Just wondering how other MCS owners feel about the DSC (dynamic stability control) on their cars. I find that I'm getting a bit annoyed at the little flashing triangle and cut in power that occurs about half the time when I start out from a light...and all of the time when starting out headed uphill. I had thought that some of my problem was the low dry road traction provided by my snowtires, but I've recently switched back to the stock runflats and still keep breaking loose the tires on regular starts.

My new theory is that there's too much sand on the roads after our hard winter, but still...

Yeah, I know, I could ease slooooooooly off the clutch as revs increase, but then I feel like I'd be driving like my grandma. Or, I could turn off DSC altogether; but that's a pain to remember each time you get in the car and it just seems wrong to have to disable a feature that MAY be useful sometime.

Does anyone else think that perhaps MINI/BMW might rethink the programming of DSC to allow a bit more bite at launch? It seems that this would be an easy enough thing to do and wouldn't interfere with the real purpose of DSC - i.e., to manage power during loss-of-traction situations WHEN UNDERWAY? This would also, it seems, help somewhat with the overall sluggishness at launch.

What are others' observations and opinions on how DSC impacts their driving?

 

I'm not sure about DSC, still evaluating at 3600 mi.
I noticed the same, too much power cut if I drag off a light, and in particular if I try to power around a tight but bumpy corner. That situation in fact can get quite tricky, and I have to constantly remind myself to BE CAREFUL: I see an opening when turning into a quick moving lane, and try to zip in as I think I can with the MINI, and then bllaaaooorrrgghhhhh - BIG power cut because of bumps on the tight corner, wheelspin, DSC. This part of it I really dislike. Or, when trying to cross a busy street. Try to zip across and bog down because of spin and DSC.
This is why my first big upgrade will probably be a LSD.
Now, on the other hand I'd have to say that I may not have noticed when DSC might have cut in and saved my hiney. I haven't noticed anything like that.
Right now I have to say I have my reservations about DSC, but I reserve judgment....

 

I just turn mine off as the first thing I do after starting the engine. If I'm travelling cross country in bad conditions and not out zipping around then I'll turn it back on, but for daily driving that sucker is OFF.

 

Yep, exactly. That blaaaaaaaaaggggg that happens when I try to cut across a busy street is more than a bit disconcerting (and dangerous, I suppose)

 

Very first thing I turn off when I get in my MCS. I didn't want it, but it came with the sports package.

 

Interesting, I never bothered to turn it off, but it did come on when i was driving up some twisties. I wonder if you're able to get it programmed to be off by default

 

Tried my DSC on track @ Buttonwillow raceway in heavy rain. What a gas! I'm sure I would have been off track a few times had it not been for the DSC.

 

My June '02 built MCS is off by default...not my fault. :smile:

 

>>My June '02 built MCS is off by default...not my fault. :smile:

COOPERation, I'm not sure I understand what you're saying. Do you mean that your DSC is off by default and that you need to turn it on to enable it? A setup like that could be exactly what I'm looking for as I really can't remember to turn it off manually (as sndwave does) and I DO probably want it on for situations like interstate driving. Do tell...

 

You are absolutely right, jsun, it's off when I ignite the engine....I have to flip the switch to engage it...

 

I have had it turned off since day one. It truly interfears with the abiltys of this fine automible!!

 

Hummm. That's very interesting. Did you get your dealer to program it that way?

I hate to ask (and don't take this the wrong way!), but are you sure that you're not actually turning it OFF when you think you're turning it on? When DSC is off, the display is a little orange triangle (on steady). When it's on, there's no light.

If your's is really off at start up, I want to get mine programmed that way too. Anyone else have this?

 

When I take first to redline and hit second the car frequently bogs for a couple seconds as if the engine is getting no gas.Been back to dealers twice,is this the dsc system slowing me down to eliminate wheelspin?

 

Mikehome1, I don't think that's wheel spin, I think you're hitting the rev limiter. In this case, say "Thank You MINI for letting me keep my engine in one piece"

 

I can tell you in confidence that is has saved my *ss a couple times in the snow. It can be a bit annoying in the dry or on damp roads but I'd much much rather have the option of being able to turn it off rather than not having it at all.

 

I don't think it could be rev limiter as it does't cut out when I'm approaching redline only after a shift,which drops rpm's.My concern is to get this corrected before autocross season. Mike

 

Actually, it sounds like it's the ASC+T that's hurting y'all. The DSC only kicks in for lateral movement, not front/back movement. So if the system detects wheel spin, that's ASC+T, if it detects yaw movement, that's DSC. I'm sure someone else can explain this better than I. Anyway, point is, if your only complaint about DSC is problems with wheel spin from a launch, you're yelling at the wrong thing. Now if you are yelling at the DSC over problems running fast thru turns, you've got a valid point there.

