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Originally Posted by BAN SUVS
You're confusing banned Formula 1 traction control systems with the kind of traction control Federalized, street-legal vehicles get. I will hold out for the possibility that the new VDC may have the ability to improve traction for motorsports purposes, but mostly it's so people don't get the "I have AWD, I'm INVINCIBLE!!!1!1!!!!" mentality in the winter and plow into curbs, cars, farm animals, and lakes.
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Taken from the FIA web-site...
Although built to perform slightly different purposes - in ordinary cars ensuring stability under everyday use, in Formula One delivering the maximum amount of power to the road at all times - the fundamental principles remain very similar.
Formula One cars are massively powerful. Even with the grip of modern racing tyres and the assistance of aerodynamic downforce, they are still capable of 'breaking traction' or developing wheelspin up to very high speeds, especially under the loads imposed by cornering. This is inefficient, slows the car down and can damage tyres. Traction control therefore gives drivers a competitive advantage.
To understand traction control it is best to consider the 'traction circle'. The tyres of a Formula One car, like any car, can only offer a certain amount of grip. This can be the longitudinal grip used for braking and accelerating in a straight line, or the lateral grip required for cornering - or a combination of the two. Judging the exact 'mixture' of acceleration and cornering grip that can be extracted from the tyre is one of the hardest tasks faced by a racing driver - too much will result in a 'power slide', too little will see the car putting in a slow time. And it is in this that traction control is of the greatest assistance to drivers.
Not that traction control gets rid of the need for driver skill. The highly 'aggressive' systems on a Formula One car will allow a car to operate very close to the edges of the tyre's capability. But simply travelling around every corner on full throttle would have a very serious impact on the tyres' life and require more frequent pit stops. Discretion is still called for.
Traction control is not new to Formula One motorsport. It has been around in various guises since the 1980s, and cars like the 1992 Williams-Renault FW14-B which took Nigel Mansell to his Driver's Championship title were even more electronic-packed than the current cars - featuring computer controlled active suspension in addition. After a long period during which traction control was banned, the FIA decided to re-allow its use at the start of the 2002 season as it was becoming increasingly difficult to prove that ECUs (Engine Control Units) were not being used to replicate traction control functions.
As with systems on road cars, Formula One traction control works by a comparison of wheel and track speeds, the information gathered by electronic sensors. If the wheel is travelling quicker than the road it is passing over then the engine will be progressively throttled back to prevent wheelspin. Until recently the system was also vital to the 'launch control' mechanism which allowed drivers to make optimum starts. This has been outlawed for the 2004 season.
The role of traction control in Formula One racing is an ongoing source of debate, with critics arguing that driver skill alone should regulate the amount of power transferred to a car’s rear wheels. However, others have argued that any ban on such systems would be difficult or impossible to police and traction control remains legal for 2004.