Hi all I was wonderin on a launch would it be better to leave the Traction Control on or off...I have a 99 Formula...and love it...seems that most mistake it for a v-6 Firebird..as in the mustang crowd..then i lower the boom on them...lot of fun to see the looks on there faces ...anyways was just wonderin..Thanks for your time.....Drew

It's my understanding that it is better to turn it off for a better launch.

Thanks for the reply

Heck,try it both ways!

Tyler is right. I've also be told its better off. But as tyler said try it both ways. Cars are like people none of them are exactly the same. Thats my favorite thing bout the 93-02 Formulas. They are the same body style as the V6's with the nose and spoiler... One of my favorite sleepers.

if you launch a car with the traction control on it will bog, and most times stall! it is very embarrasing. Seen it a ton of times altough I thoink it is pretty funny.
You nail the car, it senses wheel spin and the computer tells the brakes to slow the wheels. it is not a good situation!

Doug

Drew99,
I agree with Doug. This comes from experience.
My problem is that I forget to turn it off at the track. Pretty funny actually.

I've tried it both ways at the track and, having it turned off will produce your best times even with the 6-speed. By the time the TCS gives you back the pedal, you've already lost tenths. It'll even take the pedal from you on 2nd & 3rd gear.
It all adds up to slower times.
You're much better off leaving it off and learning your car and/or getting a set of good drag radials.

I have 4.10's in my Formula and, even on street tires with the 6-speed and 2.40/s 60' times, I still average 3-4 tenths faster with the TCS off.
Hope that helps.

joe

how would I turn off traction control on my 93 firebird formula?

I do not think a 93 has traction control!!!

It came on later model years. If you had it there would be a button for it.

Doug

idk about that doug because on my 94 i think i have found the traction control box. but im not for sure.

in the 98+ it's my understanding that TRAC not only pulses rear brakes to limit wheel slip but can also REDUCE ENGINE power as well. Reducing/Pulsing torque would be good for geting out of the snow but not so great for the track. I'd leave it off, if your tires are warm n' sticky they won't slip anyway.

The primitive traction control system on 4th gen. f-bodies and many other late model GM products is mostly a function of reducing throttle input which severly boggs the car down. That being said, I agree that a controlled non-TCS launch will yield better results in our cars. A more complex system that uses small brake pulses is the good stuff because it allows the motor to stay in its good rpm range without hesitation. A top notch TCS system will dominate a non-TCS equipped car, all things else being equal. Dispute that? Then tell me why the most technologically advanced racing series in the world used to use it and then it was outlawed because the higher budget teams were gaining another huge advantage.




I hope that is a typo because that is slow. Your car should do better than that.





Doug said '93 did not have TCS, just a one of many anomalies to the 1st year of the 4th gen. It is very possible that the '94 you speak of has TCS, and it is very easy to see not only by the button in the center console stack, but also under the hood. Non-TCS cars have a throttle cable that goes straight from the pedal to the TB, while cars equipped with TCS have a box under the hood that the throttle cables enters from the pedal, then another cable goes from this box to the TB. This box is what allows the car to reduce throttle input even if your right foot stays planted.

ah, I was just curious if the 93s had it or not because I find it hard to peel out by flooring it from a dead stop. My tires simply chirp a bit and I take off. I dont know if I have a hp/torque problem in the engine itself or if its common for this to happen.
Must I launch the car to burn out?
Like with the brakes and gas?

My '93 was the same way, but trust me, if you put both feet down the tires will break loose in a cloud of smoke. You can do it without the brakes too, but you will need to cut the wheels pretty sharp to one side or the other. Learn this technique gradually because there will be the need for much steering input to keep the car out of the ditch.

Heh, the ditch is my friend.. Yea.. thats how my old camaro used to be but it was only a 6. From what i've headerd.. most of my friends with the 93's don't have TCS.. but I dunno man.. your might be special.

my 93 had a hard time spinning them from a dead stop too