Crucifix

Finally got a hold of my '06 Mustang GT (5spd, Redfire) yesterday. I've been driving ten years but this is my first sports/muscle car. I've had a blast these past two days. With 300hp at my foot I've also learned a bit about respect.

So until I start my driving course at the local track, just a question about traction control for the experienced drivers out there. I get a lot of rain where I live, and so tonight (in the pouring rain) I decided to see how TCS would handle. I found a huge empty parking lot (wet but no puddles) and gunned it - TCS kicked in and slowed things down in 1st with no problems, then I shifted into 2nd and gunned it again, but to my surprise the rear end kicked out to the left on me big time. Not sure if TCS was working and too startled to wait and see if I was right, I let up on the throttle and let it grip - I got going the same direction as when I started, but the car was now shifted over a few feet (i.e. were this on a road, I would be in someone else's lane or worse). Assuming TCS doesn't take effect right away and the tires spin for a bit, I don't understand why the rear end would kick left so much (I was driving a straight line).

So why did this happen? [&:] Any tips for recovering from a loss of traction?

03redGT

it happened because of torque. the rear wheels are spinning faster than the fronts, so naturally they want to pass the fronts. usually the rear end kicks ot the right but oh well. as for the traction control. if the car thinks your trying to slide on pupose, it will allow you do do so, but only a little. you didnt give it a chance to kick in. the harder you step on the gas, the less the traction control kicks in, because in the event you needed it, i doubt you'd be full up on the gas. but if your racing, you need it a little bit, but not enough to bog the engine. i hope that is good for an explanation. and some tips for recovering are countersteering. steer the car in the direction you wanna go and it will straighten out(if the back goes to your left, steer left if it goes to your right, steer right.). the only thing is, you have to be gentle when doing this, because if you steer too much, the car will just whip right around the other way. also try easing up on the throttle when you loose grip, it will help a little better to staighten you out than jumping off the gas will. if you get a little nervous just let off the gas, dont touch the brake and hold the wheel straight, and the car will stop.

ultraclyde

The TCS on these models is sports oriented - it will let you spin a little. This is because when you are launching or cornering hard, you get the most grip right at the point it starts to spin. The system is tuned to allow a little slippage so you can ride that fine line and max out adhesion. In fact, if you try to do a donut, you'll be surprised how far around it will let you get. It ramps in in situations like that instead of instantly being full on, as that would be too much of a shock to maintain good control. It's there to save you ****, but it also assumes you know how to really drive the car. I feel sorry for some of the kids out there that are counting on this to keep from wrecking the car!!

As for why the car drifted sideways, that's normal. In a perfect world, if you were on a perfectly level surface, all tires gripping (or not) identically, and the force of the drivetrain was perfectly in line with your direction of travel, you'd run straight. But, there are always minute forces working in many directions, and if traction is lost one of those forces invariably pushes one way or the other. Even doing a burnout sitting still will result in drifting one way a little, most of the time.

Good idea, the parking lot tests. Always a good thing to kknow where the car's limits are. It can be a huge advantage in emergency situations. If you want a safe place to slide one around, find a local SCCA autocross event. A few dollars, and you can drive like a maniac all afternoon without fear of reprisal!!