Quote:
Originally Posted by Vracer111
What does having traction control off ultimately have to do with hitting a curb? If traction control was on, the front end could have just plowed into the curb... and that would be more expensive. I had a situation where was turning in under an overpass and aparrently hit a swath of loose dirt like material that was spread all over the road - right in the middle of turn in. Was in the outside lane which has a curb running along it, and immediately when felt the front end start washing out I got on the accelerator and initiated a serious rear correction, and JUST cleared the curb while staying in the lane. If the traction/stability control systems were on, the front end would have most definitely washed out completely and would have ended up smacking into the curb - there was no distance to allow the power to be cut and front to understeer back into grip and clear the curb. And if I have a choice, its going to be the rear I'd want to make contact with curb, not the front.
The traction control on the FR-S is not that great, the Nissan Frontier I recently picked up has a better and MUCH more useful TC and stability system. In the FR-S, I drive without the traction and stability system on 100% of the time - the car is much more predictable and responsive with it disengaged.
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Your example is not the same as what the OP reported.
The OP was making a left, got on the gas too much, and swapped ends. In this instance, TC would have done exactly what it's meant to do by stopping the spin.
In your instance, the front end washed out due to loss of grip. That you managed to oversteer your way out of it in those tight confines was luck as much as anything else. If the rear end got into the same patch of loose material it would have simply been accelerated into the curb more quickly.
Ultimately, either end of this car is bad to hit like that. I do agree though that it's very controllable with the nannies turned off if you pay attention, however all it takes is a moment's inattention and the laws of physics take over.