Rain + nannies off = ....

[scythezo6]

Originally Posted by fbodfather

God Bless ya -

........but there's one thing you forgot:

The unanticipated.........

Yes - Common Sense and Respect and 'visual scanning' are all crucial elements of great driving habits....... But even the most professional drivers have accidents.........

If I had a dollar for every enthusiast who thought they were a great driver - and yet lost control of their car or truck...........


The "nannies" are there for a reason. (and I hate the term 'nannies'.....) They're there because they can save even the best driver out there.

Don't take my word for it - talk to our chassis engineers -- and some professional drivers...........

(.....JR - in the words of Olympia Dukakis -- "...I love ya like my luggage...." -- I don't mean to belittle you or criticize you - but please understand that the world is full of bad drivers - and the scary part? Those who are the worst are the ones that think they're the best!.....so be careful of what you say!...the last thing we need is to have more people shutting off their Stabilitrak...)

AMEN!!!
I swear some people turn off the controls just for that little extra dose of 'manly'. But I always tell people 'it doesnt matter how careful you are in the streets if the idiot down the street just left his house'. And by idiot I mean anyone from a stupid teenager all the way to the drunk driver. Please be careful people!

[mhood]

How did we old farts survive all that nanny-free muscle in the late '60s and early '70s?

[blue-bayou]

Once a car loses traction and hydroplanes, the car will obey the laws of physics. No traction device (short of a large claw dropping from under the car to grap the road) will correct that kind of situation. All you can do is hang on and hope for the best. I routinely turn traction controls off in the rain, mainly because I want to know how my car will react in all situations and I don't want to become accustomed to a false sense of security thinking the car will save me if I make a terrible mistake.

BTW, I can get my car to start going sideways with all traction aides on, but I get scared and correct the issue well before my savior takes over. Personally the only situation I see it as beneficial is for drunk drivers.

[IROCanSS]

Originally Posted by blue-bayou

Personally the only situation I see it as beneficial is for drunk drivers.

This made me chuckle...

[KnightRiderSS]

The same argument could be made with any safety innovation made to vehicles in the last 50-60 years....seat belts? Who needs them I never get into accidents!....ABS? Who needs it! I can pump my brakes myself!....airbags!? Pfff....I've got my mother-in-law....

point is, its a safety feature...works best when you use it...

and yes, driving safe and being aware of you surroundings is always important..........

[mhood]

Originally Posted by KnightRiderSS

airbags!? Pfff....I've got my mother-in-law....

Well played Sir!

[fbodfather]

Originally Posted by mhood

How did we old farts survive all that nanny-free muscle in the late '60s and early '70s?

Many didn't - and that's one of the reasons that insurance skyrocketed --

Another thing to consider: many more cars / Trucks / drivers on the road today with very few additional roads!

When us old codgers grew up, most schools taught driving -- few do today.......

And LASTLY? Our distractions were primarily the pretty girl in the seat next to us (....that's not meant to be sexist....) -- we didn't have Cellphones and IPADS and nav systems and everything else known to man to make us take our attention off the act of driving!

[fbodfather]

Originally Posted by blue-bayou

Once a car loses traction and hydroplanes, the car will obey the laws of physics. No traction device (short of a large claw dropping from under the car to grap the road) will correct that kind of situation. All you can do is hang on and hope for the best. I routinely turn traction controls off in the rain, mainly because I want to know how my car will react in all situations and I don't want to become accustomed to a false sense of security thinking the car will save me if I make a terrible mistake.

BTW, I can get my car to start going sideways with all traction aides on, but I get scared and correct the issue well before my savior takes over. Personally the only situation I see it as beneficial is for drunk drivers.

Not true! It appears you are assuming that once you start to hydro-plane, you won't stop hydroplaning..........

We would prove this to journalists with the C5 corvette - the best way to illustrate the C5's stabilitrak was to put the car on a figure 8 track - put pylons on the banked curbs - wet the track down - and then have the car slalom thru the cones - with and without stabilitrak.

