LegitLegacy Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 Hi... I have a question about the traction control system. We recently got dumped with a bunch of snow. My driveway is pretty steep, so I typically shut the traction control off to keep momentum going as I make my way up the hill. When I did this on the Legacy, the traction control still kicks in. In the owners manual, it says this may still happen. Is there anyway to completely override this? I only want it completely off for these types of situations... I know for some vehicles, they have various levels of control, press vs press/hold for complete shut off... any thoughts? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTEASER Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 What year and model Legacy do you own? GTEASER's 2012 Legacy GT - Sold GTEASER's 2009 XTeaser - Sold GTEASER's 1992 Legacy SS - Sold Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cww516 Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 '13 3.6R, based on a little light stalking. I know with the GT, traction control will try to help you out if you brake, but I think that was more ABS than throttle cut. Couldn't tell you how the 3.6R behaves, but I'd guess it's similar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellesedil Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 On the GT, the the button activates/deactivates the part of the traction control system that brakes individual wheels and cuts power. If you're stuck, you want to shut this off so that the wheels will continue to spin. The AWD system will continue to transfer power to the various corners and the TC light will still light up, but you actually want this to happen so that a wheel that has some traction will receive some of the power from the other wheels that are free spinning. What you don't want is the car to detect wheel spin and decide to cut power. I have no idea what differences there could be with the 3.6R in this regard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Humble Rumble Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 I just tested this in my 2012 3.6R. If you push and hold the traction control button for 15 seconds, the light will come on when you first start holding it and turn back off after 15 seconds has passed. This worked in my car when I just tried it right now, and from everything I've read this is used to fully disable all driver aids. It's dry as a bone here right now, so I can't exactly test the extent of its affects, but the light definitely does go back off if you hold the button for 15 seconds. I've also heard that to reset this, you have to turn the car off and on again. 2012 Legacy 3.6R Build Thread 5th Gen Legacy BM/BR Body Kit Compendium Thread Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgoodhue Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 I just tested this in my 2012 3.6R. If you push and hold the traction control button for 15 seconds, the light will come on when you first start holding it and turn back off after 15 seconds has passed. This worked in my car when I just tried it right now, and from everything I've read this is used to fully disable all driver aids. It's dry as a bone here right now, so I can't exactly test the extent of its affects, but the light definitely does go back off if you hold the button for 15 seconds. I've also heard that to reset this, you have to turn the car off and on again. My TC light will go off if I hold the button for about 15 seconds, I had assume that means the TC is back on. I will have to try that out today if we still have snow in the parking lot. I usually disable the TC when its snowing out. With a 2.5i and snow tires, it takes some effort to get the tire to spin. Even with the TC on the tire will spin some (on slippery surface and usually WOT) before the brakes engage, disabling the TC by pressing the usually on results in a couple extra second of tire spin. Perhaps it is cutting the engine power as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cww516 Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 Straight out of the owner's manual: - When the switch has been pressed to deactivate the Vehicle Dynamics Control system, the Vehicle Dynamics Control system automatically reactivates itself the next time the ignition switch is turned to the “LOCK” position and the engine is restarted. - If the switch is held down for 10 seconds or longer, the indicator light turns off, the Vehicle Dynamics Control system is activated, and the system ignores any further pressing of the switch. To make the switch usable again, turn the ignition switch to the “LOCK” position and restart the engine. Basically, it's failover behavior to account for the possibility of a stuck switch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LegitLegacy Posted February 13, 2017 Author Share Posted February 13, 2017 Thanks guys. I saw the same in the owners manual. I'm surprised there is not a way to fully disable. Going up the hill with about +2" of snow and the TCS off, it was literally the same as having it on. I don't have snows on, which would make a difference, but would like to be able to straight power through it.. oh well. Appreciate all the input and help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellesedil Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 Thanks guys. I saw the same in the owners manual. I'm surprised there is not a way to fully disable. Going up the hill with about +2" of snow and the TCS off, it was literally the same as having it on. I don't have snows on, which would make a difference, but would like to be able to straight power through it.. oh well. Appreciate all the input and help. Turning the "TCS" off allows you to "power through it". There's two systems at work here: the AWD system and the Traction Control System. You can't shut your AWD off, which includes the transfer of power from wheel to wheel (and I can't think of any condition that you'd want to). You can shut off the