What is Traction? Its Function and Importance in Vehicles

Traction is a maximum friction force that occurs between two surfaces of objects. An example is the friction between a vehicle's tires and the road surface. Good traction will keep the vehicle stable while moving, thus avoiding the risk of slipping or skidding. In a vehicle, traction has a very important function. For a complete function, let’s look at the following review.

What Is Traction?

As previously explained, traction is a maximum friction force produced by two surfaces of objects that rub against each other to prevent the risk of slipping. Traction itself is very important for a vehicle, as a vehicle with good traction can stabilize when maneuvering, whether turning or cornering on sharp bends. This way, the vehicle will not tip over because the tire surface has a strong grip when in contact with the road surface.

In cars, the tires are usually specially designed to have good traction. However, in certain conditions, such as slippery roads due to oil, grease, mud mixed with heavy rain, sand spilled on the road surface, and damaged asphalt surfaces, the traction on the car tires can be lost because the tires spin faster than the normal threshold.

In the latest car models, a traction control feature is created to enhance tire grip when driving on slippery or damaged road surfaces. This can improve safety for drivers.

Functions of the Traction Control Feature

Here are the important functions of traction control that need to be known.

1. Maintaining Stability While Cornering

Traction control functions to minimize the potential for slipping or skidding when making sharp turns, especially on wet roads. Traction control will operate automatically when the driver presses the traction control activation button located near the steering wheel. This way, the feature will read information about the grip on each wheel, so if a wheel experiences traction failure, the car will apply the brakes.

2. Assisting the Turning Process

When the driver intends to turn or corner, they must control the steering, acceleration, and braking. This can be cumbersome for the driver, especially for novice drivers. Traction control will make it easier for the driver to manage these three actions.

The traction control feature will automatically brake each wheel, thereby enhancing the car's safety when turning. Traction control will also adjust the engine power to maintain wheel grip.

The braking performed by traction control on each wheel has different braking power for each wheel. This is done to keep the car stable and provide smooth braking even when the car is turning or cornering sharply at high speeds.

Why Is Traction Important for Vehicles?

The reason why traction is important for vehicles is that traction control can detect the rotational speed of each wheel using wheel speed sensors, then send data from these sensors to the ECU (Electronic Control Unit). When a wheel spins faster, the ECU will send a signal to reduce engine power or apply braking force individually to each wheel. This can keep the vehicle stable when making sharp turns, passing through slippery or rainy roads, and returning the car to its original lane.