Re: ASC

["Robert A. Virzi" <bob.virzi@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

>MichaelJAdair@domain.elided wrote:

Some questions about traction control.

I agree with Alex's comments, but just want to emphasize one thing. 
Here in snow country, the ASC is really very, very nice.

Last winter I did some testing of ASC after a wet slippery snow.  We 
have an uphill road with a bend in it near our house.  Without ASC 
(manually turned off) our 318 fished and wandered all over going up 
the off-camber hill.  This is with Blizzaks.  Fun, but not the 
behavior you want in everyday driving.

With the ASC on, four things happened.  (1) There was a noticeable 
judder as it worked wheel to wheel going up the hill.  (2) Power 
seems to drop to almost nothing.  (3) The MPG meter goes basically to 
zero*.  However, (4) the car walked up the hill without the tail 
sliding at all.  Good control in very nasty conditions.

It seems to help mainly in getting going in slippery stuff.  I've 
never noticed it kicking in while well under way, even in snow.  For 
example, coming back down that hill, ABS kicked in but I didn't see 
the ASC light at all.  So I don't think of it as skid control so much 
as anti-ABS to get you moving, if you get my drift.
		-Bob


* I assume the MPG meter is basically a vacuum gauge, which is why it 
drops so low when ASC kicks in, but I'm not certain.

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