Traction Control in Speedo!

[buhade]

Hi I heard, that some buggy LRP team drivers have some kind of traction control in their speedos.

What do you think about?

How would this be possible?

[/tobys]

I don't think active traction control (ie uses a sensor to detect wheel spin etc) is allowed by the major competition governing bodies. If this is the case, I can't see it being actively developed unless its for the non-competition market.

Passive traction control - how would that work? Current limiting?

[Battle_axe]

i would think you would use the motor sensor to look for suddern changes in acelleration of the motor this would indercate wheelspin you could then decrece the throttle untill the slip condition went away

[/tobys]

Could also indicate jumping or wheels leaving the ground over a bumpy surface - reducing throttle in both these cases wouldn't be very desirable...

[Aran]

if true hopefully it will be banned if it isn't already

[superdez]

I think a system with wheel sensors was introduced in the 90's which was subsequently banned on grounds of cost.

[SlowOne]

Correct, Dez. LRP set up a car with sensors on the wheels and suspension to detect wheel slip and adjust the throttle accordingly. Ralf Helbing (GM) went one further and used a helicopter gyro to receive signals selecting side slip to automatically counter-steer a skid.

I think it was at a Euros that this key was detected. It was decided to ban it. The wheel sensors were easy to detect, but the gyro wasn't until someone pointed out that if you picked the car up from the grid and waggled it from side to side, the wheels would steer! Imagine the sight of scrutineers standing on the start line picking up cars and waving them in the air!!

Yes, a speedo could detect sudden acceleration that characterises wheelspin, but as stated above, that might mean the car has simply hopped over a bump (either on tarmac or off road) and then throttle back when the fast way is to keep the throttle pinned. That's not proper traction control, it's just detecting sudden acceleration of the motor.

There's nothing you can do to detect its presence, but it will sell because people think it is faster when it probably isn't.