mazz

hi guys,

i'm a new member to the forum, and I am looking to buy a new car for quite alot of autocross and track work, having previously driven an old 2nd hand M3, am looking for a new car to track n autox that wont break the bank in maintenance/upkeep, inshort basically a new car.. anyway i digress.


so as i was saying, i came across on this forum that, u can actually turn DSC totally off, as in holding the button for a while, there was a vid together with that as well.. i think i think it was 'takahashi'? (sorry if i got the name wrong) website that hosted the video.

anyway was wondering if any of you, did or did not turn off the dsc on your autox and track days and whether it made a difference..

on another note based on what i saw on the best motoring video, best to leave it on normal roads, wonder whether if it voids your insurance if u get into an accident and the insurance company finds out you had turned dsc off totally? does the ECU remember when you turn last turned it off? Or have I been watching too much big brother?

thanks alot guys.
and great work with the forum! :D


mark

PUR NRG

DSC completely off for autocross or track events. Insurance coverage and pickiness depends on carrier.
________
SUZUKI RG250

mazz

Hi! PUR NRG,

have u tracked the car with just dsc partially turned off only? is the car very different or more responsive? thanks alot for your input

tpryor

I leave it on when the weather is bad, partially off all other times on the street.

For Auto-X, we have actually tested this. On a practice day - same car, same course, same driver, same tires - fully off (hold for 8 seconds) was consistently about 1.5 seconds faster (on a 55 second course) than partially off OR on. Keep in mind, with partially off, the system re-arms as soon as you hit anti-lock the first time. So, for all practical purposes, there is only On or Off while at the track.

The difference in FEEL, however, was major. The car can be manuevered with it off, but you never know WHERE it's going to go with it on..........

Berni

So yours (and you believe all) comes back on after going full on with the brakes? I am not saying different or disbelieving but I have never seen this happen.

Matt-man

You haven't bought the car yet? Do what I did and just buy it without DSC.

tpryor

Yep. I "assumed" that it happens to all, but can't confirm. After some thought, it may not be the braking that does it, but it does "re-arm" after some sort of episode of extreme manuevering.

When we brake hard, the car is loose, so I am not sure if the braking or the rear end moving around messes with the sensors, but it DOES come back on.

We had another 8 in our region, driven by the guy who has won the Mazda Rev-it-Up event for the last (and only) two years it has been to Houston, and he had the same issue. His co-driver was unaware of how to turn it fully off, and he complained that every time he hit the brakes, he had to press the button again. Can you imagine trying to auto-x with one hand on the DSC button???

We haven't tried it again in a long time, maybe one of the flashes changed this???

takahashi

Yes ... I was me that rip the video from Best Motoring :D mazz

I use to give it totally off. It was fun but the last track day was VERY wet. So I even leave the DSC on - it is still totally fun and certainly a fool prove for finding the limit of the tire grip. So it is a great learning tool.

I am surprised that the DSC switch back on when driving hard (during DSC half off). It does not happen on mine?! I wonder why??

tpryor

You don't have our legal system, is my guess..........

Dark8

The Oregon SCCA auto-x that i participated in last Sunday was my first experience in the rain with the RX-8. At times it rained so hard that the groung turned into a white froth of water. There were some 'lakes' 4-6 inches deep we had to drive through. It was the funest auto-x I have ever participated in.

I forgot to turn off the DSC on our fifth and final run and actually ran .4 seconds slower then the fourth run. I never spun with the DSC off but it sure felt more like a drifting event than a auto-x. This car is so easy to recover from a slide compared to all of the other cars I have had. Every time I started to get a little sideways with the DSC on, it would take over and correct it. I will give the DSC credit for doing it's job.

mazz

hi guys,

thanks for all your replies.. its interesting to see how people have performed during an autoX with and without DSC...

makes me wonder how different would have been any of the auto testers reviews been if they had turned DSC completely off!

anyway, great to hear from you guys about your autoX experiences, seems like the RX8 is quickly becoming a new autoX favourite.

keep them replies coming in!

Tony Orlando

Always fully off here. On both cone courses and open tracks I am faster and more in control of the car with it "all the way" off. Doing a quick press is pretty useless on the track. It IS nice however, on the street. Most people feel the throttle response is a little snappier with the DSC off, but one mistake could cost you your car, or worse. By using the quick press on the street, it will still re-arm and save your *** if you really lose it. But:

For track, always off.

Berni

again i am not trying to battle with you or anything. I am just trying to figure out the "Event" I was Autocrossing yesterday and will be again today (yes a two day event) during the event i both used ABS (my poor driving) and did a couple of serious drifts ( my good driving) . Because of this thread i was sure to check my DSC light after each run and it was still on.

So what is it. We gotta figure this out. I do believe there is something as you said but what. and beyond that what would the diff be if i do a full press and hold.

tpryor

I have tried mine again since this thread was started, and now mine stays on also. It HAS to be one of the flashes that took care of this. Remeber, my car is 13 months old, and was one of the very early builds - I have been through every flash ever available.

But, I SWEAR it used to be that way..............

And, there are two differences if you hold it all the way in for 8 seconds. One is that you now also defeat the traction control (signified by a second light above the tachometer) and you can not reset it with the button. The car must be turned off and back on.

Now, I can't wait until the next rain event to try it correctly again.

HeelnToe

Ya know, I've tried that, and didn't notice any difference. With the TC on or off, I can squeal the rear tires pretty good at takeoff if I try (only as an experiment, as I don't normally do this anyway).

Which makes me wonder how much help the TC is gonna be in the snow this winter.

I take it TC doesn't prevent ALL wheelspin, but only kicks in after a certain amount of time and/or when a certain difference in wheel rotation speeds (front-to-rear) is reached?

I haven't had the courage to drop the clutch at 7,000 rpm (with TC on) to see what happens, lol...

Berni

I dropped mine at 7000 today at SCCA ...yeah it spins. for like sixty feet then i was into the first turn and did not pay much more attention..

I never look at the tach when racing, Eyes on those cones.. not planned or anything that is just what ends up happening.