...oh, and if you have driven your 8 aggressively enough around tight corners or have pulled sick u-turns, chances are you have had the DSC kick in "abruptly" on you. Happened to me occasionally when i first bought my 8 but since then i have become aware of when to turn the DSC off and on. It was quite a shock when it first happened, LOL, i had never had DSC on any other car i had prior to the 8.

 

I have had the DSC save me from hitting a tree or two at least twice. Once was when some gravel was dumped in the middle of some blind, tight S curves and another was when I was slowing for those same curves and it had been raining very heavy. I adjusted for the rain but not enough. I didn't think of the fact that it was downhill into the curves so water funneled into it. It kicked in abruptly, but it did it's thing and saved my a$$ both times. Usualy, if it comes on, I will see it flash and that would be the only indication that I had that it even came on.

I love it. I would not drive on a daily basis without it on.

 

Now there's a man of obviously very superior intelligence.

 

Amen to that!

 

I second that.

 

DSC is there for a reason..... so nancies can drive the RX-8 too...... just joking.

I am going to get on my "Self Righteous" podium here for a second. I have had my RX-8 for 3 and a half years. I have driven this car on track, off track, in traffic, no traffic, in the wet, in the dry, on gravel, on dirt....basically in a lot of places. I drive this car like it was intended to be driven (If I do say so myself)

One thing I can say about the RX-8 is that it is very very predictable in it's grip. You know when it is going to let go and when it does the weight distribution of the car makes it much easier than almost every other car I have ever driven to control. With DSC off you can control skids in this car well, you can drift it through corners, you can power slide, you can pretty much do everything in this car.

The abruptness of the DSC is absolutely right, it kicks in when traction is broken, however the reason so many people do damage to their cars with DSC and it's abruptness is that they instinctively correct like they would in a slide. THIS IS A BIG MISTAKE

The rule for a DSC loss of traction is to point your wheels where you want to go, not in the direction of skid correction. This took me a number of track days and street "mishaps" (No Damage) to perfect.

This is the rule for DSC, I would encourage you guys to try this in a suitable spot, (track preferably) go with dsc off, gasand turn hard through a corner to induce a slide, correct and off you go, then turn dsc on and do the same thing to induce a slide...... see how you try to correct and what happens.

Everyone's driving style is different and everyone's instinctive reation is different, if your instinct is to opposite lock on a slide then yep DSC is going to be very abrupt, if on the otherhand you do not know you are sliding or you do not try to correct you will basically feel a smooth correction by the car that is almost inobtrusive.

That is the beauty about this car, it is built for all style and drivers, the experience you get from it is up to you.

Cheers,

Gibbo.

 

Having been on a few "cruises" with Gibbo now, I agree that he knows what he's talking about. He is prepared to press on and regularly enjoys himself with loss of traction.

I tend to agree with his comments about DSC. When it comes on for me on the street, I just lift off until the car has traction again and keep steering where I want to go at all times. Perhaps this is why I haven't experienced the abruptness others have remarked upon.

Actually, at the second Murcotts course I did at Oran Park, they were getting us to lose traction going around a corner that had been wetted down. Each time I lost traction I just lifted off and the car neatly tidied itself up again. The instructor was amazed at how quickly the car gained direction and traction and commented how good the DSC was.

I otherwise learnt a valuable lesson with DSC off when on the track about a year ago. If and when the slide gets too big, do NOT try to "catch" it - just jump on the brakes as quick as you can.

 

Unless you possess the skills of THE STIG!

 

I reported in this forum a couple of years ago how the DSC had saved me from an accident. A car failed to give way and drove through a T-intersection in front of me. Instinctively, I braked and tried to steer around the other vehicle. This is obviously what the DSC wanted me to do, as I had total control during the (scary) manoeuvre. I am a total believer in DSC, and it is always on when I drive.

 

I always thought DSC and going diagonal loosing grip was for people to worry about when they are testing the car's limits while turning around corners.

