Lived to tell the Tale

[DirtyPillows]

So this happened no longer than 10 mins ago and I'm in a parking lot taking a breather. I was on a one lane both direction road in some nice curvy back roads and almost lost it due to rain and other stuff.

First off I am guilty of liking to let my tail swing on rainy days since its easier and doesn't ruin my tires completely. So of course I had my DSC off. Let me tell you won't be touching that button for a while.

Any ways took a turn regularly, not trying to do anything stupid because cars were behind me and a F150 on the incoming lane. Note when I do act stupid I make sure no one is around and I mean no one. So it was during turn and just felt the weight and momentum slide the car out. So I corrected which then slid it to other side. Well you how on 1 lane roads they have small dirt and gravel on side to allow cars to pass if need be. Well I believe that saved my ass. Since I think that allow my car to slow down and not slide like it would have on pavement. That led me to make the final correction back on the road.

Let me tell you I do enjoy sliding but not like that. That could have been my first accident *knock on wood*.

Thus this experience has led me to write this thread. I also thought this would be a nice thread to write our experiences and share them with each other.

What can I take from my experience? BEWARE of DSC!

Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk

Oh here are aftermath pics:

http://tapatalk.com/mu/aefc6566-24e8-bf3e.jpg

http://tapatalk.com/mu/aefc6566-24fa-b8df.jpg

[danewilson77]

Glad you're ok brutha.

[DirtyPillows]

Thanx really scared the crap out of me since wasn't expecting it.

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[kayger12]

Glad you and the car are ok.

After the first time that DSC saved my ass, I resolved to never touch it.

[GMATT]

The only time dsc should ( at the drivers discretion) be tutned off is when on the track. The only exception to this would be If stuck in snow. We teach students to leave the electronic nannies on until comfortable with the tail "stepping" out. More times than not, dsc will save ur azz!

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[static667]

Good to hear that all is well, man. Be careful out there. I try not to get crazy unless I'm in a controlled environment.

Sent from my rooted Fascinate using Tapatalk.

[webster]

phew - when i saw this thread title i was expecting some sort of accident. glad to see that's not the case.

i like to let the tail slide here and there - but only when the road is clear and only at low speeds - and always with DSC on...

[Newjack]

What road were you on?

[az3579]

I highly recommend an advanced car control clinic, a high-performance driving school, and autocross. Learning the skills to properly handle "surprise" situations is far more valuable than relying on electronic limiters and controls to keep you safe. I can't tell you how much the combination of these three types of education helped me avoid some nasty situations. I went to an advanced car control school despite being comfortable with the limits of my car and STILL learned a ton of useful stuff.

The only thing DSC does, in my opinion, is limit you beyond the point of discretion. Some slip is good, and sometimes, getting the tires to slip will save you from getting into an accident. I have the perfect, PERFECT example of what happened to me in my E30, but I will not get into that right now.



Just got to be careful in the wet. I keep telling my friend who has my E30, that car is no joke, and one small mistake could send you into a tree with that much power. 240hp may not seem like much, but it's enough to destroy you if you don't play your cards right. He likes to drift around a particular corner every chance he gets, and I keep telling him that it's not a good idea... he is getting much better at handling it though ever since we both took the advanced car control school together.

[johnrando]

Glad you made it through OK.

[Hermes]

Happy to hear you're fine. I gotta agree with the other voices who said that traction control should only be off when you're in a controlled location (aka a track). Driving school will increase your skills but you should still keep the DSC on regularly

[Hornung418]

Glad you're safe. That could have ended badly if you over corrected to get back on the road surface. I've done the same thing. Keep the DSC on from now on. I left the road in my incident. Threaded the needle between a Mailbox and a concrete barrier...backwards. Took a tight, uphill right-hander with DSC off after a storm. Tail came out on the left side, spun all the way around (260 degrees) and backed into the only spot that was unobstructed to what was normally on my right hand side. It was extremely lucky. I drive this road every day, so I always get to see it and chuckle.

Best part was that with all the commotion I made, the guy reading his paper in his idling truck, never even knew I was there. I put it in gear and continued my way to work. That was over a year ago. Thankfully have never had an incident like that again.

[Ryans323i]

Oh, so glad the story turned out the way it did and you and the car are ok. I've seen first hand the carnage of turning the DSC off and it wasn't pretty. I've honestly never considered turning it off, but I'm kinda a chicken.

[DirtyPillows]

What road were you on?
Old Baltimore Rd. It allows me to cut through towards 108
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=39.138723,-77.062165&ll=39.13745,-77.061517&spn=0.019706,0.021501&sll=39.047289,-76.891974&sspn=0.025243,0.027156&num=1&vpsrc=6&t=m&z=16&iwloc=A
A is location of mayhem. You can also see its not a heavy turn but still.


