mps 6 dsc awd

[auscer]

hey everyone i was jus wondering if you are able to stop the power loss on the 6 when you hav dsc on..... when u start to loose traction the power cuts out then once you get traction again you regain power..??? can this power loss be able to be change without turning the dsc off..... i was in a busy roundabout and waiting for ages to get out so i gave it a bit in first well a fair bit and started to bunny hop through the roundabout like a L plater because i was gaining power then loosing it etc.... any information would be much appreciated

[rogwick]

Turn it off

[High on PSI]

How do you do that in gear 1? My car doesn't even hop....... how sad

[Newcastle MPS6]

So for better performance there is no need to ever have DSC on?

[rogwick]

DSC is a safety feature. In the 6MPS it combines traction control and stability management. Having it on is supposedly safer on the road in the event of rapid maneuvering on a wet road etc.
I don't think there is any difference in power delivery (unless your wheels are slipping or its a harsh launch or something) I drive with mine off on dry roads incase I forget and "launch....crack"
The loss of power sensation would be the stability management kicking in to seemingly limit power via clamping the brakes in an attempt to reduce wheel spin and control the vehicle.
I find I hardly ever need DSC on. It takes a bit to cause the back end to swing out. I would keep DSC off and drive as usual. If you need to take off quick, get her rolling for a split second first then apply smooth but sure power and hold the gear (bring up the revs). She'll get going quick and not so violently as if to "launch off the mark"

[TD]

Could it be something else other than the DSC? Fuel cut, boost cut?

[kmh001]

As stated, DSC and traction control are disabled together by the same switch. The only time I turn it off is when I want to launch (in a straight line). The car is both quicker and significantly safer with DSC on.

I'm sorry Andre, but I can't agree with your sentiments about DSC. There is nothing supposed about it. DSC ON is significantly safer than DSC OFF and its utility is not limited to wet roads, it's designed to permit the driver to drive out of a situation that would otherwise result in a crash - day/night dry/wet slow/fast, anytime crashes can happen DSC can and usually does prevent them. Also bare in mind that crashes are always unexpected.

Anyone considering turning the DSC off should realise that in an AWD car, if you smoke up all four wheels you will loose directional control, you will become a passenger and the car will go tangentially in the direction of its momentum. For example, if you don't know what you are doing and apply too much power coming out of an intersection or round about, you can expect to be facing backwards before you know whats happening. Just hope no one is coming the other way. So be careful when turning DSC off.

[rogwick]

I'm sorry Andre, but I can't agree with your sentiments about DSC. There is nothing supposed about it. DSC ON is significantly safer than DSC OFF and its utility is not limited to wet roads, it's designed to permit the driver to drive out of a situation that would otherwise result in a crash - day/night dry/wet slow/fast, anytime crashes can happen DSC can and usually does prevent them. Also bare in mind that crashes are always unexpected.

I agree its safer to have but I've found myself fighting it at times around corners when it engages. I've taken corners and half way through the steering becomes heavy and pretty much the vehicle doesn't wish to go the way I want it to. Ultimately its good to have but can be annoying at times hence my comment on supposedly safer as per my experience (at low speed). Never used it at high speed but I'd think it would do a brilliant job should such an event arise. I usually cruise with it off at least in the dry. If its wet and I intend to drive safely and not play around I'll keep it on.

Sometimes I wonder how a crash would pan out should you need to swerve and maintain pace (at the same time) to avoid hitting something (say something cutting in front and you're able to accelerate out of it) DSC kicks in and brakes for you, might end up being the difference between missing and hitting?

Agree with your last paragraph to Mal. Been there done that, not quite as bad though.

[SomePhoenix]

Sometimes I wonder how a crash would pan out should you need to swerve and maintain pace (at the same time) to avoid hitting something (say something cutting in front and you're able to accelerate out of it) DSC kicks in and brakes for you, might end up being the difference between missing and hitting?

The problem is that swerving and braking are generally opposite effects. If you want to brake then you should be straight or you'll spin out. If you want to swerve and maintain control you can't brake (or swerve too heavily). Gokarting is a great demonstration - if you've ever tapped the brakes of a gokart in a corner you'll have the cart instantly spin out!

