New cars that can turn TRACTION CONTROL OFF?
 

My daily is a 2003 accord. It is going to need some work this year. Plus tires and a set of wheels.

I'm expecting I would need to spend at least 3,000 this year which isn't horrible but that's not counting the transmission isn't in the best shape and I might have a bad headgasket (disappearing coolant).

Anyway, I digress. I have been looking at new cars for almost a year now and I can't really find what I need/want.

The closest is the Forester XT. The deal breaker for me, as silly as it sounds, is you can't turn off the nannies. On the XT or it seems almost any new car these days.

Please keep your reprimands to yourself. I want a few simple things in the car. Mechanical hand brake and ability to turn traction control off are make or break for me.

Seems simple, but I can't find it. The closest thing I can find is a WRX but I would prefer a more practical vehicle since I have the BRZ already, which is why I was looking at the XT.

TLDR: Want a new or newish car that has a hand brake and ability to turn traction completely off. Prefer something like a Forester XT but can't find that perfect car.

I feel your pain. I also live in NY where the weather is often a determining factor of which car you purchase. The FRS has been paid off for a year now but I continue to drive my 2008 honda fit in the winter bc it has a proper handbrake and no nannies. (except a surprisingly lenient ABS)

To answer you question. My wife has a 2015 c300 benz. Can't stand the thing but it does let you turn the traction control all the way off. However, it has an electric ebrake. Have you looked into the Fiesta/focus ST? Idk for sure but I assume all those nannies could be turned off. Or at least I hope they can be.

Unless they changed it for 2015+, no it doesn't. Even my current daily 2000 C280 can't turn it completely off. It shows all off, but as soon as you start sliding the light flashes and works in the background to help you correct the slide. It still lets you have fun though, I took the thing to a test and tune autocross and was sliding around all over the place on all seasons.

Even my '07 SLK55 AMG didn't turn everything off with the button. The only way to turn it off was to go through the maintenance menu through a button sequence and put the car in dyno/diagnostic mode... but that also turned off ABS and Airbags. Like the C Class, it does let you slide the car a LOT without completely intervening. It just helps you stay in control in the background - hence so many AMG/Mercedes drift/powerslide clips.

I'd imagine newer BMWs and Mazdas allow you to turn it all off. Porsche does, the 4C forces all off in Race mode - but I don't know if one can assume the Giulia allows it. Civic Si/TypeR? I know the Type R can be turned off completely by holding the button down long enough.

Aftermarket ECU tuner?

I wish.

BRZ is only car that I know of that offers something like the "86 nanny" thing.

If XT had one available I'd scoop it up in a heartbeat.

The only option I have come up with is removing ABS fuse, which I don't really want to do.

If you're just looking to turn traction control off, I think up to the 2016 Forester does, but the stability control still works. So, you can have complete control over the wheel speed until it gets sideways.

I wouldn't have much desire to get a forester sideways, though.
I could be wrong. Not done a lot of research on these until recently. (GF is looking for a new car, wants AWD small SUV)

I want to be able to drive how I want.

I don't know why manufacturers want to force me into hand holding. And every forum I look at for cars is like "OMFG why would you want to turn it off!!!???"

I like to slide my Honda. I put in a fat rear sway bar and can use trail braking to slide it in the rain, or even in the dry if I go fast enough but I stay away from that. I love doing hand brake turns in the snow and generally flicking the car around.

I just want a car that doesn't tell me what I can and can't do. Which seems it doesn't exist. I hope I am wrong. Maybe I will just learn to drive without ABS...

And I guess I worded it wrong. When I Say traction control off. I mean I want to be able to turn all nannies FULLY off with no caveats like them turning back on if I"m over 5mph.

I'd say you are wrong. Many manufacturers have fully defeatable units, and those that aren't (Mercedes) still allow you to slide the car even without a handbrake (sliding a fwd accord sounds silly to me, but you do you.)

Many aftermarket tunes can fully defeat traction control for many different cars. Google is your friend.

I think that is the wrong question. The right question is why would the manufacturers want to let you turn it off?

Since it is considered a safety feature it is very likely that there is a solid legal reason for them to NOT want to allow it to be fully turned off. No different than being able to turn off airbags, turn signals or any other safety feature.

In the end, some teenager somewhere will turn it off, run themselves off a cliff and the family will sue because the car was supposed to be "safe" based on how it was sold. (look at all the new Subaru "we crashed and survived" marketing)

This is particularly true on mass market cars (and yes the 86 and all other cars here are mass market cars, not specialty cars). I was surprised (and excited) to see that Toyota/Subaru let you turn off as much in the 86 as they do.

Face it, it's the one of the last of a dying breed.

Point me in the right direction then because I haven't found it. ANd no matter what I drive I would push it. Daewoo or Porsche. Sorry if you can't enjoy a car because it is FWD
There would be no issue. They all default to all nannies on every time you restart and you have to decide to turn them off, you can't accidentally turn them off.

If you enjoy big brother telling you what is safe for you to do and not do that is great. I don't like it.

Do you know any vehicles that fulfill what I asked?

www.google.com


Off the top of my head new cars I *know* can be fully defeated:
Civic Si and Type R
Mazda MX5
BMW M2
Alfa 4C

Also, aftermarket example other than BRZ. Seriously, find a car you think you like then google it.

https://www.goapr.com/support/esp-defeat.html

lol, I want a more practical daily. I have a BRZ for track already...

If I got a sedan it would be a WRX but I'd rather a 5 door or something like an XT. Did you read my OP?