What does Toyota say about their stupid traction control?

I think your right. If Toyota would keep everything the same, except let the ICE not power the wheels any more than it does now and just free rev the ICE to redline when the wheels loose traction. Everyone would be happy

 

For anyone who is unable to use ECO mode in snow and ice; carry a shovel and sand or cat litter. Then at least you can figure out your mpg loss due to the extra weight.
AND I'm in the OVER 50 group! And I figured it out.

 

So Stream? You get my requested to become join my Friend List?

Listen, since nobody is forcing you to read my posts, I'm not going to appologize for their length.

I don't respect your authority to define who's posts are valid, and who's aren't, mine or otherwise.

If Prius Chat site management ever asks me to leave because of any stated reason...I'll leave quietly...

But I ain't going anywhere just because for some unknown reason to me, I seem to have upset you personally.

Have a Wonderful Day,

The Electric Me

 

I have no issue with electric me's posting here or posts. At all!

 

On the contrary, the problem is the Prius TC software behaving erratically like a temperamental teen.

In no other vehicle does the engine cut out (except of course in failure scenarios) completely when the driver command an increase in pwoer.

 

The end result is the same, however; regardless of driver input TC will limit the power it gives to the wheels, whether by cutting throttle or engaging the brakes the end result is the same.

 

Thank you, thank you! for describing your method in sufficient detail to understand what I was missing.

I wasn't missing anything useful for my winter driving situations. I've already spent too much time helping free other vehicles after counterproductive wheel spinning just made matters worse.

 

The difference is the Prius TC cuts power completely.

 

Someone else already said this, so it isn't original. I'm glad I didn't buy the optional stupid traction control. My 2010 Prius has the base SMART Traction Control.

 

If you watch the speedometer carefully, then you can see the indicated speed fluctuating erratically starting at around 0:20. This is proof that the traction control is allowing the wheels to spin.

Because there is a time lag and hysterisis in the speedometer indication, the wheels are actually spinning a bit faster than the speedometer indicates.

 

The video posted above shows clear tire spinning on this car, too. There is unequivocally no doubt that TC allows tirespin in the Gen 3 prius.

 

Other cars don't have electric motors to power the wheels. Why in the hell would you want to add 75 hp from the gas motor if the wheels are already slipping from the 75hp thats comming from the electric motors?

We had 1/2 inch of freezing rain a few weeks ago. The apartment where i live was a sheet of ice, i could barely walk on it, the parking lot is is pretty flat. I could stop and always take off with wheel spin, but i had to roll down my windows to hear the wheels spinning, because the ICE was off the most of the time. I did find out that the big speed bumps that were covered in ice could make for a good spot to get stuck, i would drive up to them, then stop. My car would not move foward up the icy spped bump, i really couldn't hear the wheels spinning, the light was flashing on the dash and i could hear some clicking noise. I rolled down my windows and heard the front tires going zzzzzzzzz.zzzzzzzzz.zzzzzzzzzzz.zzzzzzzzzzz.zzzzzzzzzz.zzzzzzzz.zzz they were spinning but could not get over the ice covered speed bump. I backed up a inch or two and tried agian and with a 1mph of speed i could get over them.

 

There seems to be a miss conception that the Prius is two wheel drive it is not, if it was both front wheels would spin at the same time. As stated by me in an earlier post what is required is a limited slip diff or a locking diff to drive both wheels with the same torque as with true FWD such as the Range Rover witch also has a central diff lock. Some years ago i used to race a Mini no not the BMW version but the original one this was fitted with a LSD to keep traction when cornering when the inside front wheel lifted of the track. If it was possible back in the 1960s to retro fit a LSD in a Mini surly it must apply now.

 

It seems to me that 2 wheel drive normally means a vehicle which normally propels itself with 2 wheels and cannot do so with 4.

While limited slip differentials help a lot when traction is poor their presence is not required for a car to be called 2 wheel drive.

When one wheel has no traction at all, then a 2 wheel drive which has neither a limited slip diff or ABS momentarily has no effective propulsion at all and, and one that has either or both just has propulsion from one wheel. That does not mean that you call them a "no wheel drive" and a "one wheel drive".

 

Lance might do that if he was peddling up a mountain with heavy snow, his bike was front wheel drive, and he was losing traction. And he could do that multiple times within a second, i.e. he was a car. I bet you the cars he drives, like a Nissan Leaf, can do that.

In another thread you found a way to cut TC off--does it work and if so did it help in this hill?

 

Exactly and if I understand traction control, brakes are applied to the wheel loosing traction and power is transferred to the one that is not. In doing so the toque is lower to not stress the system. But at no time are both sets of (front) brakes applied by the traction control when power is applied.

I tried this one night as I was taking a 90 degree turn, slightly downhill with ice and snow. I powered through the turn since no one was around and almost through it, the car applied the brake to the inside tire while I was applying power. The car stopped the rear from sliding and it straighten right up. I thought it did an exceptional job in that situation.

 

The Prius system is not that intelligent. It can only sense the slip of each wheel. It cannot distribute power like a cars that have electronically controlled differentials. If both front wheels slip on a Prius it decreases power and applies brakes to each wheel. It keeps doing that until it reaches a predetermined amount of acceptable wheel slip. It sounds like Toyota set that threshold very low to protect the drivetrain.