Dangerous cars?
Discussion
At the risk of starting a heated debate I am genuinely interested in people’s thoughts on the safety of their TVRs.
I recently bought and then sold a Chimera. Wonderful exhilarating car – the most fun I have ever driven, despite the reliability problems that emerged all too quickly. I decided not to keep it because it was not practical to run as a main car and I also thought it was very dangerous. I think that a car designed to go so damn fast should have more safety features – even seat belts that work properly would help! A speedometer that worked could help you know how fast you were going!I had a healthy respect for the power in the car, but wondered about the trouble one could get into so quickly – particularly in the wet. Have people had lots of accidents?
Even if we make the assumption that all TVR drivers are brilliant and never make mistakes, other people on the roads do – and what happens when you come into contact with them, without safety features viewed as standard on the most basic of cars now? It seems the attitude of TVR is that you are not a heterosexual if you need such features ( recent article in Sunday Times) – if Clarkson is to be believed!
I would not suggest filling the car with electric gismos that remove the driving experience, maybe just basics such as airbags and ABS – maybe even optional traction control (shock horror!!!)?
Am interested in people’s views as have not seen a discussion on this and for me it was a big issue.
I recently bought and then sold a Chimera. Wonderful exhilarating car – the most fun I have ever driven, despite the reliability problems that emerged all too quickly. I decided not to keep it because it was not practical to run as a main car and I also thought it was very dangerous. I think that a car designed to go so damn fast should have more safety features – even seat belts that work properly would help! A speedometer that worked could help you know how fast you were going!I had a healthy respect for the power in the car, but wondered about the trouble one could get into so quickly – particularly in the wet. Have people had lots of accidents?
Even if we make the assumption that all TVR drivers are brilliant and never make mistakes, other people on the roads do – and what happens when you come into contact with them, without safety features viewed as standard on the most basic of cars now? It seems the attitude of TVR is that you are not a heterosexual if you need such features ( recent article in Sunday Times) – if Clarkson is to be believed!
I would not suggest filling the car with electric gismos that remove the driving experience, maybe just basics such as airbags and ABS – maybe even optional traction control (shock horror!!!)?
Am interested in people’s views as have not seen a discussion on this and for me it was a big issue.
I assumed that as it was plastic it would just sort of explode on impact and that ABS and airbags were, therefore, slightly superfluous. I have wondered about rolling it and no roll bar, but again figurred that at the speeds necessary a roll bar would only create attractive sparking effects as I span through the air with the greatest of ease ...... also I belt a motorbike round the country, and compared with that the TVR seems quite safe.
Part of the reason i like my car is that it doesnt have any nanny filters, no abs no traction control etc...
In a lot of ways as the car doesnt have these things you will end up driving slower and more carefully than in a car that does it all for you.
i.e. how many times have you seen a rep mobile with heated seats, heated windscreen climate control abs etc etc shooting past you in the fog, as the driver believes everything is nice and safe.....
so ...
ABS, no thanks just driver properly
Traction control, why ?
Air bag, ok i'll let you have that one... ( does restrict your choise of steering wheel though
Seatbelts, mine work fine, just dont trap it in the roof or behind the seat....
Rollbar, mmm this is a purist thing, but i must admit im thinking about fitting a rollcenter one to mine....(later models have either rollbar or full cage built in)
Side impact bars... this is one area the chim and the griff ( all other tivs even the wedge have them) is let down a bit you are more vunerable than some cars to side impact.
one thing though GRP does absorb a lot of impact before it shatters, in the same way a stgeel car has crumple zones, so dont assume grp gives you no protection. I've crashed grp racing crs and its amazing what they will take.
On balance there are safer cars and there are more dangerouse cars out there, but i dont consider the tiv expecially dangerous, and i find it fine for everyday use...
one other thing i bought mine as the safe option, it was the tiv or a 996 Ducati
In a lot of ways as the car doesnt have these things you will end up driving slower and more carefully than in a car that does it all for you.
i.e. how many times have you seen a rep mobile with heated seats, heated windscreen climate control abs etc etc shooting past you in the fog, as the driver believes everything is nice and safe.....
so ...
