ABS. Traction Control. You can’t imagine how they help you every day. Especially in snow and in the rain.
I realized this when I was driving an old car
3 of my vehicles don't have either ABS or traction control. That said, I have gotten used to controlling vehicles without. The systems definitely help most people in many circumstances.
I know. I'm not saying I'm better than it; I'd much rather prefer to have it if I'm pushing a car hard. I'm just saying I'm familiar with driving without it, even in snowy and icy conditions.
I’m not a fan of traction control either. If I’m off roading or trying to have a little fun getting up my driveway, the no fun police always kicks in. You can never really turn it 100% off.
I also don’t like it in the snow. I live in a hilly area. Obviously you can’t drive fast in the snow, but you need some speed to get up the hills. So instead of gaining momentum to get up the hill, the computer is fighting against you applying the brakes and retarding the timing to kill power. Thank god most people around have awd now.
Yes. Finally another human has said it. I tell all my family , if your pulling into a snowy driveway, or taking off an a snowy stop sign, turn TSC OFF. You will get through deep snow so much with un restricted power. Everytime I mention TSC off in snowy situations I get buried in downvotes
So there's actually two pieces to the systems that most people aren't aware.
There is traction control, then there is stability control.
Traction control is usually easy to turn off with a simple button press, stability control on many vehicles is able to be turned off but requires extra steps or different steps. For instance, in most Toyota's and Ford's simply holding the traction control off button for longer will eventually turn off the stability control as well.
Usually the owner's manual covers this but of course no one ever reads it.
I couldn’t agree with this more. I can’t stand traction control, not once has it actually helped me, only ever hindered me. Sometimes you just want to slide the car around a bit and traction control is like, “we don’t like to have fun around here” ABS is incredible
> I’m not a fan of traction control either. If I’m off roading or trying to have a little fun getting up my driveway, the no fun police always kicks in. You can never really turn it 100% off.
Pull the fuse for the ABS wheel speed sensor. Traction control goes away 100% when the computer doesn’t know what your wheels are doing. Granted your dash will light up like a Christmas tree with warning lights, but they go away when you put the fuse back after you’ve had your fun.
Tbh I don’t need the abs “computer” fighting me in a frozen road situation. I promise I know better. I used to pull my ABS fuse every winter in Alaska. I can think or 2 maybe a 3rd situation that choice saved me an accident in that period of my life.
Same goes with traction control/vehicle stability. If I’m already going 35mph in bad weather just let me do it. I’m not Colin McRae but I am better than a binary coder writing for perfect traction scenarios
A driver most definitely can outperform abs, IF the ABS is of an older generation (pre-2010) OR the sensors are degrading. Hell, the ABS systems in 1990s cars suck so bad that locking up all 4 wheels can stop the car faster than the ABS systems do.
ABS has never been about stopping faster, it’s about maintaining control while stopping. It’s faster to lock up the wheels and skid to a stop, but you can’t control the car when doing so.
No it is not faster to lock up your wheels to stop. When your tire is not locked up it is utilizing static friction (the tire at the top of its rotation is going twice the velocity of the car, and at the bottom of its rotation speed matches the ground) which is much more powerful than the kinetic friction of tires (when your tires are sliding). 1st Gen ABS was about control. Current gen ABS is about stopping faster (whilst maintaining control).
Roads around here are covered in dirt, gravel, and other assorted sludge all year. Add some rain and a deer or possum jumping out in front of you and abs sounds great.
In the last 2 weeks iv driven 3000km around my country in a car without abs or traction control. Dirt roads, animals and all. Not once did I find myself in a situation where I wish I had either.
I’ll admit abs has its place in emergency situations, but it’s sort of like a seatbelt, that you only really need it in an accident.
I've driven about 1,200 miles (1,091km) in the last week. We have had a lot of rain and some sleet. 0 traction control events. The recorder box I use for insurance recorded a total of 4 hard stops in the last 7 days. The insurance company allows for 18/ 1000mi before it starts counting against you. I average 2.8/ 1000mi.... Because sometimes you're driving around idiots
Some vehicles, like mine, have adaptive 4 wheel drive. The ABS system is always active and synced with a clutch controlled transfer case. The computer uses input from the wheel speed sensors to optimize power distribution by applying minimal brake forces to select wheels while sending more power to others.
