Traction Control
 

I've been looking over the options on a new F250 and am wondering if someone can tell me how the electronic traction control works. Is it controlling engine power, applying brakes, or a combination of both? Thanks in advance for any answers.

As far as I know there is no electronic traction control available on the Super Duty. Could you point us to where you have seen this option?

Ford Build & Price
 

Go to the Ford website and follow the build and price links. It's listed as a $130 option. I've also seen it in reviews of the 2008's.

I have it on my 08.5. I notice a difference if I take a corner to fast and hammer on the gas to get a squeel. Not sure how it's controlled. I would think the easiest would be monitoring engine rpm and then killing spark.

Must be new on the 08, and I had never seen it before. They sure don't explain it well on that site do they.

"This system notices when a wheel begins to slip, prevents it from spinning so the vehicle maintains maximum traction."

My guess is it cuts back the throttle automatically.

Here is Ford's explaination of their systom:


Traction Control, Electronic
Using the Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) in combination with engine intervention, this system offers improved vehicle control during acceleration in poor driving conditions by using electronic controls to limit wheel spin.


Wheel-speed sensors detect variations in rotational speed between front and rear wheels, and activate the system
The system is functional at all speeds using both engine and brake intervention. The Traction Control actuator pulses the brake calipers at the drive wheels to reduce wheel slip. The driver may feel a slight pulsing in the accelerator pedal
The system utilizes much of the hardware of the Anti-lock Braking System, including the wheel-speed detectors and ABS computer
Traction Control is not available without ABS

Thanks, that's the way I hoped it worked, rather than just engine power. I think I like that option over the limited slip rear end.

I don't think traction control on the SD and limited slip address the same problem, traction control is for when both rear wheels are slipping, and limited slip when only one is.

I think its only available on the diesel.

Does anyone know if airbags for the springs (to level out a truck camper) would interfere with the traction control sensors and computer algorithmn?

More info:

The 2008 Super Duty is the only vehicle in its class to utilize a sophisticated type of patented engine torque traction control on all diesel models. While most competitors use brakes to manage torque, Super Duty’s state-of-the-art diesel uses engine torque to manage wheel spin. Super Duty’s system computes wheel speed from the differential and reduces torque to match the best traction to the wheels for that terrain. The system works in 4x2 only and offers the option of shutting it off when it’s not needed

“Engine torque traction control is much more precise that brake-controlled traction control,” said Gompper, “because it drives you to the best friction point for tires to surface.”

I guess I've gotten into a subject that hasn't seen much discussion yet. According to the Ford build and price site, traction control is available on gassers too. And if the explanation that GregsSD gave is correct and they use brakes as well as engine power, why wouldn't they just brake the side that is spinning and let power go to the other wheel? I would assume that they would then use power control on the second wheel (the one with the most traction) to keep it from spinning. If they are using power control only, like the diesel explanation says, then they would be basing their control on the wheel with the least traction. I think this system would work best with limited slip. I think the first system does by itself what the second system and limited slip do together. I'm just trying to understand before I go and buy anything. Thanks for any help.

There are various forms of traction control, and Ford put it in the T-bird and Cougar from around 1994 through 1997. My '97 Cougar has it.

The way it works, as has already been discussed, is that if it senses a wheel slipping, it'll clamp down on the caliper on that side, AND retard the power from the engine to match.

It works great on the Cougar - just point and shoot - in very low traction situations, it doesn't help much - I can easily surpass it feathering the throttle myself instead of letting the traction control do it. But it's great for the wife...

Pulling out in traffic with a rear-wheel-drive Cougar is usually a tire-smoking event. Not so with the traction control, and it keeps the rear end from sliding around - although I have been able to do donuts in the rain with it turned on if I do it just right.

Anyway, there are a few things to think about with the SD - usually, traction control REQUIRES 4-channel ABS - which the SD hasn't had up to this point.

I'm not sure if a traction-control equipped SD gets four-channel ABS, or it comes with it standard.

Now, if the SD is still 3-channel, it can't figure out which rear wheel is slipping, so it'd have to clamp down on both rear wheels. According to Ford's description posted above, it almost sounds like it's still a 3-channel system.

It's certainly not going to work as well as my Cougar's 4-channel system. What happens when only one wheel is spinning and it clamps down on BOTH rear calipers? Isn't the non-slipping wheel going to get a lot more drag on it than it needs?

Hmm...

Hmm . . . More to think about, the 3 channel system seems to be controlling based on the wheel with the worst traction and adds a big inefficiency by braking both wheels. How can we find out what the Super Duty really does?

My only experience with Fords traction control system was in the '98 Crown Vic and I can tell you that it sucked big time. With the slightest loss of traction the car fell flat on its face. In those cars the system worked by first applying brake pressure to the slipping wheel / wheels and if you tried to overcome that too aggressively it would retard power from the engine. It was a sure fire way to scare the crap out of you if you were pulling out onto a highway and traffic was coming. Maybe it's been improved since then, but I am not willing to take that chance myself. Personally I would stick with the limited slip. Krewat pretty much hits it on the head, you can just point and shoot, but you aint gonna do it in a hurry. With the right tires on an SD the rear end stays planted pretty well for traction.

Except that my '97 Cougar gets up and GOES - it does retard the power from the engine slightly, but not enough for it to "fall on it's face"... far from it - if I keep applying more and more go-pedal, it will eventually overcome the rear brakes and spin the wheels anyway...

Maybe the CV has a 3-channel setup?

To find out for sure, we'd have to look at a wiring diagram for the '08 SD - anyone with an EVTM for the '08?

i have this option on mine, its awesome, and very useful in the rain. i thought i would test it one day when it rained, the first corner i took with it off i did a 180 (no one around) without even trying