ABS, no thanks just driver properly
Traction control, why ?
Air bag, ok i'll let you have that one... ( does restrict your choise of steering wheel though
Seatbelts, mine work fine, just dont trap it in the roof or behind the seat....
Rollbar, mmm this is a purist thing, but i must admit im thinking about fitting a rollcenter one to mine....(later models have either rollbar or full cage built in)
Side impact bars... this is one area the chim and the griff ( all other tivs even the wedge have them) is let down a bit you are more vunerable than some cars to side impact.
one thing though GRP does absorb a lot of impact before it shatters, in the same way a stgeel car has crumple zones, so dont assume grp gives you no protection. I've crashed grp racing crs and its amazing what they will take.
On balance there are safer cars and there are more dangerouse cars out there, but i dont consider the tiv expecially dangerous, and i find it fine for everyday use...
one other thing i bought mine as the safe option, it was the tiv or a 996 Ducati
I've no idea how much work is involved designing and testing a good ABS system, but it's unlikely to make the cars any cheaper, £5k a car perhaps (anyone who actually knows, feel free to correct me) would you pay that much more ? would it involve a wider market ?
Personaly I don't think the TVR market needs to be any wider, you've already got city boys buying them as toys just because it's faster than Tarquin's Porsche, then moaning about build quality, reliability, blah blah, because they only use them every other month.
If you want something as fast as a TVR but with saftey features you need to spend £70k or more
Are they dangerous ? Don't know, but you pays your money, and takes your choice
Personaly I don't think the TVR market needs to be any wider, you've already got city boys buying them as toys just because it's faster than Tarquin's Porsche, then moaning about build quality, reliability, blah blah, because they only use them every other month.
If you want something as fast as a TVR but with saftey features you need to spend £70k or more
Are they dangerous ? Don't know, but you pays your money, and takes your choice
I think the design of TVR's is intrinsically safe... GRP on a spaceframe chassis... and having seen a few crash damaged ones... they do fair well - better than a "normal" car.
ABS wouldn't be too expensive to impliment since systems are pretty much availble off the shelf... as are basic traction control systems. Indeed I imagine someone like RaceLogic could fit both for you - at a price.
However, I get the impression that most TVR driver's do not welcome such electronics. Personally I have no objection to them in PRINCIPLE, but in practice things are very different. A GOOD traction control or ABS sytem should ONLY cut in when you absolutely NEED it... and in my experience there are very few systems that do that... they all cut in far to early, often destroying the driving experience.
>> Edited by Podie on Monday 9th December 14:55
ABS wouldn't be too expensive to impliment since systems are pretty much availble off the shelf... as are basic traction control systems. Indeed I imagine someone like RaceLogic could fit both for you - at a price.
However, I get the impression that most TVR driver's do not welcome such electronics. Personally I have no objection to them in PRINCIPLE, but in practice things are very different. A GOOD traction control or ABS sytem should ONLY cut in when you absolutely NEED it... and in my experience there are very few systems that do that... they all cut in far to early, often destroying the driving experience.
>> Edited by Podie on Monday 9th December 14:55
Nope, after nearly 4 years with my Griff (and 3 1/2 prior to that in my S3c) I've never considered it dangerous, well only when I've done something stupid! i) I assume you've not seen the TVR Tuscan Challenge cars race, but rest assured that the chassis is pretty solid in an accident, so no worries there! ii) Traction control to the best of my knowledge does not contribute to the safety. iii) ABS - not too bothered about that one coz' I reckon the TVR’s brakes are better than a lot of other cars on the road - certainly better than all the cars my kids drive
At the risk of starting a heated debate I am genuinely interested in...the safety of TVRs.... I thought it was very dangerous.
