probak118 Posted February 2, 2015 Report Share Posted February 2, 2015 First real drive with DJ in deep snow last night. Wow when that anti-slip kicks in it slows you to a crawl. Trying to get thru snow on unplowed roads, is slow me to a crawl at best. I thought something was wrong with the transmission. Does the system keep trying to switch back and fourth from wheel to wheel ? In an attempt to find better traction ? Thinking in some cases ( 6 - 10 inched of snow) it might be better to shut it off ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhh3 Posted February 2, 2015 Report Share Posted February 2, 2015 The traction control simulates an ELSD (Electronic Limited Slip Differential). The way it works is that it softly applies the brake to the wheel that is spinning and then sends 100% torque to the wheel that is not slipping. I very rarely turn mine off. If the snow was deep enough, like soft sand, this would be the major reason to turn it off. And, when you push the button, it does not actually go completely off; the reaction time just slows down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkeaton Posted February 2, 2015 Report Share Posted February 2, 2015 (edited) I had to turn TC off when I was trying to get up a mountain road in the snow. The system actually cut power off. I was flooring it and the engine would not even rev. I shut it off to be able to get going again. Edited February 2, 2015 by jkeaton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bramfrank Posted February 2, 2015 Report Share Posted February 2, 2015 The underlying concept is that if both wheels are slipping there's no point to applying lots of power . . . so it throttles back, which can be counter-productive if you know how to handle a vehicle in those conditions - you DO need to disengage the traction control if you want wheelspin. Since I don't have an AWD version of the vehicle I can't comment in the impact when switching off TC when one wheel or more is free-spinning in a vehicle with that feature. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lobitz68 Posted February 2, 2015 Report Share Posted February 2, 2015 The underlying concept is that if both wheels are slipping there's no point to applying lots of power . . . so it throttles back, which can be counter-productive if you know how to handle a vehicle in those conditions - you DO need to disengage the traction control if you want wheelspin. Since I don't have an AWD version of the vehicle I can't comment in the impact when switching off TC when one wheel or more is free-spinning in a vehicle with that feature. I haven't noticed this in my AWD, so I can only assume it is due to having traction on one or more of the 4 wheels at any given time. I have noticed it in my wife's avenger though and it can be a bit annoying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B4ZINGA Posted February 2, 2015 Report Share Posted February 2, 2015 Dodge traction control systems are a hated miserable relic from Mercedes. They're excellent for lane-keeping in inclement weather. Around town, it sucks all of the power away from you and stops you cold, which only serves to get you even more stuck and can be hazardous if it leaves part of the car in oncoming traffic. I find it's best to turn it off (to the extent the button allows) driving around town in order maintain traction and momentum. The rear bias in my AWD system kicks the tail out, which I prefer as I can get better control and point the car the direction I want to go. Doing that, I had no trouble driving around last night or this morning in spite of the 16.7" recorded at Metro Airport last night. Other people... not so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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