New rx8club member here so forgive me if this is a topic that has been widely covered before. So far, not one of the RX8 owners that I've run into on the street has been aware of it. A fellow from Britain came into my restaurant one day and showed me a "trick". He assured me that it was safe. So far, it has not caused any problem. If you depress the DSC button for a 3-5 seconds, it will deactivate the Traction Control System (TCS) on your RX8. You know this is done when you see the automobile icon illuminated on your dashboard. There are little squiggly lines behind the icon's tires which denotes that the TCS is deactivated. This deactivation will remain until the car is turned off. When you start up the car again, you are back to the activated state. The claim is apparently that deactivating TCS will increase the horsepower. Can anyone educate me about this undocumented "option"? Is it safe? What exactly is the benefit of deactivating the TCS if any. Thanks much in advance. Dan Hildebrand, Arizona, USA.

 

does removing the brakes on your car give it more horspower? TCS is just an electronic control of the brakes to aid in situations where you lose traction, hence the name Traction Control System. The reason it is left defeatable by the owner is that in some situations- up a snow covered hill- it can be a detriment. Safe is a relative term that brings into question your experience with and ability to drive a RWD vehicle with 50/50 balance and low polar moment in various weather conditions and on various road surfaces. That cant be determined during an internet forum conversation.

 

oh and this has been extensively covered including a thread in the last month. take a look around for it and have fun reading

 

what zoom said, and it is about 7 sec...

btw. it was also reported to give better gas milage with it off..

beers

 

People do this for autocross and the track to keep the Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) from kicking in during hard maneuvering. You really shouldn't disable it while driving on the street, since it can help keep you from spinning into a ditch (or into oncoming traffic) in an emergency.

 

Thanks for the quick responses. I'll look for the previous thread. Happy to have found this site. danH