“Let's say you're at a stoplight on wet pavement. The light turns green and you press too firmly on the accelerator pedal. There is slick asphalt under your tires and the wheels begin to spin. The traction control system instantaneously kicks in, sensing that the wheels have begun to slip. Within a fraction of a second, this data is fed back to the control unit, which adjusts throttle input and applies braking force to slow the wheels (some older systems also retarded engine spark). The wheels are thus prevented from spinning and the car maintains maximum traction.
It's really that simple. Again, think of it as ABS in reverse.
Traction control is available on a wide selection of vehicles, including some economy cars like the Chevy Cavalier, Saturn S Series and the Ford Focus. Virtually all the major makers, including DaimlerChrysler, BMW, Ford, GM, Saab, Volvo, Lexus, Infiniti, Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche, offer traction control on one or more models”.
I can’t believe this thread either but there it is, a quote in black & white from one of several sites and all I did was a general search for Traction Control. Try it and you too will find many sites saying the same thing as the quote above almost word for word, many of them specific to Mustang GT and Cobra.
Simply put brakes are indeed a part of traction control. Therefore, why would you want it ON rain soaked roads, ice covered roads (Yes) launching for maximum dig off the line (No).
-Cale
