snow

[yingwei]

the SE Sport 2.4L doesnt have traction control... anyone with this model had problems driving in the snow?

[michaels artic frost]

We've had some nasty snow in KY and my 04 Solara Sport Coupe V6 handles the roads just fine. However, I I did have a bad incident. I was going down a slightly declined slope in a neighborhood which did not have the roads cleared or salted and boy was I scared...the car skid down the slope and luckily no one was around and I turned and ran over the curb. Lucky for me there were several inches that it did not mess up my car or the alignment. Thank God.....phew....close one.

[TW85]

I do not live in a snowy area, but does the traction control on the 2004 Solara only activate if one drive wheel is spinning significantly faster than the opposite or does it detect forward motion versus drive wheel speed?

I can spin my tires on loose dirt all day long but the traction control does not activate. Perhaps it is due to both wheels spinning at an equal rate? My mom's 4Runner has traction control and it activates under the same conditions.

[Blazed04]

On topic (but a lil off topic)...in the snow, like 3-6inches, it actually feels like the a$$ end of the car gets a little loose around bends/turns. One time the a$$ slid out so far i thought i was in a supra . Seriously though, no joke, has this happened to anyone else??
PS- and NO this isnt due to using the ebrake, it happens under normal driving.

[Pakin]

Traction control is basically launch control. Works only with a specified coeffecient of friction between the road and tire. If the rate of acceleration/speed and the rate or rotation of the wheel are not within specified parameters, the transmission would either reduce power output (by throttle) or have the transmission upsift to 2nd momentarilty.

I'm not too sure of your case, the 4Runner has 4WD, unlike our FWD. Two somewhat different cars there.

And I know the SE and SE SPort models do not possess these fucntions.

-pak +2

[TW85]

You're right, two very different vehicles but they both, in theory, have the same traction control system. I am talking about the forward/reverse traction control, not VSC.

We're building a new house and the driveway has yet to be poured so there is loose dirt for about 70'. I can be backing out of the driveway with our 4Runner, give it a little too much gas, and the traction control activates almost immediately (keep in mind both tires are spinning at an equal rate, faster than they should for the vehicle speed). This is just RWD. My Solara, on the other hand, can spin its tires all day long in the same dirt and the traction control will not activate (I've even set the parking brake to reduce vehicle motion). Though there is a difference in weight over the drive wheels between my Solara and our 4Runner, I would think the TCS would be very similar in when it would activate. The 4Runner's activates when a single drive wheel is spinning faster than the other and when BOTH drive wheels are spinning.

TCS, like VSC, is also linked to the braking system. Individual brakes can be applied to limit wheel spin which is why some cars with TCS exhibit higher than average wear on certain brake pads.

Oh well.

[yingwei]

hmm.. alot of jargon.... bottom line, it shouldnt be a problem on the solara, without that traction control?