BrianKeithSmith

Oh boy, this is a good one. (not really)

http://www.cnn.com/2006/AUTOS/09/14/...esc/index.html

Russ Murphy

How's it not a good idea for the public at large?

Sanjeevan

Because, even the GT3RS is a passenger vehicle right ?

unless it can be TOTALLY disabled, I guess ?

hacker-pschorr

Thank you Uncle Sam, thank you for protecting me from myself. Thank you for taking away any reason I had to become a better driver.

This will make talking on my cell phone while driving through a snow storm so much easier!!!

Russ Murphy

Maybe easier for them(driving their minivan or suv through said storm), but more importantly safer for me. Do you really think that not having ESC currently motivates any of the knucklehead non-drivers to improve their driving skills? And it's not like there aren't tons of vehicles with ESC on the highways now.

BrianKeithSmith

I just think about the Corvette drivers, for instance. I'm not saying its a bad thing - in general - but for the guys that take off-the-floor street cars to the track, I hope you can disable it.

Do other countries require this?

Brian

smankow

remember, at this point in time, this is only a PROPOSED REGULATION. Even though the U.S. manufacturers are including it by certain dates, it is not required.

BTW, my tow vehicle has Ford's version of ESC and you are able to turn it off. I don't know if it is totally off, though.


Steve

Jarez Mifkin

I was in my sister-in-law's G35 coupe the other day and switched off the traction control on a nice country road...only to have it jump on while I was in a small drift....It took all I had to keep it together trying to fight the computer. Unless you can completly turn it off, I see it as more of a problem than anything else on a performance car for people that know what they are doing. Now for the people that don't know how to drive I see the need for it. Surely Porsche will come up with a way to turn off the PSM with out ditching the ABS by 2009.....

Bull

Sure, if Nanny The Government allows them to do so.

Bull

And, do you believe that when these same knucklehead drivers are told by their Nanny Government, and the Manufacturers who want to impress the brain-dead, that their cars will now "take care of them", that they won't relax even further their limited skills....maybe even try more boneheaded maneuvers, expecting "it" to save them?

Rrrockhound

This was the prediction when ABS and air bags first came out, and it didn't come true. I bet if you dug a little further, you'd probably find ppl said something similar about seat belts and padded dashboards. Personally, I look FORWARD to the day when a central DOT computer drives all cars, with no driver input. It'll make my morning commute safer by taking the idiots out of the equation, and I'll still be able to go to the track and actually drive.

Bull

Thanks for identifying yourself. You aren't Joan Claybrooke are you?

Larry Herman

Or some enterprising individual will. For racing purposes only, not for street use.

Russ Murphy

Good point, but I doubt it. You're assuming they give a second thought to driving, which I doubt.

P.S.
Brian, the car is gorgeous and the Liddy quote is priceless. Not really a hard core conservative myself, but it really rings true.

Bull

Likely right, but I believe they actually give some minor thought to driving due of some concern for self preservation and , more likely, a desire not to inconvenience themselves in their oh-so-important missions. Once "told" that those two issues will be taken care of by Big Nanny, we are really doomed!