[The BoatMan]

Read through the archives, checked out the bmwusa technology section and read the manual to get some info on dsc but had a few questions for the experts out there.

1. Why does asc have a section in my 2002 330ci manual if the 2002's have dsc and not asc any longer?

2. Any harm by switching dsc/dtc on/off a lot while driving?

3. Any real danger by having dsc/dtc off all the time? When the weather is bad or im gonna really push the car around the twisties I turn it back on. I mean I'm no professional driver and dont want to wreck, lol.

It's probably all psychological but I really notice a performance increase with the dsc/dtc off. Seems to respond to throttle changes faster, is this all in my mind? or is this difference minimal.

 

[JPinTO]

1. Why does asc have a section in my 2002 330ci manual if the 2002's have dsc and not asc any longer?

Think global, man! Here in Canada, ASC+T is standard on E46's... DSC is a cost option. I'm sure it's like that in other parts of the world.

 

[Guest]

Your item #3 scares me.

If you don't know when you should turn it off, LEAVE IT ON. PERIOD.

Most people I know that turn it off do so only at the track or when autocrossing. This is to allow the vehicle to behave naturally. But these are also not public roads either.

If you turn DSC/ASC+T off on public roads when you do not (and cannot) know the road conditions or hazards ahead of you, you are a true idiot.

LEAVE IT ON.

 

[Nick325xiT 5spd]

The basic key is that DSC will keep you from spinning out. It converts oversteer into understeer and basically just makes the car easier to drive.

You SHOULD leave it on at all times. I always do when I'm in a RWD car. My old E36 325i did NOT have traction control. It was REALLY easy to get the tail to come out. There have been a number of accidents involving board members that would have been averted had they not disabled DSC.

 

[The BoatMan]

If dsc is so crucial what about all the other earlier BMW models without it, they seem to be getting by without wrecking on a dialy basis. I understand it's an added safety bonus and should be used. But if you're not driving like a maniac everyday I see no harm in turning it off. Learn to be able to understand and drive your car like they did before all this electronic safety features came out.

 

[Guest]

If dsc is so crucial what about all the other earlier BMW models without it, they seem to be getting by without wrecking on a dialy basis. I understand it's an added safety bonus and should be used. But if you're not driving like a maniac everyday I see no harm in turning it off. Learn to be able to understand and drive your car like they did before all this electronic safety features came out.

True statements. BUT...

RWD behaves very differently from FWD. If you "grew up" driving FWD (as most people under a certain age have), then hopping into a RWD car without applying the proper respect often will lead to a wreck. These safety features help keep the rear end squarely behind the car.

But, yes. In the past people all drove RWD cars without any of these systems. And I do turn mine off at the track and when autocrossing. But why not have the safety feature aviable in case you need it when you're driving on public roads where the unexpected can and does happen.

 

[Adrian 330Ci'01]

The DSC or ASC+T is not critical. On dry and wet roads with good tires, resonable speeds and a prudent driver (one would expect those that like BMW's might know something about driving) you will not have trouble with a rear-wheel drive car.

I drive with my ASC+T off a lot of the time because I like to control the car's line through a turn with a little bit of oversteer. This is even at very high speeds.

Where the ASC+T/DSC comes in handy is for first time rear-wheel drive drivers, wives of BMW owners (well, certainly not all of these), and in very slippery winter conditions.

That said, DSC is a great safety feature and will probably bail you out at least once during your ownership experience. If you want to get a really good idea of what these features do for you, take the BMW drivers training. They do a lot of manouvers with and without these features turned on.

 

[Nick325xiT 5spd]

I have to say that I grew up on RWD. Aside from my driver's school lessons (which don't count, IMHO), I'd NEVER even driven a FWD car until last year. FWD scares me. I must say that I've grown VERY fond of AWD, though.

 

[·clyde·]

3. Any real danger by having dsc/dtc off all the time? When the weather is bad or im gonna really push the car around the twisties I turn it back on. I mean I'm no professional driver and dont want to wreck, lol.

For the most part, if DSC ever does something helpful for you, it will come at a time when you're driving along normally and something suddenly happens that you weren't prepared for and you wind up doing something wrong compounded by another wrong move (like an overcorrection of the first wrong move). If you did the right moves (with a few exceptions), you wouldn't be breaking traction to begin with, which is what triggers the DSC.

It's probably all psychological but I really notice a performance increase with the dsc/dtc off. Seems to respond to throttle changes faster, is this all in my mind? or is this difference minimal.

It's all in your head. As long as you aren't breaking traction DSC is transparent.

 

[The BoatMan]

If you want to get a really good idea of what these features do for you, take the BMW drivers training.

Thanks all for the advice, I appreciate it.

I've been wanting to take the BMW drivers training. When I first got my '99 328, BMW had the Ultimate Driving Experience going around featuring the 3 series which I attended. Got to abuse their 328's and really test out the ABS and handling. Driver would tell you to floor it, get up to 60 and just pound on the brakes to see how it would respond going straight and maneuvering around curves. Although short, it was fun to see what the car was capable of. And to watch the professional drivers, was fun to see what these cars are capable of if you really know how to drive them.