iv) Air-bag - maybe although I don’t actually worry that it's not there as long as my seat belt works, which brings me to… v) Set-belts – mine work absolutely perfectly, can't understand people who moan about this - there are so important - if they don't work get them fixed, and don't take "they all do that sir" as an answer, 99% actually don't "do that". What else? Side impact bars, maybe, vi) roll-over bar, well how many other "sports" cars do you see with anything other than a "cosmetic" hoops behind the seats (often with a "hair-net" stretched between)? Not many, and I don’t consider the hoops in the back of an Audi TT as decent roll over protection. So unless you’re going to fit a proper cage and harnesses then a TVR’s as good as any other soft-top. No having thought about it - I'm quite happy thanks
Rich... Right, been to the pub and ever so slightly pi55ed to here we go with both barrels....
Why oh why would you consider the TVR to be an unsafe or dangerous car? It isnt is it? Its the driver that is dangerous. Technically speaking the car is solid, has good characteristics for crash protection and known to have excellent grip and good handling. So why would it be dangerous?
We have coped with driving for over 100 years now and only in the last 5 or so have we had the benefit of ABS, TC and airbags (though Airbags for a little longer in the USA). They do little or nothing to help you to drive.... Has the incidence of death on the roads dropped with the advent of these new technologies? No - it hasnt. We get lulled into a false sense of security in that "the ABS will sort me out here", or "oh, over did that corner, the TC will help me round"....
A good driver with an excellent apprechiation of the road and the current prevailing driving conditions is the safest combination on the road. Failure to understand these, lets be 100% honest here, BASICS then you are asking for a crash. The electronic aids are good, but do nothing and certainly wont help in the case that you want to drive like a w*nker...
No manner of electronic aid will prevent you from having a crash, accident or anything else. They will help you stay the right line of the performance envelope - but lets be honest, if you cant drive well then dont push the envelope in the first place....
Are TVR's dangerous cars? Not as dangerous as some 2 - 3 tonne SUV's that are on the market - get hit by one of those and your airbag wont help. What about some of those shocking cars that we still see - Suzuki Grand Vitara (that took a long time to spell), new car with all of the goodies and still crap to have an accident in.... Renault Megane II did well but by well design and inteligent use of safety features - not necessarily by the of technological aids...
Thats my £10 worth.
Cheers,
Paul
Why oh why would you consider the TVR to be an unsafe or dangerous car? It isnt is it? Its the driver that is dangerous. Technically speaking the car is solid, has good characteristics for crash protection and known to have excellent grip and good handling. So why would it be dangerous?
We have coped with driving for over 100 years now and only in the last 5 or so have we had the benefit of ABS, TC and airbags (though Airbags for a little longer in the USA). They do little or nothing to help you to drive.... Has the incidence of death on the roads dropped with the advent of these new technologies? No - it hasnt. We get lulled into a false sense of security in that "the ABS will sort me out here", or "oh, over did that corner, the TC will help me round"....
A good driver with an excellent apprechiation of the road and the current prevailing driving conditions is the safest combination on the road. Failure to understand these, lets be 100% honest here, BASICS then you are asking for a crash. The electronic aids are good, but do nothing and certainly wont help in the case that you want to drive like a w*nker...
No manner of electronic aid will prevent you from having a crash, accident or anything else. They will help you stay the right line of the performance envelope - but lets be honest, if you cant drive well then dont push the envelope in the first place....
Are TVR's dangerous cars? Not as dangerous as some 2 - 3 tonne SUV's that are on the market - get hit by one of those and your airbag wont help. What about some of those shocking cars that we still see - Suzuki Grand Vitara (that took a long time to spell), new car with all of the goodies and still crap to have an accident in.... Renault Megane II did well but by well design and inteligent use of safety features - not necessarily by the of technological aids...
Thats my £10 worth.
