Glyphon

The only button push that will produce more power is the one connected to the nitrous system.

saturn

Careful not to push the NOS button too early when racing for slips or you'll get pwned by the other guy. "Too soon junior...."

Glyphon

I know the rules...you have to when you live your life a 1/4 mile at a time. its the only way to be free for those 10 (*ahem*) seconds.

realdeal

fast and the furious reference i bet.

realdeal

Here's a thread. I know I'm not the only one who feels a difference.

https://www.rx8club.com/rx-8-discussion-3/dynamic-stability-control-dsc-modes-63611/

Glyphon

aaah. the old reliable butt dyno. and the car can be quicker with the DSC/TCS turned off. but not because it is creating power magically, but because doing so keeps the computer from reducing the power output. this is a very big difference.

saturn

You got it!

I don't know why you're all splitting hairs about this DSC/TCS business. I don't even have a differential. I love to watch my tires spin like crazy when I make a turn. That's how real car enthusiasts do it.

yiksing

So what exactly did they teach you, mind sharing?

realdeal

So Glyphon you've never done the long button press? I switch between all 'modes' during the week so I do notice a difference between them. I just feel I get a better response and more acceleration out of the engine.

Kansleri

For long journeys I leave the DSC on, but in the city and short trips I usually switch it off.
Here in snowy Finland it interrupts all the time when your driving in th city... and it does deliver better mpg when you drive without it..

It is a good safety option, but in my opinion, it is smoother to drive without it (at short distances on icy roads). Probably in summer I will leave it on for 70 % off time.

timisw

Alright RealDeal... Try this...

Go out to I-5 in CA... the part between Sacramento and LA.

Fill car to the brim with gas and DSC/TCS on.

Start driving either North or South at 65 mph on cruise control.

Run out of gas and record milage.

Drive back

Fill car to the brin with gass and turn DSC/TCS off.

Repeat the test driving the same direction (must make sure that wind is not different and you dont have an extra passanger at any point).

I bet if you did this and NO ENVIRONMENTAL conditions presented themselves, you would get the within a mile or two actual distance of being the same.

There are so many other conditions that go into fuel milage. I am in full agreement that DSC/TCS wouldnt have anything to do with it!

esuvee

You are absolutely correct that you will get better acceleration on high mue with the system off. Some tire spin is a good thing for max accel, the problem is that it leads to instability which is what the system is designed to prevent. It does not affect engine power in any way prior to tire spin or excessive yaw (feedback control, not ‘feed-forward’).

I personally leave it on all the time unless I know I'm going to screw around (fairly often). Generally, I have my wife trained to scowl at me pre-emptively when I turn it off instead of actually waiting for the irresponsibility to occur (it's her car, after all).

Sorry for being defensive, most forums are pretty resistant to the engineering perspective preferring the 'myth busters' approach (or, often, the YOU ARE A LIAR approach)

Later,

Alex

realdeal

When did I say anything about fuel efficiency?
You buying the ticket to CA? Beers on me!

DailyDriver2k5

Sure.....For starters they rode with me in my turbo Z(took me out to an abandon lot, then some nice transitional S's around my way, poor souls, i know they wanted hurl from my aweful driving back then.)

1. First and formost rule ,GAS WILL SAVE YOUR ***!

2. They taught me how to brake properly before going into a turn. Never plow into a turn with a RWD(which i was doing in my Z) See the turn and execute the turn in your mind then follow through. Always look to hitting the apex of the corner.

3. They taught me never to let off the gas when your already in the turn, causes the tail to come ....very nasty(always did that in my Z, got so nervous when i felt like i was out of control, i would let off, lead to spinouts). Sort of ease the gas pedal down to accelerate if the tail starts to step out. Never mash the gas if the tail comes out, will cause you to spin out or snap back in a uncontrollable and sometime unrecovered fish tail.

