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DCS on or off?

5K views 27 replies 16 participants last post by  blablac 
#1 ·
hey guys, i just did a search but didn't come up with not one result and i assumed this would have been covered 1000 times already. Ive slowly but surely been doing suspension work prepping my car for a track run. im looking for opinions. due to my last car being the car that i learned everything on, including aggressive driving and drive lines and that car having no traction control im very accustomed to handling a vehicle without it. Ive noticed that when taking my car on some turn that when my mind tells me to react to a situation, my reaction is sometimes counter acted by dcs and will freak me out. not in the sense of not having control but in the sense of when your buddy is driving his car and your in the passenger seat and he maneuvered a certain way and you expected different so you were kind of thrown off. this is what bothers me about the dcs. my question is weather or not it is advisable to track your vehicle with the dcs turned off? ive tried to get used to it but im not too keen on the car "handling" the situation for me. thank in advanced for the input fellas.
 
#4 ·
I used to turn it off before I got my LSD. My car understeers so I never really had to worry about a spin unless I did something retarded. Then I got my LSD...spun my car 4 turns after I turned it off.

Now I keep it on. It provides good and safe feedback on whether or not I am being smooth on the throttle. So I get punished with slow lap times vrs spinning the car or going off the track.

I find DSC is not obtrusive if I'm being smooth on the throttle .
 
#10 ·
And your instructor feels comfortable :)

You will be best off leaving it on for the first couple of sessions to get used to the track, brake points, proper techniques, turn in, track out, etc. There will definitly be a point where DSC will be kicking in and it will be hampering your ability to learn and expand your skills and at the point it would be a good idea to turn it off. Your instructor will definitly be able to help you get to that point.
 
#8 ·
thanks for the input fellas. its just so damn hard to get used to the car trying to correct me.
 
#13 ·
My 1st few times around the track I usually have it on. Once I learn the turns like most people say it starts to be a hinderance. I end up turning it off during every session. One of the bimmer guys at my last track day had a very interesting shirt on. It said DSC OFF!
 
#17 ·
I use to drive a 240 with an LSD, stiff engine / transmission / solid diff mounts / very tall gear on the diff / 10lb flywheel and very grabby clutch. That car taught me how to be smooth on and off throttle, I ended in the grass once or twice and then started to get much better at it.


Now since I got the bimmer with the electronic nannies I'm not so careful and I will floor it and let the car take care of the rest.
 
#25 ·
DSC and no worry is what I do on the street, I just got tired of trying to guess what is going one in the back... No LSD makes for a pretty dull rear end.

On a closed course it's DSC off but again without the LSD and all the electronic stuff in the E46 it's a bit hard to know if your throttle input is lagging, your spinning one wheel, or your forgot to completely switch the DSC off and your are in 1 of 3 positions.




I need an LSD hehe.
 
#27 ·
On a closed course it's DSC off but again without the LSD and all the electronic stuff in the E46 it's a bit hard to know if your throttle input is lagging, your spinning one wheel, or your forgot to completely switch the DSC off and your are in 1 of 3 positions.

I need an LSD hehe.
I dont know about you, but I can feel exactly what my car is doing at all times. I can tell when i'm not putting the power down and the inside is spinning or when the car is rotating just enough to get a good slip angle for corner exit. It is clearly obvious when dsc is on/off or partially off.
 
#19 ·
There's a great article by Randy Pobst in this months SCCA SportsCar Magazine that talkes about this. His general rule is that if in doubt leave it on.

Autocross is a safe place to learn the limit of your car with and without DSC. The track, not so much.

If you're 100% confident in your ability, go for it on track, if not, leave it on.

Also remember, no amount of DSC can protect you from stupidity.
 
#20 ·
Umm im not sure how to respond exactly.

But you must understand that the DSC system replicated the function of an LSD by applying the brakes to the inside wheel to make it tavel at a slower speed than that of the outside wheel. If I am correct, ive been e36'ing so i may be outdated.

Now there are 3 stages of DSC. On which is grandma gay and I dont even remember all its function and dont want to explain or know them. Then there is half off when you press the DSC button which works by making the open diff simulate the actions of an LSD.

Then there is the 10 second hold for turning yoru DSC all the way off whcih will give you an open diff at the rear end.

For going fast you want it half off cause itll make your car grill the road better, BUT there is a probelm to this.


I know from first hand experiance which is why I hate the japanese. Electronics can fail and doing 80 mid corner after getting a brake job done, first day with 1200 gran worth of parts a reputable shop ****ed up the job and messed up a sensor. Long story short my DSC would turn FULLY OFF because it wasn't working properly and it does that as a fail safe. Longer story short it went off mid corner and let me tail out causing a crash and me to put the car down.

If you are going to race I suggest you look into the function of the DSC system and decide whether you can live with out it. I suggest you get an LSD in the rear.
 
#24 ·
Umm im not sure how to respond exactly.

But you must understand that the DSC system replicated the function of an LSD by applying the brakes to the inside wheel to make it tavel at a slower speed than that of the outside wheel. If I am correct, ive been e36'ing so i may be outdated.
Yeah, DSC does help by restoring traction but it also cuts power as well. So when DSC intervenes, it feels like your coasting. I wouldn't consider DSC in E46s to be comparable to an LSD. Maybe this is the case in the E9X.

There's a great article by Randy Pobst in this months SCCA SportsCar Magazine that talkes about this. His general rule is that if in doubt leave it on.
Agreed. To expand on that, I usually have 3 goals when I go to the track.

1. Drive the car home the way it went to the track
2. Have fun
3. Learn and work on 3 things.
 
#21 ·
personally i drive with it off all the time... however if it is half on there are some benifits... it uses corning brake control to brake the inside wheels a little on turn in to alow you to turn sharper... if your car is properly set up... the dsc wont actually be very obtrusive... and might actually help by dialing out some understeer... and sometimes even adding more oversteer to make the car more neutral... kinda cool... that being said... i always drive with it all the way off...
 
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