Cheers,
Paul
If it feels dangerous, drive it slower until you feel comfortable with it. An appropriate speed should be judged by looking out of the window, not looking at the speedo (though popular fashion would have us believe otherwise). It's a fact that the safer people think their cars are (Volvos, seat-belts, ABS etc) they go faster to compensate and bring the level of 'acceptable risk' back to where it was before. Extreme example: if you drove a car from a deckchair held to the bonnet with gaffer tape, you'd stick to about 5mph...
This old chestnut...
These things can't be that high up your list otherwise you would have had them fitted...
Take traction control... I have it on my 520 and it is great when I get thing s that bit wrong when sprinting but my fastest lap times come when I drive the car correctly without it. There is an extensive article on it on my website. I've still lost it though on a sprint big time because if you are going too fast for the laws of physics then nothing and I mean nothing will help you!
I know at least one MERC driver who spun his SLK 360 degrees just by wellying it and said that the traction control must have been faulty as it should have stopped him. I had been warning him not to rely on it.
You want a roll bar got to www.t-v-r-services.co.uk.
Airbags were brought in because of the number of Americans that were killing themselves by not wearing saet belts and guess waht new cars will have to provide safety features that enables you to survive even if you don't wear a seat belt! That to me is stupid. If you want to improve the belt, add a harness to the roll bar.
ABS is not something that really worries me. Most ABS systems are set up to cut in far too early and actually increase the barking distances compared to using good technique without it. In the end the braking distance is determined by the grip and all ABS does is take some guess work out of the procedure and allow you to steer round things. But as most drivers don't know how to brake using the weight transfer it has become one of those things that you must have but many do not understand why. I had ABS fail on a Citroen and the stopping distances decreased because I didn't get the ABS cutting in too early. The real problem with ABS is that it prevents you locking all four wheels which is exactly the technique that I use to slow the car and stop a spin. Saved me on numerous occasions on a track but you can't do this on ABS so if the car is gone... you just wait for the impact. Not exactly a good driver's aid .
If you want it go buy and fit it. Also include some driving tuition as all driver will benefit from it. I have had many years experience and still grab an instructor on track days and benefit from it.
Steve
www.tvrbooks.co.uk
These things can't be that high up your list otherwise you would have had them fitted...
Take traction control... I have it on my 520 and it is great when I get thing s that bit wrong when sprinting but my fastest lap times come when I drive the car correctly without it. There is an extensive article on it on my website. I've still lost it though on a sprint big time because if you are going too fast for the laws of physics then nothing and I mean nothing will help you!
I know at least one MERC driver who spun his SLK 360 degrees just by wellying it and said that the traction control must have been faulty as it should have stopped him. I had been warning him not to rely on it.
You want a roll bar got to www.t-v-r-services.co.uk.
Airbags were brought in because of the number of Americans that were killing themselves by not wearing saet belts and guess waht new cars will have to provide safety features that enables you to survive even if you don't wear a seat belt! That to me is stupid. If you want to improve the belt, add a harness to the roll bar.
ABS is not something that really worries me. Most ABS systems are set up to cut in far too early and actually increase the barking distances compared to using good technique without it. In the end the braking distance is determined by the grip and all ABS does is take some guess work out of the procedure and allow you to steer round things. But as most drivers don't know how to brake using the weight transfer it has become one of those things that you must have but many do not understand why. I had ABS fail on a Citroen and the stopping distances decreased because I didn't get the ABS cutting in too early. The real problem with ABS is that it prevents you locking all four wheels which is exactly the technique that I use to slow the car and stop a spin. Saved me on numerous occasions on a track but you can't do this on ABS so if the car is gone... you just wait for the impact. Not exactly a good driver's aid .
If you want it go buy and fit it. Also include some driving tuition as all driver will benefit from it. I have had many years experience and still grab an instructor on track days and benefit from it.
Steve
www.tvrbooks.co.uk
I think TVR's are extremly safe.
