Bah, I'm going to clear this up.

From the manual (not exact wording)

The traction control applies the rear brakes and retards engine timing to reduce torque and help control wheelspin.

My observations:
It does not always pull the timing
After two seconds with no spin, the timing returns
I pulled a 14.5 @ 94 MPH when I forgot to turn the traction control off, my best was 14.2 @ 97 with it off.

If the wheelspin is not bad (only minor) it will only use the rear brakes, the engine timing will not be pulled back. If applying the brakes does not help the wheel spin (it doesn't apply the brakes tragically hard, enough to stop the spin, so on wet or snowy roads if you're flooring it, it will pull timing so the brake pressure it applies will be enough to stop the spin), it will then back off the timing... the timing will return to normal after two seconds of no spin.

Verdict: If you can't launch for crap and don't want the best time possible, but want a consistent time, leave it on. Otherwise turn it off, it does not cost any horsepower and if you're racing from a roll there's no harm in leaving it on. To turn it off, like has been said, there's a button down by your shifter that says TRAC OFF, when the orange light is on, the traction control is off.

I would say leave overdrive on for the 1/4 mile unless it's shifting into your final gear at the very end of the run (last second or two). If it isn't going into the last gear at all, it doesn't make a difference either way.

 

With 4.10 gears/supercharger/02GT and various other bolt ons I leave the traction control off and overdrive off. I race locally in the 1/8 so I never hit 4th gear anyway. I only get into 3rd at the end as well. 1/4 mile I belive I do get into 4th but only once ont hat track being so far away. Unless I am mistaken..you cant do a great burnout to warm your tires up with T/C on cause you will get one tire to spin only. I have mine turned out with my tuner so I dont have to deal with it. -Shane

 

How would you get a 1 wheel burn out with TCS on? You would be doing a no wheel burnout.

 

A no wheel burout?? Do you own a Mustang? I have never heard of flooring a Mustang and nothing happening. I have heard of one wheel spin and two wheel spin though. I know for a fact that I can get one wheel when the button is on and two when the button is off. It's a common mistake at the track to leave it on when warming the tires up before a run-Shane

 

When my TCS activates, my car practically shuts down. I've never...NEVER...been able to maintain wheel-spin under TCS. I could take my **** to 5500 and dump it with TCS on and I wouldn't come close to burning any tires.

 

Traction control transfers power from one wheel to another..i thought..it doesnt shut down. Like the one guy earlier said he was still was running great times with it on but even better with it off. With traction control off you can deliver equal power to each wheel without interuptions from computer compensation. Thus the reason why people always turn them off-Shane

 

if ur at the track....tc off

end of topic

 

 

THIS IS WRONG. COMPLETELY WRONG!

Some of the information in this thread is already bad enough (with the exception of a couple of guys) but this is just bullsh1t.

I'm not going to go so far as to call him a liar but if your car does what shane361 says that his does, then your car is BROKEN. The rear end is broken, the traction control is broken and the rear brakes are broken. Get them fixed and don't race a broken car.

Traction control has no effect whatsoever on your locking rear end so it will not cause a one wheel burnout when turned on.

shadowdrake is almost exactly right on except he neglected to add that the computer will also cut fuel at a certain point.

According to my own personal experience and Ford themselves, the mustang traction control functions, as follows.....

a) wheelspin is detected by the same system as your ABS

b) rear brakes are applied.

b) if wheel spin is not controlled by rear brakes or a given time passes, timing will begin to be retarded.

c) if wheel spin is not controlled by above, or a certain amount of time passes, fuel will be cut.

You can actually sit in deep snow or on sheer ice and floor the car and have no power at all go to the rear wheels. The engine doesn't even rev.....it kinda grunts and stutters but it doesn't rev and the wheels don't move. Neither tire will spin!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

As far as having your OD on or off at the track. It doesn't really matter. You can use it or not use it. It should make no difference at all except in extreme circumstances. For example, if you are geared and want it to stay in third instead of shifting to fourth.

Are we done here yet?

 

Please stop now. you don't know what you are talking about.