Traction Control system, which is designed to keep the car straight. This involves brakes being applied on individual wheels and limiting the power (via RPMs) if the car thinks it's losing traction and might be at risk at spinning. For example, this is the system that prevents you from sliding the rear of the car out. If you are stuck, this system would prevent the car from generating any power at all because the car sees the same conditions you'd be in if you were able to lose traction at speed. In the situation you described, you want your AWD system to be on and your TCS to be off. Just like you did. Given the powertrain you have, it's also the optimal situation for you. The car will have access to all of the power it's capable of producing, and it will continuously try to find the optimal traction for each individual tire in an attempt to get you moving forward. So, what's disappointing about this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Humble Rumble Posted February 13, 2017 Share Posted February 13, 2017 You can't shut your AWD off, which includes the transfer of power from wheel to wheel (and I can't think of any condition that you'd want to). http://i1.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/926/330/4dc.gif 2012 Legacy 3.6R Build Thread 5th Gen Legacy BM/BR Body Kit Compendium Thread Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LegitLegacy Posted February 14, 2017 Author Share Posted February 14, 2017 Turning the "TCS" off allows you to "power through it". There's two systems at work here: the AWD system and the Traction Control System. You can't shut your AWD off, which includes the transfer of power from wheel to wheel (and I can't think of any condition that you'd want to). You can shut off the Traction Control system, which is designed to keep the car straight. This involves brakes being applied on individual wheels and limiting the power (via RPMs) if the car thinks it's losing traction and might be at risk at spinning. For example, this is the system that prevents you from sliding the rear of the car out. If you are stuck, this system would prevent the car from generating any power at all because the car sees the same conditions you'd be in if you were able to lose traction at speed. In the situation you described, you want your AWD system to be on and your TCS to be off. Just like you did. Given the powertrain you have, it's also the optimal situation for you. The car will have access to all of the power it's capable of producing, and it will continuously try to find the optimal traction for each individual tire in an attempt to get you moving forward. So, what's disappointing about this? Other AWD vehicles I have owned allow to fully disable. I was just curious if that was possible with the legacy. That said, I agree with you, however when climbing up a steep driveway with snow, having all wheels spinning without the ABS kicking in allows me to get up the drive faster and without the side to side motion caused by the ABS stopping the wheels from spinning. This is the only situation where I feel full off TCS is beneficial. Thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cww516 Posted February 14, 2017 Share Posted February 14, 2017 Just to clarify, you wouldn't necessarily have all wheels spinning with traction control off- starting in 2010, the Legacy no longer has a limited-slip rear diff, so the ABS activation you're noticing is actually the car trying to emulate the behavior of a limited-slip diff because one wheel is spinning. As long as it's not cutting throttle (which I'm not sure if it does or not, I very rarely disable traction control unless I'm screwing around in a snowy parking lot or on the highway in heavy snow), this should actually improve performance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nads Posted February 14, 2017 Share Posted February 14, 2017 I understand what you are trying to do and why but what you need is better tires. If your still on the the stock tires they suck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLlegacy Posted February 14, 2017 Share Posted February 14, 2017 It's all about the tires! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YeuEmMaiMai Posted February 14, 2017 Share Posted February 14, 2017 you don't want to fully disable TCS as it acts like a electronic limited slip and that is good for getting out unstuck or preventing you from getting stuck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisCrash Posted February 14, 2017 Share Posted February 14, 2017 I was just playing around with this in the snow the other day and as CWW and the manual says, holding it down for 10-20 seconds until the light goes off will give you the best manual control over the vehicle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLlegacy Posted February 14, 2017 Share Posted February 14, 2017 The lgt though has a different system than the 5eat and cvt I don't think the vtd system is as easily defeat able. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nads Posted February 14, 2017 Share Posted February 14, 2017 Does the GT bias front to rear or is it fixed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cww516 Posted February 14, 2017 Share Posted February 14, 2017 The GT (and 6MT 2.5i) has a viscous coupling and bevel gear center diff, so 50/50 unless there's slippage, at which point the viscous coupling slows down the rear wheels, effectively forcing power to the front. The CVT has a computer-controlled clutch and bevel gear diff to selectively send more power to the rear wheels in case of slippage, and I think the 3.6R has a planetary center diff and a computer-controlled clutch to selectively send more power to the front. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLlegacy Posted February 16, 2017 Share Posted February 16, 2017 I believe the 5eat can send more power front or rear, but it is initially rear bias. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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