PAS, ABS, ESP, do you need it?

[Zantimisfit]

My boss has a Tesla. He had it upgraded so it now has this "self driving" feature. He was telling me all about it and all the other features it has. "What do you drive?" he asked me. I reply that, at the weekend I drive an old Mini and that the only "feature" it has is front and rear ashtrays. He looked a bit crestfallen "Oh mine doesn't have any ashtrays"

 

Don't know why he's bothered - he doesn't even smoke!

[Pete-M]

That's the next problem isn't it? Superb brakes that catch out the car behind you. As happened to me in my 2CV eight years ago. I did a perfect emergency stop after getting cut up by a truck on a roundabout. The Mondeo behind just ploughed straight into me. (two lane roundabout by the way, so the truck had no justification at all in turning right from the left-hand lane. No, he didn't stop, even though I hit him!).

Oof. The fact that the Mondeo clattered you despite probably having ABS shows that the most important bit in a car is an awake driver.

[dugong]

My boss has a Tesla. He had it upgraded so it now has this "self driving" feature. He was telling me all about it and all the other features it has. "What do you drive?" he asked me. I reply that, at the weekend I drive an old Mini and that the only "feature" it has is front and rear ashtrays. He looked a bit crestfallen "Oh mine doesn't have any ashtrays"

 

Don't know why he's bothered - he doesn't even smoke!

Sounds like he was trying to be polite....

[New POD]

My boss has a Tesla. He had it upgraded so it now has this "self driving" feature. He was telling me all about it and all the other features it has. "What do you drive?" he asked me. I reply that, at the weekend I drive an old Mini and that the only "feature" it has is front and rear ashtrays. He looked a bit crestfallen "Oh mine doesn't have any ashtrays"

 

Don't know why he's bothered - he doesn't even smoke!

 

You won Top Trumps.

 

I once won car Top Trumps with my old Boss, when he was complaining his 4 tyres for a X5 cost over £1000, and I explained my car had cost £40.

[PhillipM]

PAS is also great, why the fuck would you not want it? My last car without with was a 1.6 mk4 escort and it was horrid to park and at low speed.

 

It corrupts the steering feedback, it takes serious race systems to get rid of that. I hate my PAS.

[richardmorris]

Sounds like he was trying to be polite....

Mercedes did have an "ashtray delete" option, at least until the w124s.

[wuvvum]

It corrupts the steering feedback, it takes serious race systems to get rid of that. I hate my PAS.

True, but for 95% of the driving that probably most of us do, steering feedback really isn't that important.  Unless you're commuting to work round the Nurburgring every day.

[twosmoke300]

My two dailys are the Saab 9-5 and pre defender 90 petrol with no pas . Two more different motors you couldn't have and I love them both .

The lack of pas is a bit of a pain if your shuffling a trailer but lovely out on the road . The Saab does feel a bit numb after the 90 but so so quiet 😄

[PhillipM]

True, but for 95% of the driving that probably most of us do, steering feedback really isn't that important.  Unless you're commuting to work round the Nurburgring every day.

Actually, I'd it's of more use on the road and less on a racetrack. Good steering feedback will let you know exactly how much grip is available even trundling around town at low speeds, or in heavy rain, or broken surfaces, when it's greasy, or in the snow.....

 

Doesn't matter as much at 10/10ths when all the tyres are squealing and the forces are much higher so you get more feedback anyway, unless you're chasing a tenth of a second in your next F1 race.

[oldford]

ABS, ESP and PAS are good things to have, they help you out when things go wrong and we're not all perfect drivers.  It's the next level of technology that's more intrusive like Electronic Brake force Distribution, where if the car detects a quicker than normal switch of pedals it'll think that you want maximum braking, not much fun for the non ABS car behind.

 

I can see a new 'dare' developing, whereby kids will be walking out in front of slow moving cars to make them stop through the the automatic systems that are fitted to them

[andrew e]

My daily has the autonomous breaking, but it's side junctions that panic it, where people peel off to the left. Alas came pre loaded on the car. I like all the other electronic aids, like Pete-M I can't see what the scandal is.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

Mercedes did have an "ashtray delete" option, at least until the w124s.

Still did up until 2009 at least, I got the spec list off that Russian site for my W211 and it has ' no ashtray 'or 'non smoking pack ' and a code number in the list.

[Pillock]

 

 

Give me locked wheels and a wedge of snow in front of them, over abs.

 

Which is exactly why, on my Audi 90, as well as locking the diff you can turn the ABS off. That thing was proper weapon in the snow.

[forddeliveryboy]

.

Oof. The fact that the Mondeo clattered you despite probably having ABS shows that the most important bit in a car is an awake driver.

 

I agree, it's often drivers who are looking to check their way is clear when at a junction or entering a roundabout. Easily done.

 

But, a year-old Sierra in my mirror had its tyres squealing and wasn't slowing down as fast as I was in gf's Dyane - a truck had shed its load of paint tins right across the dual carriageway. I took avoiding action and released the brakes, reckoning I preferred to paint the chassis than have to start filling out insurance forms and pacify Helen. As it happened, there was the odd clunk but the tins went under us ok - the car behind ended up with blue paint all over its nose, before spinning and crashing into a roadsign.