i'm about to buy my first 8. should i get the sport package? the only reason i would get it would be for the extra safety in traction control and dynamic stability (traction control does come in that package doesn't it?). i could care less about the fog lamps and xenon headlights. i do live where it gets icy a few times a year. i'll definitely invest in some snow tires. but in slick scenarios, i would definitely take it easy if not avoid it from the beginning. so would i be paying for something i would never use? i'm not the racing type either. basically, i want to know whether it is considered safety or just a nice feature for people that drive more aggressively than the average person. i would consider myself a less than average aggressive driver, in normal conditions, and much more conservative in extreme conditions.

having said all that, however, i should let you know that this will be my first sports car, first rear wheel drive, and first manual transmission. so with all those strikes against me, would dynamic stability be considered more of a safety measure for me than a more seasoned, experienced driver?

 

If you drive the 8 in conditions where there will be ice or snow the DSC is well worth the price in my opinion. Winter time in Minnesota has been a breeze. I think it has been my easiest car to drive in the winter and my other three cars were all front wheel drive.

Even in the summer it comes in handy. I accidentally downshifted to second going 60mph instead of 4th as I approached a cloverleaf. Needless to say the back of the car kicked to the left about 8 feet. The DSC took care of the problem very quickly and without making me feel out of control, split second it fixed it. If the DSC had not kicked in I could have rolled down the bank. Temp was 87F.

I believe there is a break on insurance for those that have DSC.

 

The DSC has saved my *** so many times I've lost count.

 

Based on the data in this study this will soon be a moot point.

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/rules/...te/809790.html

ALL cars will have this technology as there has nothing added to cars in the last 40 years that has reduced damage as effectively. Having driven my 8 at Watkins Glen in the RAIN with DSC I can say it does not get in the way unless it has too, DSC is worth the money.

 

Yes, the DSC is a huge benefit when you are learning on the track, allowing you to achieve faster learning because you can make small mistakes without worry, but you will know when you've screwed up, so it doesn't mask bad behavior.

Ultimately the car is faster without TSC/DSC, probably because of the tuning of the programs. I wish they would have given us a race mode, as cars like the new C6 are actually faster on the track with a pro driver when those systems are put in race mode, versus fully defeated.

Its also a briliant system on snow and ice.

 

looks like even more experienced drivers see the benefit of DSC. and since this purchase is a big first in many categories for me, it's probably a good idea i take advantage of all the help i can get.

 

I agree with others on this thread that the DSC system in the RX-8 is well worth the investment. It has performed flawlessly for me under all conditions for which it was designed.

I live in NH though, and am not blessed with a budget that allows me to put a "beater" on the road when the snow/ice flies and keep my RX-8 at home in the garage. as a result, I have found that use of the DSC in winter is something that needs to be thought about under a given set of driving conditions. For instance, if slogging around in a snowstorm (I use Blizzaks all around in the winter or else this point would be moot) it is better to disengage the DSC as pushing the rear end beyond the point of traction loss is going to be required at times - having the DSC kick in at these critical points in driver manipulation of a vehicle can cause more harm than good. On the other hand, if roads are failrly well plowed with the occasional slippery patch, the DSC can really save your butt.

 

my first winter with the car I was driving very carefully and got caught up in some ice on a turn and the back end snapped violently around... or well tried to go around until the DSC saved my from dumping it into the side of a bridge

 

Definitely get the safety systems. Just the other night during a sudden ice storm, they saved myself and my gf from ending up in a ditch... In those conditions, the system works so flawlessly, it's amazing. 9 times out of 10, it was correcting the car's motion well before I even realized there was a problem. I can't recommend it enough.

 

Works great in the rain in Florida too. The only time I had a problem was when I shut it off trying to prove I didn't need it and slide around a lot and almost spun out, of course I also have a lead foot and I was testing the limits. I would recommend it though, it does not interfere unless it needs to and chances are if you drive the 8 everyday, it might even help extend the life of the tires, which means it is saving you money

 

Snap-oversteer comes uninvited sometimes, and you don't want to be caught like that in the middle of traffic. TCS aids a wee-bit in subduing this tendency of -I believe- all RWD cars. Funny thing is, on the 8, it is not necessarily induced by throttle but by weight bias changes under braking, cornering, or simply letting off the gas. Obviously, the more worn out your tires, the more prone.

