They've taken all the fun out of driving!

[theholycow]

Rain-sensor controlled wipers: I can only imagine that they would fail to be satisfactory for me in the same way that automatic dimming mirrors and automatic headlights are. I want things on only when I've commanded them on.

Shadow reports his operate precisely when he would want them operated, without the necessity of manual intervention. If they're all that good I don't know.

In a previous discussion, it was determined that my preferences for when the wipers should operate are not aligned with his.

I imagine there's an "auto" position on the wiper switch and they can be operated in normal ways too. Is that correct?

My philosophy is to avoid needing to do emergency maneuvers if possible. I'm not comfortable breaking lose on city streets and don't want something bad to happen if I lose it. I'd take more risks to teach myself handling techniques if I were in a controlled environment where I could get myself turned around without hitting someone (read: driving course or track - not for racing).

There's an old saying..."A superior pilot uses his superior judgment to avoid needing to use his superior skill." The same can be said for driving. It takes both halves of the equation because there are so many variables on the public roads, especially other people. Judgment alone will serve you well, including keeping you out of a lot of accidents that other people would say there was no way to avoid, but things will happen that only skill and reaction time will mitigate (and there are times that even that runs out).

^What these guys said.

Judgment alone will serve you well, including keeping you out of a lot of accidents that other people would say there was no way to avoid, but things will happen that only skill and reaction time will mitigate (and there are times that even that runs out).

I guess what I mean is that I generally know how to get myself out of trouble, but I don't actively try to get myself into trouble. That's best left for controlled situations and not on the street, in my opinion anyway.

^And this too.

I love driving and always have, but I recognize where my weaknesses are and play around a little bit to build upon them when there's little risk of damage or injury to others or me. For instance, I'm not interested in "whipping donuts" in a parking lot with the Blazer, as my friend seems to advocate, because I know that the Blazer is top heavy and it likely wouldn't take much to cause it to go tits up. However, if I were in a low-slung, rear-drive saloon, I'd likely do more to learn how to do the fun stuff. There is nothing inherently fun about driving a ponderous SUV, even a midsize one such as Olie.

I think you underestimate its stability. Sure it'll roll much more easily than a coupe, but snow donuts at a reasonable speed in a parking lot aren't going to do it...and for the reasons we're discussing, you should get a feel for it.

[Squint]

Rain-sensor controlled wipers: I can only imagine that they would fail to be satisfactory for me in the same way that automatic dimming mirrors and automatic headlights are. I want things on only when I've commanded them on.

Shadow reports his operate precisely when he would want them operated, without the necessity of manual intervention. If they're all that good I don't know.

In a previous discussion, it was determined that my preferences for when the wipers should operate are not aligned with his.

I imagine there's an "auto" position on the wiper switch and they can be operated in normal ways too. Is that correct?

Yeah, in the cars that I have driven, there is the ability to turn auto wipers on and off. The few times I drove a vehicle with auto wipers, it did just fine, though I have less than an hour of total experience using the auto wipers...

Electronic power steering in the Fiesta is great. The wheel is easy to turn and decently weighted (doesn't feel like an arcade game). That can be the only big downside of electronic power steering is if the manufacturer doesn't get the wheel balance right and it feels too detached.

Lane departure and driver awareness monitors are both passive currently to my knowledge outside of maybe an S-class Merc. But if you are driving an S-class Merc, you probably aren't concerned about shifting your own gears...

Cylinder deactivation and engine shut off are both great features in my opinion. I've put a fair number of miles in my parent's Fusion hybrid and Prii and never had an issue with the engine turning back on when required. Neither of those have cylinder deactivation with the size of their gas engines, but I would love to drive a vehicle that has it at some point.

Cow, if you are interested in adaptive cruise control, then you shouldn't have a fear of automatic braking - pending it acts normally enough. The adaptive cruise control description says that it uses a combination of engine braking, brakes, or coasting to reduce speed if the distance set by the driver reduces below the set threshold.

The accident recorder, if like the Event Data Recorders, would probably be considered your data not required to be released if you did not want to do so. If memory serves, the event data recorders are considered the property of the car owner - so I would expect the accident recorder to be the same especially considering they are typically aftermarket add-ons. Think Russian dash cams but with more data.

[theholycow]

Cow, if you are interested in adaptive cruise control, then you shouldn't have a fear of automatic braking - pending it acts normally enough. The adaptive cruise control description says that it uses a combination of engine braking, brakes, or coasting to reduce speed if the distance set by the driver reduces below the set threshold.

I didn't read the description and thought it just uses engine braking in the current gear. Having it engage the brakes does sound a little iffy, but gentle braking (presumably with a limit to how much braking it'll do) while tracking the leading vehicle is a very different system from one that will suddenly panic-brake because an empty Rubbermaid trash barrel rolls into my lane.

If memory serves, the event data recorders are considered the property of the car owner - so I would expect the accident recorder to be the same especially considering they are typically aftermarket add-ons.

I'm not sure that that is the case in every state. I think I've read cases where it was not that way.

[mtheis]

... is a very different system from one that will suddenly panic-brake because an empty Rubbermaid trash barrel rolls into my lane.

[Mcs1990]

I love driving and always have, but I recognize where my weaknesses are and play around a little bit to build upon them when there's little risk of damage or injury to others or me. For instance, I'm not interested in "whipping donuts" in a parking lot with the Blazer, as my friend seems to advocate, because I know that the Blazer is top heavy and it likely wouldn't take much to cause it to go tits up. However, if I were in a low-slung, rear-drive saloon, I'd likely do more to learn how to do the fun stuff. There is nothing inherently fun about driving a ponderous SUV, even a midsize one such as Olie.

I think you underestimate its stability. Sure it'll roll much more easily than a coupe, but snow donuts at a reasonable speed in a parking lot aren't going to do it...and for the reasons we're discussing, you should get a feel for it.[/quote]

hehe, I think we all have had "fun" in our cars, whether it be some snow drifts, donuts, e-brake turns, j-turns, etc. As long as it's in a safe environment, you learn a lot about your car, and it is super fun.

[Rope-Pusher]

I feel I should add on to this. I'm all for simple things for the most part. I eat fairly simply, we buy simple toys for my son, and try to live fairly simply. However, technology isn't inherently a bad thing.

People already don't know how to recover traction when it breaks which is why the technology was invented. Just listen to the radio on a rainy/icy day and hear how many more accidents there are when road conditions aren't "normal."

I don't even know how to respond to that hackers comment. Yes, it is physically a possibility. But if your distrust of technology is that high, don't use banks, don't use computers, don't buy anything online, don't use a smartphone, don't use credit cards, don't fly on Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370... the list goes on.

Fickset

[Shadow]

Shadow reports his operate precisely when he would want them operated, without the necessity of manual intervention. If they're all that good I don't know.

And I wasn't kidding....it's almost like it is reading my mind. Whenever I think it should wipe, it does. Since then, I discovered that the sensitivity is adjustable by the driver. It just so happens that the factory default setting was perfect for me, but if someone prefers more or fewer rain drops on the glass before the sensor triggers the wipers, that's just a simple adjustment.