote for is not listed:It does serve its purpose for added safety in most cases but the driver should be able to manually override it if they choose to.Ditto.

[ned23]

Quote, originally posted by dragon64 »One of the prime examples of when you would need to bypass the TCS that is not mentioned any where is when you have a flat and put on the spare tire and have to travel a distance to the nearest garage. The TCS would sense the smaller diameter spare as turning faster and would be constantly applying the brakes and cutting back engine power. Do you know that this actually happens? I would think the spare should be the same diameter as your regular tire, it's just narrower. You're also not supposed to go above a cerain speed with a "toy spare," anyway. It's dangerous and can damage your suspension system.

[SeattleJeremy]

Quote, originally posted by DarkSpork »I thought our right foot serves as traction control?That's how it is on my Vibe, but mine doesn't have the optional "Safety Package" with Traction Control and ABS. I agree with what was said above, Traction control is an awesome safety feature, but it should have a manual override button.

[ned23]

Quote, originally posted by 13Vibe03 »That is the first I've heard of suspension damage with a spare. Differential damage on a 4WD car...but suspension damage? Unless you have a good explanation, I call BS.Every spare I've every used and seen was smaller in diameter and left the car leaning slightly. Isn't the recommendation 50 miles and 50-55 mph maximum on the spare?That's what my GF told me. She works as an elastomer material engineer for Honda and does stuff like suspension bushings and motor mounts. She says tires are half of your suspension system. Not only are the high-presure toy spares hard on suspension but switching to low-profile tires when the car is not designed for it will also significantly shorten the life of your suspension system. You're better off calling tow truck than using a toy spare on a freeway for any length of time.

[ned23]

Quote, originally posted by 13Vibe03 »Many of those that install lower profile tires/rims and lowering springs also install aftermarket bushings......I say don't worry so much about running on the spare to get home and/or to a tire repair shop. Now turning off traction control for extended periods would only be necessary if the system acts up while running the spare. I have yet to hear of this happening so why worry about disabling it for long periods of time?Many poeple don't do anythign to their cars when they put the narrow rims on, though. They just slap the low-profile rims onto their stock car. The bushings help but not 100%. There's also some kind of "damping" constant in the struts that's tuned to the tire. If you change the tire, you won't get as smooth of a damping effect by the shock absorbers because the "springiness" (for lack of a better term) of the tire is not the same "frequency" (so to speak) as the struts. This will also happen if you change the speed rating of your tires. For example if you put S tires on an H car or Z tires on an S car, etc. It's not a huge effect, but it multiplies over millions of "bumps" that you run over on the road. As for the spare and the T/C, the obvious solution is to keep it under 40 mph while the toy spare on the car. It's safer and better for your suspension.

[drunkenmaxx]

also, TC makes it way harder to get out of the snow if you are stuck. it applies the breaks when you need to spin. in the manual for my maxx, this is discussed and brought up as the reason why you may want to turn it off

[shemp]

We got the first real snow here today (5" or so this morning) since I've had my Vibe. No question, sometimes the best way to get a car moving thru deep snow is to keep the wheels churning. As previously stated the TC does not allow this. You can disable the TC, but every time you hit 40mph it automatically re-enables, requiring the driver to repeatedly disable it over and over every time you have to stop, which on days like today is frequent. Instead of focusing on all the other aspects of driving in these hazerdous conditions, I have to constantly man the TC override button so I don't get stuck in the middle of an intersection. Nice "Safety Feature".

[ned23]

Quote, originally posted by shemp »We got the first real snow here today (5" or so this morning) since I've had my Vibe. No question, sometimes the best way to get a car moving thru deep snow is to keep the wheels churning. As previously stated the TC does not allow this. You can disable the TC, but every time you hit 40mph it automatically re-enables, requiring the driver to repeatedly disable it over and over every time you have to stop, which on days like today is frequent. Instead of focusing on all the other aspects of driving in these hazerdous conditions, I have to constantly man the TC override button so I don't get stuck in the middle of an intersection. Nice "Safety Feature".I can see your point in traffic like that where the snow is intermittent. Downshifting might help keep your wheels from spinning faster than 40. Where the snow is continuous, though, most people are not going drive long distances with the wheels spinning above 40 mph. at some point they're going to want the traction control anyway because you can't really steer while the wheels are spinning.

[GenuineVibe]

Personally i have not had problem with the traction control in the snow. If fact i have found it has made it easier to get out of stuck situations, and it has stopped me from sliding in the deep snow as well, but thats just me i guess.

[ned23]

there may be a fuse for it that you can pull if you want to keep it off for a while. anyone looked?