Traction Control
 

Alright,si I have figured out that if you press the traction control button and hold it down for a few seconds that all driver aids get turned off,is this correct? If so then what hapens when you just press it once?

What exactly does out traction control system control? What is the best way to compensate for overly excited driving with the traction control on? Is it still best to turn into a skid etc?

By the way I have a 2009GT with a mt.

Thanks

you press it it turns off all.
if you press it and hold it more than 2 secs the malfunction detection system thinks its a faulty button, and it'll show a warning light. you have to restart the car to make it back to work properly.

10 seconds, not 2, but holding triggers a fault which disables everything except ABS. I have been trying to find the difference between tap off and hold off, but as far as I have been able to tell, tapping off still allows full oversteer and understeer, though it seems like it's easier to control with just tap off. Tested in wet, dry, and snow. Shrug, don't know.

ABS works regardless of the level of disable, I don't think you can disable ABS without pulling the fuse. No reason to that I know of.

If you have it on, and start sliding, just keep the wheels pointed in the direction you want to go, it will correct quite quickly. I trigger it all the time intentionally. Steering angle is one of the inputs used to calculate, so pointing the wheel somewhere else might have disastrous consequences even if mild traction loss. With it on, I did a 4-wheel slide once at 45mph without triggering it, a faint hint of black ice for a couple feet followed by damp surface on an exit ramp was enough to start it, slide so smoothly and evenly it wasn't until after I regained traction hitting the sunlit area of the ramp that I realized the DSC hadn't kicked in.

Don't quote me on this, but tapping it once should only disable Traction Control, while holding it disables both Traction Control and Stability Control.

Best way to recover.. leave DSC on.

I can speak from personal experience that in my Series II (2009) RX-8, tapping the button disables both traction control and stability control. I believe this is also what my manual states.

Tapping does fully disable traction control, however it is with stability control that the question exists. Tapping it off certainly allows you to get sideways, but there have been alot of people that claim that tapping off just lets you get sideways so far before it kicks in again and recovers you, vs full 10-second disable that will never kick in at all.

I'll put it this way. Drifting with just tapping the button is a no no as the car will correct itself after about a 15 foot slide. Holding it in for 10 seconds allows big slides. :)

^^ +1

I have a GS and don't need to worry about pressing buttons, keeping it staight is a forethought.

I've done complete wipeouts after only tapping it off, it never kicked in. I even skidded off the track with massive understeer, did a full 360, and then skidded another 10-20ft sideways, and nothing ever kicked in.

^^ that's cause your car is special..

But no i agree, tapping it off still allows some sort of traction or stability to come on, while holding it for 10 seconds allows it all to turn off. Consequences are having to turn car off and back on again for it to be enabled again.

Its kinda weird how it works, as Darklord said he has had full wipe outs with partially off, i have pressed it once and was able to keep back tires spinning while feathering the gas pedal in wet conditions.

Situation again, i had to turn all the way of when i was on a dyno, it would not allow me to accelerate. so i guess it depends on angles vs spinning of the wheels.

But i believe there are some other topics on this if ya search. :)

...I don't have a DSC button, just really learned alot about keeping this car on the road in the winter. I'm not so sure if I would really want it (dsc) now. That being said I don't think my car will handle as good as a GT because I am not a computer.
/Tit-for-tat/

No i know older models didnt come with the DSC, Im just saying in general the "Darklords" car is special :)

I haven't seen it but I could only imagine......

Base models didn't have it, Touring and GT had it standard regardless of year. Base models might have gotten it as well as some point.

I think the reasoning from Mazda is that the base model is also the lightest, most suited to track, which would be disabling it anyway.

The base model for the 2009 doesn't come with DSC actually, and I think the base model for the series I didn't either, but don't quote me on that.


I think it may be because in most of my situations, I have my foot off the gas and it's not really about my wheels spinning as much as they're just skidding with no traction.

i dont know if new cars are different, but for most that have traction control:
- pressing it quick - disables traction control, but DSC is on
- holding it for some time - disables TC and DSC - hold it until both light are iluminated

my 09 you just tap it all disabled, no traction control and stability control
it actually says DSC off on the dash when I tap it.

DSC is the combination of TC (traction control), ESC (electronic stability control), and ABS ;)

One tap off the dsc and tsc, but if you brake hard enough that activates ABS, it will come back on. 7 seconds hold, nothing reactivates.... well from what I read anyway..

Something sure happens when you hold the button down! Extra lights turn on, you can't turn them off

Kinda off topic but I've been able to spin my tires and once on a wet road I got sideways and both my traction and DSC were on...


When I had my Mazda 6 the Traction Control would come on anytime I tried to spin my wheels or if I lost traction in the rain.:dunno:

Sounds like the same thing to me.

DSC attempts to prevent a slip and controls it once it occurs but it doesn't always stop a slip from starting, especially in the rain depending on tires. My stock Bridgestones spin very easily in 1st gear from a stop or taking a 90 degree turn too quick when in the rain. On dry roads, the tires will studder from the DSC preventing it from slipping when taking sharp turns but they won't actually slip.

This was covered b4 many times ... it can be partially disables - gets rid of TC (DSC is still enabled - uses brakes when you put car sideways for long period of time)
And it can be fully disabled when you hold it longer and 2 light are illuminated.

pretty sure on the manual says if you hold the button for more than 2 sec, its a malfunction warning saying theres problem with the button (in case it is), and you'd have to shut the car off to reset.

Ive done drifting with just a tap to turn the DSC off, never came back on.
DSC includes ESP and TCS, so its off all is off.