Traction assist

[gbradleyb]

Can anyone tell me how the traction assist works in a 1st gen mark?

 

[Bangster]

Low speed ABS only, it pulses the brakes. It is effective up to 35 mph (it starts tapering off at 25 mph).

I have had my all speed traction Control in my Gen II Mark VIII trigger at 85 mph on a rain soaked interstate, pretty scary. I have never liked traction control especially the first low speed only traction assist.

 

[billcu]

I like the traction assist on the gen 1.

One thing it does, is keep the rear end from sliding to the right on icy or snowy roads from a stop. The tires still spin and the brakes pulse, but you can gradually accelerate in a straight line.

That also lets you know how slippery it is, something I test often in the winter.

 

[chris2523]

yep, rear brake application, only up to 30 mph give or take.
its not a terrible system, can help getting moving but is not so overwhelming that you can't push through if you need to GO.

the more tire you have on the rear, the better the system gets imo.

 

[gbradleyb]

How does it prevent slipping on takeoff?

 

[tixer]

It pulses the brakes on the "slipping" side, I presume, thus sending (modulated) power to the "good" side via the differential.

 

[gbradleyb]

Also, your saying that when I turn off my trac. Assist button I'm turning off my abs too?

 

[tixer]

Likely not.

I'm assuming the computer that runs these things can tell the difference between wheels slipping when throttle is applied, vs wheels slipping when brake is applied. (or really, just brake on or off, since there's a handy input for that already)

This is all an assumption without having intimate knowledge of the system, but it's definitely how I'd do it if I were building one..

 

[chris2523]

thats correct. they are 2 systems using the same hardware.
the cars computer logic knows the difference between acceleration and deceleration, and whether or not the brake pedal is depressed.

 

[MarkVIIIMarc]

I LOVE the traction control on my 98 in the rain. I test drove it on a rainy day and thought "how bad can this car be in the snow, I can't get it to fishtail with the gas pedal only in the rain."

Well, My MarkVIII gets stuck in the snow worse than my 68 Mustang but is GREAT GREAT GREAT in the rain.