If you've been around the block a few times, you know that DSC-equipped MINI's seem to have the threshold for intervention set way too low from the factory. Last week, I actually found out why this threshold is so low - it's setup for ultra-slippery snow/ice conditions.

Recently here in Detroit was a bad series of snow storms which accumulated about 2 feet of snow within a week. Well, one day on my way home from work, I decided to let the DSC do its' job. From every light, and up until the next light, I just mashed the gas pedal and let the DSC go berserk A good 30 minutes of non-stop-DSC-light-blinking!

Anyone else have fun torturing their DSC system?
Cheers,
Ryan

 

I'm in Detroit too, Pleasant Ridge to be exact. Anyway, I did something similiar. I have the DSC and I wanted to see if it was worth the money so I drove like a manic through my sub to see how well it worked. And I must admit it was worth the money. It was surprising to see how quickly it would react and slow me down and correct any wheel slip. It's a great option and I'm glad I have it. Also, I'll be keeping an eye out for another MIni on the road in Detroit with a blinking red hue coming from the cockpit.

 

Yes!!! I have this hill that is bumpy and when it is wet it is very slippery so I love to have DSC on and floor it all the way up, and to add a little more excitment I zig zag a little to make it work harder (it then has to have the stability controled and not just traction). At situatiions like that I really love DSC, it works wonders, cause I have tried going up that hill when it was wet and no DSC, I went about 1/3 as slow cause of my spinning wheels. Well enjoy your Mini but try and not wreck while torturing DSC

 

haha. yes this is somewhat funny i guess. i dont know why, but there is humor in it, testing the DSC to see if its any good while the only thing at risk is your safety. Im honestly not being sarcastic or scolding here. but for some odd reason, there really is humor in it. its like "torturing" AI bots in a video game because they are much more limited than the player's own "god-like intellect."

just be careful...

 

Shame on all of you. Go to the track.

Sorry couldn't resist and just thought I'd beat the usual suspects to the punch.

We are supposed to get 6-8 inches of rain here in So Cal over the next 24 hours so I guess I'll see what you guys are talking about soon enough.


Ken

_________________
White over Indi Blue 03 S, Magnaflow exhaust; MiniMania: Pulley, Header, Short Shift; Mini Madness: Rear Sway bar, Cold Air Intake; Pilo ignition & wires; Alta Intercooler air diverter; 5Zigen 5ZR 17x7.5 w/ Yoko ES100's; tint; 4" stubby ant; UJ sunroof

 

All I can say is not again Rye! Be careful with Mr. Motor 2!

 

Hi Ryan,

glad you had a blast. As you know I help design DSC systems, so I've done similarly on test tracks, but it never stops being fun. If you ever have enough space, like a vacant parking lot. Drive a circle accelerating to the stability limit without DSC. Then do it again with. If the MINI was tuned correctly, you should be able to go much faster around the same radius circle. I'm curious on the MINI how agressive they let the system get. When I get a chance, I'll take mine to our test facility for a competative analysis :smile: .

Word of warning: If you let DSC run for a while, your brakes will get quite hot. They should be protected from overheating in the DSC unit, but the problem is once you stop doing the dsc, be REAL careful to not do normal braking vary hard. You should drive a while without braking (where safe) and let the rotors cool down. This is only necessary if you do long traction events where the DSC will be applying brake pressure to the driven wheels.

 

thanks for the tip Matt - if the DSC is supposed to make the car quicker in steady state cornering, why do you suppose that in Auto-X the DSC slows you down by a few seconds in a 60 second pass?

--->Robyn - Don't worry! I think the title of my thread is irony enough as a homage to my past errors. ops:

 

Ryan, Good to see you are "up and running" in your replacement MINI. :smile:

Snow, Ice, rain & oil slick roads are the main reasons for DCS. I am glad you have experimented with the system and found it fun. In certain situations the computer can out perform humans. It can "react" so much faster than we can that it is correcting for wheel spin before we are really aware the wheel is spinning. Pretty damn cool advantage in bad conditions over a non-DSC vehicle.

Just watch your tail as some non-DSC vehicle may think they can do what you can and while trying they can lose control and hit you.

 

I had a heart stopping moment this morning, however it was my DSC that saved my butt. I live in Southern California and as some may know, last night and this morning we had some pretty serious rain fall. On my way to work I take the 133 south to the 405, and as many may know who live down here, this is a dangerous stretch of back road.

So I'm off to work this morning at 5am, it's raining buckets, I merge onto the 133 click the rear fogs on (never used them before =) ) and drive at a moderate speed of about 50 MPH. I can feel Stewy hydroplane a little, but wasn't too concerned because I have felt this in most cars that I have driven during a hard rain. About a mile later...WHAM! I hit a huge puddle of water I didn't see (almost a lake) that covered my entire windshield with water and before I even knew what was happening Stewy started to spin to the left into oncoming traffic!!! DSC immediately began to function before I could even react! Once I sensed I was out of control, I hit the brakes out of a natural reaction which was really strange. The brake pedal was very soft and spongy and vibrating, obviously from the interaction of the DSC. It wasn't the normal firm feeling that I usually get. When I first pushed on the brake, the pedal went down and then the pedal actually pushed my foot up! Very strange sensation. Needless to say, during the entire DSC interaction, Stewy jerked left to right to stabilize himself. It worked flawlessly. I can honestly say that if I didn't have DSC, I surely would have had a major accident this morning.

