Traction Control Off, No Power to Front Wheels?

[whatisacar]

Hey everyone,

I was recently stuck in the snow after a storm and as I was trying to get the car out (Select AWD 2023) I realized that the front wheels were not spinning as I was stepping on the accelerator pedal... as if it was not receiving any power.

I know there's some algorithm that tells the car when it should get power and when it should not... but is it normal that the front wheels don't spin even if traction control is off? Was I supposed to floor it to get the front wheels to spin or something...?

My friend's Kia EV9 has a "snow mode" just for cases like this.

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[Mach-Lee]

How did you determine they weren’t spinning?

 

[whatisacar]

There were people outside that eventually helped me push the car out, but they were the ones that signalled that the front wheels were not spinning. I used the traction control on/off button (beside the steering wheel) but it didn't seem to do anything. I didn't check if it was indicated otherwise in with the screen though.

 

[Mach-Lee]

There were people outside that eventually helped me push the car out, but they were the ones that signalled that the front wheels were not spinning. I used the traction control on/off button (beside the steering wheel) but it didn't seem to do anything. I didn't check if it was indicated otherwise in with the screen though.

If you were stuck and spinning a lot, it’s possible you overheated the front motor, which would cause it disable. The front motor also doesn’t do a whole lot above 18 MPH unless there is a large torque demand. So if you disabled TC and was spinning your wheels really fast, it might cut out. The front and rear torque is symmetrical below 15 MPH where it is most needed (to get the car moving).

When stuck it’s best to keep the wheel speeds low (below 15 mph). If the car isn’t moving after a few tries, it’s time to get out and dig instead of spinning the tires 70 MPH which just makes ice. Voice of experience.

I just checked and the torque output of the front motor on my car was normal with traction control off.

 

[whatisacar]

Do you know if the front motors would cut out if the car detects the wheels to be free spinning? Because they did free spin for a bit, but I didn't floor it and leave it free spinning for that long (from what I remember...) I eventually had to dig and get people to push it out. Now I'm second guessing if I disabled the traction control properly or not... I know they had some issues in the 2021s but that issue seems to have been resolved a long time ago.

 

[Mach-Lee]

Traction control will cut the torque if it detects spinning. It should be fairly obvious if it is cutting torque or braking, the light should also flash.

If you disable TC you should see the warning on the display and yellow icon for disabled. Mine has a physical button for TC but not sure about yours.

 

[Elmst-e]

This is a really interesting thread. I got awd because I assumed that power to all wheels while driving in snow or even rain would add stability to the car. I realize awd is not necessary at high speed, but around town driving would be safer and more stable and in slippery conditions would help at any speed. There is no awd above 18 mph?

 

[Mach-Lee]

This is a really interesting thread. I got awd because I assumed that power to all wheels while driving in snow or even rain would add stability to the car. I realize awd is not necessary at high speed, but around town driving would be safer and more stable and in slippery conditions would help at any speed. There is no awd above 18 mph?

There is if slip is detected or you floor it.

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