Traction control

Chevy Bolt EV Forum

Help Support Chevy Bolt EV Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

brorob

Member
Joined
Jun 18, 2017
Messages
11
I was finally able to test drive a Bolt recently, slowly being delivered to Michigan but typically only in a quantity of 1. One thing I was unimpressed with was the fact that the front wheels would spin....and spin when I tried to test out the acceleration. I was waiting for the tires to grab or traction control to kick in, but neither happened. None of the sales people could answer this question so I'm posting it here. Is there a traction control setting I didn't see that is off by default? Seems silly if there isn't. I'm sure many people will want to respond with "just don't press so hard on the accelerator", but when I want to drive the shit out of it, that's what I'm going to do.

Would like to test drive another Bolt when one gets delivered to a local dealer so I'd like to turn on traction control for that test drive, if that's an option.
 
The problem is that it has too much torque for low rolling resistance tires. There's not enough grab on the pavement.

I'm planning on getting a set of all season performance tires just so I can enjoy acceleration without the spin and chirps. I don't need to maximize range.
 
I was under the impression that Traction control was on by default. There is a TC button under the center screen, but I haven't seen it do anything. I only picked up my car yesterday so I don't know the answer yet. I do know that lots of torque + LRR tires = lots of spinning. Like DNAinaGoodWay, I plan on getting sticker tires come springtime. Then I'll get snow tires for the winter.
 
IIRC, TC only engages when any one of the four wheels is spinning faster than the other three. It's purpose is to help prevent spinouts and getting stuck in an ice patch. It works with stability control to keep the car from spinning out of control.

Thus, if you floor the Bolt the tires will still spin. In the event that one of the tires is a bit more worn and spins faster, TC should kick in to equalize spin rates. If you are on dry pavement, that could happen so quickly you won't even notice it.
 
GetOffYourGas said:
But if it really works on all four tires, why doesn't it realize that the front two tires are spinning faster than the rear two?

There would be no point in that as the car would be still tracking in a straight line. TC can't magically make high efficiency tires gain more grip. Besides, how would that even work? If the TC senses the rear tires are both spinning at the same rate, the only way to stop that would be to cut power to both tires (otherwise it would create a spin). This is not something you would want.
 
dandrewk said:
GetOffYourGas said:
But if it really works on all four tires, why doesn't it realize that the front two tires are spinning faster than the rear two?

There would be no point in that as the car would be still tracking in a straight line. TC can't magically make high efficiency tires gain more grip. Besides, how would that even work? If the TC senses the rear tires are both spinning at the same rate, the only way to stop that would be to cut power to both tires (otherwise it would create a spin). This is not something you would want.

So in other words, you are changing your story. Ok, fine, let's talk about this new narrative.

What's the point? To maintain traction is the point. Nothing good comes of the tires spinning like that. It's not about getting more grip, it's about maintaining the grip that you have. If you recall from high school physics class, static friction (i.e. the grip of a tire that is not slipping) is greater than kinetic friction (i.e. the grip of a tire that is slipping). Preventing the slip does gain you more traction.

I stand by my previous assessment - TC is just not very good in the Bolt. In time, I'll learn when the tires slip and how to better control the car myself.
 
GetOffYourGas said:
What's the point? To maintain traction is the point. Nothing good comes of the tires spinning like that. It's not about getting more grip, it's about maintaining the grip that you have. If you recall from high school physics class, static friction (i.e. the grip of a tire that is not slipping) is greater than kinetic friction (i.e. the grip of a tire that is slipping). Preventing the slip does gain you more traction.

I stand by my previous assessment - TC is just not very good in the Bolt. In time, I'll learn when the tires slip and how to better control the car myself.
Agreed. My first impression is the TC isn't any good on the Bolt, I was surprised of this on my first test drive. I've driven an i3 for 2 years, near the end of lease which is why I'm considering a Bolt, and I've never run into this issue with that car, which is RWD for comparison. IMHO, TC or anti-slip is necessary on a car with this much torque. I can floor the i3 on my dirt road and it will slip only slightly then control the wheels from spinning. I'm curious how long the tires on a Bolt will last. Just think if you let your teenage child drive the car to the movies or on a date, they'll be lighting up the tires at every light just for the fun of it and you'll be replacing the front tires sooner than you want.

But also, it's a matter of safety. I let my teenage daughter drive my car for the first time yesterday, learner's permit and her first time driving an EV. On the way home is was dark and rainy but I didn't have to worry about her driving through a large puddle and the front wheels spinning and possibly hindering her steering control or making her freak out. I'm sure I would get used to the high torque wanting to spin the front wheels, but what about a situation like this when you have someone unfamiliar with the car driving in those conditions? What about driving in snowy conditions, how is the Bolt going to take off from a stand still if you're driving on all season tires?
 
Back
Top