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Turning off Traction Control???

28K views 23 replies 18 participants last post by  Aero Pat 
#1 ·
Alright....

Ive seen quite a few videos of people driving and they turn Traction control off. What would be the pros and cons of doing this? also, how do you do it?
 
#8 ·
I agree, I think it's only during slower speeds or stopped. I don't know the exact km/hr range off the top of my head, but I just happened to have tried it the other day doing 140km/hr. didn't work, ;-)


a couple of forum searches should find the answer.
 
#9 ·
the symbol is right in the middle of the instrument panel.

A good way to test to see if it's functioning is to try flooring it from a stop (turning a corner perhaps and especially on slick pavement) if you feel (hear) the front wheels sliding, it's off. When the traction control is on and functioning, you'll feel the tires grab and you'll lose a bit of power from the wheels as the brakes engage to keep you from sliding.

You may have a dash light that's out, but if you don't notice a difference when you push the ESP button, there's something wrong with it and you should probably have it looked at.
 

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#10 ·
MooF said:
I agree, I think it's only during slower speeds or stopped. I don't know the exact km/hr range off the top of my head, but I just happened to have tried it the other day doing 140km/hr. didn't work, ;-)


a couple of forum searches should find the answer.
from my owner's manual:
ESP indicator light
The light under the speedometer
comes on for a short period of time when the
ESP system is operative.
Operation of the ESP indicates reduced
cohesion between the tires and the road,
and that extra care should be taken by the
driver.
Turning ESP system off
The system can be turned off manually with
the ESP button, whereupon the light
under the speedometer will come on. The
car must be travelling slower than 35 mph
(60 km/h). The TCS is also disengaged.
The ESP is always engaged during braking,
even if it has been switched off manually
with the ESP button.
If a fault is detected in the system, the
following message will be displayed on
the SID:
The cruise control system (if active) will
automatically

so basically, there's no limit to the speed you can travel at once disengaged, just a limit at which it can be disengaged.
 
#16 ·
Turning off the traction control will not turn off the ABS either. I've tried my car with the traction control on and off in a large empty snow covered parking lot and noticed a slight bit more control with the ESP on. I was able to use the parking brake for power slides with the ESP on too.
 
#17 ·
Yeah, I have turned off the TC off too from time to time. It turns off the TC and ESP...but not the ABS. With the now here in Wisconsin I just keep it on (except for doughnuts) :lol: Personally I love the TC and, especially, the ESP. This is my first car with any type of control systems....what a treat.:p

Cheers
Ken
 
#18 ·
I think it's a great feature, however durring the last snow storm it definately didn't aid to my commute...granted the roads were so bad in Rhode Island that they fired the director of EMA for the state that week...I got stuck on a hill that I shouldn't have tried driving up, and ESP kept my wheels from spinning...but also kept me from moving at all...
 
#19 ·
saab 93 1.9tid vector sport 2007

I don't turn off my traction control but do notice i still get a lot of wheel spin when setting off too fast. Should this be the case and if so why is the traction control not preventing the wheel spin? i am from the UK and we have not had the snow yet and driving conditions are pretty good at the moment so i am unsure why a get so much wheel spin often through 1st, 2nd and occasionally even in 3rd geer. The tyres are all new.:confused:
 
#21 ·
Just need to work on feathering the clutch gas a bit more. ;) In reality though, I've had some rough times in my two 9-3's in the slush where the only thing that would have saved me was AWD or an auto, though. The worst I've ever had, TCS/ESP didn't kick in. In those cases, I just had to rock it back and forth or try to get moving in second (third in one case) to get out.
 
#23 ·
Wish it was as easy as a single button push in my TX. Feel like I'm entering a cheat code in to get it turned off, especially now that I have the procedure memorized and don't even have to look at the SID while I'm doing it...

ESP certainly is nice in slippery conditions though. Never driven a car with anything more then regular TC. So it's pretty impressive how it points the car wherever you want, when in a normal car the front tires would just plow straight on in the same conditions.

ESP off and XWD is quite impressive too, but I won't get into that being that is a little off topic since this is about the older 9-3.
 
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