However, this morning I was accelerating in a straight line on slippery roads, gave the steering a quick flick to change lanes to pass up a vehicle, and right at the lane change lost grip on the road and started to go diagonal. I steered 3 or 4 different times before going straight, and during this sliding around I was feeling disappointed wondering why it was taking DSC so long to straighten the car out. This is probably an instance where DSC was too slow. I am not positive it came on at all since I had no time to look at the dash during those few seconds. DSC is supposed to straighten a car within milliseconds right?

The other time I went too fast around a 90 deg corner in the wet, and accelerating out of it was wondering why I was headed straight for the curb ie the car had not turned as much as it should have. Come to think of the sudden jerk, DSC probably came on and then had me heading straight at a 45 when I had actually turned the wheel for a 90 deg turn.

I guess that's twice I've been jipped by DSC and am considering turning it off.

I have SP Sport 8090m tires.

 

you see, there is my point. You turned the wheel 90deg and expected 90 deg of turn, but the DSC (as you said) ripped you off!, ie the car didn't do as you expected.

Again, to aggressive if you ask me.

 

Hmmm, I'm still battling to understand this.

Are you trying to correct the car with steering input when these incidents have happened?

I've experienced nothing like what is being described and I've had DSC activate in similar circumstances (i.e. both going round corners and in a straight line on a slippery surface). Every time the car keeps going pretty much in the direction I want it to and has regained traction very quickly when I've lifted off.

 

Its ok I am kinda just whining that I am stupid forgetful plonker. Remember a while back I cracked a Rim cause I was being an idiot and trying to throw a U-Turn in the wet? I was the back end to come around as it normally does, when I have the DSC off, but moron that I am forgot to turn it off. Dont worry about me, I honestly havn't played enough with the DSC as majority of my mileage has been in dry conditions or on the track.

 

I'm the opposite.

I've only turned it off once...and, ahem, I'll be reluctant to be without it's **** saving powers again.

So perhaps I'm more used to the way it kicks in when pushing hard or hitting a slippery bit of road and just let it do its thing without trying to add my lame efforts.

My modus operandi is to simply lift off when I've lost traction and put the foot back down again when normal service has been resumed. Hasn't failed me yet with DSC on.

 

Why on earth you will swerve left and right, upsetting the car even more, when the DSC is trying to save it????

Can you just lift off the pedal you pushing so hard for, steer so the car point to the direction you want to go, and let the DSC do the rest??????

I am

 

God i love driving this car

 

what's your tyre pressure?

was it necessary to put other public road users in danger?

 

Good question.

 

??

 

overtake

 

I brought he meant someone point a gun to him and ask him to give up his keys.

 

he will be able to get the car back within a few km's..... (the thing will run out of jucie in no time )

 

I think you bring up a good point--maybe I was just reacting to DSC and thus initiated 3 additional slides on my own?

I had let off the gas instinctively, and the whole time I kept pointing the car in the direction I needed to go. Either I was sliding toward the ditch or sliding toward the opposite extreme being the wall--so I had to keep steering back and forth until I went straight. I was acting by instinct from a normal driver's perspective, something I would think DSC is designed for.

"Slippery roads" and "went too fast around a corner" are words phrased with hindsight. It is thus senseless to try to beat me on the head with words I phrased that pre-empt your thunder, because they inherently admit error. I do not suddenly decide to drive dangerously when I see rain start to fall, as you try to imply; rather it was unexpected that I let the tires loose. Most drivers, RX8 or otherwise, do run smack into the wet limits of their car, unexpectedly, for the first time on public roads. They are not trying to put other public road users in danger, although the only way to completely avoid doing so is to never use public roads at all.

Tire pressure is 32.5 to 31.0. The lowest I've checked pressure at is 31.0, and I fill to 32.5.

 

WOW! I never let my tyres go below 34psi.

 

tyre pressure too low.
i have had low tyre pressure once and the car was "unstable" in the wet.
try between 34 & 36psi and see for yourself.

fyi... i have to run on 40psi.