DSC doesn't "just brake for you". DSC has the magic ability to do what the driver can not - rapidly apply individual brakes to prevent loss of control. Not only that, but determine how much and which brake to apply in specific situations. I can't comment on exactly what sensors Mazda used, but they would be along the lines of steering angle, throttle, some sort of individual? wheel speed and a method to determine loss of traction; if it's more spophisicated it may have accelerometers, yaw and pitch sensors etc. No human driver can match this!

If you're fighting it around corners it means you're trying to lose traction - so it's going to stop that from happening. By all means if you want to slide a little turn it off - but you have to remember how differently the car will behave in unexpected situations. One of the things im looking forward to is trying out the car on a track without DSC. Learn how it actually behaves safely.

[kmh001]

I recall at the Mazda event at Sutton Road circuit in Canberra Brendan Reeves did some timed laps with and without DSC turned on. He went quicker with the DSC on.

[auscer]

does the dsc off put the 6 back to front wheel drive??

[Caffeine Fiend]

Shouldn't do to my knowledge


Sent from my iPhone using TapaTalk

[kmh001]

does the dsc off put the 6 back to front wheel drive??

No, only pulling on the handbrake disconnects the rear drive.

[Doug_MPS6]

On the Mazda drive day at AHG circuit, the DSC-on mode was not only a significant safety element as designed but also proved to be faster around the circuit. I never turn mine off and would anticipate only needing to do so if I was un-bogging my car, the reason the switch is there, BTW, and which has not yet been a requirement. The car has performed flawlessly in deep (1-2') loose sand on outback roads and there has been no shortcomings arising from the attributes of the DSC in such loose conditions.

[auscer]

Well there u go if u ask questions u wil get answers and lean aswell

[kmh001]

Just to complete the explanation, if you intend to launch the car, there is a risk that the traction control will clamp a brake onto the left rear axle to stop it spinning, and inadvertantly snap the axle. It took about a year (and at least 50 broken axles) for the 6MPS community to learn that traction control was a contributing factor to left rear axle failure. The other part of the cause is the flimsy rear diff mounts.

So the moral to the story is that if you intend to launch, you can reduce the risk of axle failure by turning DSC off. Replacing the rear diff mounts will provide even greater protection. There are also heavy duty axles available in the US if you want the rear end to be bullet proof, but I reckon you would need to be a hard core drag racer to justify going to that much trouble.

Irrespective of all that, launching is a high risk activity in an AWD car because it places destructive forces upon the drive train. If you can't afford the potential damage, don't even try it.

[Doug_MPS6]

Yep. A good addendum to the story. Thanks Mal.

[sandman]

i know this catch 22 as well. trying to discover the limits of my driving and my 2005 mps 6 i have nearly put my head through the windscreen several times when the power is cut. So last week at a u turn bay on the hume highway i decided to turn dsc off and have a play. waited for a big break in traffic and zzzooooommmm. very quickly ended up in a 180 style manouver that i had no control over. ended up facing 80 klm an hour oncoming traffic. very shaken. put the dsc back on immediately. thats how its going to stay. looking up some driving courses so i can have a good play in a safe environment and learn how to control this beast. will probably save a bit of money on tyres too.

[Victa]

Anyone considering turning the DSC off should realise that in an AWD car, if you smoke up all four wheels you will loose directional control, you will become a passenger and the car will go tangentially in the direction of its momentum. For example, if you don't know what you are doing and apply too much power coming out of an intersection or round about, you can expect to be facing backwards before you know whats happening. Just hope no one is coming the other way. So be careful when turning DSC off.

I tried this... big open grassy area, slow speed, DSC off, foot down... is a strange feeling when you realise that you are suddenly just a passenger in the car you are driving... The same experimental session showed me that DSC does little when the car is travelling sideways... DSC can help when the car is spinning, TC and ABS help when the car is going in a straight line, but when going purely sideways you have no help...

Also I have only noticed bunny-hop style power cut when in a straight-ish line... when cornering with excess power on the feeling of the DSC kicking in is very different, much more subtle.

Apparently there is steering angle, individual wheel speed, throttle position, and several accelerometers for the system to measure...

Chris.

[Reeve]

For my three cents (inflation) I've only had my car about two months, never turned DSC off, and I've launched her full noise about 4 times now, never once had a lurching/power cut sensation. Just a sensation that if I wasn't careful I'd be in the next suburb before 4th gear, sans licence :P. Although now that I know there is a risk to my rear axle, I believes I'll be turning it off for launches in the future....