4wd and TSC

[Tim Fuller]

Ok...as long as truck ain't broke. 4wd makes sense to me. TSC makes sense to me. I just never had them both on the same vehicle. Thanks for the insights.

 

[Muddy Bean]

Traction control and stability control are two different operations if not the same method from what I understand. Someone correct me if I’m off on this, but TCS detects wheel spin and applies the brakes individually to said wheel to prevent wheel spin. Stability control detects side to side loss of control and applies braking to minimize said side to side slipping. Stability control in my opinion should always be on. But I can definitely see turning off TCS. Some do tell though, is there a way to semi permanently disable TCS?


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[deweysmith]

TCS on/off toggle really only disables the throttle cut. It will still brake spinning wheels, though I believe it waits a little longer before doing so, allowing more spin.

I think if you press and hold the button it disables more things but I’m not certain, and if so, it automatically re-enables those things above a certain speed.

 

[08T1]

Yep^^^^^

 

[Muddy Bean]

Dewey, if pushing and holding it did other things I’d be super curious...intrigued


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[chuck s]

A couple of years ago I got stuck entering drive-up ATM machine where the access drive leading to it had piled snow blocking the lane. No sweat, this is an Expedition. 2H = no go. 4A = nada. OK 4H has gotta work = nope. All just flashed the traction icon. Left it in 4H, switched off TC, and the truck just walked out of the drift.

-- Chuck

 

[jeff kushner]

Dang guys, I'm jealous as hell.....I've left my truck in 4A since new....but in the past 15 months, we've not received anything deeper then 2" of snow....and I LOVE DEEP SNOW in my Expys!! LOVE IT!!

There is nothing like 4 wheel ROOSTS while doing huge donuts in an empty lot....great fun! Or laying tracks where no Suburban can follow......these trucks are truly beasts in the snow if you know their limitations and avoid those few situations that can cause grief....like long, drifting power-slides that allow the snow to build up under your truck, leveraging it off the ground....making you dig it out....


so yeah guys....I'm jealous because my traction control has been unnoticed so far....

jeff

 

[JExpedition07]

Dang guys, I'm jealous as hell.....I've left my truck in 4A since new....but in the past 15 months, we've not received anything deeper then 2" of snow....and I LOVE DEEP SNOW in my Expys!! LOVE IT!!

There is nothing like 4 wheel ROOSTS while doing huge donuts in an empty lot....great fun! Or laying tracks where no Suburban can follow......these trucks are truly beasts in the snow if you know their limitations and avoid those few situations that can cause grief....like long, drifting power-slides that allow the snow to build up under your truck, leveraging it off the ground....making you dig it out....


so yeah guys....I'm jealous because my traction control has been unnoticed so far....

jeff

I’d say the suburban struggles offroad and in snow just as the Expedition EL does compared to the standard wheel base counter part. Simply put, its Easier for the longer wheelbase versions to get hung up. The newer suburbans perform pretty darn good. But these do perform well I agree.

 

[chuck s]

I rarely run in other than 2H. I can feel the drag when engaging 4A and it serves no purpose in daily driving. I do run 4A in the rain just 'cuz and on dirt roads chasing historical battlefields etc.

My olde '02 Explorer was in 4A by default. No way to run just 2H.

-- Chuck

 

[JollyRoger]

These are all great posts, and informative. I agree that generally, 4A and TSC off work better at slow speeds, and TSC should be on at higher speeds. Having had Expy's for years, it's almost second nature for me to be flipping between 2H, 4A and 4H as well as TSC off/on and even Tow/Haul off/on during different snow conditions. Being in Michigan and close to the lake effect snow, we have widely varying conditions and I'm just used to flipping/turning/pushing. But I never get stuck

Regarding dedicated snow tires, I've been running the Michelin LTX tires and have never needed different tires for winter. They have been great both on/off road, winter and summer. Just my opinion...

Thanks!

 

[Michael McC]

TCS on/off toggle really only disables the throttle cut. It will still brake spinning wheels, though I believe it waits a little longer before doing so, allowing more spin.

