Quote:
Originally Posted by MACCAA
Couldn't agree with you more.
I do Advanced Driver Training and,trust me,the vast majority of people greatly overestimate their ability.
How many people do you know that don't think that they're good [or even very good.....]drivers?
The reality in my experience is very different.
By all means turn off VSC/ESP systems on a race track once you have garnered some basic skills,but there is no reason to do so on public roads.
If you turn them off,and are driving along next to a B double in the rain that decides it wants your lane,trust me your swerve and recover manouvre will be greatly compromised.
We've done this type of scenario at some of the courses,with ESP/VSC on and off,and the results can be potentially devastating with it off.
It's all very well to think these systems are hindering your driving pleasure,but when something goes wrong out of the blue they can literally save your life.
I know just how fast you can lap a race track without the systems interfering much,and if you're triggering them on public roads,you're overdriving the car.
By their very nature they operate when you're exceeding the level of grip of your car.
Sure as Instructors we turn them off on the Track,but mine are very much turned ON for public roads.
In a perfect world we wouldn't need doors or seat belts but unexpected stuff that happens out of the blue can kill you in a second.
I [and my 2 passengers] survived a massive accident some years ago on the way back from the Surfers Paradise races that probably
would have killed us all if the ESP was off,due to the"manouvres" I had to perform to avoid a car carrier on my side of the road.
One minute we were quiety cruising along at 100kph,next we were spread all over the Highway[but we missed the truck]
You can't predict where it's going to go very wrong sometimes,and being an innocent party doesn't make it hurt any less.[5 broken ribs,punctured lung,etc]
And when it does,you'll be thankfull for all the help you can get.
Cheers
Len
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I cannot agree with you more, yes, in those situation, vsc and all those gadget will probably help you a lot..
STILL... i keep them off... not because i am reckless... i drive responsibly, and when all that electronic stuff is on, I don't KNOW when my car reach it's limit, when it will stop to grip...
and the day i will lose control with all that assitance ON, i will really lose it...
i drive safely, with all the assistance off, and as an exemple, i don't try to overtake a 53 foot truck on the highway when it rains.... why? because i know it is risky and i could oversteer or understeer...
all that electronic assistance, make the car react not like it is supposed to, not normally, and then it change your judgment on what is your real driving limit.... probably it help a lot of drivers... but i prefer to learn, and drive slower on snow or rain, while still knowing that if i smash the gaz in a curve, i could loose it....
then again... if you don't have the judgment to drive without those, and you don't take precaution on your car's handling depending on the condition of the road... maybe it ain't the best choice of car for you..... it's still a small sports car rwd after all...