Traction control is it me......

[miner154]

Is it me but when it's on it blunts the cars handling a bit and turning it off greatly reduces understeer and transforms the cars handling.

TBH can't really see the need for TCS in a 131 BHP car, plus it must weigh a bit and having it on may worsen fuel consumption a bit

Thoughts

 

[Matt]

My thoughts are it annoys the hell outta me!

There's a junction near my work that I need to put my foot down to get out of and as I'm turning as I do this, traction kicks in and ends up trying to make me headbut my windscreen. Too much to remember to turn it off every time lol. I usually leave mine on "just in case" though. Had a nasty accident which I believe traction coulda stopped or helped towards stopping if I had it on my old car...

 

[kizzye]

Might sound stupid but how do you turn it off?
I remember mine kicking in when it was icy conditions on the roads earlier this year

 

[pritchp]

switch/button... left hand side under steering wheel... trust me it is down there

 

[iamstuart]

There's a button right down under the steering wheel, on the left hand side if I remember correctly, looks like:

 

[Matt]

As above... is you stick your head in there you'll see it but once you know where it is you can get to it without looking.

Ignition/Engine on and press the switch to turn it off, then again to turn it on. Whilst traction control is off, the light will display on your rev counter (the light that comes on when traction kicks in).

 

[miner154]

My Civic could have maybe done with it in the wet.
I leave mine on in the wet but on the whole turn it off.

Renault say it stops understeer? IMO it adds to it as prevents the chassis doing what RS tweaked it to do.
To be fair it's not overly instrusive as if it does run wide a lift off of the gas helps it tighten it's line. Turn it off and it's pretty hard to get much understeer unless you really overcook it

Yeah the button is a right pain to find the fisrt time or three.

 

[Alex_225]

In theory if the traction control kills off some of the power if you're having a heavy right foot moment, then in theory it would minimise understeer. That said, it's the equivalent of easing off the throttle so you could just do it yourself.

 

[Anonymous]

i find EBS is the worst (doesnt display brake light aswell), dont mind TC

 

[toni_133]

i find EBS is the worst (doesnt display brake light aswell), dont mind TC

I find EBS very annoying as near me is a very steep hill with a junction halfway down it, trying to pull out of it with the EBS going mad isnt fun.

 

[miner154]

It's more even without hooning it, it feels to constrict the chassis - I'm guessing it cuts power to one/both driven wheels when conering, that's how it feels to me.
It just feels so much more pin sharp with it off

This could of course all be in my head

 

[gavin-h]

There's a button right down under the steering wheel, on the left hand side if I remember correctly, looks like:

Ah, been looking for that for months - thanks, Stuart.

The "Famous Last Words" button. As in: Hmmm, I wonder what happens if you press that --- screech --- aargh --- splat!!!

 

[Karl]

I have my ESP on no matter where i go always better to be safe then sorry

 

[Alex_225]

Thing is the car may feel dulled down by traction control or ESP but in actual fact it probably keeps you in better shape and actually allows you to go quicker.

For example the only time I've really noticed it kick in was on my Megane. Pulled onto a dual carriageway and put my foot down in 2nd. It came on boost but suddenly felt held back. It was literally a split second away from breaking traction, which I would have eased off the accelerator for anyway. I'd say the ESP dipping the power for me was quicker than me easing off and reapplying the accelerator.

 

[miner154]

I find the system that is supposed to stop understeer seems to dull the mild lift off over steer the Twingo has to call on if you over cook it in a bend.

Not really had mush of testing this as in te sumer when I had the car i pretty much left the system on.

Not sure how much LOO is available, especially if you really over cook it and get terminal understeer and use a massive lift off in an effort to correct it?

I've never actually noticed the light blinking even when it's obviously cut in and killed brief wheelspin when pulling out in the wet, mind you my eyes ae generally elswhere