Ford Fusion/Mercury Milan Traction Control

mschmal

Traction Control uses the ABS computer and sensors to
monitor wheel slippage at any speed. It helps improve traction
on slippery or loose driving surfaces by using engine controls
to reduce the amount of torque being sent to the drive wheels.
Engine controls are:
• Fuel injection cutoff
• Ignition spark retard
Traction Control helps provide a confident driving experience
under adverse road conditions — improving vehicle traction
and steering control — without sacrificing dry pavement
performance:
• When the lane is slippery on one or both sides
• As the vehicle pulls out from icy parking lots or
highway shoulders
• During acceleration when cornering

Mark

evandro

Unfortunately, that's the cheap kind of traction control that give some problems. Imagine you waiting to get onto a street on wet pavement quickly and the TC sapping power...

More sophisticated TC, widely available even in the Fusion's competition, breaks the spinning wheels before throttling power.

baggs32

Unfortunately, that's the cheap kind of traction control that give some problems. Imagine you waiting to get onto a street on wet pavement quickly and the TC sapping power...

Not quite. Ford's new system, which is in the Fusion, uses the vehicle's PCM to control traction wheras the "cheap" systems you are referring to use a separate sensor and/or processor which can be slow and annoying to live with.

This link is the only one I could find quickly that goes into it but I have read others like it. One was on Edmunds IIRC. Scroll about half way down to read it or just read the quote below.

"May 30, 2006
Ford's New Traction Control System Among the Best Performers

DEARBORN, MI – Ford Motor Company began rolling out its patented traction control system last year as an option on the 2006 F-150, Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan, and as standard on the Lincoln Zephyr and 4x2 Lincoln Mark LT. The innovative traction control system, among the best performing systems on the road, works by momentarily decreasing engine power to help regain traction at the tires.
The system is particularly helpful while accelerating on a slippery surface. Using signals from the vehicle’s anti-lock brakes, a computer algorithm — embedded in the Powertrain Control Module — detects if the drive wheels are slipping. Then, within milliseconds, the system adjusts the engine power to allow the tires to regain traction. The system is unique in that it was developed to operate using the vehicle’s engine computer processor, rather than a standalone module."

kurtamaxxxguy

good info, but it's still "power cut" version, not one that actually brakes the spinning wheel(s). Versions with power cut all have trouble in some situations that a braking traction control can deal with.

An Audi A3, which uses Haldex and wheel braking, can plow through 10 inches of snow without breathing hard (so say a couple of reviews). But in that vehicle, you get a mandantory sports suspension and lo pro tires; good handling, lousy ride.

Sometimes raction control varies on the model itself. The Malibu, for example, has the engine power only version, but its SS variants get engine power and brake application version. Of course, none of these have AWD.

akirby

Even the systems that use the brakes individually also cut power at some point (like the Lincoln LS) and can be a problem in certain situations.

evandro

Yes, but it's so only as a secondary resort. In other words: better. Ford's better to wise up...

baggs32

Versions with power cut all have trouble in some situations that a braking traction control can deal with.


I have to agree with the others. Show me where Ford's new system is worse than one with the additional braking mechanism. You're trying to compare their new quicker reacting system to an older, slower system which isn't really fair.
If the only reason some other manufacturers add the braking mech is to back-up the power cut system then doesn't it stand to reason that a better power cut system will be just as effective if not better? Plus, having only one system reduces complexity and cost.

evandro

I have real world experience about both systems. I will not bend my knees to Ford because it says that the one on the Fusion reacts quickly.

The TC that retards ignition does so for longer than necessary. Whereas the TC that breaks only the wheel spinning can allow a wheel with traction to pull with full power. That's a major difference whose advantage should be quite clear to anyone.

baggs32

The TC that retards ignition does so for longer than necessary. Whereas the TC that breaks only the wheel spinning can allow a wheel with traction to pull with full power. That's a major difference whose advantage should be quite clear to anyone.

