by "David Talmage" (davidtalmage)
Published 04/20/2017 at 10:30
by "David Talmage" (davidtalmage)
Published 04/20/2017 at 10:30
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STARS: 1
I’ve never driven a car with traction control and electronic stability control on a regular basis. What will happen if I get a new car with those features and I turn them off? How dangerous is it? Will I crash and die? Will I cause an accident? Will I become the subject of Yet Another Cars And Coffee Crash On Exit video?
In my life time, I’ve daily driven a 1972 Plymouth Custom Suburban wagon, a 198x manual Mercury LN7, a 1987 manual VW Golf, a 1987 manual 4WD Nissan Sentra wagon, and a 1999 manual Mazda Miata with limited slip differential.
I’m in the market for a new car to replace my Miata. I’m considering a Subaru BRZ, a Ford Fiesta ST or EcoBoost, and a Mazda 3. I think I can turn off traction control and stability control on the BRZ and the ST. I don’t know about the others.
"OpposResidentLexusGuy - USE20, XF20, XU30 and Press Cars" (jakeauern)
04/20/2017 at 10:34, STARS: 5
They don’t effect your daily driving experience enough to bother turning off. The only time you should turn them off because they’re negativity effecting the driving experience is if you’re doing spirited/track driving.
"Justin Hughes" (justinhughes54)
04/20/2017 at 10:35, STARS: 1
The BRZ has on, off, and “sport” modes (“track” mode on new models) on its traction control. You will not die if you turn it off, but especially on its slippery stock tires the BRZ is extremely tail happy. Nothing you can’t control, given your Miata experience (I got my BRZ with years of Miata experience, too). Sticky tires help that a lot. Regasrdless, the BRZ itself is a great platform, with neutral handling, and is very predictable and easy to control when you do exceed its traction limits.
I can’t speak to your other choices, but being FWD I imagine they’d mainly tend toward understeer, except for lift-off oversteer being pretty easy to get on the FiST.
"415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°)" (415s30)
04/20/2017 at 10:42, STARS: 1
Well in the rain you will. I feel it during big storms, you won’t on a dry normal day.
"McMike" (mcmike)
04/20/2017 at 10:42, STARS: 4
Let’s wait and see until you notice that they’re ON first.
"Cash Rewards" (cashrewards)
04/20/2017 at 10:43, STARS: 0
As others have said, no difference in daily driving unless 1) you’ve lost control and wish it was on, or 2) you’re driving much faster and aggressively than you ought to on public roads, in which case take it to the track or autocross.
"Tripper" (tripe46)
04/20/2017 at 10:43, STARS: 1
+1 traction control has only every helped during normal driving. I switch it off as I enter the roundabout near the grocery store:)
"TheTurbochargedSquirrel" (thatsquirrel)
04/20/2017 at 10:47, STARS: 3
Turning it off will theoretically make it behave exactly like a car without the systems. They are designed as a safety net, not a necessary part of the cars driving dynamics. The systems only kick in when the car determines they are needed. The only times traction control has kicked in in my Mini was when I was being a bit aggressive with the gas going up a hill in the snow on my shit snow tires and the only time stability control has kicked in was when I deliberately threw the car into a skid (at 11:30 pm in an empty parking lot with no one around and nothing to hit at about 35 mph) to learn how the stability control was going to behave. I specified theoretically because on a lot of modern cars you can’t completely turn the systems off, just relax the point at which they engage. I know from my dad’s experience that the BRZ will still engage traction control and stability control when they are off but they kick in much later and give you a lot more freedom. If you leave them on you will never notice them until they save you.
"Bourbon&JellyBeans" (bourbonandjellybeans)
04/20/2017 at 10:53, STARS: 1
In my Mustang, it’s night and day when you turn traction control off. Very simple, if I want to break the rear end loose, it’s literally impossible with TC on. The car realizes that the tires aren’t turning “normally,” and power is cut no matter what my right foot is doing. With it off, I can break the rear end loose all day long, no problem.
Modern cars are generally very stable. Of course, if you drive like a moron...then well, “play stupid games, win stupid prizes.”
Personally, I see no reason to turn it off in most scenarios because, like others have said, you don’t notice it. The only time it really kicks in may be the one time you really need it, so I leave it on unless I am in an empty, wet parking lot or something and want to have a little fun.
Of course, none of that applies when driving in the snow, in which case TC is your worst enemy.
