Explain traction control please

[Area51BS]

Please explain what traction control does. In wet roads my Badlands will spin the rear’s as long as you stay in the gas on wet pavement. I know Fords definition and use of brakes. But it doesn’t appear to work. Thanks. It’s easier to ask than search.

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[Brian_B]

So Traction Control uses the ABS system, and that has wheel speed sensors on each wheel. Somehow it's also calculating torque (in the 4A transfer case there are torque sensors, not sure exactly how it does it on manual 4WD systems - older setups used engine power to estimate torque output and that may be what it's doing here)

If the ABS senses that one wheel is spinning excessively compared to the others with torque (not the same as just spinning out or burning rubber), it will brake on that wheel. With an open differential, that will help send some traction to the opposite wheel.

If you just have one wheel putting torque to the ground, there's a thing called the "Right Hand Rule" - wrap your fingers in the direction the tires are spinning, and your thumb will point in the direction that your tire will be trying to push you sideways - which is what pushes your rear end to fish tail on a rear wheel drive. If you have two tires with grip, this effect gets mitigated by the fact that the tires are spaced apart.

It's intended for if you are sliding out (car is starting to do a donut - very common on a slippery road while turning, for instance) - it will clamp down on the wheel that's forcing the car around sideways, and hopefully that will stop the rear end from fishtailing around. But, as you can imagine, with just wheel speed to go from, it will also detect some other situations where you may not necessarily want that to occur.

It isn't perfect, and it's effects range from "wow that just saved my butt" to "why the hell is it going off now" to "well, I'm in the ditch and it didn't do anything for me". If you are just trying to burn rubber, Traction Control knows that the wheel isn't really putting any torque to the ground

ABS also looks for situations where a wheel has locked up while braking - the standard ABS thing. Traction Control uses the ABS system but it's a different function than ABS. One-Pedal Trail Control also uses the ABS system and can independently brake each wheel to maintain traction while attempting to maintain speed - kinda like Traction Control + Cruise Control had a baby.

 

[Alanp970]

Your description of what yours does is opposite of what most people experience. It will typically cut power so you don’t spin or in an off road situation where one wheel is spinning it will apply brake force to the spinning wheels to send power to the non spinning wheels. There’s more to it than my simplified explanation but that’s the just of it

 

[Offroadalliance]

as others mentioned above, it works in conjunction with the wheel speed sensors and the ABS system. It will let you "stay on the gas" but it is individually reading (all 4 if AWD or the rear 2 if RWD) the sensors and applying the ABS system to slow power or stop power to one side and allow the other to catch up or utilize the traction it does have. Most will feel like it is grabbing the wheels and "killing power", not as youve described.

 

[DriveAllNight]

From the Manual:

 

[Brian_B]

Mine will almost always go off when I turn onto the main road, because starting from a stop and turning where there is a bunch of sand/grit from snow plows at the intersection there - one of the rear wheels will almost always kick loose and momentarily trigger Traction Control.

 

[Area51BS]

It doesn’t appear to do any good. I can keep my Bronco on a sideways drift as long as I care to stay on the gas when it’s wet. I purposely tested it today.

 

[PWillette]

Stupid question, maybe...is your traction control disabled? Maybe try toggling on-off.

 

[Aonarch]

To thread jack, I've searched and never found an answer... every thread/ post is people guessing.

Does the Bronco have a version of Toyota's ATRAC or Jeep's Brake Lock Differentials?

 

[HPNQ420]

To thread jack, I've searched and never found an answer... every thread/ post is people guessing.

Does the Bronco have a version of Toyota's ATRAC or Jeep's Brake Lock Differentials?

I would say not with traction control disabled. I have never felt the ABS cycle off-road in 4 low when I have lost traction. (Maybe this is an intentional error on Ford's part to push people to Sasquatch or the FP M210.)

 

[BlueWaffle]

Traction control is.. electrical cock blocking.

 

[Aonarch]

I would say not with traction control disabled. I have never felt the ABS cycle off-road in 4 low when I have lost traction. (Maybe this is an intentional error on Ford's part to push people to Sasquatch or the FP M210.)

I haven't either.

I'll test it tomorrow.

 

[dgorsett]

I would say not with traction control disabled. I have never felt the ABS cycle off-road in 4 low when I have lost traction. (Maybe this is an intentional error on Ford's part to push people to Sasquatch or the FP M210.)

Even though everything says traction control is disabled in low range I swear I have heard ABS cycle in steep low traction situations in 4L.

My son has a Tacoma and that system works very well.

 

[Alanp970]

Try your Trail Control (off road cruise control) and you will definitely feel the traction control acting like ATRAC. I generally don’t use GOAT modes because I’m old school and awesome but I bet you’d feel it kick in then as well.

 

[orion]

Even though everything says traction control is disabled in low range I swear I have heard ABS cycle in steep low traction situations in 4L.

My son has a Tacoma and that system works very well.

Are you using hill descent control in these situations?

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