Driving at night in rain or snowstorms can be a scary experience, especially when you have to worry about your car losing traction, hydroplaning, or worse, potentially crashing. touch. The TCS traction control system is a system that can help you feel more secure when participating in traffic on bad weather days like that.
What is TCS traction control system?
Traction Control System (TCS) is an active safety feature that helps maintain the car’s grip between the tires and the road surface in slippery or dangerous conditions. Safety features maintain your car’s traction by limiting wheel rotation, making it easier for you to stay connected to the surface you’re driving on.
As of 2012, traction control is a standard safety feature on cars sold in the United States. Although it can be turned on and off whenever the driver wants, there are some situations where it is necessary to turn it off. However, it is much safer if you keep this system on at all times.
Operating principle of the traction control system
Like most other safety systems above, the TCS traction control system does not operate independently but in combination with other safety systems on the vehicle to ensure smooth operation and mutual support. In particular, TCS combines mainly with the ABS anti-lock braking system
The structure of the traction control system includes sensors arranged at each wheel. This sensor is responsible for detecting changes in wheel speed due to loss of traction and transmitting signals to the central control unit ECU. From this data, the ECU will process the information and apply braking force to the wheels through cables connected to the control valve.
In some car manufacturers, the traction control system is set up to calculate and adjust the engine torque transmitted to each wheel. TCS will interfere with the throttle opening or the fuel distribution system, the ignition system or some other method depending on the different vehicle type.
The role of the TCS system
The traction control system (TCS) detects if loss of traction between the car’s wheels occurs. When it determines that a wheel is losing traction on the road, the system will automatically apply brakes to each wheel or cut the car’s engine power to the slipping wheel. If the wheels lose traction on the road, it can cause the vehicle to lose stability, leading to a dangerous situation. Such loss of traction often occurs on snowy or icy roads and in rainy weather.
In addition, some traction control systems of compact SUVs such as KIA, including Seltos, provide a feature called “Multi-point traction control”, which helps adjust the traction of the wheels. vehicle depending on the situation. This technology reduces off-road wheel slippage by actively controlling front wheel traction through TCS. Thanks to this new technology, it even allows small SUVs to travel on snow, mud and sand roads with just the two front wheels.
The meaning of the TCS light and what causes it to light up
The TCS light is located on the dashboard, you may see it come on from time to time. So what does this light source tell us?
The TCS light flashes as soon as your vehicle begins to accelerate
A flashing TCS light when accelerating could mean that the tire surface and the road surface are not creating much friction. The lights are designed to flash when driving on snowy, muddy or icy roads. However, if the light flashes while your vehicle slows down and the road is not slippery, the problem may be with your vehicle’s ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) sensor. In this case, check the code from the ABS controller to see if the sensor is working.
The TCS light is on with the off symbol below
It is simple to understand that this means your TCS is turned off. You can easily turn the TCS system on and off with a button inside your car.
The TCS light is on continuously
A steady TCS light, often accompanied by an ABS light, means something is going on in your traction control system. The best solution is to bring the car to the nearest garage for a thorough and accurate inspection.
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When should traction control be used?
Traction control is a feature that can be enabled at all times, even when weather conditions are not hazardous. It is set to launch by default when you start your car. You can completely turn off this safety feature, but there are a few reasons why you shouldn’t.
In fact, in some bad situations, having your traction control system still activated will greatly support your steering. In situations where driving involves heavy rain, snow or ice, or even on surfaces where the ground is slippery, a traction control system will make a big difference in maintaining your safety. you, helping you drive more smoothly.
Traction control is also useful when driving around curves in hazardous weather conditions. Sharp turns on normal, non-dangerous surfaces can also result in loss of traction.
So it’s best you should Always keep the traction control system on whenever you encounter dangerous road conditions. And even if conditions don’t seem dangerous, you should keep this feature turned on for safety, except in rare cases when you need to turn it off
When should traction control be turned off?
So when should the TCS system be turned off? That being said, it’s important to maintain traction control over 99% of the time when you’re driving. However, there are some cases where safety features can do more harm than good.
For example, it’s better to turn it off if you are STUCK in mud, sand or snow. If you find your wheels spinning, using the traction control system may make it harder for you to move. Because at this time the wheels often do not speed together. There will be more rotation of the drive wheel. If TCS is enabled, the system will be able to detect and slow the wheel. This makes it difficult for the car to escape the mud.
Another rare occurrence of turning off traction control is when want to drift the car. Drift is a driving technique that intentionally causes the vehicle to oversteer to cause the wheels to skid, creating a sound that sounds like sudden braking and sometimes creating a difficult lane due to the friction of the vehicle with the road surface, so it must be done. turn off TCS. This technique is often used in racing events.
Above is a summary of the information that CarOn learned about the TCS traction control system. Hopefully the above information will help partly answer readers’ questions about this safety system.
For further information, please contact hotline: 0961.247.360 or via website https://caronpro.vn/ for advice and support information about CarOn Pro products and services.