Without it - 99 percent of the time the car would spin out spectacularly as the car came off of the curved bank into the crossover......

With it - it's almost like the hand of God reaching down to take control.

[mhood]

I had an 8 track player in my Roadrunner, a pretty girl beside me (my wife of 40 years who was 16 at the time), put retreads on the rear because that's all I could afford (speed rated at 48mph) and I rode my Harley Davidson without a helmet...still do...

I don't want God to drive my car for me.

[IROCanSS]

This is getting out of hand...

Sorry now that I created it!

[mhood]

Originally Posted by jrhaus76

This is getting out of hand...

Oh really? How's that? You have a problem with differing opinions? Nothing is getting "out of hand" here...I have a nanny on/off switch in my car and it's totally up to me if I chose to use it.

And in Texas, it's legal to ride a Harley without a helmet...but you can't smoke a cigarette outdoors in Abilene. It depends on how you see things as to what you consider "out of hand".

[RichGreene]

Originally Posted by mhood

I had an 8 track player in my Roadrunner, a pretty girl beside me (my wife of 40 years who was 16 at the time), put retreads on the rear because that's all I could afford (speed rated at 48mph) and I rode my Harley Davidson without a helmet...still do...

I don't want God to drive my car for me.

HAHA Same here only 61 Vette with bald tires 19 year old girl I married and still have 40 years later. 2 Harleys that only see a helmet in lidlaw states. My friend ask how can I have so many toys ? The trick is DONT trade in your wife on a new model "Cheeper to Keeper"

[blue-bayou]

Originally Posted by fbodfather

Not true! It appears you are assuming that once you start to hydro-plane, you won't stop hydroplaning..........

It is true. Once you hydroplane thereis nothing YOU or any traction device can do to regain control. It's like what they say about getting drunk. Only time gets it out of your system. The laws of physics will force the car to reduce velocity thus allowing the tires to regain traction. Only at this point will you or traction control have any say so about what happens next. And guess what- if the car has already changed directions by -oh say- 90 degrees (this value is up for debate) then guess what electrical devices won't save you.

[blue-bayou]

Originally Posted by KnightRiderSS

The same argument could be made with any safety innovation made to vehicles in the last 50-60 years....seat belts? Who needs them I never get into accidents!....ABS? Who needs it! I can pump my brakes myself!....airbags!? Pfff....I've got my mother-in-law....

point is, its a safety feature...works best when you use it...

and yes, driving safe and being aware of you surroundings is always important..........

I agree. Exactly Think about it. The whole premise behind ABS is to prevent your car from stopping. Sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. I have already been in a situation when ABS activating almost made me hit someone. thank goodness I gave myself plenty of room.

Airbags-thats agood one. We have signs in our cars telling us how fatal they can be. I once heard that if a new drug was being introduced and had the fatality rate the same as airbags, the FDA would never allow it to come to market. (I can't document nor support that statement I just heard it a long time ago).

Seatbelts-all I can say is let me choose when.
I've been in a head on collision and a passenger in a flipped car. Both times no one was wearing a seatbelt. Head on collision-Trooper commented that he was expecting to see fatalities when he came to the scene. I was on a bridge and a drunk driver came over into my line. I had no where to go. I know for a fact the hand of God was keeping me safe.

Flipped car-Driver in a coma, flown from vehicle(eventually died several years later). I can atest that the seatbelt would not have helped her. My pregnant wife broke her collarbone. My best friend tore his liver and I scratched my elbow on broken glass while crawling out the back window. Here's the kicker-when talking to the insurance lady about it she asked if my best friend was wearing his seatbelt because- she said tearing your liver is common when wearing your seatbelt under such circumstances.


Safety devices are just that; something thats there to help us out if we need it. We do not need to put faith in them and expect them to be useful because they can fail just like anything else.

Be fortunate that you have them and hopefully never need them; but drive your car as if you have none.