I had an MGF VVC which when I got into trouble was just completely uncontrollable. I lost it in the wet, not going ridiculously fast and tried to power slide my way out with a bit of oppsosite lock. NO CHANCE, because the engine is in the rear and it doesn't have a LSD like the TVR's then it was virutally impossible to get out of the spin (like Tom Cruise in Top Gun, shouting "Goose I can't control it"), yep that was me!!
I ended up hitting a lamp post breaking my ankle and taking my scalp off (pictures available if you like).
I then found out later that these cars are renowned for that, put together with the terrible scuttle shake over bumps which destablilised the car, and the fact my TVR will do 150+ and be absolutely planted to the road.
All I'm saying is the TVR's (Griff/Chim) are so basic that you can depend on them when they are fettled, you know what the car is going to do, you can feel it. The car talks to you, the MGF shouted gibberish at me!. Yes the MGF has ABS, but when it unexplainably shut itself off the car would lock up badly in the dry, and you couldn't work out why. NOW THATS DANGEROUS IMHO.
Plus with airbags, how do you know they will go off in a crash? They might fail. At least I know I don't have them so I can take extra precaution, wheras somebody with a concert of airbags around them may become complacent. NO seatbelts? Just like with the traffic light theory. If you take them away you get less accidents, because numpties have to start thinking for themselves!
Just my opinion.
>> Edited by schueymcfee on Monday 9th December 16:11
I had an MGF VVC which when I got into trouble was just completely uncontrollable. I lost it in the wet, not going ridiculously fast and tried to power slide my way out with a bit of oppsosite lock. NO CHANCE, because the engine is in the rear and it doesn't have a LSD like the TVR's then it was virutally impossible to get out of the spin (like Tom Cruise in Top Gun, shouting "Goose I can't control it"), yep that was me!!
I ended up hitting a lamp post breaking my ankle and taking my scalp off (pictures available if you like).
I then found out later that these cars are renowned for that, put together with the terrible scuttle shake over bumps which destablilised the car, and the fact my TVR will do 150+ and be absolutely planted to the road.
All I'm saying is the TVR's (Griff/Chim) are so basic that you can depend on them when they are fettled, you know what the car is going to do, you can feel it. The car talks to you, the MGF shouted gibberish at me!. Yes the MGF has ABS, but when it unexplainably shut itself off the car would lock up badly in the dry, and you couldn't work out why. NOW THATS DANGEROUS IMHO.
Plus with airbags, how do you know they will go off in a crash? They might fail. At least I know I don't have them so I can take extra precaution, wheras somebody with a concert of airbags around them may become complacent. NO seatbelts? Just like with the traffic light theory. If you take them away you get less accidents, because numpties have to start thinking for themselves!
Just my opinion.
>> Edited by schueymcfee on Monday 9th December 16:11
shpub said: This old chestnut...
You want a roll bar got to www.t-v-r-services.co.uk.
ABS is not something that really worries me. Most ABS systems are set up to cut in far too early and actually increase the barking distances compared to using good technique without it.
"barking distances"?? Thats a classic!
So you can tell where to brake by sticking your head out of the window and listening to the local dog
"barking distances"?? Thats a classic!
So you can tell where to brake by sticking your head out of the window and listening to the local dog
No it is an old racing term as in you must be barking mad to brake that late. Hence the term barking distances....
I am going to lie down now.... It has all got too much....
Steve
If you drive a so called 'safe' car badly it becomes an unsafe car.
When I first got the Chimeara, I had a full day with the guy's at Ridedrive, their expert view was that even without ABS, traction control etc it is still a well gripping car able to stop very quickly under control.
The things we then did with it on the airfield proved this beyond doubt.
They taught me what it is capable of and also where it's limits are, I saw first hand what happens if you exceed those limits.
There endeth today's lesson.
When I first got the Chimeara, I had a full day with the guy's at Ridedrive, their expert view was that even without ABS, traction control etc it is still a well gripping car able to stop very quickly under control.
The things we then did with it on the airfield proved this beyond doubt.
