Vyndictive

iTrader: (28)

Hey guys... I've read threads of people turning off their control systems to have more fun and swing the back end of the car etc...


Last night I was exiting I-77 South around essentially a cloverleaf style exit ramp.
Upon merging on the surface street I went to straighten out the wheel... no luck - hit a patch of "black ice" (I hate that term because all proper ice is clear and will be black if the road is black)

I was merging onto a 4 lane rd, I slide across both of my lines and slightly left of center until the car found traction again. As soon as the car found grip it slammed me back onto a straight path accompanied by the nauseating sounds of the ABS system working overtime.


My topic is this... are more people pleased with this system as I am? Or do more people find this system to be intrusive in daily driving and a fun reducer? This is my first car with either of these systems and I really believe that it kept me from having an accident last night. I'm just interested as to how it stacks up against other cars. I've read reviews of how it can step in under normal driving conditions and be a pain in the ***....

Thoughts?

DarkLord7854

I've never found it to be a pain, whether when it's me doing some stupid maneuver or due to horrible driving condition (mainly rain and horrendous road condition in Florida).

otakurx

During the winter the DSC has saved my *** a few times due to snow storms and such that I may be out in.

alnielsen

iTrader: (4)

I have a love/hate relationship with DSC/TCS/ABS. It seems to react to abrupt/hard when the conditions are dry and to slow when it's wet, icy or snowy. I can react quicker to a slide in poor conditions than the DSC. By the time it kicks in, I have already corrected and it adds to my correction causing a spin. Once I was in a slide caused by slush on the road. I wanted to lock up the brakes to slide me back to center of the road, but the ABS wouldn't allow it and shot me into the median.
It may have saved me a few times, but it has caused me problems too.

PotatoSoup

It sounds like it worked exactly as intended. Of all the press reviews of the RX-8 over the years, there haven't been many complaints about the stability systems being too intrusive. Mazda did a good job calibrating it.

Also, Vyndictive, I think I need your avatar.

Greenblurr93

iTrader: (1)

DSC has saved my *** a couple times... although ive never had it react 'slowly' as Al mentioned.. its always been right on top of thing and even kicked in before i knew i had lost traction (going straight and rear started to spin slightly, but not enough to make the car rev or slide)

bose

iTrader: (5)

I love it for the most part, I don't really ever take it off only if I want to spin my wheels but I like it. Helps you learn how to drive smoother so I barely see it anymore.

Greenblurr93

iTrader: (1)

i learn to drive smoother with it off (the 7 second way) and on an autoX course

JRichter

Sometimes when I'm cornering/turning through an intersection hard at low speed and the mostly dry pavement has some water/slush patches or in really oily/greasy surfaces (for example turning through where water flows down a concrete pan at a low spot across the street where a street meets another one and has been kicked up into the intersection by other cars) the system will kick in hard, almost stopping me in the intersection - this annoys me big time - can feel like a rear wheel just came off of something. This problem hasn't been nearly as severe with all-seasons but still happens on occasion. I agree about it being slow to react in snow/icy conditions but usually I'm anticipating some slippage here so can adjust. I always experiment w/ it safely in snow/icy just to see how it will react. I often push button once in these conditions to allow some slippage for snowy/icy takeoffs anyways. For the most part, I hardly ever feel it intervene when I'm not expecting it and I know of a few situations where is has probably saved me, so am not too worried about it.

kersh4w

iTrader: (3)

love/hate. but i keep it on at all times.

there have been a few times where i really would have preferred the tires to slip a bit more to keep the revs up (traffic was coming) but tcs cut the power and i had to start accelerating in too high a gear at too low an rpm. 3rd @ 20mph or something ridiculous. not the fastest accelerating there.

that said, tcs has REALLY saved my *** a few times.

its not perfect, but its still really good for daily driving.

i turn it off the second i hit a race track though.

Zerotide

iTrader: (1)

You can operate your brakes individually and divert power away from one wheel to the other?

Socket7

I love DSC, but it definitely is not as sensitive on slick surfaces. I can spin my tires real good in the rain without triggering DSC, where the same sort of wheel spin on dry pavement would make it pitch a fit (and probably damage something with wheel hop).

I never turn DSC off.

ndhoffma

Its nice in most bad conditions (ice, rain, etc) but I find it a pain in the snow... I usually turn it off since otherwise it wont let me spin the tires a little to get some traction going.

kersh4w

iTrader: (3)

you cant, dcs can work the brakes individually.

Whitey

I love it as well. It certainly kept me off of a guardrail on a foggy, wet morning drive to work. The only time I turn it off is when I want to have a little fun on wet pavement

Vyndictive

iTrader: (28)

Yea... I'm sort of the same... I have a steep driveway and the TCS has actually cut the fuel because of the spin to the point that a stall is inevitable. Which causes me to roll comically back down my driveway... Its only happened once and I'm sure I could figure out a way to not have it stall, but its just easier to roll it back and take another try.


I can see their being a slight delay... with my slide (I'm ashamed to admit this) but I was talking on the phone (blue tooth) and not really paying too much attention because the roads were dead and everything to that point had been dry and salted. I sort of paused because the slide was so smooth and by the time I thought to myself "I think I'm on ice" I was already into the 2nd lane and .02 seconds later the DSC took over.


Ha - my avatar rules. I work at a steel company in HR... So I'm all about all the little hammers working together and not complaining. I like the wall, but I wouldn't say I'm huge Pink Floyd Fan.

8 Maniac

iTrader: (1)

he was criticizing al for that... he was saying that despite the fact he was saying he could react better, there are some things he just cant do that the systems can.

I would say leave it on all the time. I haven't really had any moments where it saved my *** but I've got it to kick in a few times and it quickly gets me back on track.

nikkdizzle

iTrader: (2)

it does get kinda annoying but i'm glad its there. it really does help when you're trying to do something stupid.

CyberPitz

I wouldn't know...but I have had my ABS kick in once when I slammed on the breaks to see what they were like, since this is the safest car I've owned.

Good ol' Sport RX-8.

ShottsCruisers

DSC TCS (whatever) saves everyone's ***. It's a proven fact that the car can almost always react better than the driver in an emergency situation. That's why almost all new models have it standard or as an option. The facts and info don't lie, though you always have the die-hards who say they can react better than some dumb *** electronics. Bull! Of course the combo of DSC. TCS (whatever) and a good driver make for the best combo.

04RX8man

I don't get have it!

Crowboy

As someone who likes to "rev" regularly I like the DSC on. The quality of roads here in California varies and it's saved my *** on more than one occasion...word

AAChaoshand

i never really mess with it, I just let it do its thing, definitely helps drifting though

PSTNLSS

iTrader: (3)

I have times when I feel the system kicks in when it doesnt need to.

Other times I'm spinning (ice/snow/water) and it will not kick in.

I experience wheel hop in the cold with my summertires, yes summer tires.
One day it'll kick on for wheel hop and the next day same amount of hop and comes on the yellow DSC light

eviltwinkie

Its saved my butt in bad weather...drive with both on unless you intend on tracking the car...then it might kick in when you dont want it to...

Scared the crap outta me...