Post 790824 by jjones85 on 2015-11-14 23:38:36
Hi all, So people can understand what im asking im going to have to explain what i mean using a car i use to drive.
I'm thinking of buying a 2001-2002 s60 as its one of the only cars i can afford that ticks the boxes of what i want in a car. I was reading through the manual found here and on page 143 it say that the STC (i can only find them with STC not DSTC) only controls the power sent to the wheels and DSTC controls the brakes to the wheels as well.
Now to explain what i need.......I live in a small village in wales and im surrounded by twisty roads that get slippery when wet, My current car (citreon xsara) is horrid on these roads, forever losing grip on the front end and locking up under anything more than slight braking. My old car which was an 2001 audi a4 had traction control, abs, tcs and i never once had it lose grip even when i went a bit quicker than i should have. When gently braking i could feel the brake pedal pulse under my foot and would constantly change how stiff it was. Also on the rare occasion it did start to lose traction on a corner the light on the dash would flash and you could feel the car pull itself back into the corner.
Unlike my new car i always felt safe in that car because i felt confident when it was wet or slippery. So would prefer the same type of ASM on the volvo. So my question, Is the STC like what i had on my old car or would i have to find a car with DSTC to get the same thing.
Thanks in advance
James
Post 790830 by stribo on 2015-11-15 00:56:22
TBH mate, what you want is driving lessons, and to learn to drive to the conditions. Whether you have STC, or DTSC, doesn't really matter if you're driving like a dick on slippery roads, you'll still end up upside down in a ditch.
BTW wlcome to the forum. :D
Post 790837 by volvokid on 2015-11-15 08:16:25
Yeah it does sound like you need to change your driving style, the only time I ever feel my ABS kick in is if I have to stop quickly, not durring some spirited driving.
Post 790861 by jjones85 on 2015-11-15 13:05:07
To be honest i can understand how it sounds like it my driving style but considering i have a baby in the car most the time I drive carefully, The local roads are tight and twisty, they are national speed limit and becauseof all the tractors coming in and out of fields there are time when you are going round a corner to realize there is loads of mud right in the middle of the corner.
I, like most the locals, Drive to these conditions, normally people drive the entire road at about 60 in the dry, people (myself included) slow that down to 40-50 in the wet, and in most cars thats enough of a speed drop without the car struggling at all for grip. My problem is that the citreon i have now i dont dare to even go over 30 around the bends as it just doesnt grip.
I assuming it has something to do with all the other cars i owned had relatively wide wheels whereas this car is more like ice skates there so thin. I just have no confidence in it, It slid on a roundabout when i was doing no more than about 15-20 which has never happened to me before.
Post 790869 by stribo on 2015-11-15 14:12:59
A Picasso is what it is, a MPV, it's not built for handling, or roadholding, but to transport people in the most miserable way possible. Having said that tyre makes, and pressures can affect handling and grip hugely, maybe this needs to be looked at. To go back to your original question, STC is just traction control, it'll cut engine power if it detects wheelspin. DTSC is stability and traction control, which uses the brakes to aid stability. Remember these are driving aids, and should not be relied upon to get you out of trouble.
Post 790871 by jjones85 on 2015-11-15 14:24:29
Excellent that answers my question thank you. So will a standard s60 with only STC be more reliable/safe than the xsara then.
Thanks again :)
Post 790875 by stribo on 2015-11-15 14:51:14
A S60 with no traction control will be safer than a Picasso. ;)