4. Once in a turn depending on the legnth and severity of the turn , try and not to shift, shifting causes the weight to shift and could cause you to spin out. If its a long gentle sweeper then more than likely you can shift, if its S's that had quick transistionals just stay in your current gear to get through them.

5. Power out of a turn gracefully instead of forcefully, could result in a spin out.



Some other stuff as well, but i was very humble to watch these two gentlemen at work. Needless to say ,i took into account what they taught me very seriously, because i knew i would be owning more RWD cars in the future at that time, so i really needed to understand how to drive one before i killed myself or someone else in the first RWD car i owned at the time. With practicing over time i became confident in myself and with RWD setups and understanding the power from each RWD car i owned , i became dedicated to learn the limits of each RWD car i own. This way there was no surprises.......

Watching them drive my turboZ as co-pilot even purpousely stepping out the tail then recovering was amazing. These guys ran Formula Fords, ran spec racers and one of the guys ran the SCCA spec RX-7 class.

Unfortunately one of gentlemen passed from Lung cancer and the other still races Spec Rx-7 with his son.

All i can say is , if your passionate about driving and want to learn the most out of your vehicle, i highly recomend going to driving school. I recieved some valuable skills for free, but i would have paid a million times over if i had to relearn those same skills all over.

Glyphon

yes, i have held the button down for the 7 seconds to get the DSC OFF and Traction Control lights on the dash to illuminate.

there is no difference in power between taht setting and DSC/TCS on. The butt dyno difference is because you are expecting there to be a difference (there isn't one...placebo effect if you will), and the time difference on slips at the drag are from better launches and DSC not cutting power on tirespin at shifts.

you obviously don't get how the system works. go back to the bottom of page 1 and re-read (or for the first time if you haven't yet) esuvee's explaination on how the DSC system works. Summary...it works by closing the throttle and/or applying the brakes, and only in specific situations (such as tire spin or with yaw exceeding a predefined limit). explain to me how braking and closing the throttle in those specific instances produces power?

9291150

I ALWAYS TURN IT OFF, its the thing I hate most about the 8...I calculated I spend about 85 hours a year with my finger on that stupid button...I demand that time back!

To drive such a superbly balanced car that restricts your fun is like watching a stripper dance around in flannel pajamas. Whats the point?

And please, PLEASE spare me the "we'll wait to see your car wrapped around a pole"

saturn

we'll wait to see your car wrapped around a pole

cas2themoe

Depends for me. I have it on at all times when there's rain or snow. When its dry everything goes off.

9291150

May all your strippers wear flannel pajamas

saturn

Sexy flannel pajamas?

Glyphon

with hearts and cute little sheep on it.

realdeal

There was a difference in power between the long press and regular mode, but when they started giving us new flashes the differences between the long press and normal mode were drastically decreased. I know it sounds like I'm a noob b/c I never post here, but i have actually been on this site since 2003 and have driven my rx-8 for 2 1/2 years. And I still feel the difference. I'm just going to have to disagree with you on this one. No hard feelings though! And I know there is no difference in gas mileage between the two, I don't know why that guy said I did and then told me to take the 'realdeal test'. Some people just post on here to give themselves esteem I guess. Maybe he should have read what I actually wrote.

Krankor

I have wrapped my 8 around a Pole a number of times.

Her name is Agnieszka.

DARKMAZ8

I think you're blowing things out of this galaxy. YOu can't say that turning dsc off is the reason for accidents when you have no Idea what skill level the driver posesses. The car doesn't drive itself and driving without dsc is far safer then you make it out to be. I think the bigger problem is inexperienced drivers that get use to the training wheel system and then turns it off. I have no dsc at all. Sure it's more challenging to drive fast but it's nothing new. The only thing dsc does well is keeping the vehicle straight when driving in the snow/slippery surfaces. Otherwise, it's totally useless IMO.

LiveBlues

Perhaps you should have just got a base model without it. You could have saved a few bucks and 85 hours a year.