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Sedans Midsize Sedans 2.0
13322 messages, Last post on Dec 02, 2009 at 1:21 PM
You are in the Sedans Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens
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Replying to: backy (Jul 15, 2008 7:19 am)
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Replying to: karpediem (Jul 15, 2008 3:02 pm) Just as it's none of your business how often I mention ESC. Or VSC. Or VSA. Or ESP. Or whatever it's called.
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Replying to: backy (Jul 15, 2008 4:20 pm) South Carolina winters are like early Chicago springs...LOL. A little snow here and there but nothing really significant. When I moved to Chicago, I'd never seen so much snow in my life! That's the primary reason the next 6, Accord and of course the Sonata are so high on my list because once I'm done with college (I'm going back in the Jan!!!) I'm moving back. I love the Chi. |
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Replying to: maxamillion1 (Jul 15, 2008 4:31 pm) Actually, I think your odds would have been much better with a $400 set of dedicated snow tires than $2000 worth of alphabet soup listed above. None of those buzzwords can violate laws of physics, and it all comes down to the coefficient of friction of 4 little contact patches the size of the palm of your hand. If the tires don't have contact with the road, all the electronics in the world aren't going to save you. |
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Replying to: lilengineerboy (Jul 15, 2008 6:23 pm)
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Replying to: backy (Jul 15, 2008 6:31 pm) Cambell's, mmm mmm good. Darn, now I'm hungry. 
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Replying to: backy (Jul 15, 2008 6:31 pm) ESC/RSC/Stability control isn't going to do a lot for you if someone creams you. Having a good crumple zone and a structure designed to absorb the force before it reaches the occupant, whether active or passive, is nice to have. Oh yeah, and seat belts. Or maybe there's a freak early or late season snowstorm (like the infamous Halloween blizzard of 1991, or the snows in my town late this past spring). So if your chances of a collision are that much higher during a certain period, wouldn't it make sense just to sit and wait out that period? I am not saying its not helpful to have safety systems (both active and passive, both pre and post collision), but if my odds were that bad, I would try to keep the car in the garage. Even with traction or stability or any of those active systems, physics doesn't discriminate between when you should expect snow or when you shouldn't, its all about friction.
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Replying to: backy (Jul 15, 2008 4:20 pm) This is still a public forum...correct? Should I not read your posts? You can like your ESC and anyone else can. I would much rather have a great set of winter tires as would my wife who drives the Altima. Luckily she knows how to drive a car and can control the car when the tires spin, which is not tough in a fwd car. Shoot, people with ESC or whatever, can just floor it and expect the car to do all the work and their car perfoms worse. My Xterra has VDC, and the majority of the time it kicks in when I don't want it to, then I lose power for a second and can't accelerate if I am turning into traffic for example. I'm glad to have the option to turn it off. <<<<< Is that an option with all cars that have it by the way? My last 2 cars didn't have it, but I believe my wifes old GrandAm had TCS and you could turn that off, but I may be wrong. Personally, I would rather have more control over my car than my car has over me.
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Replying to: lilengineerboy (Jul 15, 2008 6:45 pm) Some of the "alphabet soup" you dismissed included side airbags and curtains. If you don't think those help protect you, take a look at the IIHS crash tests on cars done with and without those features. So if your chances of a collision are that much higher during a certain period, wouldn't it make sense just to sit and wait out that period? Not always practical. What if you're on your way home from work, it starts snowing--what do you do, pull over, maybe get a hotel room a few miles from your home, until the storm passes and the snow melts? You make it sound like I am demanding that you and everyone else get a car with features like ABS and electronic stability control. I'm not. I'm talking about what's important for me in a mid-sized car. Actually, it's the Feds that are forcing you and everyone else to buy cars with the "alphabet soup." So if you and others don't want to buy old cars without those features for the rest of your life, better get used to the idea of having them. |
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Replying to: karpediem (Jul 15, 2008 6:53 pm) ESC and TCS can be turned off in many cars. I can turn off the TCS on my Elantra, for example. But I never do. I can count on one hand and have fingers left over the times it's kicked in in over four years. Each time it did, I was glad it did. Also, you can drive without latching your seatbelt if you so choose (might be illegal, though... darn government trying to tell us what's good for us again, eh?). You don't need them anyway, since you and your wife will always be in total control of your car and every other car on the road and will never allow yourselves to be put into a situation that will cause an accident. Snow tires are fine, but what about those slippery conditions (ice, rain, gravel) when the snow tires are stacked in the garage? They aren't like ESC which can be flicked on or off in a second. I prefer the "defense in depth" strategy myself.
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