Does TC completly kill wheel spin
 

Hey,

My dad has a new Audi A6 2.0TDi. Not the most powerfull car in the world, but I wouldn't call it slow either. Anyway, sometimes when I push it hard of the line at the lights, the front wheels can spin pretty hard. I thought TC would kill it after like 0.1 second, but that's not the case.

My dads old Omega had RWD and you had to be really violent to let the wheels spin.

The second problem is that the ESP doesn't seem to be doing its job so well... My dad said he had serious understeer when he took a sharp corner and the road was slippery.

What do you guys think? I'm going to check the car setting on the board computer tonight. I'm wondering if the ESP might be off.

greetz

That's the downside of a FWD car with a high maximum torque like a diesel engine: the wheels spin very easily ;) An you can certainly experience this on the pumpdöse VAG diesel engines. They react more violently compared to commonrail diesels.
Most current TC systems allow a certain wheelspin during a short period of time, after which they will interact. At least that's my experience. If you really take off violently TC will interact pretty fast, but if the wheels don't spin like mad it will take some time before the TC cuts in on the throttle.

As for the understeer going into a turn: if you're turning into a turn at a speed above what's physical possible, you'll get understeer, ESP or not. ESP just helps to control the skid, but I've you cross the physical limits, ESP can't do much about it. You can easily get sudden understeer in these winter conditions with an everyday family car on summer or 'all season' tires if you push a bit harder. I don’t think you’ve to get worried too much. BTW, ESP is turned on by default when the car is started.

Audi and understeer are a surprise how? ;) :P

hehe

But seriously, as Wut states - any active handling system cannot change the way the laws of physics work - it can only hope to try keep you from endin up in a ditch.. ;)

I notice the TC on my Alero with the 3.4 is sort of like that too. But then, it's only "traction control" not ESP. On dry pavement, I can get wheel spin easily off the line or in the corners. It only cuts in after about a second or so. Having said that, the TC works great during winter time at low speed, you can feel the car is about to lose traction but the TC just keeps it going.

BTW, any of you with front heavy cars notice the tendency for mild oversteer on snow?

So basically it only cuts in when the wheelspin is too violent but it lets the wheels spin a bit. This way you can make a faster launch.
Btw, you're right about VW's TDi's, IMO they're pretty sporty for a diesel but the torque really does come in big lumps.

We're going much faster round the bends with the A6 then we did with the Omega because it rolls a lot less. But you can definitly feel it's FWD when you try to give full throttle in a sharp corner.

@AlienDB7: damn dude, FWD with a 3.4 engine :) I'll try the oversteer bit on an empty parking lot when I'll have the chance :wink:

thx for the replies!!