AdvanceTrac available on all models

[01FOCI]

Recent studies/data have suggested that vehicles equiped with stability control systems are less likely to get into crashes due to the coditions or over confident drivers. My 01 Foci has it, why cannot I upgrade to an 05 and get it? Please re-intoduce this option and make ABS standard once again. Having a personal saftey system is awesome but I'd rather have the techonology that helps me keep from using (I guess one does not "use" it but rather experience it) the PSS in the first place

[Jason Kerluck]

Given the low cost of implimenting these systems, it's baffling that they are not all standard. ABS is the foundation, and Traction Control and Stability Control simply build upon the technology. Once ABS is on the vehicle, adding these features is a cheap and easy option.

[01FOCI]

"Once ABS is on the vehicle, adding these features is a cheap and easy option."

 

What I do not understand is why they actually took options off, ie: the Focus. Is that not actually making your product less competitive? While I know they needed to cut cost to become profitable, I don't see how making ones product less comeptitive acheives ones long term goal, I see it as short sightedness. Ford needs to add some visible"neat-o" items to the product line. If Ford worried more about the product they would have to spend less time looking at the bottom line. I think Ford has to many bean-counters in the wrong places.

[OAC_Sparky]

??

 

My '05 Focus has Traction Control.

[Jason Kerluck]

As does ours, but I think there was a post earlier that mentioned Stability Control. The Focus does not have this as an option, and from what I recall, nor has it ever. But as stated before, it's baffling because it is such a cheap and easy option, and dovetails so well with Fords "Safety Mantra". It would be attractive on the option list, and downright stunning if it were standard.

 

Seeing as the Focus is JD Powers Best Small Car, would it not make sense to showcase it further?

[OAC_Sparky]

As does ours, but I think there was a post earlier that mentioned Stability Control. The Focus does not have this as an option, and from what I recall, nor has it ever. But as stated before, it's baffling because it is such a cheap and easy option, and dovetails so well with Fords "Safety Mantra". It would be attractive on the option list, and downright stunning if it were standard.

 

Seeing as the Focus is JD Powers Best Small Car, would it not make sense to showcase it further?

"Stablity Control" is a nice way of saying "rollover control". It is necessary on tall vehicles with a high center of gravity, not on most cars.

 

I can pull a .84g hard turn on stock tires without tipping, which is when the traction control kicks in. And that slows the car down.

 

 

(The .84 lateral g comes from the G-meter you can see mounted on the A-Pillar (top guage). That's stock tires, stock springs on an ST on dry pavement. The TC kicks in sooner on wet, icy or snowy pavement.).

 

Point is, if you're pulling more than that, you should reconsider your driving style. Because Stability Control won't help you at that point.

[Jason Kerluck]

Stability Control is used to control the Yaw, and therefore the direction of a vehicle. It measures steering angle, throttle position, and gyros to measure actual vehicle yaw rates. If the yaw rates are not within predicted parametres, then the Stability Control System kicks in to apply the brakes to a single wheel to correct either oversteer or understeer. Which wheel this affects is determined by the sum of the conditions at the time of the impending spin.

 

This allows for a far more stable line through corners in all road conditions and is quite useful on any sort of vehicle, regardless of type. In the end though it cannot change the laws of physics, and will in fact degrade performance in exchange for stability. It's a driver nanny nonetheless but one that can save lives, especially in drivers with lower skill levels. It can offer Rollover protection, but more or less as a result of its primary task.

 

Traction Control simply controls wheel spin, and prevents the tires from losing grip. It's the antithesis of ABS in that it prevents excessive spinning of the wheels as opposed to ABS ensuring that the wheels keep spinning.

 

Again, these systems are based on the ABS system, and with the addition of Gyros, Throttle Position, and Steering sensors, it is easy and cheap to add. Together they act as a Safety Triumvirate. But as stated before, they come at the cost of lower performance when active.

Edited December 4, 2005 by Jason Kerluck

[OAC_Sparky]

It can offer Rollover protection, but more or less as a result of its primary task.

Ford Markets its Advance Trac Stability Control system as Anti-Rollover protection.

 

That's why it's not offered on any CARS that I am aware of, only SUVs Trucks and Vans. Not even the $150G GT.

 

http://www.fordvehicles.com/suvs/explorer/

 

Explorer’s standard AdvanceTrac® with Roll Stability Control (RSC®) helps keep all four wheels firmly planted on the ground.

[Jason Kerluck]

It's true that Ford has chosen to introduce Stability Control in the Explorer to address...ahem...certain bad press from 2000 that still haunts the Explorer. Ford also uses Stability Control in the Freestar and also markets it for rollover protection as well, so it would appear that it plans to use it in larger vehicles first.

As such, all of Fords cars and trucks could stand to benefit from it.

 

GM and Ford seem to apply it to their trucks and SUV, while nearly everyone else has applied it across the board.

Here is a list of 2006 cars with Stability Control.

Look at Toyotas list of vehicles with Stability Control, then compare that to Fords list, and it's obvious as to why Ford needs to get on the ball and add it. If Stability Control was mearly for Rollover Protection, companies like Ferrari, Lamborghini and Porsche wouldn't offer it on low slung sports cars.

 

It is a tangible benefit, and adds a great modicum of safety to any vehicle.

Edited December 4, 2005 by Jason Kerluck

[01FOCI]

As does ours, but I think there was a post earlier that mentioned Stability Control. The Focus does not have this as an option, and from what I recall, nor has it ever. But as stated before, it's baffling because it is such a cheap and easy option, and dovetails so well with Fords "Safety Mantra". It would be attractive on the option list, and downright stunning if it were standard.

 

Seeing as the Focus is JD Powers Best Small Car, would it not make sense to showcase it further?

 

 

The Focus had the option in 2001, I know I have it. And trust me when I say it can do a better job of keeping you on the road than a experienced driver, it can think and respond faster than any human. Some may say its a nanny feature but it is disabled via the botton down by the e-brake. I would say for the most part though it has a high threshold before it does its magic, virtually any "normal" daily driver would not even require its help unless in a panic/emergency manuvuer, and thats where it really shines. Anyrate for those of you how say its unneeded, I say you should try it before you knock it.

[Paul Selby]

You would have to be doing something insanely stupid to need Stability Control in a Focus. Sometimes natural selection shouldn't be tampered with.

[Jason Kerluck]

The Focus had the option in 2001, I know I have it. And trust me when I say it can do a better job of keeping you on the road than a experienced driver, it can think and respond faster than any human. Some may say its a nanny feature but it is disabled via the botton down by the e-brake. I would say for the most part though it has a high threshold before it does its magic, virtually any "normal" daily driver would not even require its help unless in a panic/emergency manuvuer, and thats where it really shines. Anyrate for those of you how say its unneeded, I say you should try it before you knock it.

 

I noticed that it was available from 2001 to 2004. I must have missed it with our 2000 and 2005 Foci. I'm wondering why they dropped it?

[OAC_Sparky]

The Focus had the option in 2001, I know I have it. And trust me when I say it can do a better job of keeping you on the road than a experienced driver, it can think and respond faster than any human. Some may say its a nanny feature but it is disabled via the botton down by the e-brake. I would say for the most part though it has a high threshold before it does its magic, virtually any "normal" daily driver would not even require its help unless in a panic/emergency manuvuer, and thats where it really shines. Anyrate for those of you how say its unneeded, I say you should try it before you knock it.

Does the icon by the eBrake have the "slippery when wet" icon or a "spinning tire" icon? Edited December 4, 2005 by OAC_Sparky

[Paul Selby]

Look at the idiots that keep rolling their Explorer's and suing Ford. This might save money in the long run.

 

 

I don't know, IMHO, it's just a matter of time until some drunk not using a seatbelt finds a way to roll an Explorer with this system and Ford will still get all the blame.

[OAC_Sparky]

I don't know, IMHO, it's just a matter of time until some drunk not using a seatbelt finds a way to roll an Explorer with this system and Ford will still get all the blame.

Yep.

 

"As soon as you idiotproof something, the idiots will become craftier." ___Page #1, The Practical Trademan's Handbook.

[01FOCI]

Does the icon by the eBrake have the "slippery when wet" icon or a "spinning tire" icon?

 

 

It is the slippery when wet, also I would like to argue the whole "laws of physics" thing. If the "LAW" says that at a given speed and turn radius I will fly off the road why then when AT can brake the inside rear wheel and keep me on the road at a faster speed than I could do it before? It does not change the LAW but extends the point at which the law takes place. Anyrate I think its a cool feature and think it should be an option.

 

You would have to be doing something insanely stupid to need Stability Control in a Focus. Sometimes natural selection shouldn't be tampered with.

 

 

Once again I will say that the studies show people with some sort of version of AdvanceTrac have fewer accidents.

[jasonj80]

Once again I will say that the studies show people with some sort of version of AdvanceTrac have fewer accidents.

 

1/3 less single vehicle accidents in cars, and 2/3 fewer single vehicle accidents in trucks. Nasser for all his bad things did a few things good, and he was a huge proponent of stability control as well as safety (It along with side airbags was to be std. on all Ford vehicles for the 2004my) The focus was one of the first vehicles to get it as the system was developed for the Focus in Europe and as such the development had been done. When Ford switched engines over the 2004/2005 model year the new engines controls were not developed for the new engines with the IVD system. The other problem was that it was expensive -- 1,275 plus ABS if it wasn't std (ABS used to be Std on the upper levels of the car). so it was a 1,600 option, (It did include rear disc brakes and rear head restraints though) that cost would be much less today though. My problem is that Ford may offer Side-airbags or stability control but dealers rarely have cars with those options on their lots, and if they do they have $4,000 in other optional equipment.

[DRyanC]

ABS i agree with but I could care less for traction control on my Focus. I would like to have a limited slip. For rolling explorers and such, these vehicles are large and truck like, make them ride like trucks, not cars and maybe people will stop believing that they are speed racers. Just my 2cents

 

DRyanC

[Ford Rules]

Stability control as well as other safety features like ABS, traction control, and side impact and curtain airbags should be standard across the entire Ford lineup, but the vehicle that really needs stability control right now though is the Escape. It has been tipping up for years in NHTSA's rollover tests and Ford has done nothing about the issue. I remember about a month ago I saw the aftermath of an Escape that was on its side in my neighborhood. I thought to myself that this could have been easily prevented if the Escape had stability control. I just hope it gets added as standard equipment on the next-generation Escape.

[Ford Rules]

Of course the people who drive their SUVs are probably some of the same people who refuse to pay for optional safety features. They think they will never need ESC, side air bags, etc because they think they will never get into a serious accident. Then they will rollover their SUVs thinking they're Porsches and everybody will say, "I told you so." The Freestyle may have gotten 5 stars from the government in the side crash tests, but when we got ours, we made sure the optional safety package was on it. I don't drive it much, but I don't really think it needs ESC unlike what the magazines say. I think adding it should be done just to pull in more customers who cross-shop based on the availability of that feature and to get car reviewers off Ford's back. Same with the other D3 cars and the CD3 cars.

[Drake]

The traction control in my 96 Tbird worked great. Saved me once going up a wet hillside road.