Carl F. Thelin

TRACTION CONTROL – WHO NEEDS IT?

Someone said, “One might wonder why Toyota would bother to add traction control robotic assist to a low powered car like the 1.8 liter Corolla.”

Ok, I agree, but the 2010 XRS 2.4 liter model is not low-powered.

However, anyone who lives in the north of the continent can recall being in slow moving traffic on a snow-and-ice covered two-lane crowned road. Then when you goosed the throttle to accelerate, the front wheels spun briefly – just enough to cause the front end to slide toward the ditch. I think that is why the 1950 era 4-speed Hydramatic transmissions had a start-in-second function – known as the no-lurch, no wheel-spin feature.