Are Driving Aids Worth The Money?

[T V O R]

My Yaris T Sport to be blunt is useless in the snow. Mainly down to the tyres in my opinion. Also the fact it hasn’t have any electronic driving aids.

Is the situation any different with people who have Traction Control and Stability Control fitted to their vehicles? Are you able to make steady progress when I’m stuck on the same road going nowhere?

[Boro Sera]

Electronic assistance isn't as great as it could be in the snow - for example ABS is nothing more than an ornament when it's snowy. I've never experienced traction / stability control - yet I've never wished for or needed them.

It will be interesting to find out just how much of an improvement if any they give in this weather though !

[Phoenix999]

Traction control is worth every penny

My current car and two previous (350Z and Primera) had this and it saves a huge amount when you lose grip.... especially on ice and snow. It is interesting to feel the car straighten up after losing it :)

[Bizarra]

Slightly

I am just back form accompanying a friend who has very bad rheumatoid Arthritis to the Hospital. She drives an automatic (can't manage clutch) Nissan Tiida. She is a very good driver, having survived 9 years driving in Italy & doesn't hang about I don't know the specs of the car, but presume it has ABS @ the least.

Snow was light & no problem on the way in, but 1 hour later it was a blizzard on the way home.

Thank God she got her scare on a side road & no damage was done. "The brakes aren't working, Victor ". She had thought that the snow was lovely up till that point & I discovered she had never driven in those conditions before I explained the techniques & facts of life (&death) so we got home safely & very slowly like the rest of the traffic on the Motorway

Even more I have driven her car before, but 1 day I was going to get her petrol & had to go back in for help. :(

No handbrake, you put it on with a pedal where the clutch should be, off similarly. Did that & couldn't get it out of Park. Have to press the normal foot pedal brake & keep it pressed to move it out of park. Elementary, I'm sure, but although I've had automatics before, I'd never come across that. Felt a proper eeejit

[DaveSR]

Well worth it ... the car feels a lot more confident in the snow than one without.

[T V O R]

I need to drive a car with Traction and Stability (and have a play). It’s now becoming an obsession

[PaulT]

I need to drive a car with Traction and Stability (and have a play). It’s now becoming an obsession

See if you can test a used Corolla T Sport. The electronic goodies are worth it, but not a substitute for common sense!

Paul.

[Karma Supra]

Firstly I was always a fan of "real" drivers cars, no aids whatsoever! My fave of my supras didn't even have ABS... My 944 didn't even have power steering! (As with my fave MR2)

It depends hugely on the system in place!

Bar the MR2 all out Daily drivers have traction and stability control...?

It’s good in regular driving when you are carrying some speed and lose it... The dabbing of individual brakes around the car to straighten you up works well. The actual traction control is only really handy if you are a ham-fisted driver that can't control power.

In some cars (notably Mercedes) I find the stability and TC very intrusive, it kicks in long before you actually lose grip, which is infuriating! The same goes for ABS (I never got on with Toyota ABS found in supras/mr2s kicking in before your wheels actually start to lock, in many cases waaay before!)

Other systems (BMW) tend to only kick in once you are already out of shape... this is nice if you like driving to have fun and want a safety net, but not an electronic committee that steals your power/fun. Obviously for people that see driving solely as a means of getting from A-B they prefer systems to cut in at the earliest point!

When it comes to driving is snow, if the road is largely ok, and there is a chance of slipping once you have some momentum I’ll keep DSC on... However if I am driving on pure snow/sheet ice it is far better OFF, it simply can’t cope, and if you are stuck it makes things worse!

ABS on snow actually makes things WORSE as as soon as the system detects slippage it releases the brakes, so in effect you never stop! – With no ABS the snow gathers in front of the tyre and creates a wheel chock like effect.

I wish more cars came with an ABS off button as well as Traction/stability off!

A lot of the M guys have real issues on track days with knackered brakes, not because they are braking too hard, but because they have not turned stability off and the car has constantly been trying to correct them by dabbing the brakes, cooking them!

I would say they are worth having, as long as you can turn them off!

[Norfolk n Chance]

See if you can test a used Corolla T Sport. The electronic goodies are worth it, but not a substitute for common sense!

Paul.

Agreed, if you get a salesman like I had on the test drive you'll end up on an Industrial Estate playing with Traction Control and VSC to see how they work! :D

[bothwell_buyer]

Aye - drivers arenie whit they used tae be.........

If yer needin traction control, drivers aids, and pampers, then I'd suggest ye get the train - or the bus - or even try a taxi.

The speed limit in the UK has been 70mph for decades - and is less on non-motorways of which 96% of roads in Scotland fall within this.

I thus assume you must need traction control, either cos yer an eejit

or

that you spend yer time speeding on roads that were designed by the pre-Victorians for speeds no more than 50mph.

[Norfolk n Chance]

Don't need them myself but having them there is always a good back up ;)

As for Pampers surely nobody on here is still in nappies??

[DaveSR]

Aye - drivers arenie whit they used tae be.........

If yer needin traction control, drivers aids, and pampers, then I'd suggest ye get the train - or the bus - or even try a taxi.

The speed limit in the UK has been 70mph for decades - and is less on non-motorways of which 96% of roads in Scotland fall within this.

I thus assume you must need traction control, either cos yer an eejit

or

that you spend yer time speeding on roads that were designed by the pre-Victorians for speeds no more than 50mph.

The fact is that there are more drivers on the road meaning there are more things to hit so to speak .... the fact that you can travel at 100mph and then brake safely to 60mph because some div pulls out infront of you because of ABS etc etc is a god send.

I would like to see some driving god do the same!

[zakelwe]

The fact is that there are more drivers on the road meaning there are more things to hit so to speak .... the fact that you can travel at 100mph and then brake safely to 60mph because some div pulls out infront of you because of ABS etc etc is a god send.

I would like to see some driving god do the same!

Yet when they tested drivers with ABS by putting cardboard cutouts of pedestrians in front of them none of the drivers steered around the targets even though they could with ABS. It's similar to a Range Rover driver with 4x4 and ABS etc who finally learns what 2 tonnes on low friction surfaces is all about ;)

The simple fact is that you are just making an excuse for bad driving by helping them out by giving them all the electronic aids. Why not simply buy them a robot to carry them down to the train station, isn't that the ultimate way to one day stop them falling foul of the laws of physics and suddenly wondering " How did that happen" ?

The recent snowfall and all the accidents just showed up the reliance on electronic aids that can only go so far.

Regards

Andy

[PaulT]

If yer needin traction control, drivers aids, and pampers, then I'd suggest ye get the train - or the bus - or even try a taxi.

But nobody can see black ice or diesel on the road, for example. You can be driving quite safely for the conditions yet still get caught out, and then it's sensible to get the most help you can from the car.

But VSC can also provide fun for the sporty driver. On the Corolla it worked like an electronic diff on the front axle, so if you went round a corner fast and kept the power on it would brake the inside wheel a bit and get power to the outside, which meant higher cornering speed. It isn't just an electronic nanny, but it also helps the driver to get the best performance out of the tyres and chassis.

Paul.