We had a bit of rain here yesterday and I had to run into work to cover some downtime we had scheduled, bla bla bla, anyway...

Part of my trip to/from work involves crossing an oldtimer wood covered bridge. I hit the bridge in second gear going about 20mph and about halfway across it (the bridge is all of maybe 30 yards long) my butt end starts to swing out... slow motion kicks in and I'm thinking, "this is going to cost me, damnit!" then it happened...

DSC light starts blinking, I stop counter steering, and next thing I know my faithful 8 rights herself and we exit the bridge like it was all planned.

A couple minutes later after my heartbeat subsided, I found myself trying to get it to spin out again, laughed to myself about being such a dumba$$ and took it easy the rest of the way.

 

DSC is very nice for that... I've had a few moments of near slippage saved by it. Glad to hear you didn't topple off the bridge.

 

I love swinging my back end out then feeling itself swing back into place.

 

It's one thing to let her go out in the open without any immediate restrictions but man, there was something about being inside that bridge... maybe 12' tall by 12' wide that made it a very compromising situation.

I'm not sure I would've been able to have pulled it off on my own. I'm pretty sure I would've nicked the rear quarter panel exiting the bridge without DSC. I don't care how good you are, counter steering alone would not have righted my car in time to save it from that impending doom.

I think I should make a "DSC kicked in, yo" jpeg

 

Was it Smiths bridge down near the border of DE? Just thought I'd make a guess because there aren't many wood covered bridges in the philly area that I know of

 

nah, a bit farther up.... off of 113 in Kimberton... one of two in the area that cross French creek...

Seven Stars

And here's the other one, not more than a mile away:

Rapps Dam

 

gotcha, i don't go up in that area very often

 

do the sport editions not have DSC or is it just automatically on and cannot be turned off?

 

Sport editions do not have it. No button, no DSC.

OP: Glad you and your car are OK.

 

DAmn yeah you got saved

 

Lucky you, helpful DSC.
I always turn it off because i can't cope with it (i react in a way, it does something else = mess...) but we don't have that kind of bridges here with slippery surfaces etc, just pot holes that look like they're heading straight to hell.

 

Sort of...sport editions can have it with the optional performance package, otherwise no. But you don't have to have a GT to have DSC.

 

it depends on what year the trim is called.

for 04 and 05 "sport" was the mid level trim and yes it came with DSC. "base" did not. 06+ "sport" became the base trim, and "touring" became the previous "sport" trim.

 

please make sure you post when you wreck with your DSC off. Turning the DSC off while on a city street or highway is right up there with people who say seatbelts make it uncomfortable to drive. Sorry to come down so hard but what you're doing is pretty f'ing stupid.

 

That's going a bit far, unless there is rain/ice/snow/whatnot on the road. Rear wheel drive sports cars have been around a long time before any of this sort of electronic assistance came along, and people managed to learn to drive them safely. Hell, my old 1980 RX-7 sure didn't have anything like that, but I never had a problem with it.

What do you think of people who are driving 8s that don't have DSC? Should they not drive their cars because it's putting the public safety at risk? Come on, you're going way to far, DSC is not like seat belts. It's there to help if you make a mistake, but if you're a good driver you really don't need it, unless there are bad road conditions or you're pushing the limits.

 

People who don't have DSC have no choice on turning it off so therefore your comparison is false. Someone who has DSC and is just too much of an ultimate driver to keep it on is a whole other issue.

 

How is it false? What's the difference between driving and 8 with it turned off versus driving an 8 that doesn't have it? From a safety standpoint, isn't it exactly the same thing? If someone who turns it off is reckless, then so must someone who buys an 8 without it...same result isn't it?

 

If I have anti lock brakes and disable them am I doing something to the car that could make it less safe to drive? If I then drive a car that never had ABS did I do something to this car to make it less safe to drive?

Saying that someone who disables a safety feature is in the same boat as someone who never had the safety feature is a false argument... I don't know how to put it any more plainly then that

 

You don't know how to put it because there is no logic behind what you're saying. You can't say that it's a false argument, and then say that you have no other way to explain it other than to repeat that it's a false argument. Why is it a false argument? Where is the mistake in logic?

Which is worse: allowing a kid to ride in your modern car without using seat belts, or driving a kid around in an antique car that didn't come with seat belts in the first place?

Either both are OK, or neither is OK. If you get in a wreck the kid isn't going to be any less hurt in the antique car just because it never had seat belts to begin with. You are just as responsible for the safety features you choose to have in your car as you are for the safety features that you choose to use in your car.

 

How?
My old car didn't have ABS, DSC, or working airbags.. Wasn't any more dangerous than someone with the same car but having those features installed but having disabled them. Either way, whether not existent or disabled, they're not working, so the difference is the same in terms of the car.

The only potential difference is the driver.

 

Well said, I learned to drive in rain/ice/snow/whatnot when rwd cars were the norm. Many others did to. DSC is a crutch or maybe an insurance policy. You shouldn't need it, but it is there just in case you do.

 

The truth has been spoken.

 

Thats like saying, my 8 has DSC, but rather than drive that, I choose to Drive an 01 Altima in the winter, which doesn't even have ABS. FWD on a Front engine vehicle = better for snow. DSC = helpful. Either way its a choice.

DSC can correct human error, but it can never drive for us. The best form of traction control will always be your right foot.

 

What kind of tires on ur car OP?

 

stock 18" factory z rated tires ... nearing end of life... around 18k miles. They hit the wet wooden bridge and it might as well had been ice.