Should I turn DSC off, or do I leave it on, This isn't for racing or anything, but I live in upstate NY and there are a lot of curly/windy roads that are fun to drive on, but the other day when I was coming around a turn the DSC kicked in, Is that good or bad, I was under the impression to turn it off at the track, but what about when your out joyriding???

 

I would always leave the DSC on when driving on public roads. The track is the only place you need to be pushing your car to its limits. DSC keeps you and other drivers safe.

 

 

^lmao, nice pic, yes keep dsc on

 

leave it on.

 

Leave it on if you want to live longer.

 

If you are a very skilled driver, and the road is dry, then you can turn it off. But since you are asking if you should keep it on or not. I'm going to guess that you are not a pro driver, just like most of us. So i would advise you to keep it on, Don't want to go sliding into the guard rail.

 

Unless you have a base model, then you'll just have to stay on your toes

But yeah, keep it on; came in real handy driving my friend's C6 with old, slippery run(off the road) flat tires.

 

Leave it on, leave it on, leave it on.

The only time I'd turn it off is if you're auto crossing, or in the middle of a giant parking lot where you know you cannot hit anything if you loose control of the vehicle.

 

Leave it on, leave it on, leave it on.


I like that song.

 

It really depends on your driving ability.
I like to have it off when I am driving in twisties because I feel like I am more in control of the car and I can directly feel what the car is doing and capable of.

Why not try how it feels with it off, and try it with it on and go from there.
Oh BTW, if it's raining, I would surely leave it on.

 

It is fairly irresponsible and dangerous to turn off any safety devices on public roads. No matter your skill, you are not on a closed course and you have no idea if there will be some gravel, oil, or other slippery objects on the road that could cause you to lose control of the car. In those cases DSC could potentially save your life.

Years ago my friend's father had a 240Z that he enjoyed a spirited drive with. They lived at the top of a hill that had a 2-mile or so twisty road that he had to drive up to get home. Having done it hundreds of times he used to go fairly fast. One day he hit something on the road mid-turn and lost control and spun out and flew off the road backwards up someones driveway in between 2 huge trees. It is a small miracle that he wasn't hurt and the car wasn't damaged. DSC may have kept his car on the road.

Just sayin....

 

Of course DSC may have also been counterproductive. Anyone that has driven a car through snow knows that electronic nannies aren't the failsafe devices that they're advertised to be; in certain situations they can even contribute to an accident.

Nonetheless, the RX-8's DSC is fairly well calibrated so I'd leave it on regardless. Now if this was the Lexus system, I'd try turning it off as much as possible as it really doesn't know what it's doing. May I ask what roads in upstate New York you're driving? When I lived there I couldn't find anything that was worth turning a wheel for...

 

The RX-8 has tested to perform better on the skidpad with DSC enabled.

I have a base model (leather seats, sun/moon roof, navi: NO THANKS) so I sometimes wonder what I'm missing.

I admit to having a spirited driving habit in my 8, but once after turning right from a stoplight onto a 4 lane divided highway separated by those small, raised concrete medians I inexplicably lost traction. Lucky for me it was quite late at night and there was no traffic, so instead of trying to fight the car I simply applied the brakes, rolling to a stop with my left front tire against the median. The loss of traction began as I was straightening the car out, not while turning as a result of trying to accelerate too quickly. I have written it off to an oily patch on the road; this area is close to an industrial park, and sees a lot of commercial traffic.

 

I had an IS300 for a while, and that thing's terrifying DSC almost got me into more accidents than it ever saved me from. In fact, I can't remember it EVER making a valid intervention.

Leaving my neighborhood, there was always a light dusting of dirt due to some nearby construction and if I was trying to get out into traffic smoothly and quickly, the DSC would kick in at the tiniest hint of wheelspin. Whenever it would kick in, the light would blink for probably about 10 seconds and hold the car at whatever speed I was going when it kicked in (usually around 10) before accelerating VERY SLOWLY after about 5 seconds. Keep in mind that traffic is going 50mph and the road was only one lane wide with a median. So all I could do was putt on out into the road, 40mph slower than everyone else, keep the pedal to the metal, and hope they stop in time.

That's about the only thing I REALLY disliked about that car.

 

I honestly have never liked, especially in a car like the 8, anything that lets the computer control the car. Which is a big reason why I have never bought an automatic. As for the DSC in the 8, honestly unless you have no real experience with pushing a car, I have never found turning it off to be the problem that seems popular here. I like turning it off and pushing the car. But then again I push cars on a regular basis. So it all depends on how good a driver you are. You dont have to mario andretti, but you should exercise SOME judgement.

 

The problem with a car like the rx8. Is that its so neutral that it makes a novice driver overconfident. That by the time you get feedback you will be way in over your head.

 

While the weight distribution is 50/50, the *** end of the 8 is still light. If you don't want to end up doing a 360 or hitting an embankment if not another vehicle, leave it on, and even then watch yourself. It's a nanny.....not a failsafe.

 

Just traded my WRX in for an 08 RX8 today. I've got the sport model w/o DSC, I'm surprised it's not a standard feature yet. I've kicked out the back end a few times and was pretty comfortable with it, however during an emergency situation on public roads I'd prefer to have it there as a back up. The WRX didn't really need this system as bad since losing traction took a lot more effort and the car understeers at the limit.

 

the sport model comes with dsc standard.

the base model does not. if you dont have dsc, you have a base model.

 

Well if know one else will tell you. I will. Leave the DSC on.
It's the safe thing to do. And you want to be safe, right? I thought so.

 

on on on on. trust me

 

so many sheep in this thread..

the electronics on this car are not so sophisticated that a competent driver isn't able to drive safely without them on. This isn't the X-35; the computer isn't keeping it air born. There is nothing a trained foot (or two) can't do better or save you from than the 'safety' programs are going to do for you.

 

Since he had to ask.............

Keep it on!

 

That may have been the case before (I have no idea), but as of 2008 here are the available trims:

Sport
Touring
Grand Touring
40th Anniversary Edition

There's no "base" model to speak of unless you're referring to the Sport trim. The only way to get DSC and traction control on the Sport 6MT model is to check the "Performance Package"