Mandatory Electronic stability control mean ABS + Traction control are now standard?!

[JEDI]

Electronic_stability_control:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_stability_control

ESC is built on top of an anti-lock brake (ABS) system, and all ESC-equipped vehicles are fitted with traction control.

In the US, Federal regulations require that ESC be installed as a standard feature on all passenger cars and light trucks as of the 2012 model year.


Never thought i'd see the day anti-lock brakes much less traction control as standard for all cars.

If living in NYC, any reason to get a used car that doesn't have ESC?

 

[996GT2]

Electronic_stability_control:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_stability_control

ESC is built on top of an anti-lock brake (ABS) system, and all ESC-equipped vehicles are fitted with traction control.

In the US, Federal regulations require that ESC be installed as a standard feature on all passenger cars and light trucks as of the 2012 model year.


Never thought i'd see the day anti-lock brakes much less traction control as standard for all cars.

If living in NYC, any reason to get a used car that doesn't have ESC?

ABS isn't standard already? I thought ABS has been on pretty much every car made for the past 10 years.

 

[JEDI]

ABS isn't standard already? I thought ABS has been on pretty much every car made for the past 10 years.

nope. my 2005 mazda3 doesn't have abs.

 

[SparkyJJO]

ABS isn't standard already? I thought ABS has been on pretty much every car made for the past 10 years.

It is practically standard but not quite. My little brother drives an 05 PT Cruiser (got it from Grandpa) and it doesn't have ABS. The VIN lookup the insurance did says it does which is really weird

 

[phucheneh]

AFAIK ABS has never been mandated. I think this will be the first federal requirement for brakes since 1968 or '69 when they mandated dual circuit hydraulic systems. There may be more general standards for braking performance, but technically I don't think anything is (or was) stopping anyone from making a new car with non-ABS four-wheel manual drums.

The stability control thing makes sense to me. ABS is a reactive thing, and crash/no-crash is often decided way before ABS activation happens. You're decreasing stopping distance a bit (in comparison to a wheels-locked skidding stop) and allow the driver to maintain control better...but people just don't drive well enough for that to actually prevent major accidents.

Stability is proactive and helps keep retards from spinning out of control and wiping a bunch of people out with them.

 

[theeedude]

Even if not required by government,the safety testing agencies will ding vehicles points for not having ESC or ABS, and from marketing point of view, they will tend to have those.
Starting with 2014, EuroNCAP (European safety ranking organization) will even require automated braking to score 5 stars. I wouldn't be surprised if IIHS follows suit soon after.

 

[Jumpem]

Even if not required by government,the safety testing agencies will ding vehicles points for not having ESC or ABS, and from marketing point of view, they will tend to have those.
Starting with 2014, EuroNCAP (European safety ranking organization) will even require automated braking to score 5 stars. I wouldn't be surprised if IIHS follows suit soon after.

I hope IIHS does the same.

 

[SparkyJJO]

I think the mandates are stupid, personally. Most people want it so most cars have it now. Cars with really poor crash tests usually don't sell too great anymore either. The market has already decided most of these things, why get government involved yet again?

My vehicle doesn't have traction control, but that's OK. I wouldn't mind if it did, but I also wasn't going to spend more money to get it as I couldn't afford it at the time (heck still couldn't right now). Odds are pretty good my next won't either.

 

[Jumpem]

I think the mandates are stupid, personally. Most people want it so most cars have it now. Cars with really poor crash tests usually don't sell too great anymore either. The market has already decided most of these things, why get government involved yet again?

My vehicle doesn't have traction control, but that's OK. I wouldn't mind if it did, but I also wasn't going to spend more money to get it as I couldn't afford it at the time (heck still couldn't right now). Odds are pretty good my next won't either.

So that every vehicle gets advanced safety features, not just luxury cars.

 

[SparkyJJO]

So that every vehicle gets advanced safety features, not just luxury cars.

Most of these systems exist as optional if not standard on many cars these days, not just luxury.

But that brings up my point again - who's gonna pay for all that? Cars cost almost a retarded amount of money these days. Sure, they are nicer than 20+ years ago, but geez, you can hardly afford some of these things. Mandate even more stuff and you'll price even more people out of them. Going to make "cheap" econoboxes cost more than nice cars used to pretty soon.

 

[Jumpem]

Most of these systems exist as optional if not standard on many cars these days, not just luxury.

But that brings up my point again - who's gonna pay for all that? Cars cost almost a retarded amount of money these days. Sure, they are nicer than 20+ years ago, but geez, you can hardly afford some of these things. Mandate even more stuff and you'll price even more people out of them. Going to make "cheap" econoboxes cost more than nice cars used to pretty soon.

They are part of expensive $5k packages, or available only on the highest trim levels. Make it standard and everyone gets it, and at a cost much lower than the option package it is bundled with.

I agree with costs. They could start by dialing down all of the infotainment junk, and stripping down the interiors.

 

[Leyawiin]

Non-issue. The cheapest cars sold today (Chevy Spark, Mitsubishi Mirage, Smart, et al) have anti-lock brakes and ECS as standard.

