DSC?

[J08M3]

Do you drive with DSC on or off?

[Patricius]

On 99.9% of the time. I can't even tell you how many threads there are on M3Forum in the e46 section where people have crashed. The second post is usually "Did you turn off DSC?" and the answers are predominantly "Yes."

[rai]

DSC On or MDM On all times.

[Mack211]

Its not worth turning DSC off. Trust me, even in a 328 with DSC off your asking for a wreck.

[J08M3]

I have it on most of the time too, it's a very good system BMW created. Although there is nothing worse than under hard acceleration when it cuts some power because it feels the rear wheels slipping.

[mkoesel]

On most of the time, but turn it off when I am in the mood to have fun. I have an e46 still so there is not in between MDM mode. I am actually curious to see if the E9X's new mode will allow the kind of power slides and oversteer antics that I like to do from time to (never when other drivers are around, before someone flames me). From what I've heard MDM still kicks in if the tails gets out too far which might make it a bit of a buzz kill.

[lucid]

Originally Posted by mkoesel

On most of the time, but turn it off when I am in the mood to have fun. I have an e46 still so there is not in between MDM mode. I am actually curious to see if the E9X's new mode will allow the kind of power slides and oversteer antics that I like to do from time to (never when other drivers are around, before someone flames me). From what I've heard MDM still kicks in if the tails gets out too far which might make it a bit of a buzz kill.

MDM will not let you go sideways too much. I drive with MDM on 99% of the time. Full DSC is too intrusive on dry roads.

[!Xoible]

MDM when i want to throw the tail but keep in control. DSC will make u spin out, at least until u get used to it. make sure u and other people are safe please

[gadget]

Agreed- their is nothing worse than starting an aggressive turn just to have the power cut by the computer. Unfortunately in my Z their is now way to complete turn it off.

I also agree that turning off the DSC increase the risk of accidents exponentially. However, lets recognize that the real issue is not on what mode the system is on but rather on driver skills.

IMHO- The only way to truly learn how to drive a car is to push its to it limits until you can feel and predict not only what the car is doing, but also how it will behave. In the US getting this type of knowledge is next to impossible to acquire unless you are tracking your car. Spirited driving in back roads is fun but still has its restrictions and thus limits the learning experience to a certain degree. I grew-up and learned to drive in Venezuela, driving on dirt roads in the mountains, power sliding the rear end gave me a foundation in driving dynamics that have become key in my understating of what it takes to drive a car of this nature. To this date I have been unable to push a car in that way in the US- thus, I would argue that its lack of practice of the edge that prevents drivers from building the skills needed to drive cars without traction control and not crash.

[!Xoible]

LOL please dont drive on socal roads from 730-8 am and 5-530 pm
wait until i get home hahaha

yah i try this stuff on an empty 4 laner to give me space to spin out and not hit anyone

[swamp2]

Originally Posted by lucid

MDM will not let you go sideways too much. I drive with MDM on 99% of the time. Full DSC is too intrusive on dry roads.

Same here.

Originally Posted by ///Mantis

MDM when i want to throw the tail but keep in control. DSC will make u spin out, at least until u get used to it. make sure u and other people are safe please

You can not "throw the tail" with DSC on nor with it in MDM. Are you sure you have an M3 and actually "throw the tail". Furthermore DSC won't make you spin out perhaps you meant poor driving with DSC off CAN cause a spin?

[!Xoible]

Originally Posted by swamp2

Same here.



You can not "throw the tail" with DSC on nor with it in MDM. Are you sure you have an M3 and actually "throw the tail". Furthermore DSC won't make you spin out perhaps you meant poor driving with DSC off CAN cause a spin?

definitely the driving, but my point, if u can read right, is u will spin out until u know the car and know how to drive it.

if u cant throw the tail in MDM maybe you havent driven ur car right

edit: oh u misunderstood me. when DSC is on (default) u wont spint. but when u turn it off you will spin. sure u can avoid that with the right push on throttle thru ur turn. MDM u will throw the tail if u go hard enough. about 3 hours ago i executed a right turn at 55-60 mph with MDM on and it did throw out my tail

[mkoesel]

Originally Posted by ///Mantis

if u cant throw the tail in MDM maybe you havent driven ur car right

Are you just talking about power sliding maybe? You can power slide with no throttle so I guess if that's what you mean by throwing the tail out, then I coudl see it. Personally I keep my foot in it for slides - as much as my nerv will allow anyway - because otherwise the car tends to snap if the rear has gotten away at all (at least my E46 cab does).