Which brings me to my second point: always keep your worn tires on the front. Its safer to induce understeer when losing grip on the front tires instead of rears. And to answer your question, you'll feel a lot better knowing there is a little hamster pulling the plug on power / stepping on the brakes for you. Check the box for TCS.

 

I'm sure you're convinced by now about the benefits of DSC/TC (which, of course, are very easily disabled on the 8 if you don't want them in a particular situation).

But I'm concerned about your statement that you don't care about the HID headlamps. Have you driven many highway miles with HID?? I've found that the HID is wonderful, giving superb, even, focused illumination with the low beams (avoiding blinding oncoming traffic with high beams). This is a great safety and comfort advance, even with the extremely high cost of potential replacement ($500 each).

 

there was ice all over my neighborhood last week. one morning when going to work, i went around a turn that was pretty much a thick sheet of ice, back end stepped out maybe a foot, dcs did its job and that was the end of that. meh. winter tires. my summer tires handled the ice just fine

 

The HID's and foglights are worth the option package alone. white lasers. I don't think they weigh much.

Even for a somewhat experienced driver, DSC is worth it on the street. Won't stop the rear from spinning loose, but DSC is like sports cars for dummies. The RX8 is a very advanced weapon, and requires smooth, experienced skill not only to go fast in it, but also not to wreck it. For autocross, you want to disable DSC, but it lets you (hold button in for ~ 7 seconds until squiggly car warning light appears).

 

how do they help avoid blinding oncoming traffic? i don't like it when cars have bright lights, so i would definitely appreciate it if my lights helped reduced those. sounds like the sports package is the way to go.

 

They have a very sharp cutoff point. Aimed correctly, this keeps a majority of the light out of other drivers' eyes.

 

Everyone who's answered so far seems to have DSC and love it. From what I understand, the system on the RX-8 is very good at allowing sporty driving while getting you out of bad situations. Having said all that, I don't have DSC, I drive my car in the winter, and I don't feel it is at all unsafe. It does require constant attention, and the back end has stepped out quite a few times, but the great thing about this car is that it is SO easy to catch it once it starts oversteering, that I think it is still a very safe car (in the right hands...) even without DSC. Of course, I'm not discouraging you from getting DSC, especially if you're nervous about driving a RWD sports car, just providing another point of view.

 

auto leveling baby! that and a distinctive cut line

 

I opted not to go for the DSC, and honestly the backend came out easier on my old S10 than this car.

 

i think you're right when you say that it's safe "in the right hands." i didn't think i needed it because i'm inexperienced and not the racer type. but i think i've been looking at it the wrong way. this is how i think of it now: racers sometimes REMOVE safety measures because they know how to manipulate them to their advantage safely, which is probably why mazda allows the system to be turned off. for the people that aren't dale earnhardt and those that have posted messages here, it's come in handy when they don't expect to need it. nobody ever COMMANDS the DSC to kick in. it just does when it's needed, even if it is a conservative drive. so, if you think about it, you get it BECAUSE you're inexperienced. i am VERY inexperienced, so i might actually benefit from the safety measures more than a more experienced driver even if i don't race.

i'm glad i started this thread. i was pretty set on not getting the sport package until now. might have saved more than just my car. so thanks, everybody, for your opinions.

plus, this way, i can be at ease driving more aggressively and feel more safe than if i didn't have DSC.

 

Yep, DSC saved my butt last week when it was icy. It was early in the morning, and I'm always half-asleep on my way to work. I nearly missed a turn, and did a "oh crap <jerk steering wheel>". The back end slipped out and the DSC immediately kicked in. And there was a MARTA bus right there too, which I surely would have slid into.

 

Even the most experienced driver can be caught with its pants down.

 

No. DSC shouldn't give a false sense of security. The RX8 is capable of generating _tremendous_ high-speed cornering power, and is easier to achieve it than many other traditional and some modern sports cars. But _even_ _with_ DSC, you can still have high (or low) speed oversteer. Without a _very_ smooth pair of hands, and depending on slick conditions and tires, you probably won't correct.

I don't know what exactly it does, but DSC is not intrusive. You have to push the car VERY hard to get it to kick in.

 

keep in mind most insurance companys will give a discount for cars equipt with this system.

I dont mind it at all, I leave it on whenever I drive the car on public roads, and still have fun and dont notice it kick in unless im really hanging on the edge. At track events and autox i turn it off and have just as much fun.