Traction control and winter driving

Dino

Active Member
Nov 17, 1999
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Halifax, NS, Canada
What year did traction control start in the 4.6 GT's? Was it standard? How do they handle in the winter with TC? I had a 96GT and it was absolutely hopeless anytime the roads even a dusting. Was TC available on the V6's?
 
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Its not about traction control its about tire selection and preventitive maintenance.

With good all season tires (even better snow tires), a car that is in good condition (aligned, balanced wheels, proper tire pressure), and a driver that is experienced in the show there should be no problems.
 
but if you really wanted to know TC started in 99, and i believe it was an option, but if you got something like a cobra, or a saleen it was standard...

but yeah, i drove a manuel during the winter and that was a pain it was a 98, i spun my tires till i put the car in 3rd gear then it gripped.. but that was keeping the RPMs low in 1st adn second so my tires didn't spin too bad. but just learn to drive and what to do with the car to get it to work better, or deal with it...
 
drove mine in the winter and the traction control seemed to make things worst it would bog the car down so much that it wouldnt move...so i turned it off and it went alot better u just need good tires and to know how to drive in the snow it is possible to get around in some snow with the car. just dont be tryin to drive through a blizzard and you will be fine.
 
T/C was offered 99+

Whether or not it was standard or optional depends on the year and model car. Some GT's had it standard while others optional. All Cobras have it standard. In the early years, it was a separate option from ABS (needed ABS to get it but you could get ABS and not get T/C) while around 2001 is became packaged with the ABS.

I have no complaints with my T/C. I shut it off on dry summer days but in the fall or winter i leave it on when i'm "just commuting" as my car is a daily driver. There have been times i've hit some wet leaves or road sand and nearly kicked out and lost control and it's saved me.

In the snow from a dead stop, T/C sucks. It bogs the car down more than anything. I usually shut it off at a start, put the car in 2nd gear and get moving. Once moving along, i turn the t./c on as it helps keep the car under control in a turn or any other manuver. WHen i stop in the snow, i turn it back off until i get moving.

Now it's summer and the roads are clear and dry so i usually turn it off. Doens't take much to hit a button but if it starts raining out, i turn it back on.
 
Dunlop Wintersport M3's are all the traction control you need. I've got equipped on my car and used it for many years while I ran various summer/all-season tires. Since turning the traction control off with my Diablo Predator two summers ago I haven't felt the need to turn it back on no matter what the weather conditions.