Traction Control System

[skygazer6033]

RKing --- Absolutely correct. The gadgets work quite well. They give the novice driver the ability to drive well beyond their ability. Just like Vette 1 at 60 on glare ice with a curve coming up "now what do I do?" The answer is "I don't know, you're now in a corner of the envelope that's never been explored, have a good day. And ditto on the paddle shifters. Unless you're straight and level they're never where you left them.

 

[RKing]

Thanks skygazer6033, thought I just did'nt know how to use them.
Glare/Black ice...
I suspect the English call it "Bloody SLICK"

 

[wheaters]

We used to call it black ice. We now call it frozen water of a minority group.

 

[Truett Collins]

We used to call it black ice. We now call it frozen water of a minority group.

LOL

 

[Jim H]

How on earth did people ever drive without modern electronic aids?
Trouble is, manufacturers have to cater for the lowest common denominator when it comes to driver skills.

Well said. Unfortunately, catering to the lowest denominator applies to so many areas today.

 

[wheaters]

Problem we now face is that manufacturers are trying to sell electronic grippy stuff, based on false logic. In my experience, tyre grip is far more important. If the tyres are bad or worn out, or unsuitable for the conditions, they just won't grip.

Three years ago we suffered the largest snowfall in living history of this area. I owned a 2.5 litre BMW saloon. My son owned a 2.3 litre BMW coupe.

More or less identical cars but both with poor reputation for being tail happy in slippery conditions. My son's car proved to be undriveable and was stuck outside our house for three days. I tried to move it for him but couldn't. But my car was safe and predictable to drive (obviously with due caution) and I used it to take him to and from work, much to his annoyance.

The reason was that my car had good quality winter tyres fitted. His car had summer ones. Most people in UK don't bother with winter tyres but I lived in Germany thirty years ago and saw the difference. Everyone there has two sets of wheels, one set with winter tyres fitted, swapped over with the seasons.

The difference in grip between our two cars was amazing. The following year I sold my BMW but kept the tyres and they were later fitted to my son's car. By then he was working 60 miles from here, across the Pennine hills. It snowed again one night and two of the three main routes he could have used to get home were closed by the authorities. That left only the M62 motorway. Within hours that road was chaos. We listened to the weather and traffic reports with some concern about our son, driving here in the dark and the snow. The motorway was then reported as closed until further notice. However, our son turned up late, but safe. He told us that scores of vehicles couldn't get up the hill and the police had been trying to tow people up without much success, using 4 x 4 BMWs and Range Rovers. The carriageways eventually became blocked with abandoned cars and police 4 x 4s. Some people then faced the prospect of a long cold night in their cars.

My son's car had just sailed up the hill straight past the traffic jam; the police saw he was doing well and just waved him on and told him to keep going.

I now have a different BMW. I'm just finalising which winter tyres to fit. It will cost me a small fortune but well worth the money.

 

[Snick]

May I suggest you give a modern ESC equipped car a chance? It sounds a lot like you naysayers haven't driven a modern car with modern ESC, in inclement weather. All I hear are strongly worded opinions, free of ACTUAL experience with the subject of ESC.

The very earliest ESC equipped cars could be a little too "nanny-like" in transitional conditions, but modern ones (anything after 2003-ish) are superb, pretty much across the board.

NHTSA data PROVES absolutely conclusively that it is going to outperform 99.9% of drivers 99.9% of the time during inclement weather conditions.

In NON-inclement weather, humans do pretty good; but I'm talking about inclement weather specifically. Yes, tires matter more than anything, but for a GIVEN set of tires mounted, ESC will outperform a human in inclement weather conditions.

PERIOD. No ifs, ands, or butts about it. You are entitled to your OPINIONS. Facts are another matter. Data don't lie.

 

[karl]

Looking at the Elio web site http://www.eliomotors.com/ I see no mention of stability control. ABS brakes yes, but they are only a component. Am I missing something?

 

[NSTG8R]

Looking at the Elio web site http://www.eliomotors.com/ I see no mention of stability control. ABS brakes yes, but they are only a component. Am I missing something?

Mentioned in one of their videos:

http://www.youtube.com/user/eliomotors

 

[karl]

One of them is right .