Author Topic: Not going to help US car makers (Read 1028 times)

lazs2 · « **Reply #30 on:** November 25, 2006, 09:11:18 AM »

If conditions are bad I slow down. If I have to go 15 mph I will. I watch young women go by me in the first hard rain of the season in crap boxes at 90 mph with tires bout as wide as my forearm. I am not sure what automatic device will stop hydroplaning.

We grew up with cars that didn't stop or handle and the tires would blow no matter how new. When you were going 70 or 80 you were VERY alert.

I doubt many here knows what it is like to blow a rear tire in a 57 chevy at 90 mph or have the brake pedal go to the floor or have a wheel lift while the car plows around a corner.

Probly the best safety device they could install would be to induce a shake in the wheel at 70.

I used the traction control in the lincoln once so far in backing out of a snow covered parking place. I hate the frigging snow. My 5.0 mustang with a 5 sp was a ***** in the snow. I slowed down. people were crashing all over the place. Why the hell didn't they slow down?

nelson... I am gonna have to get a lot older before I can't beat you in any type of vehicle contest.

lazs

Nilsen · « **Reply #31 on:** November 25, 2006, 09:32:18 AM »

Im sure you can beat me in any kind of car contest as i dont care about it, but that has nothing to do with the issue at all.

Regards

Admiral Nelson

lazs2 · « **Reply #32 on:** November 25, 2006, 09:46:58 AM »

but nelson... you said that old people with poor reflexes should welcome it.

I say that young people who have no experiance are a lot worse off and that no amount of safety devices short of removing the engine will help em.

reflexes are great but if you don't have a clue that something is about to happen or you have a phone stuck in your ear or the stereo full bore... you might as well be a 90 year old with cataracts and no hearing.

lazs

Widewing · « **Reply #33 on:** November 25, 2006, 10:56:09 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by eagl
Widewing,

I disagree strongly about your statement that stability control is for worst-case drivers.
(snipped)
I drove another 8 hours that night, and didn't encounter another icy patch of road, so my point is that the stability control is there to help out in unexpected situations just as much as it is to save incompetent drivers.

Fair enough. The term worst-case was a bad choice of wording. Clearly, ESP can benefit most people who find themselves in situations for which they are unprepared. Re-thinking my post, I find myself in agreement that most drivers will benefit from Stability Control, just as they have from ABS.

To me, driving is something you do very well or you do it poorly. 99% of drivers you encounter every day drive poorly, but most have convinced themselves that they have good skills. Then they run into a situation where their skills are tested and they flunk. Confidence is a dangerous thing in the absence of serious training. Here in America, we don't train our drivers to do anything but pass the minimal skills road test, and that is reflected in the carnage on our roads. This reality only supports your statement. If it can keep the hooples from rear-ending me at a stoplight... Then it's all good.

I began driving in 1969, in a 1965 Corvair. I've owned Alfas, MGs, a Porsche, several Jeeps (CJ-3 and CJ-5), a 300ZX, a T-Type Regal, a WRX, my current hotrodded Suzuki SX and a much smiled-on Shelby GLHS. To that add several sedans, hatchbacks and SUVs as well as. I have about 600,000 miles of driving and another 70,000 or so on motorcycles (BSA, Suzuki, Yamaha and Triumph). I have somehow managed to avoid having a single road accident. When I think back to some of the crazy things I did on the road and off, I can only wonder how I lived so long.

Like you I was involved in autocross, solo events and attended the Skip Barber school at Lime Rock. Car control skills can only be learned by driving at the limit in a safe environment. Most drivers find the limit only after they have crossed it.

My regards,

Widewing

Nilsen · « **Reply #34 on:** November 25, 2006, 11:12:50 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by lazs2
but nelson... you said that old people with poor reflexes should welcome it.

I say that young people who have no experiance are a lot worse off and that no amount of safety devices short of removing the engine will help em.

reflexes are great but if you don't have a clue that something is about to happen or you have a phone stuck in your ear or the stereo full bore... you might as well be a 90 year old with cataracts and no hearing.

lazs

Yes they would benefit even more than the young frisky folks with decent reflexes. As eagle sais tho.. it does not matter if you are 20 and a fighterpilot or old and cranky like .....

People who belive they are good divers are ususally among the worst as they over estimate their skills so hopefully as many of them as possible have some sort of electronics to help them on their way.

john9001 · « **Reply #35 on:** November 25, 2006, 12:04:11 PM »

ABS will not make your car stop faster, it means you will be in complete control of your car when it slams into the other car.

Shamus · « **Reply #36 on:** November 25, 2006, 12:08:38 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by john9001
ABS will not make your car stop faster, it means you will be in complete control of your car when it slams into the other car.

shamus