I think the point some of us are missing is that the Ford system is new and unique. If you haven't driven a vehicle with it then you can't compare it to an older system from another manufacturer. Everything offered here so far has just been speculation and mis-information. I own two vehicles with the new Ford system but have never driven, to the best of my knowledge anyway, one with the dual system. Therefore I will not praise one and bash another.

fredvp

I still haven't figured out how the Traction control works with my AWD model.
I don't see anything happening other than power being shifted to the wheels
that have traction. Maybe if all the wheels lose traction?

akirby

With AWD TC won't kick in until after the torque is sent to all 4 wheels and you're still losing traction (ice or mud e.g.).

coldcranker

I just rented an '08 Fusion with the monster V6 over the weekend, had fun, and noticed it did not have traction control, because the front wheels spun easily with that 240 hp V6 providing the sheer fun. Michelin Primacy MXVx tires are known to be sticky, so spinning those wheels meant I had plenty of power. Now I want a Fusion SEL for Christmas.....;-)

akirby

The 2006-2009 3.0L V6 is only 221 hp, not 240. 240+ is for the 2010 3.0L models.

But yes - it's plenty of power.

threads

From the Ford's Workshop Manuals for the 2007 Fusion/Milan/MKZ:

Traction Control System — All Wheel Drive (AWD)

The ABS module [ The 4WD control module also provides the brake system with its current clutch duty cycle and whether or not the brake system may take command of the clutch duty cycle ] communicates with the powertrain control module (PCM) to assist with traction control. When the drive wheels lose traction and begin to spin, with vehicle speed under 100 km/h (62 mph), the ABS module requests the PCM to reduce engine torque while simultaneously applying and releasing the appropriate brake caliper(s) to maintain traction. The PCM accomplishes this by minor incremental timing changes and fewer fuel injector pulses until the ABS module ends the request. The request ends when the driven wheel speed returns to the desired speed. After the vehicle speed exceeds 100 km/h (62 mph), the traction control is accomplished only through the PCM torque control. The traction control system can be disabled by pressing the traction control switch and is indicated by the traction control light in the instrument cluster. The traction control system will reset and return to normal operation when the ignition switch is cycled, or when the traction control switch is pressed and released a second time during the same ignition cycle.

acdii

I have plenty of experience with Traction Controlled cars. The WORST is the Prius, it doesn't reduce power, it turns it OFF! Breaking TC has its drawbacks big time as well, especially if you cant disable it. We had a 2000 Grand Marquis with TC, and got it stuck, it would not apply power to either wheel once they started to slip because the brakes were overriding the power. I had to pull the fuse to disable it, and only then was I able to get the car unstuck. Another bad situation that braking TC can cause is if you start to slip while at speed during a snow storm, it can actually put you into a spin if activated.

Now the reason I am posting. I have the 2010 Fusion Sport, not the AWD version, the FWD version, and we just had a major snow storm here, at least 2" fell in under an hour from the time I got in my car to the time I got home, and the traction control on this car is great, it reduces power, not cuts it, and it applies braking as needed. The car comes stock with goodyear tires which have not had good reviews, and I was skeptical that they would have any traction in snow, but they actually have very good traction. The roads this morning were ice, not just icy, but layers of ice, and when the tires couldnt bite, the TC pulled it through with hardly any effort. The Ford system on the Fusion to me so far has been the best TC system I have had on a car, much better than what Toyota has.

jeffyscott

Does Ford have a button to turn TC off? Both of our cars have that (a VW and a Mazda).

stephen987

According to post #15 above, it does. Don't know if that changed since 2007 though.

bdyment

My 2009 V6 Escape AWD has an off button for the TC.

explorerx4

also a year later, that explains a lot about how i feel my fusion awd reacts to slippery conditions. i have learned you just keep the steering wheel pointed where you want to go and let the car make the corrections.

koho955

With traction control and anti-lock brakes...remember to keep steering in the direction you want to go. It's not like in the old days when you had to pump your brakes and steer straight ahead.