I've always played with the DSC, but never had an emergency situation where I needed it. I encourage all future MINI buyers to check this option during your order. You won't regret it!

 

^ It's great when something works the way it's supposed to, isn't it?

 

>>thanks for the tip Matt - if the DSC is supposed to make the car quicker in steady state cornering, why do you suppose that in Auto-X the DSC slows you down by a few seconds in a 60 second pass?
>>
>>--->Robyn - Don't worry! I think the title of my thread is irony enough as a homage to my past errors. ops:

Ryan, that's a really good question and often asked, especially of performance drivers. DSC (as a general rule) is designed to help the average or even bad driver mantain control. In the MINIDEAN's case, even a performance driver would have had some difficulty keep mind enough to maintain stability and right the vehicle. DSC is a safety product, not a performance product. ASC+T (or traction control) is a performance product. If tuned correctly, a performance driver will have difficulty keeping up with a traction vehicle in a straight line or controlled turn. In Auto-X you really push the vehicle around the turns. It's very likely on some of the maneuvers you hit a DSC stability threshold and the DSC tries to slow you down or stabilize, which was exactly what the Auto-X driver was not intending and therfore the driver has to adjust the driving technique.

hope that makes it a little clearer. Basic rule: on road in traffic DSC good. on track or course DSC probably not as good. Someone just starting to learn how to Autocross might want to leave it on until they feel secure enough with their abilities.

 

Yes! Found a huge glazed ice parking lot at the beach in January and had a ball turning it on and off. Does a pretty good job geeting the car back on path when you try to throw it off.

If you get it sideways with the wheels not turning, the DSC thinks all is well.

And if you mash the brake pedal down, it does not stall in gear. I thought that was pretty cool. Guess the ABS cycles it long enough to keep the engine running without de-clutching.

Regards,
Red

 

I think the first few posts above on straight-line acceleration were really about Traction Control, which is standard on all MCS's. DSC doesn't kick in until you start going sideways, right?

 

>>I think the first few posts above on straight-line acceleration were really about Traction Control, which is standard on all MCS's. DSC doesn't kick in until you start going sideways, right?

That's pretty much correct. Straight line acceleration is cut and dry traction control. The braking unit is telling the engine control to reduct torque to the wheels while it brakes the driven wheel slipping most. It sort of like limited-slip differentials (in principle).

DSC is much more complicated to define. It is mostly the control, when you're sideways. If the vehicle experiences excessive yaw (rotational movement) or lateral acceleration (sideways sliding) which do not match the driver's intention (steering position) DSC is involved. This works in harmony with traction when, for example you are stopped and you accelerate too quickly around the corner.

 

[this thread is turning more informative than I imagined, cool!]

I also have a story where DSC was very helpful. When the roads have big snow or slush buildup between lanes (aka snow-medians), the DSC does an awesome job keeping the car pointed in the intended direction when trying to change lanes. This would be a case where you really need 4 independent braking channels. Since the DSC controls all four channels independently, it really helps out when you're crossing diagonally on an unstable and slippery surface. Cool stuff! I was amazed first time I experienced this; an excellent safety feature for sure. :smile:

Cheers,
Ryan

 

I keep the DSC on 90% of the time..Has saved my butt two or three times..Hit some "black ice" the other day and the DSC brought me right back in my lane, but not as good going up a snow covered hill...almost stalls,,but the added safety is worth every penny that it costs in the Sports package,, or alone for $500. pays for its self in your deductable!!

 

So far I have had nothing but BAD experiences with DSC. I drive an MCS (manual tranny) and I find DSC comes on and modulates my throttle input right when I least want it. For example, when turning out of a parking lot into a busy street and I need to get up to speed rapidly to enter the traffice stream. Just as I'm making the turn onto the street, a rear or front wheel gets unloaded due to uneveness at the parking lot/road entrance point...DSC kicks in just as I'm applying for gas. Engine rpm drops suddenly, I give it more gas, suddenly power comes back on and now I've got my foot hard on the gas, so DSC kicks in again...chug chug chug until I can react and lift my foot. What worries me most is the potential of not getting power when I need it to enter a busy road, leaving me in a dangerous situation, or perhaps even stalling the car altogether.

Mike.

 

Then you should turn it off when you know you need to accelerate out of a parking lot fast.

 

I generally agree with all the goods things being said about DSC on here but I've found that it is impossible to get up snow/ice covered hills with it engaged. Turn it off and up I go. :smile: