anti-rollover, stability control... they are just different names for the same thing. It controls yaw. The system detects the vechicle is doing something it shouldn't, and tries to correct it by applying brakes to the various corners of the car to correct it. In AWD system, the system could also apply power to a corner of a car to compensate.

In a FWD vechile, traction control is limited to the front wheels. It limits the amount of slipage that a wheel can have under certain conditions. If you floor it on ice, the system should compensate by not letting your rev to max. In some system, the motor itself cuts power, in other systems it works with the brakes. The brakes engage to slow the spinning wheel down.

There are conditions where traction control has to be turned off. If you start from a dead stop on ice, chances are your traction control system will stall your car. Traction control works best when there is forward momentum already.


DSC...(I'll use the term my MINI S has). Dynamic Stability Control (aka yaw control, anti-rollover, etc). Chances of you rolling over a MINI is pretty slim, hence the name (anti-rollover system) is used in SUVs. What this system does, is it works in combination with ABS and Traction Control. The best place to show off DSC is on a rotary (circle, round about, etc) under wet conditions. With the system on, the driver can floor the accelarator and the car will NOT spin out going around the rotary. In fact it is so good that you as a driver can not beat the time it takes to go around in wet conditons (with the system OFF). The system works all the time, not just under braking conditions. In the case of going around the rotary, I am flooring it. In the case of a lane change under emergency braking, the system kicks in to prevent the car from spinning and then the ABS takes over. Again, it works in combination with ABS and traction control.

Hope that helps.