550 Test Drive question

Put it in sport mode...problem solved. Traction control only kicks in when it is really needed. Cold roads and Cold tires make the traction control kick in to regularly. Once the tires warm up its much less of an issue. Sport mode only is my Motto!! Jon in Delaware

 

i totally do not recall loud sounds when the traction control engaged. though it's been a while. i never drove the car in normal mode - always sport, so i couldn't even comment on the former.

doody.

 

I never really hear any discernible sounds in the car. You might want to have it checked out.

Joe

 

Nothing loud per se, only the blipping throttle. Could it have only seemed louder to you?

 

My car doesn't make any sound when engaging traction control - why should it? All it is doing is providing electronic throttle control, there is no mechanical system that brakes the wheels or something like that. What you hear just before the traction control is activated, should be the spinning wheels and the increase in revs because of them.

Onno

 

Sport mode changes throttle response and damping, not traction control. ASR is only switched off by using the ASR off button (furthest to the left in a LHD car, not sure about RHD). The multi-purpose display should display ASR in RED when ASR is inactive.

As for the sounds, what you describe is more or less what I hear if the ASR kicks in and I keep my foot on the throttle. Please note that if you did the same when ASR is off you'd be in the hedge, on the oncoming traffic lane, or have two twisting 80m strips of rubber on the road. Be careful - this is one powerful car. It has a lot of grip but when it goes you need to react quickly.


Onno

 

As someone else on the forum previously said.. ASR (Another Stupid Restriction)
97 F 456GT - No ASR - No Traction.. Very much fun when you need it..
(go through the rear tires very quickly though)

 

Ah..forgot to write in the previous post..
Suspension on the softest when its rainy outside.... Helps a lot

 

Where should the oil pressure needle be on a fully warmed up 550 when stopped in traffic ? The car I drove yesterday had it's needle just below the first mark ? (30) at idle which i thought was a little low.

 

As you have probably noticed, oil pressure is very sensitive to oil temp, which is why it pays to drive slowly at first. After it is warm, oil pressure will vary a lot. From the first bar at idle to the third bar if you're running above, say, 4000 rpm. AEhass has a whole series of thread on oil pressure, and his belief, as I recall, is that the factory calls for too much oil which puts the pressure consistently above the center point. While I understand his point, I have always been too chicken to change from factory specs.

Dale

PS I leave the traction control on at all times. Maybe the sound that was heard was the shock actuators.

 

Ah....hold on a second here.....

First, ASR like most traction control modulates BOTH the throttle and rear brake caliper pressure....read the 550 owner's manual.

Second, Sport mode does alter the ASR profile allowing more slippage before nanny mode takes over.....read the 550 owner's manual. You can also feel the difference.

Agreed!! ASR keeps the cockpit drama to a minimum!

 

I engaged the ASR over the weekend and it is somewhat noisy compared other cars. Oil pressure and coolant temperature do vary quite a bit between idle and driving speeds.