The Lovely Harvey witnessed a Jaguar F-Type do the fishtail dance into a spin that culminated in it backing into the center dividing wall.
She says that right before they lost traction they were goosing it to pass.
I've lost count of the number of times I've seen an accident stemming from shutting off the electronic stability.
Repeat after me: Unless you are an actual professional race-car driver you're not skilled enough to handle the stupid power so many of these cars make.
Especially when you leave the summer-only tires on that don't have any traction below 50˚F.
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My father used to ruefully observe that "the most dangerous component in any automobile is the nut behind the wheel." And just buying a high-powered car does not make you Mario Andretti or Dale Earnhardt, Jr.!
ReplyDeleteI drive a 2007 Toyota Tundra 4x4. I find that in sloppy winter weather where four wheel drive isn't necessary, turning off the TSC and VSC and using plain old rear wheel drive works quite well. Toyota uses the ABS to force the slipping wheels to grab, but it impedes forward motion because it is using the brakes. For the truck to operate in true four wheel drive, TSC and VSC must be turned off per the owners manual. Normal driving, especially on wet roads, the TSC and VSC do well.
ReplyDeleteCompletely different situation.
DeleteYou're actually aware of how the system works and what it's doing and shutting it down when it's not helping.
I'm talking about people weaned on front wheel drive cars with under 200 hp buying something rear wheel drive with WAY more than 400 who think that because the pro drivers disable it, then everyone should.
It doesn't take much searching to find Camaros, Mustangs and Vettes getting crunched from drivers who don't know how to drive their cars.
I say this as someone who had a '79 Camaro without all the electronic intrusion and just more than 300 horses. It was luck more than skill that kept me from wrecking a couple of times and I welcome my silicon overlords in The Precious.