how to maximize traction control

last year i bought a 96 discovery and have since upgraded to a 2002 discovery, the 02 does not have a cdl and relies on traction control, i have found traction control to be quite good in snow and mud maybe even better than having a cdl, its hard to tell because the 96 had michelin ltz tires which were not that good and the 02 has nitto terra grapplers which i have been quite happy with, i am curious to what other people think about traction control, i would like to have both cdl and tc, and lastly what is the best way to maximize traction contol do you just maintain constant throttle and let the abs do the work, the think i hate the most about having tc but not cdl is the loss of momentum and the sudden jerking once abs has kicked in and traction regained

I think with an 02 you are going to be out of luck if you want a CDL. Take a look here www.discovery2.co.uk/Factory Diff Lock it gives some advice on how to check.

i've seen that website, its excellent, thats how i know i can't cdl without swapping everything out but my real question is driving with tc, when offroad or in mud etc is it best to maintain throttle and let tc do its work or is there some other method of driving with tc, not sure if my if i am getting my question across but with my 96 i would lock the cdl and go and in some conditions i would add gas if i thought i was getting stuck but with tc is adding gas counter intuitive?

Disco01 said:

I think with an 02 you are going to be out of luck if you want a CDL. Take a look here www.discovery2.co.uk/Factory Diff Lock it gives some advice on how to check.

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Keep revs steady, then if that isn't working, gently build up the power. Give it time to work, sometimes it will find enough grip to move you an inch, then another inch and so on.
Do not lift off, as you would without TC to reduce wheel spin, that will just confuse it, and often bring you to a halt sooner.

TC works by stopping a wheel spinning, so you have to have enough revs up to get at least one wheel to spin, then when it kicks in maintain revs (mostly it doesn't need a lot) so that wheels can again spin when traction's lost and TC kicks in again. It can be a bit disconcerting 'cos if you have any slack in the drivetrain and/or worn bushes anywhere there can be a nukmber of clonks and clangs from the drivetrain!

One good tip is to maintain same throttle, and also left foot brake a bit, enough to drag the revs down a tad, which would also stop a spinning wheel and hopefully divert some power/torque to one of the other wheels. We do this even with cdl when it's muddy and slippy, helps no end!

TC or no TC, a steady throtle and the perfect momentum for an obsticle, is a good off road driving technique.

Ive also got an 02 auto and it freaked me out the first time the tc kicked in. I was going down at an angle and a wheel hung out and i thought id grounded the sill or something, the wife and i just looked at each other thinking that it sounded expensive when it done it again and we realised what it was. As already mentioned i maintained the power and it worked fine. I havent checked to see if i have the difflock rod fitted but i assume im out of luck with a december registered 02.