[Davinhci]

On, haven't turned it off yet.

[MDCTFTW]

Usually to learn how a car drives I take it to an empty parking lot. I try to go on a few occasions when it's wet and dry. Then I push the car to the limit on turns, stops, starts, etc to get a feel for what the car does and how to safely correct it. I do this so I'm not surprised if/when it happens on the road. So far it's helped ... 0 accidents and tickets in 12 years. Knock on wood.

[arr0gant]

MDM sux and won't let me do much. I turn it off and set everything to "extreme!"

However for regular driving I leave everything in comfort.

[J08M3]

Originally Posted by MDCTFTW

Usually to learn how a car drives I take it to an empty parking lot. I try to go on a few occasions when it's wet and dry. Then I push the car to the limit on turns, stops, starts, etc to get a feel for what the car does and how to safely correct it. I do this so I'm not surprised if/when it happens on the road. So far it's helped ... 0 accidents and tickets in 12 years. Knock on wood.

I think everybody should do this. Another great way to get a feel of how a car is going to behave when sliding sideways is to drive in an open parking lot in the snow. I'm surprised how many people don't take advantage of this situation. It's a great chance to learn how a car feels going sideways and how to correct it. It's good for learning because it's much slower than on dry pavement. You can easily drive sideways in the snow at 5 -10 mph with hardly any throttle. Once you're comfortable with that feeling then try wet pavement, then finally dry pavement since you must be more aggressive on dry and if you've never done it before things can get out of hand quickly.

Then if you don't mind spending money on new tires a few doughnuts if every intersection is always fun

[MDCTFTW]

Originally Posted by J08M3

I think everybody should do this. Another great way to get a feel of how a car is going to behave when sliding sideways is to drive in an open parking lot in the snow. I'm surprised how many people don't take advantage of this situation. It's a great chance to learn how a car feels going sideways and how to correct it. It's good for learning because it's much slower than on dry pavement. You can easily drive sideways in the snow at 5 -10 mph with hardly any throttle. Once you're comfortable with that feeling then try wet pavement, then finally dry pavement since you must be more aggressive on dry and if you've never done it before things can get out of hand quickly.

Then if you don't mind spending money on new tires a few doughnuts if every intersection is always fun

Ah yes! I forgot about snow since I'm in CA, but when I was in the East coast I used to do this.

[lucid]

I was at a wet skid pad today and then we did a little autocross afterwards. Of course, DSC was turned off. I found the normal throttle setting to result in the best control. It was a fucking BLAST! The car is soooo balanced. It is so nice to be surprised by your won car!

[J08M3]

So yesterday I pulled out onto a straight road very hard on the acceleration to the point where wheels would spin slightly, all of a sudden DSC blinking and power is gone.... I think I'll keep it off from now on.

[arr0gant]

Originally Posted by J08M3

So yesterday I pulled out onto a straight road very hard on the acceleration to the point where wheels would spin slightly, all of a sudden DSC blinking and power is gone.... I think I'll keep it off from now on.

Was it on MDM? I'm starting to like MDM the more I use it.

[Patricius]

When driving the balls off the M3 at the Performance Center in SC, I had MDM mode... or as I refer to it now - God Mode.

It's like having the best cheat code to any driving video game you play. You can lay into the car around long high speed sweepers and it'll let you just "get out" enough to correct yourself or it'll gently cut power without being too intrusive to acceleration. Now, around the more sharp turns, I was able to essentially bury the throttle at the apex and let the MDM sort the rest out. It really is unfair, and I loved every minute of it.