I think if you press and hold the button it disables more things but I’m not certain, and if so, it automatically re-enables those things above a certain speed.

If that is true, then why am I able to "drift" out the back end with TSC off? With the stock Hankooks, I liked to turn off the TSC and lean on the accelerator in turns on wet roads. The back end swings wide, tires spin, and no braking is applied.

 

[bobmbx]

If that is true, then why am I able to "drift" out the back end with TSC off? With the stock Hankooks, I liked to turn off the TSC and lean on the accelerator in turns on wet roads. The back end swings wide, tires spin, and no braking is applied.

Just in case it ever comes up: NO. You can't drive my truck.

 

[JExpedition07]

Just in case it ever comes up: NO. You can't drive my truck.

 

[deweysmith]

If that is true, then why am I able to "drift" out the back end with TSC off? With the stock Hankooks, I liked to turn off the TSC and lean on the accelerator in turns on wet roads. The back end swings wide, tires spin, and no braking is applied.

That's what I mean by "waits a little longer," not in time, but in allowed over/under steer. This parameter changes drastically in 2H vs 4A/H, it will allow much more sway on the backend in 4A but it allows almost none by default in 2H.

 

[nonsense]

I've witnessed the same on my '11 Expedition. When in snow at low speed, or from a stand-still if the rear tires start to spin the TCS light flashes, the throttle is shut and no more power. All of this happens before the 4A kicks in the transfer case. It's caused me to get stuck once before and has annoyed me countless times. Like someone else said before I'[m talking about traction control, not stability control. If I'm going fast then stability control is great, if I'm going slow in snow I turn off TCS.

Interestingly I had an '03 4wd and it was much better in snow with 4A than the '11 because traction control wasn't so overly aggressive (or maybe is didn't have it at all? I can't remember)

 

[deweysmith]

All of this happens before the 4A kicks in the transfer case.

I still don't understand what is making people think this happens before 4A "kicks in." It's near impossible to tell that it's doing anything except you have grip on all 4 wheels.

Am I missing some sort of sign that 4A is working? Because on mine there are none except for the fact that it works, hahahaha.

 

[nonsense]

I still don't understand what is making people think this happens before 4A "kicks in." It's near impossible to tell that it's doing anything except you have grip on all 4 wheels.

Am I missing some sort of sign that 4A is working? Because on mine there are none except for the fact that it works, hahahaha.

In my 03 there was a noticeable clunk and then the rears would stop spinning and the truck would pull ahead. On the 11 the rears stop spinning and the car sits still. Maybe it's technically in 4wd at that moment, but it isn't going anywhere because TCS closed the throttle and it's idling

 

[deweysmith]

Try it on a level surface in soft sand or snow. Somewhere where you can get going in 2H but it will take a second if you punch it, especially with TCS enabled. Then do the same thing in 4A.

It's silent, you probably won't get a TCS light, even. It just pulls out, and it's instant. If TCS is active and cutting throttle, it's likely picking up wheel spin on all 4 wheels.

 

[nonsense]

Try it on a level surface in soft sand or snow. Somewhere where you can get going in 2H but it will take a second if you punch it, especially with TCS enabled. Then do the same thing in 4A.

It's silent, you probably won't get a TCS light, even. It just pulls out, and it's instant. If TCS is active and cutting throttle, it's likely picking up wheel spin on all 4 wheels.

I've tried on flat ground in the snow, when I hit the gas the rears spin (I can hear them) and the fonts don't, the TCS flashes, the RPMs drop. I've done this multiple times in my Expedition. That said I've had the t-case rebuilt twice, and the control module (blamed for the t-case self destruction) also replaced twice. So it might just be my "ford tough" 4WD that has these problems. My Subaru has never gotten stuck in the snow though, so I have that going for me.

 

[Tim Fuller]

I've tried on flat ground in the snow, when I hit the gas the rears spin (I can hear them) and the fonts don't, the TCS flashes, the RPMs drop.

Exactly what I get. You can even hear the brakes engaging the slipping wheels. Push TSC button and it goes. That's what I meant by "trumps" the 4A