 

[T2urtle]

TPMS and traction controls are mandatory now. I didn't know ABS was added to the list.

This is part of the movement that made all the $15k cars kinda turn into the $18k car.

 

[sdifox]

nope. my 2005 mazda3 doesn't have abs.

huh? My 2002 Protegé5 had it.


as to OP, ESC would be great in NYC given how shitty the road is :biggrin:

 

[LTC8K6]

Stability control is mandated, so all of the others are included. ABS is part of stability control. As is traction control, TPMS, brake assist, Rollover Mitigation, etc.

Backup sensors are also mandated.

 

[JEDI]

Stability control is mandated, so all of the others are included. ABS is part of stability control. As is traction control, TPMS, brake assist, Rollover Mitigation, etc.

Backup sensors are also mandated.

link?
last I heard backup sensor mandate was delayed AGAIN as of sept 2013.

 

[Wingznut]

ABS isn't standard already? I thought ABS has been on pretty much every car made for the past 10 years.

nope. my 2005 mazda3 doesn't have abs.

huh? My 2002 Protegé5 had it.

ABS has been required in the EU since 2007, but not in the US. Well, until Electronic Stability Control was phased in, beginning in 2009, and 100% mandatory in 2012.

Edit: But I'm not sure if ABS is actually mandatory today. I wonder if the manufacturers came up with a way to implement ESC without ABS, if that would be acceptable.

 

[SparkyJJO]

huh? My 2002 Protegé5 had it.


as to OP, ESC would be great in NYC given how shitty the road is :biggrin:

It has been a common option for years, and came standard on many (most?) cars, but wasn't mandatory.

All but my first car have had ABS, and they have come with it as standard equipment. My first car taught me threshold braking, so I rarely trigger my ABS (though it is nice to have as backup).

 

[sdifox]

It has been a common option for years, and came standard on many (most?) cars, but wasn't mandatory.

All but my first car have had ABS, and they have come with it as standard equipment. My first car taught me threshold braking, so I rarely trigger my ABS (though it is nice to have as backup).

My response was specific to his 2005 Mazda 3 not having it while the previous model Protegé5 had it.

 

[_Rick_]

Edit: But I'm not sure if ABS is actually mandatory today. I wonder if the manufacturers came up with a way to implement ESC without ABS, if that would be acceptable.

The thing is, if your wheels lock, you lose control and stability. Therefore the very notion of a stability control requires at the least ABS.
But it adds yaw control and traction control.

 

[LTC8K6]

link?
last I heard backup sensor mandate was delayed AGAIN as of sept 2013.

It's mandated. Just a question of what year it will be official.

http://wot.motortrend.com/backup-camera-mandate-delayed-again-380939.html

 

[Ferzerp]

The only negative of ABS is the lack of predictability toward the end of a "both feet in" maneuver.

 

[Arkaign]

It has been a common option for years, and came standard on many (most?) cars, but wasn't mandatory.

All but my first car have had ABS, and they have come with it as standard equipment. My first car taught me threshold braking, so I rarely trigger my ABS (though it is nice to have as backup).

Yep, same here. I actually prefer not to have ABS, as I learned 9/10ths driving with vehicles that didn't have it. It's a really odd feeling when the ABS triggers, but I only find that I can trigger it when I'm testing the brakes out on a new vehicle. I'm kind of old school, but the first thing I do when I've got a new car broken in and I'm ready to change the tires for the first time (I almost always hate the OEM tires anyway), is take the car to an abandoned parking lot and see where the limits are for grip and braking, and how the car behaves when it's letting go. It's fun and gives you a lot of insight into the capabilities and behavior of the vehicle. Then getting the brand new tires you've got the same general behavior, only with better grip and higher limits (that of course you never approach on public roads anyway). But in a pinch you now know generally what to expect should you have to perform some sudden evasive movements, and hopefully that is really rare.

 

[Zenmervolt]

You're decreasing stopping distance a bit (in comparison to a wheels-locked skidding stop)

Only on damp asphalt/concrete. On dry roads there's no significant difference in stopping distance. On ice, gravel, snow, sand, and other loose surfaces, ABS lengthens stopping distance. (On ice, ABS doubles the stopping distance compared to full lockup.)

You're right about maintaining control though. And maintaining directional control is far more likely to prevent an accident (or to mitigate the amount of damage from an accident) than simply reducing stopping distances would be so the technology is a significant net gain despite the longer stopping distances.

ZV

 

[Zor Prime]

I'm all for mandatory stability control, traction control and ABS ... but it's just gonna mean people are going to be worse drivers.

I have a car without any sort of assist (zero), and one with it all (stability assist, traction control, ABS).

Last night I took my car without any assists out in 6" snow and drove over a hundred miles, it's refreshing to re-hone proper driving skills.

Driving a car with all the bells and whistles advocates complacency. You can do all shades of dumb stuff and get away with it.

I love the special features, but base skills are important.