Sadly yes.
When I worked at TNT, I usually drove a 7.5t box van but sometimes would have to go out in a lwb Sprinter. My depot had 4 of these, 2 with ESP/TC, and 2 without. My round was a rural one between Oxted/Lingfield and Smallfield, which meant several crossings of the A22 at one of many crossroads with limited visibility. I would wait for a gap and the just boot it across the junction.
The vans without ESP/TC would lose traction instantly, so pulling away quickly went: 1st2nd3rd traction, and you'd clear the other side as you were changing into fourth. You knew this would happen so just went through the gears until the back end gripped.
The vans with ESP/TC were basically dangerous. foot down in 1st and it would start to move, then just as you get to the middle of the road, it would work out that the wheels were trying to slip, so it would kill the power just as you change into 2nd. 9 times out of 10, this would leave you stalled in the middle of the road.
Never had an issue with the TC on either of my Omegas, even with cheap tyres. :-/ Having said that, I although I drive it quite hard, it might not be in quite the same league of mechanical
unsympathy as TB. Getting the light to flash requires some serious provocation, easier on wet roads perhaps. :-/
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Topic: Typical Omega moment (Read 911 times)