So, now we are in the depth of crappy winter here in the UK, I am finding the traction control on the Ftype pretty rubbish.

That is compared to my previous beemers and mercs.

comparison :

SLK 320 - you could drive very quick in the wet and it wouldn't let the back slip out.

X5: ok 4x4... but still the traction control let you really get a move on.

I've also got a 2000 M Roadster - that's putting out 325hp and much less weight that the jag - so equivalent performance - no traction control there, and easily drivable on the throttle nice and quick in the wet.

With the jag with traction control on I'm finding it's pretty nasty -

anything more than feather light application of (fly by wire of course) throttle and CPU pumps the power on, lights up the rears and then the traction control catches it a few moment later... meanwhile you've just flipped the tail out round that corner... which is nice a few times then gets tedious when I don't want to do that.

traction control off then ?

Well here I find that I suspect the combination of the computer sitting between my right foot and the engine, plus the fact it's an auto means it's not great to control on the throttle - I can get reasonable result in dynamic + sport + 'manual' gear mode, but anything else is a bit of a waste.

It does feel that the traction control programme is a bit basic... sort of like the one in my old 1990 saab turbo.

is it just a limitation of the crappy traction control ?

In the dry, it gets away with it, as the poor hysteresis is covered up by the grip.

Now saying that, the rears (295/30R20 Pzeros) are gonna need replacing soon (4-5mm). but I'm taking walking speed slippage which wouldn't be affected by tread depth.

Some folk are saying the pzeros are pretty rubbish, but they are EU A rated in wet... best it gets...

However, one option is to change em out for something else. I'd be loath to change fronts too though - keep matching pairs for sure, but front back matching is something I can adjust to)... so what's best ? Some folk are swearing by PSS ?

what's the stickiest one out there ? I do 5000 mile a year so not bothered about wear.

 

If you cant control it with traction control on youre not driving appropriately for the conditions


all cars are different, all systems have limitations


cant defeat the laws of physics

 

Did you try winter (snow/rain) mode? Not much fun, but severely limits the throttle input.

 

Based on my experience and many other observations you have to be ever so slightly deranged to be driving in anything other than winter (snow/rain) mode when the roads are wet or icy. Purely my opinion.

 

It looks like your temps are having lows around 29-30 degrees F. The OEM Pirelli's are a "Summer Tire". When the temperatures are that low, the performance is less than ideal. Combine that with moisture and you will be slipping. FWIW, my truck with all season tires will do this in the morning after sitting outside in the cold all night (especially if it's moist out on the streets).

If the temps are in the low 30's, most used summer tires will provide similar grip.

 

thanks for your righteous pearls of wisdom dad.

jeez - why did you write this ? sad..very sad.

I mean what goes through your head to post drivel like that ? I make a long involved educated posting - I point out I am a capable enough driver to steer on throttle input only with no traction control and manual, and even outline I have experience in other powerful rear wheel drive cars.

but thanks - I didn't realise all cars were different. thats a good one - thanks for that. pathetic.

 

yup, that does stop the wheel spin I admit. But also the fun yes.

 

I think you are right there. I didn't notice it being so bad in late summer. I think they just lack grip at low temps as you say.

 

lest you forget we are all welcome to our own opinion, if you cant handle it dont buy it

 

another one - you've full of em eh ?

nice. glad you came.

welcome to my kill file.

 

Snow/rain mode is probably an amended subset of the Range Rover software, limits throttle response and governs gear changes


laws of physicsand tarmac temp etc and tyre govern contact with road surface


Traction control helps but has limitations

 

nice to be patronising is it....guess your gods gift to life in general

 

Not a big fan of the jags traction control setup. I expected a lot more.

For *me* it's feels blocky and unrefined compared to... well.. everything..

IMO, my 10yo Infiniti had a better attitude control.

But TCS is not why I bought it. Fortunately, it's not my daily and we have A LOT more good days than bad here.

I think the best thing to do is garage her.. or put truck tires on and run her in snow mode when it's nasty out.

 

 

Great video!

Two things struck me.

The temp control was in .5. I'm sure it's a C thing, but still cool.

I never want to live anywhere jackets that puffy are required. Ugh...

 

I think what powerlord does is closer to drifting, than weather-appropriate driving. Traction control, by design, gets in the way of that. While I strongly suggest getting a set of tires appropriate for the winter temperatures and selecting rain/snow mode, if you insist on driving this way use track mode traction control instead of outright disabling it. Track mode will let you slide more before engaging traction control. Outright turning traction control off in your circumstances would constitute danger to other drivers on the road.

 

I've used a few different options of Pirelli's over the years (most only my old E46 M3). I've found their summer tires to be some of the more non-compliant cold weather tires than other manufacturers of summer tires.

 

Winters in England don't usually warrant the expense of "winter" tyres. Or tires. Unless they used the wrong kind of grit on the ice. But I think we're talking about wet here rather than snow/ice...

You might want to look at MPSS for the rears. I didn't realize until I did some research on them that half the tyre is compounded for dry, the other half for wet...

 

Based on personal experience, your issue is lousy tires.

Below 50F, summer tires feel like driving on hockey pucks.

I daily drive my V6S in Chicago without issue because I'm using winter tires.

 

It's not solely down to snow/ice/water. Temperature plays a huge role in a tire's performance. While "winter tires" are treaded to deal with snow, they are also constructed to work at lower ambient temperatures as opposed to summer tires.