Is it possible to completely switch off traction control? I took my 110X off-roading the the dunes yesterday. I put terrain response in Sand mode and pressed the stability control button to turn it off. I could still feel the power being limited in certain circumstances. Coming from an old Defender that had a kill switch for ABS/traction control, I could really feel the electronics. Is there a way to completely switch traction off when off-roading? Also what settings have others found best for soft sand dunes?

 

I have a thread from our last trip to the OBX place in which I detail my daily experimentation regarding the various settings.

I felt that Sand mode usually kept the rpm higher than I liked and though it allowed me to shut off the traction control it wasn't the best mode for the work unless it got really deep and loose.

Most of the time I kept it in Snow/Gravel or Auto which wouldn't let me shut off the traction control but worked nicely as conditions changed from deep and loose to rutted to hardpack and back again.

As for the traction control itself, I didn't feel it being overly intrusive or power robbing, whether that's because the P400 has more than enough available or the active differentials locking helped prevent the need for too much brake torque distribution or ?!?

 

The short answer to your question is NO.

The button we are allowed to push with the picture of the car and the skid lines is Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) and is a safety-level, auto-correction designed to stop a skid and stop the vehicle -- slow it down quickly. You may push it OFF in all modes except for AUTO (assuming you have TR2). When off-roading, I make sure it is OFF whenever momentum needs to be conserved (deep snow, deep sand, deep mud). I make sure is it on when I go up or down a very steep, slippery hill and want the car to attempt to save me from a skid developing which could roll the vehicle -- like a running sailboat coming off a big wave and about to broach.

I suspect the feeling you noted is the throttle response being less responsive and possibly the shift points not being as aggressive as they are in comfort or sport mode, as well as more likely the individual brakes activating as part of the tranction control system, synchronized with the electronic differentials?

The single-point wheel braking is programmed to operate in concert with the elocking clutched differentials, either the center or rear, to move to each wheel the amount of torque which traction can allow. This synchronzed action was a key part of the last 5 years of JLR 4WD capability evolution and is a big reason why the vehicle delivers the lack of wheel spin which it does in the conditions it does -- to the surprise of many who are used to non-electronic 4WD systems.

The Defender has electronic throttle, electronic steering, electronic shift mapping, very fast (special brake fluid), electronic, individual line braking and electronic, clutched differentials. There is not a master switch to shut these off.

But, if you have TR2, you can experiment with and tune the responsiveness of the vehicle's 4WD responses to suit your off-road driving style. I am still yet to get to experiementing with this, but I will. Life continues to intrude, unfortunately

Enjoy !!!