Traction control is a feature of modern cars that are used for safety aspects. If your vehicle is manufactured after 2011/2012, there must be a built-in traction control system. It provides you with a safe ride by preventing traction loss.
There might be some situations when you need to turn off this feature. But is it safe or not? Should you turn traction control off in sand? Sit down and buckle up. By the end of this article, you will know everything about turning the traction control off.
Table of Contents
Working Principle of Traction Control
Before we move to discuss the validity of turning the traction control on/off, it is essential to go through the working principle. It will be helpful for a better understanding of this safety feature on your vehicle.
Why Should You Turn Off Traction Control While Sand Driving?
Among various off-roads, sand surfaces need some extra guidelines to drive in. Though top rated sand tires can be your savior, traction control plays a vital role while driving on sand. But why should you turn it off? Hold on as we will take you through the underlying reasons.
Getting Stuck on Sand
If you are familiar with sand driving, you might have experienced getting stuck in sand traps several times. This situation is quite normal on sand terrains. Turning off the traction control system can help you while you are stuck on sand traps.
When your vehicle is stuck, there are chances that one of the wheels is spinning. As traction control cuts the power off to the wheels, they will eventually stop spinning. But sometimes, the wheels need to spin to get unstuck from the sand.
If you turn off the traction control, the wheel can move to some distance forward and backward that can get the vehicle unstuck from sand.
Climbing Dunes
While climbing sand dunes, you can think that traction control will help you as it controls your vehicle’s traction. But that might not be the case.
If traction control is on, the wheels might slip off while ascending, and it can cause a power cut to the wheels. So, it is better to keep traction control turned off and go slowly up the dunes.
Final Words
So, what do you think? Should you turn traction control off in sand? After going through this article, I think your answer should be a “yes” to consider switching off the traction control in particular situations.