Traction Control - On vs Off when off-roading

[basinite]

I made this video today for anyone interested (first video, so don't laugh).

In 2012 when the 3.6 came out I bought one and first time getting stuck in the snow I blamed the "new" engine. I had no power, my posi rear end wasn't working, needless to say I was pissed. After getting un-stuck and a few hours of Google Research, I learned the hard way about turning this off when off-roading.

My Dad had a similar issue last month while playing in the snow and couldn't figure out why his new Dodge Truck was acting so gutless while out playing in the snow.

I decided to make this video for all folks new to Jeeping.

Enjoy.

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[RubiJR]

Good job for your first video and informative so thank you and it is appreciated. I will need to remember the traction control

 

[MEHillwalker80]

Nice job. Good little video showing the effects of TC.

 

[Dgr401]

You should do more videos, nice job.

 

[basinite]

Glad you guys liked the video and thanks for the feedback. My 13 year old, who is ever increasingly harder and harder to impress, thought it was "really cool", so that made my day, LOL.

I regret not talking about how with TC on, your Limited Slip Differential (LSD) will not work, or work poorly at best. I personally think people who have bad experiences with LSD either leave their TC on, or they have worn out clutch plates. I've always had great luck with mine and never had a problem with both rear tires locking together.

About an hour or so before making this video I saw a herd of around 150-175 elk. If you guys want to check it out I posted a video in the "Show and Tell" thread. I think I titled it, "Utah Elk Herd", or something like that.

Thanks again.

 

[RV Wrench]

I cant stand the traction control off road. Any wheel spin and it just cuts power.

I can barely tolerate the stability control off road. Not quite as sensitive or invasive as the traction control, but in some situations where you really need some wheel spin, the throttle will almost completely cut out. Even if you "shut it off" like the video says, it is still partially enabled. Evidently Jeep doesnt trust you to have full control.

If you have Tazer, you can push and hold the "traction control" button for a few seconds and it disables all that garbage completely. The only issue I have had while using it is if you try going up a hill and get stuck, dont let the Jeep roll backwards AT ALL while still in Drive. It will stall the engine on purpose. If you are about to roll backwards, shift it to Reverse immediately, then roll back.

 

[wibornz]

The other reason to turn off traction control is it will wear out your rear brakes faster. The way the Jeep transfers power is by applying the brake on the wheel that is slipping. Run it across the sand dunes and it could be applying the rear brakes thousand of times in a short time.

I say this because I wheel a lot and only got 25,000 miles out of my rear brakes.

 

[CT_LFC]

So i learned to disable TC when off-roading but it didn't tell me why.

 

[basinite]

So i learned to disable TC when off-roading but it didn't tell me why.

My understanding is it "Lowers Engine RPM's" and "Applies Breaks", with the end result being to eliminate Wheel Spin and/or Loss of Traction.

Basically, the computer is trying to save you from yourself and prevent you from running into the ditch on slick roads. It does this by forcing you to go slower and strategically applying breaks to certain tires to keep you pointed in the right direction.

That's my understanding at least.

 

[Hound Dog]

My understanding is it "Lowers Engine RPM's" and "Applies Breaks", with the end result being to eliminate Wheel Spin and/or Loss of Traction.

Basically, the computer is trying to save you from yourself and prevent you from running into the ditch on slick roads. It does this by forcing you to go slower and strategically applying breaks to certain tires to keep you pointed in the right direction.

That's my understanding at least.

Mine has never applied a break to any part of my jeep. Nothing broken at all. It does however, when activated, apply the brakes to the wheels.

 

[garyji]

OP, Thanks for the video. I'm new to Jeeps and this was great info!

G.

 

[basinite]

Mine has never applied a break to any part of my jeep. Nothing broken at all. It does however, when activated, apply the brakes to the wheels.

I read your post and couldn't figure out what the heck is this guy talking about??? Then I reread it and had to laugh. Oops, my bad.

 

[Mikester86]

Nice video. Only suggestion I have is please turn your phone horizontal so it is a wide screen video.

 

[JeepJLU402]

Does turning off the Traction Control also turn off the Brake Lock Differential? or are those two things independent of each other?

 

[INCRHULK]

The other reason to turn off traction control is it will wear out your rear brakes faster. The way the Jeep transfers power is by applying the brake on the wheel that is slipping. Run it across the sand dunes and it could be applying the rear brakes thousand of times in a short time.

I say this because I wheel a lot and only got 25,000 miles out of my rear brakes.

Traction control is different and separate from BLD, as I understand it. Turning off traction control does not turn off BLD.

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