New "safety" features on cars.

[wbute]

Just wondering if anyone else has had similar experiences with Traction Control. I have had my 2011 Hilux now for close to a year. It has Traction Control, is a D4D and auto. I have spent all my driving life on dirt and tar roads. I tend to power out of corners on gravel most of the time as it keeps your car heading where you want it to go. If it steps out at the back then just a little throttle and it straightens up.
Enter traction control, into corner, front brakes apply themselves, power is cut by computer, Hilux is now uncontrollable, and wants to straight ahead. No way of correcting the car at all. Now this would have to be the same on a wet tar road I assume.
So my opinion on traction control is that its makes driving a car less controllable. You can turn it off, but it is back on again as soon as you turn the car off.
If you learn to drive in cars with these driver aids I feel you have to be a worse driver for it.

[Robbo]

That's very interesting James. I have only had traction control in one car I have owned..(vy ss)..and that was only used on sealed road's. I found it useful when pulling out into traffic on wet road's and roundabout's, plenty of those around here.I have heard in the past that it is next to useless on 4wd's on dirt, and how you have explained it, I now understand. As you say, I to feel sorry for the people learning today with a "safe" car, as they have all the latest mod con's fitted, and need less and less driver input to keep the car pointed in the right direction.

Cheers.

[HK1837]

Is it traction control or stability control? They introduced stability control in 2011 only with the low power D4D but not until 2012 models with the engine that needs it (V6). Mine is a 6th or 7th month 2011 and it still had the 15" wheels where the stability control vehicles got 17's (on the SR5 in any case). My ute definitely could benefit from it on wet roads, if you increase throttle to maintain speed up a hill it can kick back two gears from 5th to 3rd, and that straight away brings the V6 to maximum power. On wet roads this and the LSD can kick the back end out 90deg in no time. It has done it to me a few times, once when I first got it it spun 180deg on me and I was then travelling backwards at about 20kph, luckily I thought to knock it into neutral or it'd have kept spinning.

It is now mandatory, Toyota sold off any SR's cheap that didn't have it very recently.

[wbute]

It's the stability control thing according to another site. The dealer can do something to change apparently.
These cars are meant to be driven on the dirt right? That's why they have 4WD and light truck tyres. Why do they put all this city centric stuff on them? It makes them dangerous on dirt roads.
When I compare the 2011 to the 91 farm hilux I have, you really have to say that Toyota lost the plot with the Hilux. Town ute at best these days.
I wish I could afford a Landcruiser. I don't have the gold mine required to buy one though.

[HK1837]

Mine is good on dirt! You should have bought a 2011 V6!

I wouldn't be buying a Landcruiser ute, I drove one and comfort is about on par with my old FJ40. Plus they are manual only, unless you spend $15k on a 6L90 conversion.

[Dick61]

I have a 2007 VE Lumina, the "stability control" will cut in under hard acceleration when turnng at a T intersection, without spinning the wheels or losing traction in any way. A couple of weekends ago we went to the Hot Rod run at Bright and came home via Mt Hotham and Bairnsdale so my daughter could visit her grandparents. The stability control cut in when coming down into a turn ie when the corner was in a dip and there are plenty of them in the mountains, it actually made the car dangerous and my daughter found that the sudden slowing and braking to maintain a straight line made her feel sick. It just scared the hell out of me! I turned the stability control off and the ride was so much better. Maybe those of us who learnt to drive in FJs EHs or HRs actually learnt to drive the car, you had to be ahead of my old EH as it wandered all over the road with no input from the driver.

[Robbo]

I did most of my dirt driving in leaf sprung car's, ute's etc, and it was alway's very enjoyable because the vehicle's were so predictable. Thankfully I haven't, and probably never will, own a vehicle with stability control because it just sound's like they have a few refinement's to make to the programme to get it right. I prefer to drive my car's without any assistance.

Cheers.

[Sandaro]

I was in a car with a mate (VT Commodore I think) came round a corner too hot in the wet and the car was sliding all over the road. TC light was flashing. Apparantly that's the system telling you- "You're on your own buddy"

[Beachy]

I have 2011 land cruiser work mate and love it . it will last twice as long as a hilux town ute so it not that dear no traction control good on the dirt and a great v8 moter

[Big Rob]

I have a VT Clubsport (that I rarely drive now I have my van) and found the traction control useful in the wet on tar, but have never experienced it on dirt. I remember one occasion I was driving in the wet and my left wheels were caught in a deep puddle that would normally pull the steering to the left. Before I had noticed it, the traction control sorted it out and kept the car straight. I'm not normally a fan of modern gadgets on cars, but that incident could have been a pending accident.