Forseti

Its coming....(probably)

The govt is considering this week whether to mandate stability control for all cars sold (revised: its now 2010 for GM, earlier for Ford).

So...no more burnouts...or drifting for that matter...the ABS will apply braking force independently to each wheel...and I imagine it would also mean a throttle "fly-by-wire" system, and mandatory traction control....

alleycat58

If you mean drive-by-wire instead of fly-by-wire, we already have that component.

I think there'd be a helluva uproar over it, look at how many people auto-x or road race their cars. There goes that unless there is some sort of driver-override in place.

Forseti

Sorry, yes drive by wire....

If the govt mandates it, there will probably not be a disabling switch.

OniMirage

If I am not mistaken stability control is for over/understeer
traction control is for tire spin.

OniMirage

cobalts are already drive by wire

importkiller

iTrader: (1)

i dont see that happening cause that would add a premium of about 1,600 dollars to econobox cars that don't have those features, this means that some people will not be able to afford them

Cobalt_Supercharged

Correct.

There is a way to override it. At the GM Desert Proving Grounds they have the same vehicle demonstrate what happens with and without stability control. It would only effect the ability to power over/understeer throught the corners. That would through off driving styles and could impair some peoples' lap times.

tube

Not going to happen.

selfinfliction

ah... victory is nothing but a ecu flash away

Forseti

You guys aren't reading this quite right....

GOVERNMENT MANDATE

Estimates that it would save potentially 10K lives a year.

If it is mandated for all cars, the price will be low.

If it is a requirement, then there will probably be no "off" button.
This article came out after I wrote this, but it looks like GM will include it on all vehicles by 2010
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a...SS01/609130343

rally

It'll happen, its already in the process of happening.

It will also be mandatory for tire pressure monitoring by that date too.

alleycat58

There is always an off "button" so to speak, it's just how creative (usually not very) you have to be to find it. Everything we have on our cars now like ABS, airbags, etc CAN be worked around despite there not being an obvious way to disable them.

HiSpdPursuit

meh..even if it does happen..no matter how GOV'T mandated it is...like someone else said..its just one ECU flash from not existing. And hell..even if you cant erase it off the ECU..just disconnect the damn thing...

halfj99

"Estimates that it would save potentially 10K lives a year."

do we really need more people on the road

StinkBOMB

You are witnissing communism in action fellas. Anytime the government mandates something to save you from yourself and you let them you just said good bye to one more freedom.

HiSpdPursuit

like the general public has a say in anything anymore...everyone is so goddamn divided on EVERYTHING that we can't agree on anything so people just say **** it and let them (the gov't) deal with it...

tiny

if you've never seen a video of this, i recommend watching it
it shows how an SUV completely avoids a rollover in an emergency driving manuever, i support the implementation of it

you can always override something, governors are only a VSS switch away from being disabled......

cawpin

Traction control isn't going to prevent a roll over. It isn't that easy to roll a vehicle, including trucks and SUVs.

StinkBOMB

Here's the deal with that. Will it make SUV's safer? Sure. I categorize this with the EDR's in our car. It's a good idea but when then government mandates something it takes away your freedom of choice. If it was an option I would be all for it. What's happening is individual accountability is being erased and you're being told to trust the government to make decisions for you. Because people don't want to be accountable for their driving and what they drive they depend on the government to make a "safe" world for them. This is socialism and it's dangerous. The private sector already has this technology available and it should be implemented as an option. Competition should fuel innovation, not government mandates. If you're willing to sacrifice liberty for safety you deserve neither.

Cobalt_Supercharged

Ha ha. Exactly. It's called population control, much like hunting season for deer and other animals.

StinkBOMB

We're not animals that need to be hunted, however we do need people to pay attention to what they are doing. If you feel that we are deer or other animals I'll be glad to slap on an orange vest and visit your neighborhood.

05BlackCobaltSS

I don't know. I think it's ok. But GM is doing this already. They have been planning for several months. They said that every vehicle by 2010 will come with "Stabilitrak" standard. And this just gives me a good excuse to by HPT right away for my new Camaro!

xl1200r

Guys, you all need to take a step back before you go off on some rant about communism or whatever. This has nothing to do with communism, and if you truely think it does you shoudl revisit your 8th grade Social Studies class.

Take in these facts:

150 people die EVERYDAY on U.S. roadways.
That's 54,000 a year.
If this can save 10,000 lives, that's almost 20%.

Now look at it this way...

So your choice is taken away as far as you wanting it or not. But you know what? The choice was also taken away from that 16-year-old ******* who would've lost control in your neighborhood showing off to his friends and wiping out your 7-year-old sister playing in the front yard. but he didn't because the stability control kicked in.

Sorry, but if the government wants to do something that's going to keep other people from killing me, then that's allright by me.

StinkBOMB

Keep telling yourself that. Or maybe you didn't pay attention in 8th grade.

xl1200r

Maybe you should re-explain this to me then...

comˇmuˇnism (kmy-nzm)
1. A theoretical economic system characterized by the collective ownership of property and by the organization of labor for the common advantage of all members.
2. Communism:
- A system of government in which the state plans and controls the economy and a single, often authoritarian party holds power, claiming to make progress toward a higher social order in which all goods are equally shared by the people.
- The Marxist-Leninist version of Communist doctrine that advocates the overthrow of capitalism by the revolution of the proletariat.

I see a whole bunch of stuff in there about collectve ownership and the government controlling the economy...nothing about controlling products or the market.