hydroturboss

Like the title says.......what does it do and by turning it off, what doesthat do? What are the advantages to shutting it off or keeping it off

TommyP

iTrader: (2)

Stability control uses the brakes, and cuts the throttle, too keep you from spinning out.

hydroturboss

What r the advantages to turning off the traction control! If I do shut it off doesn't that mean that I will be more **** to wheel spin?

MastaShaKe_88

iTrader: (5)

I'm interested as well.. Traction control, ESC, an all that..

TommyP

iTrader: (2)

If you're trying to drive quickly, and know how to handle the car, then all the assists will do is slow you down.

CudaJoe

iTrader: (1)

also it really helps to turn that crap off when your stuck in the snow

otherwise you'll never get out of a snow bank

MastaShaKe_88

iTrader: (5)

neither of y'all really answer the question

jmfselu

yah you can really feel esc on or off when you take big loops going somewhat fast. I've taken a slightly hard turn in a cul de sac and could literally feel when the outer rear brake would engage and dis-engage soflty to prevent my rear-end from skidding or sliding. With esc on you can take corners comfortably fast while knowing you won't slide out. But the second you take esc off, you can really feel the car and its limits. I recommend only taking esc off during race applications or toying around "In a safe area" that is.

PRND3L

Its to protect others from shitty drivers.

cobaltz06

Tried a google search and this is what I found.

DIC Warnings and Messages: DIC Warnings and Messages - Instrument Panel - Chevrolet Cobalt owners manual - Cobalt Cobalt - Chevrolet manuals

Traction control: Traction Control System (TCS) - Driving Your Vehicle - Chevrolet Cobalt owners manual - Cobalt Cobalt - Chevrolet manuals

Electronic Stability Control: Electronic Stability Control (ESC)/ Traction Control System (TCS) Indicator/Warning Light - Instrument Panel - Chevrolet Cobalt owners manual - Cobalt Cobalt - Chevrolet manuals

Comp Mode: Competitive Driving Mode (SS Models Only) - Driving Your Vehicle - Chevrolet Cobalt owners manual - Cobalt Cobalt - Chevrolet manuals

themacguy

^^ This.
It will apply the brakes at individual wheels to keep the car from sliding. Scared the Sh*t out of me. So I keep ESC off in the dry.

TommyP

iTrader: (2)

Ya, to give you an idea of how powerful the esc can be at time, I used to use it to make sharp 90* turns into my driveway in the snow. I got used to when it would kick in, and would literally drift into my driveway just by turning the wheel. The esc would only hit the rear brakes and throw me around the corner. Almost caused me to spin out Once in the winter

Ch1ck3n

iTrader: (5)

Wait, is this on a 2008 Cobalt SS Turbo?

Ch1ck3n

iTrader: (5)

You have a freak of nature then, I've purposely ripped my handbrake in the ice/snow with ESC active, and the car very effectively corrects the slide.

bogalusahondakiller

Mine won't let you have any fun at all with it on. I turn it off at all times when it's dry. It's way to sensitive IMO

Permafried-

This. It uses input from numerous sensors around the car to determine requested direction and the direction it believes the vehicle is moving. If the two cross a threshold, the Stability Control begins applying the brakes (I think only rear?) and cutting throttle input to make requested and actual direction as close as possible without risking making the car unstable in the other direction, etc.

Martel18SS

I do it in the winter too.

Putting the car into comp mode lessens the sensitivity and strength of esc without fully disabling as well.

Sweetsandman

iTrader: (-1)

To make it simple, TC aids in wheel spin; ESC aids in preventing vehicle rotation.

silverbullet08

You can disable it completly by unplugging the rear wheel sensors plug under the car by the fuel filter. There is a plug that comes through the body under the rear seats that contains i believe three plugs. trace it back a couple feet and you can see which one goes to the wheels. Unplug it and you dont have to worry about any ESC what so ever and dont have to hit the button either. You do get a T/C light on the dash and a ABS light since it has no clue whats going on back there anymore. Be careful if you do this, You have no computer help with stability or breaks so your basically driving a 350hp go cart.

sLAsh

iTrader: (2)

This is what stability control is for
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_QRjjOd9AKC...ing+Things.jpg

V8Rumble

Stability control engages the inner rear brake to reduce understeer and engages the outer front brake to reduce oversteer.

HmF300ex

Already said but I'll throw in what I know. Traction control is used when the wheels slip during acceleration-it applies brake. Stability control utilizes all 4 brakes and throttle in the case of sliding. ABS taps the brakes at a REALLY fast rate in order to stop the wheels from locking up, faster then it is possible for a human to pump the brakes.

For me, traction and stability control are pretty much useless, I know my car well enough to be able to handle sliding more efficiently then just braking until i stop sliding. It actually gets annoying on back roads around my house that I usually haul ass around, I'll be going around a corner in complete control and stability control will reduce throttle and I can feel certain wheels braking for no apparent reason lol. I also turn both off when autocrossing, they really are not efficient at all, more of a safety precaution. ABS is very useful and should always be used in my opinion though

Traction control is very useful in more powerful RWD cars however, in the Cobra it does wonders if you just get the urge to mash it lol

silverSS08

Anyone ever think about this contributing to the inner rear pads wearing down so quickly?

How do you guys drive around normally with the esc / tcs? Both on? Both off? One on one off?

Boosted4

I normally drive around on a dry day with just traction control off. On a wet day, traction control is on. I only deactivate ESC and TC (by holding down the TC button for like 10 seconds, for those who didn't know) if I want to race someone. After that, I go back to just traction control off. If I just want to activate my tune and mess around without racing, I'll put it into competitive mode.

TommyP

iTrader: (2)

that has nothing to do with it. 99% of people aren't going to be pushing the car hard enough to engage the esc often enough to noticeably affect break wear for 1, and 2, no matter what, when the brakes are applied, the pads should be working evenly, and wearing evenly, so if the brakes aren't working properly in such a way that only the inner pad wears out in normal breaking, it will still work the same if the esc applies the brakes.

If you're just driving around normally, there's no reason to bother turning off the esc/tcs. Just leave them on, if you get in a race, then turn of traction control. The only time the ESC should need to be turned off is at a road course/ autocross.