# Traction control question



## Blayne (Jul 18, 2015)

If I hold down my traction control button 2 things light up on my dash. The TC on the left cluster and a car doing a burnout on the right cluster, but if I just tap the traction control button only the TC pops up. 

1. Whats the difference?

Not concerned, just curious if I unlocked a transformer.


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## spaycace (Feb 9, 2012)

The first light you mention turns off traction control only. When you hold the button down and get the "burnout" light as you call it, that indicates you've also turned off Stability Control. Although they work together, they control different aspects of the car's safety features. Although you can turn off TC independently of SC, you can never have SC off and TC on.

Just a suggestion here too ... You might want to crack open that fat book in the glovebox and peruse it


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## LiveTrash (May 24, 2015)

If you've ever been turning a corner on a slippery road and the back end started to slide out but you felt it immediately begin to correct itself, that's Stabilitrak (The car icon with the tire marks). When you accelerate hard on a slippery road and you feel it jerk around and hesitate, that's Traction Control (The TC icon). I turn them both off when I wanna pull the handbrake and do some light drifting in the winter, lol.


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## Alex V. (Sep 20, 2013)

My observation is that T/C override only affects the front wheels, Stabilitrac override will affect all four. I find minimal use for the traction control but Stabilitrac saved me once when the back end started to come around on a slushy road.


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## LiveTrash (May 24, 2015)

Alex V. said:


> My observation is that T/C override only affects the front wheels, Stabilitrac override will affect all four. I find minimal use for the traction control but Stabilitrac saved me once when the back end started to come around on a slushy road.


+1 to this. Stabilitrak hasn't saved me yet, but I've tested it and I am very confident that it will help keep the car on the road if I found myself in an unexpected situation.


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## spaycace (Feb 9, 2012)

I cannot speak for how well the stabilitrak works on the Cruze (or even my Volt for that matter) but I know it works like a champ on my G8 as well as the Escalade. It works so well in fact, that the few times it has kicked in, you pretty much just have to trust the electronics to do what they were designed to. Believe me, it's very difficult to not try and correct like you normally would, but the car reacts SO much faster than you can, and if not careful, you can actually make the "loss of control" even worse! It only took me once to learn that. :icon_scratch:


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## jmlo96 (May 2, 2015)

Speaking from experience here, Stabilitrak works very well in the Cruze. I took my Cruze to a defensive driving class and it was shocking how well it works. It also saved me a few weeks ago when I hit black ice going around a bend.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

I don't know if the Stabilitrac system kicked in when I was cut off at 65 MPH but my ECO responded exactly the way I told it to while emergency braking and steering.


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## au201 (May 18, 2013)

I concur that the stabilitrak in the Cruze works very well. It has saved me twice. One time on a back road I saw a puddle coming up (raining) which was across the road in the middle of a turn - it didn't look deep but I knew my tires aren't the best. I supposed I realized too late though and by the time I actually began to brake I hit the puddle and the car lost all steering control from hydro planing and then suddenly caught again, causing an oversteer situation. It all happened so fast I was not reacting as quickly as I should (also 7am). As soon as the back started to come around I saw the flashing orange light and felt the vehicle intelligently stabbing the brakes on each corner of the car to straighten me out - it anticipated a rotation around the center in response to correcting the previous rotation (rotational inertia) and would preventatively stab the front brakes back and fourth to kill the rotational inertia and prevent over correction. 

Other time - I overcooked a turn in the snow way too much. (I didn't know I was supposed to be turning there...in hind sight, should've kept going and turned around...) I thought for sure I was done. I have no idea how at that speed, but the stabilitrak system managed to get me around that turn at an insane speed. I think it probably defied physics. I assume it was braking inside wheels to pull me into the turn that I was under steering through. 

Truly an impressive system. The common theme with having the system work well - you HAVE to trust it to do its job. If you don't trust it and let it do its thing, it can backfire. 

Side note - stability control in my mustang (or AdvanceTrak as ford calls it) seems to be pretty good as well, although it seems to have a little more play programmed into it - may just be because it's a muscle car - programmers wanted some fun programmed in. AdvanceTrak in my mustang has already saved me on black ice a few weeks ago. 


Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App


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## chevrasaki (May 1, 2015)

When the end of January snow storm hit I was headed back home on about 3" compacted snow on top of 1" of ice. I was cruising the back roads at about 25 mph in 3rd gear. I started to go down a steep-ish hill, I left it in 3rd and took my foot off the gas to use the engine braking to keep my speed steady but then I felt the back end start to get out of line for no apparent reason. It kind of caught me off guard. My hands instinctively turned right and kept the front wheels lined up straight with the road as the back started to drift off to the right it kind of caught me off guard and as my brain kicked in and though maybe I should do something about this, I heard the ticking noises of the abs or braking systems and it snapped right back into line. I was pretty amazed I must say, first time I've witnessed it working first-hand.


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## Merc6 (Jun 8, 2013)

Stabilitrac only works well in the snow if your tires aren't almost bald. You really don't have to ask me how I know.


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## spacedout (Dec 7, 2010)

jmlo96 said:


> Speaking from experience here, Stabilitrak works very well in the Cruze. I took my Cruze to a defensive driving class and it was shocking how well it works. It also saved me a few weeks ago when I hit black ice going around a bend.


I'm about due for a new set of tires, after one of the last snow/ice storms I was driving down a steep hill covered in ice with a stop sign at the bottom. I started to brake and felt the rear want to come around left, then right then left again as the Stabilitrac kept the back in line with the front wheels. Freakin amazing how good it actually works.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

Amazing system in the snow. As soon as the rear steps out (my old car did this constantly - very annoying), it snaps you right back inline. 

I am less impressed with traction control on this car. Kills too much power and doesn't brake the spinning wheel enough to get you traction. So you mostly just stall/bog out.


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## Merc6 (Jun 8, 2013)

jblackburn said:


> Amazing system in the snow. As soon as the rear steps out (my old car did this constantly - very annoying), it snaps you right back inline.
> 
> I am less impressed with traction control on this car. Kills too much power and doesn't brake the spinning wheel enough to get you traction. So you *mostly just stall/bog out.*


That was my issue using less than 93 in the winter.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

Merc6 said:


> That was my issue using less than 93 in the winter.


I just end up going too low in the powerband for 2nd gear (1000 rpm or so) when it cuts power. First gear does nothing but wheelspin. Fine and dandy on dry pavement - Don't recommend getting caught by traction control on a steep gravel hill - you're going backwards to get a running start.


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## jmlo96 (May 2, 2015)

jblackburn said:


> Amazing system in the snow. As soon as the rear steps out (my old car did this constantly - very annoying), it snaps you right back inline.
> 
> I am less impressed with traction control on this car. Kills too much power and doesn't brake the spinning wheel enough to get you traction. So you mostly just stall/bog out.


That's interesting to me. I wonder if they changed the programming between the years on the Cruze because my traction control takes forever to come on. It will definitely let you spin quite a bit before it turns on. I think I've only seen mine turn on once. Most of the other cars at work I drive turn it on immediately which is incredibly annoying.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

jmlo96 said:


> That's interesting to me. I wonder if they changed the programming between the years on the Cruze because my traction control takes forever to come on. It will definitely let you spin quite a bit before it turns on. I think I've only seen mine turn on once. Most of the other cars at work I drive turn it on immediately which is incredibly annoying.


I can spin like crazy in 1st and it won't care, but it's not happy about it from 2nd on - it will very harshly cut power, even on dry pavement with a hard 1-2 shift.


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## jmlo96 (May 2, 2015)

jblackburn said:


> I can spin like crazy in 1st and it won't care, but it's not happy about it from 2nd on - it will very harshly cut power, even on dry pavement with a hard 1-2 shift.


I'm definitely going to have to pay attention to this. Now that you mention it, I remember this happening once last winter going up a hill with about 3 inches of snow. I was in second and it just cut all power to the point I had to stop to go back to first so I didn't stall. Ended up having to turn traction and stability control off to get moving again, lol.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

jmlo96 said:


> I'm definitely going to have to pay attention to this. Now that you mention it, I remember this happening once last winter going up a hill with about 3 inches of snow. I was in second and it just cut all power to the point I had to stop to go back to first so I didn't stall. Ended up having to turn traction and stability control off to get moving again, lol.







Sorry about the portrait mode...but you can see where it killed me when the wheels started slipping on the hill at the end.


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