"Dave the car guy , still here" (a3dave)
04/20/2017 at 10:55, STARS: 1
I live on the fringe of the Lake Erie Snowbelt. I turn off traction control only occasional if its heavy deep slushy snow. The reason is because if traffic is heavy and you are sitting on my street trying to cross traffic its a bad time for the controls to cut power. If the ESP is on it will cut power when it detects wheel spin. I run snow tires and even a mild spin killing power is a pain as the car will hook up at some time as the AWD is searching for grip at each corner. If you search for “Audi ESP on or off” there are lots of discussions on the subject. I usually turn it back on as I get on better plowed roads within 5 minutes of leaving for work.
In rain or on drier snow conditions I leave it on as it doesn’t seem to be an issue and even in mildly spirited driving its not as bothersome.
"Maxima Speed" (maximaspeed)
04/20/2017 at 10:56, STARS: 1
In my Solara when I turn all traction and stability control off I notice a big difference in ride quality, and handling. Not only does ride quality decrease when I turn it off, because the air suspension must smooth everything out; but I also have decreased handling. The car is much more stable and stiffer at speed with VSC on. I think for mine there is such a big difference because of the weight of the car, at 3700 pounds she’s a bit lardy.
"Bourbon&JellyBeans" (bourbonandjellybeans)
04/20/2017 at 10:56, STARS: 1
In theory, yes, but in practice, even hitting the TC button on the console may not turn off EVERY electronic nanny. For instance, no matter what, you can’t do a burnout in an automatic transmission Mustang because the revs are limited to like 2500 when the brakes are applied (so no brake stands). Or at least, I’ve never figured out a way to do it.
"Eberle-Hills-Cop" (Eberle-Hills-Cop)
04/20/2017 at 11:10, STARS: 1
in my truck I turn it off anytime the road surface is loose (dirt or snow) otherwise it tries to correct slides and shit that i otherwise would be able to control without thinking no problem. But the system kicks on and does some braking or throttle cut i am not expecting and it makes the situation MORE dangerous for me.
"DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time" (dc3ls-)
04/20/2017 at 11:10, STARS: 1
Depends a lot on the car too. Some kick in often, but not very severe. Others will wait a long time to kick in, but it’s more noticeable when they do. Although a lot of that could’ve been tires too. I remember driving a friends car in the rain that had awful old tires and the first few stop signs it’d kick in with me accelerating normally.
"Tekamul" (tekamulburner)
04/20/2017 at 11:35, STARS: 1
Turning them off is fine, but you will have to do it every time you start the car. And in some cases, turning it completely off is either not possible or very difficult.
In the toyobarus, it takes the ‘pedal dance’ to turn it completely off, which requires a lot of inputs, as well as the car already at nominal operating temperature, and withing 30 seconds of being turned on. That means you have to start it, let it warm up, shut it off, start again and do the dance.
The Pedal Dance
Pull the e-brake 3 times. Hold/lock the e-brake on the 3rd pull.
Press the brake pedal 3 times. Hold it down the third time.
Pull the hand brake 3 more times. Hold/lock the hand brake on the 3rd pull
Press the brake pedal 2 more times.
On the last press of the brake pedal, two yellow lights should have come on.
"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
04/20/2017 at 12:00, STARS: 1
Habitually deactivating traction and stability control because you’re used to older cars without them is not the right idea.
In normal day to day driving these systems don’t do anything except provide a safety net for sudden emergency maneuvers. You should not habitually deactivate them. For driving around town, get in the car and drive. It will be fine.
When it comes to aggressive driving, each car is different in how much silliness the traction/stability control will allow before they get in the way. Before you turn them off, try driving with them on to get familiar with how they behave. Deactivate IF you find that they get in the way of what you want the car to do.
My car has a “dynamic” mode that raises the threshold for when traction & stability control kick in. I find that it generally stays out of the way in fun driving but helps save you from doing something stupid if you overcook a turn badly.
"SPAMBot - Horse Doctor" (spambot2002)
04/20/2017 at 12:11, STARS: 2
You have to hold the button for ~10 seconds. At least that is how it worked on my rental Boostang last year. It turns everything off. Donuts and burnouts for all! (closed course)
"TheD0k_2many toys 2little time" (thed0ck)
04/20/2017 at 13:11, STARS: 1
i always turn them off as soon as i get in a car with them. i also buy cars without them as well haha. if you really want them gone take it to a good tuner and you just shut them off permanentely.
"David Talmage" (davidtalmage)
04/20/2017 at 13:24, STARS: 0
Thank you all for educating me. I’m glad to learn that for most of my driving I won’t notice it.