They taught me what it is capable of and also where it's limits are, I saw first hand what happens if you exceed those limits.
There endeth today's lesson.
If you buy a TVR you buy it for what it is. A rear-wheel drive, high performance car with the spec of performance and safety features that is on the car you buy. After all, you don't stumble into buying a TVR and then find out when you've got it home there's no airbag(s), roll-cage, ABS, traction control etc. Do you?
A person who fundamentally underestimates how quickly things can come unpeeled when driving this type of car (not necessarily fast, but in a way that is incompatible with the level of car control possessed by the driver) will have a quick visit to the hedge, wall or other innocent object. This could be a pedestrian and I am not trivializing the issue you raise.
I suspect this driver would have taken a similar trajectory at some stage at the wheel of a car with all the above 'safety' features. Arguably earlier, if the misplaced sense of security that these 'driving aids' creates a conscious or subconscious expectation of being able to drive quicker, and hence beyond their limitations.
This afternoon I went out for a 25 mile blast in the Chimaeara for no other reason than I wanted to drive my toy. Clear blue sky, low sun, wet leaves in the shadows, few degrees above zero (green/orange snowflakes on the dash), lid in the boot, heater on(works perfectly). I enjoyed the experience fully. I didn't take any inappropriate risk. I was aware and attentive. I didn't feel unsafe in what I was doing.
Having said that I do have a concern that I might be taken out by another's fault/brainstorm/etc. For this reason I am particularly alert when crossing junctions. There are an increasing number of idiots that seem to have fogotten that amber traffic lights mean Stop, not prepare to Stop. Twice in the last week I have seen a vehicle (one car, one white van) cross the lights on red just as I was about to move forward as red/amber showed. I would actively support any politician that vouched to repurpose all speed cameras to traffic light controlled junctions and raise the fines for 'jumping' to a 3 month ban and £1000 fine for a first offence.
Sorry - I drifted O/T. I don't think a TVR is inherently unsafe. Safety is in the hands of its driver. But if you're T-boned at speed by an SUV then all bets are off. I, for one, am not prepared to go out and buy a inflatable boat on wheels in anticipation of this event occuring.
Hutch
A person who fundamentally underestimates how quickly things can come unpeeled when driving this type of car (not necessarily fast, but in a way that is incompatible with the level of car control possessed by the driver) will have a quick visit to the hedge, wall or other innocent object. This could be a pedestrian and I am not trivializing the issue you raise.
I suspect this driver would have taken a similar trajectory at some stage at the wheel of a car with all the above 'safety' features. Arguably earlier, if the misplaced sense of security that these 'driving aids' creates a conscious or subconscious expectation of being able to drive quicker, and hence beyond their limitations.
This afternoon I went out for a 25 mile blast in the Chimaeara for no other reason than I wanted to drive my toy. Clear blue sky, low sun, wet leaves in the shadows, few degrees above zero (green/orange snowflakes on the dash), lid in the boot, heater on(works perfectly). I enjoyed the experience fully. I didn't take any inappropriate risk. I was aware and attentive. I didn't feel unsafe in what I was doing.
Having said that I do have a concern that I might be taken out by another's fault/brainstorm/etc. For this reason I am particularly alert when crossing junctions. There are an increasing number of idiots that seem to have fogotten that amber traffic lights mean Stop, not prepare to Stop. Twice in the last week I have seen a vehicle (one car, one white van) cross the lights on red just as I was about to move forward as red/amber showed. I would actively support any politician that vouched to repurpose all speed cameras to traffic light controlled junctions and raise the fines for 'jumping' to a 3 month ban and £1000 fine for a first offence.
Sorry - I drifted O/T. I don't think a TVR is inherently unsafe. Safety is in the hands of its driver. But if you're T-boned at speed by an SUV then all bets are off. I, for one, am not prepared to go out and buy a inflatable boat on wheels in anticipation of this event occuring.
