Computer Controlled Traction Control.................A Truly Amazing Technology

[toobroketoretire]

I was talking to a man when I was filling my gas tank this afternoon and he told me about the recent experience he had when driving a new C7 Corvette. He said he gave it a full throttle from a stop sign and it accelerated BRUTALLY with no tire spin whatsoever. All because of computer controlled traction control and how it limits the power JUST enough to prevent tire spinning. I told him modern train locomotives also use computer controlled traction control to limit wheel spin so the computer controlled traction control technology now sees widespread use all over the world.

Two years ago I tried running some 0-60's with my '71 big block and finally gave up because of excessive tire spin with every hard launch. My '82 will run consistent 6 second 0-60's but the best I ever got with my '71 big block was a dismal 10 to 11 seconds because anything over 1/2 throttle resulted in smoking tires. I think the computer controlled traction control technology we have today is truly amazing. The same technology that allows our cars to have the safer anti-lock braking. Our modern cars are sure light years ahead of the so-called "muscle cars" of the 60's and 70's, don't you think?

 

[kpic]

No, as usual you don't know what traction control is or how it works..

"In modern vehicles, traction-control systems utilize the same wheel-speed sensors employed by the antilock braking system. ... In most cases, individual wheel braking is enough to control wheel slip. However, some traction-control systems also reduce engine power to the slipping wheels."
Traction Control Explained | HowStuffWorks


"Modern vehicles feature electronic traction control, which includes the use of sensors that are used in the ABS system. These wheel speed sensors monitor the speed of the wheels and determine if one or more have lost traction. If the sensors recognize that one wheel is turning faster than all of the others, it uses the brake connected to that wheel to slow it down. This is generally enough to slow the vehicle down and allow the driver to regain control."

How Does Traction Control Work? | YourMechanic Advice

Before you post, try spending a few moments doing a search for once.

 

[SVO]

Club members who have a late model Corvette with traction control always turn it off when auto crossing or drag racing, as it slows the car down.

 

[Hib Halverson]

The original C4 ASR or "traction control" used a three-tiered strategy to control wheel spin.

First: retarded spark (only used on LT1s and LT4s, not LT5)
Second: reduced throttle opening
Third: rear brake intervention (only below 40-mph)

Corvettes today use either retarded spark or throttle opening reduction.

"Individual wheel braking" is used for stability enhancement.

On C7s w Z51 or Z06, individual wheel braking is deemphasized in certain situations in favor of the eLSD's effect.

As the OP was making the comparison between controling wheelspin the old fashioned way and doing it the "modern" way, With my 71 BB which has a 540-hp 454, I addressed the wheelspin issue with 315/35ZR17 tires in the rear, occasional use of drag radials and a starting line technique which had me leaving at 2200 rpm (no drag radials) and 3000 rpm (on drag radials) and releasing the clutch quickly rather than sidestepping or "popping" the clutch.

 

[toobroketoretire]

Back In The Good Old Days

I clearly remember when dragsters intentionally smoked their tires during a run. It was a great show but the smoking tires didn't help the vehicle's acceleration one bit. After they realized they needed better TRACTION to get maximum acceleration the slider clutches and wrinkle wall tires were invented and elapsed times plummeted. But the smoking tires were awfully cool to watch back in those early days of drag racing.

 

[kpic]

TBTR:
You do??

M&H sensed that if the tire sidewall was made thinner and more flexible, an instant of cushion was achieved – often long enough to help the tread surface bite into the strip rather than churn into exciting (but wasteful) smoke. They toyed with cord angles, cord material and reducing the number of plies in the sidewall. By late 1964 a new type of drag slick was ready to take on the world. Quickly dubbed the wrinkle wall for how the sidewalls rippled with the application of full power, racers everywhere reduced their 60-foot times and started winning more races.

You can kid yourself, huh..

Edit:
Forgot to include the link: :::::: -

Guess you knew this also:

Sure, the wrinkle wall approach resulted in a squishy tire with a nasty tendency to allow massive amounts of side-to-side body sway, but since drag racing is conducted in a straight line, the benefits greatly outweighed the disadvantages. Even more traction was available if the tires were inflated to a mere 6-psi – at a time when traditional stiff-wall slicks were run at as much as 30-psi. No, top end handling was not the wrinkle wall’s forte but its ability to absorb massive horsepower shocks on the starting line without spinning excessively truly revolutionized drag racing.

Same link applies....

 

[toobroketoretire]

Some Things Are Hard To Imagine

It's hard to imagine a 400,000 pound locomotive spinning it's wheels but with over 20,000 ft/lbs of torque available they could do it easily before the traction control technology came into existence.

Now here's something to ponder today: The coupler at the rear of the engine is pulling the entire train (unless a helper locomotive is in the middle). Can you imagine the amount of strain on that coupler when the train is pulling a steep grade. Wow.