A little background on me:

Just bought a 2012 TL SH-AWD/Tech. Previous to this I've owned 4Runners and an FJ Cruiser. So this is my first "sport sedan" of any sort. The only vehicle I've ever had with traction control was the FJ so that is my point of reference here.

So far I've taken the TL out on a few twisties here in Northern Cali and have really enjoyed myself. I'm not experienced when it comes to pushing a car around corners therefore I try to pace myself but still manage to have a good time.

My question is, what happens if I turn off the traction control? What can I expect when I hit some of these twists and turns up in the hills/mountains. Is it advised that I just leave it on or will I have more fun if I turn it off?

Hope my question makes sense.

 

Not sure how it would impact dry road driving as I have never seen it kick in when the road conditions are dry. But it is useful to have it on in wet and snowy conditions.
How fast are you taking your turns?

 

That's what I was thinking, but I've read posts where folks mention turning it off regardless of dry conditions. So I wasn't sure what the benefit of doing this was.

I've maybe taken turns at around 40mph tops. Not sure if that's conservative or not. Like I said, I come from SUV land

 

I've taken off ramps at 100kmh and not had it kick in. You should be okay!
But I supposed it also depends on the tires as well.
It's been kicking in a lot now with the nasty winter weather we have had especially at turns.

 

just leave it on.. only in snow is where you want to turn traction control off..

 

Please elaborate

 

I think he means ice. Moderns Traction Control systems are pretty good on ice now but back in the day, if traction wasn't detected on the wheel on ice, power to that wheel got cut and basically the car would become motionless hence making it unable to get moving. Only solution was to turn TCL off so that it could eventually get moving even with the slippage. This was normally an issue with 2wd cars.

 

Ok, that makes sense to me.

 

There's a thread in the 3g section right now about this exact thing. Your situation is a bit different since you have sh-awd but some of it still stands. On snowy twisty roads it might be better to leave it on just in case. I personally disable it in residential areas when you have to stop frequently. I find it a little invasive in those cases. That's just my opinion though and I'm fwd!

 

The main difference that I noticed when turning it off is that it is easier to get the rear end loose in a corner.
With the T/C on the car will correct and will straighten out if you keep applying slight gas, very useful in the wet or snow.

With the T/C off the car wont correct it self, you will have to do the straightening which can be tricky depending on experience.

I would suggest just leaving it on the 4G T/C is not very invasive compared to some other cars and you can still have a lot of fun in the corners.

 

^^^

Here in the snowy Twin Cities I usually leave it on but I can still break the back end out when leaving the driveway or parking lot if snow covered. Just enough for a little fun and to be yelled at by the wife and kids. If I don't correct it nearly immediately, the car will reduce throttle and apply the ABS to straighten the car. I have also induced oversteer, but the car will soon correct itself. So I agree with Mr. M, it's not as invasive as some, so you can get a little thrill without getting into much trouble.

On the other hand, when in a wide open snowy Walmart parking lot, I'll turn it off and have a lot more fun. I've been learning how to drift. It's hard with the automatic.

On snowy days, I'm more than happy to get the groceries.

 

^^^

I'm the same way. TC is on in snow, unless I really want to have some fun.

 

This statement right here should tell you whether or not you should keep the traction control on.

Also, turning the traction control off on a FWD TL in the snow is an entirely different story than on an SH-AWD TL. On the SH-AWD, the more you turn the wheel and the more gas you give it, the more it wants to push the back end around. Whenever I drive our 3G in the snow I turn the TC off because it engages too early and won't let you give the car any gas. The 4G on the other hand, I only turn it off in the snow when I want to have some fun and I'm very cautious about when and where I do it.

 

Trust me, I'm all about knowing my limits. Thanks for the info. I think I'll just leave it on. We don't get snow at all where I live. And whenever we drive up to Tahoe I don't plan on doing any snow drifting. So I guess that settles it for me until further notice.

 

This:

Fun in a parking lot. The car over steers similarly to a rear wheel vehicle when its off in the snow.

 

That's what happens with Traction Control off in the snow.

 

i have the FWD. the only times i turn it off is at red lights when I am running my brothers g37, burnouts, and in the snow to do 360's (IMO different from a legit donut that a RWD can do) lol. also, it does depend on tires

 

i wish i had AWD :/

 

Interestingly, I find I can make the AWD understeer quite nicely in wet conditions with the TC ON... with it off, it gets pretty fun..... alas, if only it was a 6MT....

 

The Traction control is useless with the AWD, even in the rain. Im waiting for my tires to wear out so I might be able to get a 'chirp' out of the tires. My last Audi was 420hp and I was barely able to break traction with that even in the rain too. You really have to be driving very aggressive for the traction control to be needed. The AWD system is awesome.

 

1-2nd gear at full throttle will chirp my front tires with the t/c off. With it on, I get that flashing light on the dash.

 

AWD only needs traction control assistance when the tires are on snow/ice.

 

I agree with Mr. Magoo, that's been my experience with my SH-AWD. The only place I turn t/c off is if I want to play in a snowy parking lot (where there are no buried parking curbs) and you want to slide around a bit.... otherwise I never turn t/c off.

 

wowowowow this thread excited me!
Need to turn off that TC asap and have some fun while there's snow on the ground! SH-AWD 6MT will be a riot!