Went for a drive. DSC off for the first time. WOW!

[mmm-five]

This is the first car - and fist ///M with DSC and I just leave it on most of the time and only take it off at the track or on a small group (1-4 cars) run.

The car has the same power, less torque and less weight as my 3.8 M5, but the M5 was much easier to drive at the limit than the Z4 as it didn't skip over every little deviation in the road.

However, when I came to replace my e34 I didn't find the e60 M5 or e46 M3 (liked the CSL but couldn't afford one) particularly fulfilling and was only by chance that I noticed there was a Z4MC available, which I test drove and bought. To me it's the only car from the recent ///M range that has any driver feedback left as every other model seems to have put a buffer between the driver's inputs and the car doing something - you might as well sit at home at a Playstation and drive it virtually for the sense of occassion these newer ///Ms give you. They're all quite fast, but you just can't feel anything and just have to take it on faith that the car will turn the corner (usually about a seconds after you've made the steering input), or shoot out into a gap in traffic (assuming you've taken into that second delay for the gearbox/clutch/accelerator).

I've done about a thousand miles in an e92 M3 and 500 or so in an e60 M5 and would only have one to sell to fund the purchase of something else - and they are lardy & imprecise tools - just like the AMG/RS/VXR they outshone so many years ago! So there's no point buying a ///M when the other companies do and have done that sledgehammer approach for years.

 

[ZM4000]

almost had an accident 2 days ago with my DSC off. but it was all my fault thougt i was schumacher or so. it did put me quick back in my place and showed me that i should have more respect for the car.

 

[Peppermint]

Agreed & well put, but let's also remember lots of people drive cars like this without top notch skill - there'd be a lot more of these written off if the DSC wasn't so damn good at it's job.

Andy, yes DSC does a fantastic job of preventing loss of control, BMW should be commended for such an effective system. In some ways that is my point though.

People rely on it rather than understand how to drive a car smoothly and progressively, which would actually give them far more enjoyment from their car, as well as making them a more skilled driver as a result (that surely has to be desireable).

Sadly driver aids are now here and here to stay, car manufacturers striving to develop ever more effective methods of aiding the driver (compensating for lack of ability behind the wheel)... I personally wish more emphasis was on improving driver skill and awareness... That would be the case if I ruled the World

I drove a GTR for the first time a few weeks ago... The performance was phenominal, but it left me a little cold because I had to leave all the driver aids on, subsequently it didn't engage me. It would be interesting to drive one with all the driver aids off...
For the majority though I accept the aids would be necessary because for many the skills have not been learned about how to retain control of a 480bhp car in all conditions.

Before driver aids, those who got into high performance cars had no choice but to develop better driving skills - That sadly is no longer the case (unless the driver chooses to use the OFF button).

So I understand why the aids are there, I just hope manufacturers continue to supply an OFF button for the aids, a button that fully turns them off (Mercedes that comment is directed at you). So we at least have a choice about whether we want to/need to use them or not.

 

[gannet]

As an aside - anyone had an electronic stability system intervene when there has been no need and in fact makes the drive dangerous? I have and for that reason I will not ever rely on the system to bail me out :|

 

[BMWZ4MC]

I learned a huge amount about rear wheel drive cars from my first Westfield which didn't have so much as ABS. I had owned exclusively front wheel drive cars at that stage, and rarely drove rear wheel drive.
Unfortunately, the car was so light and stiff that a cat's eye was enough to unsettle the rear end. The combination of a heavy right foot, crude limited slip diff, and ludicrous over-correction turned a smooth progressive exit from a roundabout very suddenly into a massive tank slapper, and a 60mph collision with the crash barrier then a lamp post (the lamp from which landed next to my head!). It's amazing how much punishment tubular aluminium and fibreglass can take, and I escaped with only my pride as wrecked as the car.
Almost eight years later, with lots of track experience in both the replacement Westfield and the ///M, and still I prefer to leave the DSC switched on when I'm using the car simply to get from A to B. That said, I do find that when pressing on the car is somewhat inhibited with it switched on, and at times I find it a little intrusive even during day-to-day driving. I usually switch it off when pulling away briskly or into small gaps in traffic, and always when I want to have some fun. Of course the Westfield is driven entirely by the seat of the pants at all times

 

[ferrelscent]

if it is illegal, why does the car have the facility?

You misunderstood me..I was referring an earlier post (see bragging)

My DSC is off all the time except for when it's raining or when I'm cruising at speed, e.g. motorway. Always has been. It does my head in if I need a bit of power to get me out of a tricky spot and the DSC takes the power away from the wheels...which I think is actually dangerous rather than helpful. I've had this happen on previous cars when trying to quickly get across a junction on a blind bend,..and also when trying to get out of the way of somebody hurtling around a roundabout at me.