..... I have the perfect, PERFECT example of what happened to me in my E30, but I will not get into that right now.....
Do tell I also created this thread so others can learn from experiences we have been thru.

[llll1l1ll]

Glad to hear you're okay, OP. You have inspired me to wait longer before I turn off my DSC.


I highly recommend an advanced car control clinic, a high-performance driving school, and autocross. Learning the skills to properly handle "surprise" situations is far more valuable than relying on electronic limiters and controls to keep you safe. I can't tell you how much the combination of these three types of education helped me avoid some nasty situations. I went to an advanced car control school despite being comfortable with the limits of my car and STILL learned a ton of useful stuff.

The only thing DSC does, in my opinion, is limit you beyond the point of discretion. Some slip is good, and sometimes, getting the tires to slip will save you from getting into an accident. I have the perfect, PERFECT example of what happened to me in my E30, but I will not get into that right now.



Just got to be careful in the wet. I keep telling my friend who has my E30, that car is no joke, and one small mistake could send you into a tree with that much power. 240hp may not seem like much, but it's enough to destroy you if you don't play your cards right. He likes to drift around a particular corner every chance he gets, and I keep telling him that it's not a good idea... he is getting much better at handling it though ever since we both took the advanced car control school together.

Where can you sign up for one of these advanced car control clinics?

[az3579]

Do tell I also created this thread so others can learn from experiences we have been thru.

Well you never said that........



I was driving back home in an umfamiliar area in my town in the E30, attempting to make a left-hand turn onto the onramp for the highway. I made the left, but it was a little damp out. So, the dampness, coupled with the sticky throttle pedal I've been having with my car (my GAWD it was so annoying) caused my car to go into an oversteer situation as I desperately bobbed the throttle till it unstuck. It wasn't until I was completely sideways that saw out of my left-side peripheral an SUV, a Chevy Blazer to be exact, inches away from my door, turning into me. If I hadn't been sideways, then I surely would have been hit from the side, as the front of that SUV was where the side of my car would have been if the slip angle hadn't been what it was. By the time I corrected the oversteer, the SUV had either backed off or braked enough to not hit me for my return to a normal driving line.

Another instance was when I tried to make a left-hand turn (notice a pattern here? lol) and the oncoming traffic was not only extremely dense (and fast), but was also three lanes wide. It was a stupid "intersection" (not really a 4-way, just a 3 way) and there was no traffic control device there other than a flashing yellow. Greeeeat.
I had to turn the DSC off, because I had once left it on while trying to make a similar turn and bogged down so badly as I tried to swiftly launch the car, that I literally almost just sat there in the middle of the road until TC decided that I was allowed to have power again. I nearly got impacted from the side.

At this particular intersection, I knew better. I turned off the DSC, revved up to about 2k rpm, and slipped the clutch enough to launch the car forward with some Zebra Horse Power and make it through before anyone even had a chance to honk at me. It happened so fast; if that DSC would have kicked in, I surely would have gotten impacted in a very nasty place.

Yes, I *could* have waited for the traffic to die down a bit, if I wasn't getting late to an important job interview.

(Needless to say, the interview didn't work out anyway as it wasn't a job that I thought I could handle. Oh well; at least I didn't get hit!)

[danewilson77]

When I was having my alignment issues (at the time...I thought it was a wheel speed sensor), I was having to drive to work in the rain, with the DSC disabled. The car was very unpredictable. I hated it.

[az3579]

When I was having my alignment issues (at the time...I thought it was a wheel speed sensor), I was having to drive to work in the rain, with the DSC disabled. The car was very unpredictable. I hated it.

What, you've never driven a car without traction control? It's no different... :)

[danewilson77]

What, you've never driven a car without traction control? It's no different... :)

Mmm.

HTC Thunderbolt+TT

[az3579]

Mmm.

HTC Thunderbolt+TT

Aaaah, the infamous Mmm.... perhaps I should come up with something as well!

[lilcdkey]

Sometimes you need a scare.

[az3579]

sometimes you need a scare.

BOO!!!

[lilcdkey]

:rofl

[VA//M3]

DSC got me in trouble once while driving through snow.

[zj96sc]

After 5 years on BMW forums I can tell you how many times I've read threads that start with "Well I had DSC off..." Been there done it myself.

Be realistic and keep DSC on on the street. Start autocrossing to keep your need for fast driving satiated.

Glad you came out ok.

[johnrando]

I think I've owned 10+ cars in my life, and of course driven tons (especially rentals, due to business travel), and I think only 1 or 2 have ever had DSC, and I've done some let just say, interesting maneuvers/driving, back in the day. The ZHP with or without DSC handles far better than any of them.