Traction Control & MPG
 

I rarely turn off my traction/stability control, but I think I've read that turning it off might improve acceleration (slightly.)

But in dry weather, driving at slow speeds in stop and go traffic around a small town, I don't think I actually need it.

Question: Could turning it off also result in a slight improvement in fuel efficiency?

I stopped eating for a few days, mpg went up by 2.

Thought of that, but there is a trade-off. BMs will go down by the same factor.

Win win then.

We have to be careful, or we run the risk be being full of ...

But seriously, the traction control seems superfluous for stop and go traffic. I wonder if there is any advantage to turning it off besides drifting for fun?

is this real life?

"Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere." Albert Einstein

According to Edmund's

"For instance, with the traction control on, the manual transmission car uses 2.8 seconds to run from 45 mph to 60 mph, while under the same conditions it takes the automatic car 2.6 seconds to perform the same trick. Meanwhile, with traction control turned off, both the automatic and manual cars need 2.5 seconds to get from 45 mph to 60 mph."

So turning off the TC affects acceleration. Might it also affect fuel consumption?

I think you might want to research more how the traction control systems work and then you will realize why your question is pretty silly.

Unless you are cruising around town with constant wheel spin and traction control kicking in (driving like an asshole, in which case MPG is out the window anyways) then traction control is not going to come into factor with MPG.

I did indeed read a bit about this:

http://www.edmunds.com/car-safety/traction-control.html

"The traction control system instantaneously kicks in, sensing that the wheels have begun to slip. Within a fraction of a second, this data is fed back to the control unit, which adjusts throttle input and applies braking force to slow the wheels (some older systems also retarded engine spark). The wheels are thus prevented from spinning and the car maintains maximum traction."

I don't claim to know anything about the electronics involved, but from that explanation I don't see why turning it off would increase acceleration in a FR-S/BRZ going from 40 to 60. On a dry surface there is no "noticeable" wheel spinning at that speed (in my experience.) I searched in vain for an explanation for this increase in acceleration.

So I also wondered if these constant throttle inputs might have a "slight" effect on mileage.

In what way do you think it could improve mpg based on your research?

Don't the twins need a change of gear before hitting a real 60mph? If so TC would probably kick in a little bit on an aggressive shift.

The Edmund's article was the most information about TC that I found, but other than the wet leaves explanation it didn't really give me a true understanding of what might be going on with all the computer input and sensors constantly feeding information.

The only thing that hit me is that I never considered turning it off in typical safe everyday driving situations. So maybe now I'll hold the button down routinely for 3 seconds. Truth be told, I'm glad to have TC on the mountain roads, but around town I think I may give it up (at least when I happen to think of i;-)

Again, why do you think it'll improve your mpg?
I am trying to understand what you are pitching here.

That might explain why turning it off would knock 0.3 seconds off the manual trans time. Still, I wish I could really understand such a time difference -- you know when we think of zero to 60 times, there is a big difference between let's say 7.2 and 6.9

In a traffic light environment,with straight roads on a dry day, does the TC even make sense??? Just asking, I really don't know.