Leave the Nannies On!

[Light-As-A-BRZ]

Just want to remind everyone to leave the stability control on.

This past weekend, it was sunny and about 30 deg in the Minneapolis area. Roads were dry and so conditions were right to take the BRZ out to stretch her legs. Anyway, I was on an on-ramp (behind an Odyssey so definitely not going too fast) and realized how valuable the stability control system is.

The roads were dry except under the bridge for this on-ramp. The sun was high enough that snow was melting and what I didnt' realize was how icy it was under there where the melting snow runoff was going through.

Before I knew it, my back-end was sliding out (road was slightly banked) and the stability control took over. The icy patch was probably 60 feet long and going around 40 MPH, all it took was a second for all this to happen.

I don't think I would have been able to recover without the stability control.

So the lesson here is: Leave the nannies on folks!

[shawnperolis]

Good post! I leave my nannies on during normal driving... If I want to have some fun I just put it in "Sport Mode" or whatever. When I am pretending to be a drift king in an empty parking lot I turn everything off like a boss!

[ayau]

Just noticed you're in Minneapolis. We have a thread here for locals if you're interested.

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showt...t=3379&page=54

[yohan04]

See my avatar? No, I like them off

But seriously, these electronic aids are great for people who transitioning from AWD to RWD, esp the sport mode; awesome for light small angles without ending up in the ditch (although I find it little too intrusive).

[Ganthrithor]

Yeah, no real reason to drive with computers off when you're not trying to have fun, but at the same time nothing really substitutes for situational awareness-- no amount of computing power is going to save the car if you encounter a scenario where there's no grip to be had. Always good to be paying attention to the surfaces you're driving on!

[turbo_jimbo]

Or, learn how to drive.

[BryanGT]

I reflexively correct traction problems (years of open track, autocross, and carting). But I agree, there is no reason to have the nannies off unless you are planning on doing something stupid, and you shouldn't be doing something stupid on public roads.

If you haven't had professional "high performance driving" instruction then that should be your first "mod" for your car. Forza and Gran Turismo don't count.

[Ganthrithor]

Originally Posted by BryanGT

I reflexively correct traction problems (years of open track, autocross, and carting). But I agree, there is no reason to have the nannies off unless you are planning on doing something stupid, and you shouldn't be doing something stupid on public roads.

If you haven't had professional "high performance driving" instruction then that should be your first "mod" for your car. Forza and Gran Turismo don't count.

^ this.

[SubaSteve]

Incoming professional drivers who tell you those are for people who don't know how to drive.

[ilpad]

Originally Posted by SubaSteve

Incoming professional drivers who tell you those are for people who don't know how to drive.

lol... u beat me to it.


There's no shame in driving with them on. As light as the twins are its pretty easy to get it sideways when you don't mean to (especially with our Prius tires on!!). I am an experienced sports car driver and I've even had a close call with oversteer going into a bridge section. I would say I was less then 6 inches from wiping my tail across the guard rail.

[LeeMaster]

Hmmm.... were you driving on the off ramp near 94/35E heading west just out of downtown st paul? Because THAT was where I almost shit my pants the other day, lol.

[Ganthrithor]

Originally Posted by ilpad

As light as the twins are its pretty easy to get it sideways when you don't mean to (especially with our Prius tires on!!). I am an experienced sports car driver and I've even had a close call with oversteer going into a bridge section..

I'm just glad they're not mid-engined. We've got an Elise at home and as fun as that car is to drive it always makes me little nervous, especially trailbraking into downhill or off-camber corners. The light weight makes it way more difficult for me to feel what the car is doing and because of the layout it tends to rotate very quickly once you break traction-- you need real Jackie Chan hands to catch it tidily. I'm hoping the BRZ will be a bit more progressive :3

[neutron256]

Originally Posted by Ganthrithor

I'm just glad they're not mid-engined. We've got an Elise at home and as fun as that car is to drive it always makes me little nervous, especially trailbraking into downhill or off-camber corners. The light weight makes it way more difficult for me to feel what the car is doing and because of the layout it tends to rotate very quickly once you break traction-- you need real Jackie Chan hands to catch it tidily. I'm hoping the BRZ will be a bit more progressive :3

I had a smartcar. Mid-engine, RWD, very short wheelbase. On ice you could tell it was constantly on the verge of getting out of control but as soon as it started to spin stability control would straighten you out.

[Ganthrithor]

Originally Posted by neutron256

I had a smartcar. Mid-engine, RWD, very short wheelbase. On ice you could tell it was constantly on the verge of getting out of control but as soon as it started to spin stability control would straighten you out.

Cue mental picture of smartcar being Chris Harris'ed around a frozen lake.