I've only got the ASC+T and bought my MCS specifically that way as I DO NOT like having ANYTHING control how I drive. The first thing I do is turn off the ASC+T as my hand falls from turning the key in the ignition.

R

 

jsun, you're right...I'm such an idiot. I just read the OM and I've been backwards all along. Mine is like everybody elses. I drive the car hard, when possible, but have never had the DSC activate. I avoided driving it in bad weather this winter and would have probably noticed it then. I'm going to run some tests in the next several days and report back...my apologies for my complete and utter ignorance. Thanks...carry on!

 

I've just plain found that it sucks! It seems to have gotten better after the break-in (less of a duration for power loss after wheel spin) but I don't know if that was just because the weather got a lot nicer after I was done the break-in.

It comes on all the time for me, I hate it and I usually forget to turn it off. Anyone know if the dealer can program it off by default?
-Chris

 

I think you're right Davbert, what I'm complaining about is the traction control (which is integrated into the DSC if you have that option). Others may be complaining about the "dynamic" part of the system.

It's interesting, I've had traction control in my last 2 cars and in both I was hard pressed to get it to kick in whereas on my S, it's kicking in all of the time. I'm really thinking that this is rather unsophisticated programming of the system...and is something that maybe MINI could correct in future software versions. Which leads to a somewhat related question of whether there's only one "computer" to update on the MINI, or do various systems have their own ROM and hence require separate updates?

 

>>I don't think it could be rev limiter as it does't cut out when I'm approaching redline only after a shift,which drops rpm's.My concern is to get this corrected before autocross season. Mike

Sorry Mike, I didn't understand where your power loss was occuring, and hence my wrong comment about the rev limiter ops:

I'm no autocrosser, but I'd think that you want to have DSC/traction control turned off anyway while doing that. Right?

 

I have the traction-control light coming on all the time. But it's worse now only because the tread on my tires is getting worn.

Here's my thought on the all-too-sensitive ASC+T: Is it possible that maybe wheelspin happens more in front wheel drive cars? I used to drive an old Honda Prelude (1985) which was front wheel drive and I remember the front wheels had a tendency to slip off the line a lot as well. Granted, punching it off the line will induce wheel spin regardless if the car is front or rear wheel drive but, it seems to be worse in a front wheel drive, than a rear wheel drive.

I don't know just a thought.

 

>>I have the traction-control light coming on all the time. But it's worse now only because the tread on my tires is getting worn.
>>
>>Here's my thought on the all-too-sensitive ASC+T: Is it possible that maybe wheelspin happens more in front wheel drive cars? I used to drive an old Honda Prelude (1985) which was front wheel drive and I remember the front wheels had a tendency to slip off the line a lot as well. Granted, punching it off the line will induce wheel spin regardless if the car is front or rear wheel drive but, it seems to be worse in a front wheel drive, than a rear wheel drive.
>>
>>I don't know just a thought.



Well think of it this way:

Is it easier for you to drag a heavy object from a dead standstill, or push it? That's right, push. Same for front vs rear wheel drive. Rear gets to push the car, front has to pull. Both have their advantages, but rear definitely wins from a standstill.

R

 

>>When I take first to redline and hit second the car frequently bogs for a couple seconds as if the engine is getting no gas.Been back to dealers twice,is this the dsc system slowing me down to eliminate wheelspin?

This is the ASC+T detecting a slight wheel spin from a hard shift to second. I've done it NUMEROUS times with ASC+T enabled. It's actually quite scary to be accellerating briskly in first and jam it to second only to have the car shut down on you, to the point that it feels like you just blew your tranny or ran out of gas. Shocking/jolting response from high RPM kill.

Blasted ASC+T....

R

 

I've had the same problem with my DSC kicking in when I wanted to accelerate into a lane quickly, but today it proved its worthiness many times over. I live in Denver and we're in one of the biggest snow storms in our area I've seen in the 9 years I've lived here. Climbing up a hill my DSC came on every time I squirreled. It comes on whether you are applying power or not to help you try to go the direction your wheels are pointed. But climbing that hill and squirlling and having the DSC correct things was amazing. Not to mention it help me make a turn (was going about 8 mph around a corner and started to slip but I felt tires grab with the DSC light blink on.

This thing rocks in snow. Of course I DID have to turn it off to get up my driveway so I could rock myself out easily in the snowbank in front of my driveway.:smile:

BTW - the MINI did fine in the snow. Not quite as nice as my old 1998 Isuzu 4x4 used to but it's a lot more fun to drive when it's not snowing.:smile: