Traction Control

[daverobs]

After my recent altercation with a fence and lamp post I wonder if fitting a traction control system is worth considering.

1  How/can it be  fitted? (I am fitting my Zetec on injection  this time + LSD)

2  How much?

3  Is it effective?

Thanks

Dave

[studbuckle]

Depending on the system you go for you will have to do some or a lot of fabrication. The main thing that you will need is a wheel speed sensor on each of the rear wheels and probably each of the fronts to give comparison figures.

This is not that diffuclt though as most of the ford brake components used on the SEiW are from donors that had ABS fitted at some point. It's just a matter of fitting the ABS units and then fabricating the brackets for the sensors.

After that it's all electronic wizardry and will depend on your ECU as to how easy it is to interface with. If you'r shopping for an ECU now then best to add traction control to the requirments list and go for one that has it built in.

Also have a look at The Race Logic website as their system seems to come highly reccomended

[Terry Everall]

I cant see the point myself!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[studbuckle]

That's because you've got a bike engine with no ******g torque Terry

[Mark Stanton]

with no ******g torque Terry

First time I've ever heard that                    

a touch of dyslexia there Mr H          

[nikpro]

I have the racelogic system fitted to my Volvo T5R and it works brilliantly. I think the sport 2000S model also has it fitted so ask Westfield about how much/how to interface with ECU.

The Launch control is great fun!

[Terry Everall]

Simon me old mate - BEC has more usable torque than people think!. My VX car had 235bhp and that didnt need and clever electronics.

Happy christmas Mark  

[JeffC]

smaller lighter footwear works just as well  

[daverobs]

I really did'nt want to start anything.  I just wondered whether it is worth fitting.

When I lost the back end it broke away very quickly, took me very much by surprise. I agree that "smaller lighter footwear works just as well " but having been caught out once with devastating effect I am looking at all the options that might be available now that I am on a total rebuild project.

Thanks

Dave

[Blatman]

What was the nature of the accident? Traction control will take care of some situations but only if power is being applied. It won't help with lift off oversteer issues which are quite common and have caused a few accidents. I tend to side with those who would say that throwing money at a device such as taction control is probably not the best use of your resources, especially for a car that doesn't do any competitive driving. For a race or sprint car where every split second counts then fair enough, but for anything else, I think I'd spend the several hundred pounds these systems cost on driver training which in all probability would have a far greater payback when things go wrong.

[MuddyBum]

What was the nature of the accident? Traction control will take care of some situations but only if power is being applied. It won't help with lift off oversteer issues which are quite common and have caused a few accidents. I tend to side with those who would say that throwing money at a device such as taction control is probably not the best use of your resources, especially for a car that doesn't do any competitive driving. For a race or sprint car where every split second counts then fair enough, but for anything else, I think I'd spend the several hundred pounds these systems cost on driver training which in all probability would have a far greater payback when things go wrong.

I totally agree, find somewhere big and open and practice, practice , practice. Make the thing misbehave and learn how to tame it, skidpans slow things down for learning purposes but with all the same rules, less to hit to!

IMHO far to many of us expect to be able to handle a bad situation when in honesty the last time we encountered a bad situation was probaly a long time ago. When was the last time for example you, recovered sucessfully from an oversteer slide? Making the bad situation happen in a controlled enviroment is better and I think far more satisfiying    

Regards

Si

[daverobs]

I agree with the last two replies

"IMHO far too many of us expect to be able to handle a bad  situation when in honesty the last time we encountered a bad situation was probably a long time ago.”

This is a very pertinent comment.  My accident is making me think more about my driving technique or maybe the lack of it.  But until you have a “situation” do people have think “it will never happen to me”?   Do we  underestimate the power and performance of our machines therefore putting ourselves at greater risk until we recognise that we might need driver training!!

Can anybody recommend such training?

Thanks

Dave

[MuddyBum]

Hmmm well there are a couple of trains of thought on how to go about practice/training

1) Professional driver training at a local track or skidpan is preferable but, unfortunatly this may prove expensive?

2) This is maybe a little more questionable with the law so I choose my words very carefully. Going out in poor conditions ie Snow or rain and finding somewhere quiet to *gently* provoke oversteer or understeer can be a good way of learning how a car behaves at the limits of adhesion. However this *must* be done responsibly and has to be thought through carefully before wrecking your pride and joy or worse injuring yourself and other road users. Really only you can be the judge of you own ability......and with that in mind make an informed decision.

IMO We could ALL benefit fromman hour or two on the skidpan every year or so.

HTH

Regards

Si

[grahame]

That's because you've got a bike engine with no ******g torque Terry  

Had to smile at that... just the reason I'd like to experiment one lifetime if TC would actually help launch the damn thing off the line. OK.. I know there is something between bogging the engine and dropping the clutch at 9,000 rpm, but it never seems to be achievable when that green timing light comes on! Keeping the engine standard might have helped too......

[Paul Hurdsfield - Joint Manchester AO]

I really did'nt want to start anything.  

Why not......everyone else on here does