Hutch
Could you imagine how fast people would drive if TVRs had traction control.
There is a school of thought which believes drivers are not as careful when they drive performance cars that are full of gizmos because they believe that it is impossible to get into trouble.I for one can remember flooring the accelerator in my BMW on an ice covered road because it had traction control.Not very responsible but possible because a computer took over the controls.
There is a school of thought which believes drivers are not as careful when they drive performance cars that are full of gizmos because they believe that it is impossible to get into trouble.I for one can remember flooring the accelerator in my BMW on an ice covered road because it had traction control.Not very responsible but possible because a computer took over the controls.
If people want traction control and ABS they can fit it, after all we see owners on here spending shed-loads of cash on brakes, wheels, engines, cams, plenums, chips etc. etc. We know that Steve has fitted TC on his 520SE - it's all on his web site - I have no idea of the cost but the fact that the likes of Tower View and Peninsula don't do many/any upgrades of this kind suggests to me that there is little demand for it. Rich...
We know that Steve has fitted TC on his 520SE - it's all on his web site - I have no idea of the cost but the fact that the likes of Tower View and Peninsula don't do many/any upgrades of this kind suggests to me that there is little demand for it. Rich...OK chaps - don't get too "Hair Shirt" about this.
Actually the incidence of death on the roads has reduced very dramatically over the last 20 years...sorry pbrettle its true...
The above statement is part of the argument for saying the roads have got safer so what's with these new lower speed limits? Why are they required?
Very largely this reduction in deaths is due to cars being much better made than they were. A modern car with its high levels of crash protection will keep you alive when in the past you would be brown bread.
So...do I wish TVR would fit ABS/Traction/Stability Management software - why YES I DO. There is no reason why such systems cannot be fitted and be set up to interfere with the driving experience as little as possible. Other manufacturers can do it. If TVR wanted to then I believe they could as well - after all they can buy in systems as well as the next guy.
However - would the lack of these systems put me off buying one. No it would not. And it didn't. I am well capable of driving a car without these toys safely - so its not a problem. The issue is when one day something unexpected happens would I like the systems to be there to help - who wouldn't?
The classic example is misjudging the speed into a corner and finding that it tightens up..and there's a tractor hidden around it by the tall hedge. You have to brake...and you're cornering. Sure we'd all apply opposite lock and stop the car from spinning into the oncoming car wouldn't we? My ****.
So why so negative about ABS/Stability Control?
Actually the incidence of death on the roads has reduced very dramatically over the last 20 years...sorry pbrettle its true...
The above statement is part of the argument for saying the roads have got safer so what's with these new lower speed limits? Why are they required?
Very largely this reduction in deaths is due to cars being much better made than they were. A modern car with its high levels of crash protection will keep you alive when in the past you would be brown bread.
So...do I wish TVR would fit ABS/Traction/Stability Management software - why YES I DO. There is no reason why such systems cannot be fitted and be set up to interfere with the driving experience as little as possible. Other manufacturers can do it. If TVR wanted to then I believe they could as well - after all they can buy in systems as well as the next guy.
However - would the lack of these systems put me off buying one. No it would not. And it didn't. I am well capable of driving a car without these toys safely - so its not a problem. The issue is when one day something unexpected happens would I like the systems to be there to help - who wouldn't?
The classic example is misjudging the speed into a corner and finding that it tightens up..and there's a tractor hidden around it by the tall hedge. You have to brake...and you're cornering. Sure we'd all apply opposite lock and stop the car from spinning into the oncoming car wouldn't we? My ****.
So why so negative about ABS/Stability Control?
Just my 10p. I never really liked my Griff in the wet, i drove it with the utmost respect. I had a full wheel alighnment( i know it sould be done at services!) and the difference all round was well worth the £60. Braking, cornering lack of aquaplaning etc. My other car has ABS, traction, bags etc and i would still prefere to be in it in the wet, but that does not make my Griff dangerous.
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