The manual indicates (yes I read the manual) to turn off DSC when pulling away on slippery surfaces. So far I have found that being very aggressive with the gas pedal will cause the DSC to do it job and slowly move the car forward without stalling. Do you turn yours off then back on when motion is gained? Or do you give the DSC a real winter workout?

 

Ok, I didn't check my hard-copy, just my PDF version, but it only mentions the slippery surface with regards to the flat tire monitor, not the DSC. The only thing that I saw was if you're using snow chains, to turn it off.
Mine is on all the time.

 

I haven't referred to the manual on this one, but from practical experience I can say that turning off the DSC would be a good idea ONLY when attempting to get traction in very slippery conditions (ice, snow) while starting off going up hill. These would be conditions where you're actually stuck in snow/ice and need to spin your wheels a bit to get traction and move forward. The DSC prevents wheel spin, and thus you'd want to turn it off if wheel spin is in-fact desirable. The rest of the time, it may engage briefly while starting out on slick roads, but this really doesn't impair your driving.

Don't know if this is clear...but the bottom line is that you're just fine leaving the DSC alone and letting it do its thing 99% of the time. Don't worry about it.

 

I've fought with mine a few times stopping in the snow. The DSC, it seems, would prefer to do most of the work when the car starts to slide in a snowy stop/start. However, 20 years of winter driving experience kicks in as I try to brake the car MY way. The result is a crunching, grinding noise as I try to brake against the wishes of the DSC. I haven't turned it off yet, but I've been VERY tempted (especially in the start/stop driving on the slushy streets near my home).

 

My DSC is my right foot

 

I leave it on, and I'm a frequent snow driver (living in northern Vermont and working weekends at a ski area). I wouldn't turn it off because you think you might need to. I only turn it off when I _have_ to. If it's icy enough and your trying to get started on an uphill, the DSC will stall the engine. Not just slow it down, cause a complete stall. Once that happens, I turn it off until I get moving, then turn it back on again.

Or, one could take that as a sign that they probably shouldn't be out driving at all. If there's no traction to get moving, there's no traction to stop or turn.

 

I really like the DSC. Coming from a guy with some experience on the track, I like it because it gives me an added safety margin during my daily routine driving when I am not necessarily pushing the vehicle for a faster lap time.

Also, it allows me to let someone drive the car with the assurance that the car will likely save itself if a novice driver gets a bit out of line.

However, in any sort of deliberate high performance situation, DSC is definitely OFF!

 

DSC is the first thing I turn off when I start my MCS every time.

 

I just turn it off selectively. If I am in the mood to have a little fun, then it is definitely off.

With my old 1.8t GTI, I turned the ASR off every time.

I still need to get this vehicle out on a track before I really can get a complete grasp on what it does at its limits.

After then, I will probably just switch it off all the time. Although I am very surprised that they put the switch right next to a commonly used window switch, making it very easy for a so called safety feature to be inadvertently switched off when a passenger plays with the switches or when you put a coffee mug into the cup holder.

Seems like some liability attorney at BMW would have axed this switch location before it ever got put there.

 

lol I can see it now "Spilled hot burning flesh eating coffe from MCD pushed DSC button off and caused Miss X to collide into metal guard rail, woman sues for first born and 50 million dollars."

 

Wow PineappleMonkey! I did not even realized that this switch location oversight might allow a combined lawsuit against BMW and McDonalds!

Yesterday I was asked if I thought a MINI cooper would be a good first car for a girl turning 16 in a few months. I said that it was aboslutely not appropriate, unless one would also consider giving a novice driver a Ferrari or other supercar as a first car.

I explained that the handling of this car was so incredibly precise that it would be very easy for a novice to sneeze and find herself well outside her lane. However, I did suggest that if I had a novice driver in the family that I would not send her out on the roads without sending her to a high performance driving school that will teach her how to really handle a vehicle.

But with DSC on and a driver's ed program that actually teaches how to drive, a base model MINI would be a fabulous training car for someone willing to learn how to handle such a fine vehicle.

 

>>I leave it on, and I'm a frequent snow driver (living in northern Vermont and working weekends at a ski area). I wouldn't turn it off because you think you might need to. I only turn it off when I _have_ to. If it's icy enough and your trying to get started on an uphill, the DSC will stall the engine. Not just slow it down, cause a complete stall. Once that happens, I turn it off until I get moving, then turn it back on again.
>>
>>Or, one could take that as a sign that they probably shouldn't be out driving at all. If there's no traction to get moving, there's no traction to stop or turn.

Have you had the ECU upgrade 3.1 that prevents this stalling.......I have been going up 45 degree hills that are snow covered with DSC on, yes, very slowly, but no stalling whatsoever........My car used to stall on occasion before the software fix that regulates the fuel cut-off valve timing......no stalls no more, even with DSC on.......just thought I'd offer a possible solution..............
:smile:

 

I disagree, my 16 yr old cousin just purchased a MC. Auto. One thing she loved was it being able to handle very nicely in normal driving. She learned driving in a hulking Mercedes SUV which she hated. I dont see if the person is driving under the speed limit most of the time like she will that it could be bad. It would actually help her if she had to avoid a crash situation. I wouldnt want her driving a car that wouldnt give her the control she needs for it. A mini is a nice handler, but I'm sure a competant driver who knows their brake from the gas wont die going to school and back :smile:

 

Continuing O.T., NO 16 yr old should have ANY new car...They can't afford it, you are negatively affecting their value system, the odds are against the car lasting very long (factor in gender), yadda, yadda... get 'em a mid-seventys Dart...something they can make the inevitable mistakes in.

My 2 cents...

DREW

 

>>Continuing O.T., NO 16 yr old should have ANY new car...They can't afford it, you are negatively affecting their value system, the odds are against the car lasting very long (factor in gender), yadda, yadda... get 'em a mid-seventys Dart...something they can make the inevitable mistakes in.

The only problem with making a mistake in a mid-seventies Dart is that it could be the last mistake they ever make. Sure the car isn't expensive but isn't the cargo more precious than the car in the first place? I think a CVT MINI Cooper is a great starter car for beginner drivers. It's got tonnes of safty features, gets a very good crash rating, isn't a speed demon and it isn't exactly the most expensive car in the world. Too bad we don't get the MINI One in North America, it would be even better considering it would be under $20,000cdn.

Just my 2 cents cdn.

Paul

 

ok well i have some new personal experience. i'm 18 i work 30 hours a week at BMW and i own a MINI. it was my first car and i payed for over half and am repaying my parents for the other half. 1 big reason a new driver should not drive a new car 95% of new drivers get in an accident in their first 2 years. i got in my first accident not my fault it could have been avoided but now i learned and thats the thing. You learn from mistakes, buy an old Volvo safety first drive for more than a year ot till its in an accident or 2. then buy, or if lucky get your parents to buy you a new car. I now wish thats what i did.
and to keep this relavant to the page i DSC unless on ice. i find it difficult to stop.

 

nearly ate it today when I turned it off the tail seems to kick around a lot faster and with higher RPMs you get a lot of spinnage with the tires. By the way I only turned it off for a few hard turns and got quite scared and turned it back around.