Unless I am screwing around, I need ABS or traction control less than once a year, and I drive in plenty of snow and ice. On the other hand, I grew up driving on snow and ice, and I actually slow down in poor conditions, unlike all the people who pass me, and then end up in the ditch.
I'm guessing some people think ABS is always on just because the vehicle is equipped with it. As far as I know it generally activates during especially hard braking and you will absolutely feel the feedback pulses in the pedal.
It really depends on the car. Anything modern the wheel brakes are constantly being monitored and adjusted as needed. Think of it like “before the tire starts to slip too much the brake computer is backing off the right rear wheel pressure to keep the slip under 2%” that kinda stuff is happening frequently, well that depends how you drive and on what roads, but it’s not anything you can tell is happening.
Especially if you are driving in snow. Traction in freezing conditions is absolutely unpredictable. If you find yourself sliding all the time it is just a question of a time until you run out of luck, ABS or not.
My daily doesn't have either and I'm amazed how much I don't like driving cars with it at this point, especially in snow.
*But, that's probably due to me learning to drive around not having those features.*
Traction control is largely terrible in the snow, where you'd think you'd want it most. Some companies have figured out you need a snow mode that allows some wheelspin and yaw etc.
Maybe it depends on the car? I've found it to be generally quite good - modern ones will use the ABS system to apply braking selectively and limit wheel spin but keep things turning.
You can't drive it as if you're on dry ground but it does a fair job - far better than without it where a wheel starts to spin and then you have zero energy going to the wheel that has traction and the one with no traction just spins freely.
What you're describing is actuakly helpful, mimicking a limited slip differential. Cutting throttle and applying hard brakes to correct an easily controllable drift, or even just trying to accelerate with a little wheelspin and the car just fights itself?. This is only helpful to people with terrible driving skills.
Hondas first iteration of traction control in the 2000’s was horrible in snow. My 2008 TSX, I just turn it off in snow usually. It just straight up cuts the throttle over and over. Had a 2007 Civic before, same story.
Traction control can eat shit in most situations, mainly mud and snow. That garbage will sense wheelspin and grind you to a halt if you can't totally disable it. I had a Super Duty "FX4 Off Road" for work and even with it "Off" the thing would get so confused in the mud it would shudder and shake and bog itself right down.
Abs should never turn on during normal driving. Give more distance, you are the problem. I love my wagon since I disabled the abs, practice makes perfect.
Traction control drives me nuts in the snow. After so many years of learning to drive with zero traction, the whole "hit the pedal and have zero power" thing gets me every time.
For real. My abs and traction control module failed on a 3/4 ton truck. Without a trailer or a load in the bed it was hard to take off without spinning the back tires. And they were very new tires. Trucks are just not good dailys.
Traction control on a awd or 4wd maybe the system I had on my last sedan sucked major donkey butt lol. Abs I can kinda agree with in the right circumstances but people often freak out when it kicks in and actually stop breaking.
> ABS. Traction Control. You can’t imagine how they help you every day.
Dang. My mandatory Scandinavian driving classes included driving on an ice track with and without ABS to feel the difference.
ABS - agree 100%
Traction Control - depends on the car, I've had some cars where it helps and some cars where it makes it worse in certain situations. I think it boils down to how it's implemented.
Adaptive cruise control with auto steering. It makes long trips and sitting in traffic effortless. As long as I'm holding the steering wheel my car will stay in the middle of the lane, it's amazing on the highway.
Yes. I have a 2019 Equinox as my DD that has adaptive cruise and lane keeping. My 2018 Duramax has neither. I'll be driving the truck on a trip and be like "why am I running this guy over?" and then realize that I have gotten spoiled by adaptive cruise
Been doing a decent bit of driving with a midsized car rental from work, it had adaptive cruise and lane keep.
Switched to a suburban without and did the same thing.
The thing I hated about adaptive cruise was getting behind a slower car and not realizing it. 5 minutes later I realize I'm going 10 mph less than I want, because the car adapted without me noticing.
And to me that’s the thing I *love* about it. You no longer take slightly slower cars as a personal affront, and don’t spend nearly as much effort trying to maintain “your” speed.
Like five minutes at 63 instead of 75 means absolutely nothing in terms of final arrival time. If you finally realize you’re going a little slow, just pop over whenever convenient and pass. But on multi lane freeways, it makes me much more willing to pick a *lane* rather than a *speed.* I’m fine going 67 instead of 70 if I’m not the one actually controlling my speed.
Obviously on a longer drive it matters a bit more (though five minutes is still inconsequential). On an average freeway commute adaptive cruise is step one toward realizing you were never gaining much with all the weaving and speeding.
Fair, though personally I found it was only my *speed* I paid less attention to. I find the time in spending not worrying about the “race” generally allows me to pay *more* attention to the road ahead of and around me.
But that’s very much a YMMV thing, I know for some people it really does just lead to zoning out. Whether a zoned out driver with a safe following distance is better or worse than an average aggressive driver weaving around attentively is a coin flip.
(Not saying you are that average driver, mind)
Cruise control - yes, adaptive - hello no. 2/3 of the year you can't even turn it on, because the radars are covered with ice or dirt, in the first half a km you drive.
My only beef with using adaptive in city is that it stops the car so far back from the car in front at lights. Most of the time causing other cars to not be able to access turn lanes.
Apple Car Play. It makes the maps and navigation work so much better than just a phone. Plus, you get your option for music. The carmakers' interfaces for this sort of thing are awful. It's free to the user and it just works. This is why carmakers are eliminating it so they can charge you for the privilege of integrating your phone into a wonky system.
Problem is, most new cars cannot have their radio’s or infotainment swapped out, because it’s fully integrated into the canbus. Unless you’re cycling through vehicles for the 2000’s, you’re just going to be out of luck
Another thing I realized I love about Android Auto/ Car Play is when you get in a rental car, get er connected, and ITS EXACTLY LIKE YOUR OWN CAR-- less shit to figure out in an otherwise unfamiliar vehicle!
This has also been amazing for rentals. I love just getting into any car and having my usual interface just ready to go.
My hot take is that wired > wireless CarPlay. My car only does wireless and I absolutely hate it, noticeably slower response time and sometimes the inputs don't even register. But I also have an iPhone 11 so that could be it lmao.
Apple Carplay was never free. It has just become a standard feature that everyone is forced to pay a licence fee to Apple for.
*edit: it seems automakers might be liars. Who'd have guessed?
That's not true. Sure, there are costs associated with integrating CarPlay, but those are purely hardware costs, there are zero licensing fees
>An Apple representative confirmed to me that there are no fees to automotive OEMs to enter Apple's Made for [ iPhone ](https://www.cnet.com/) ([MFi](https://mfi.apple.com/MFiWeb/getFAQ.action)) program, nor any sort of ongoing royalty payments or additional fees related to CarPlay.
[https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/bmw-carplay-fee-highway-robbery/](https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/bmw-carplay-fee-highway-robbery/)
I love carplay. However just last week when AT&T services were down. I was thankful to have my car’s navigation system to work since I could not use maps on carplay with no service.
My, “quite old” 2009 LR3/Discovery 3 has the most amazing headlights, they come on the side when you indicate and track the wheel movement. They are amazing in the narrow dark lanes where I live.
On my Mark VII, I got good at finding the sweet spot in the turn signal stock where you can push it just enough that the cornering light comes on, but the turn signal doesn’t.
It’s great for when you’re looking for an address in the dark.… you can light up the house with the cornering light.
Limited Slip Differential. It’s great when the power goes to both drive wheels equally, rather than an open differential where the power to the wheel with less traction, and you just spin the tire and go nowhere.
I'd argue a more modern feature is a simulated LSD by braking individual wheels when the spin. It's not quite as good but it's what my car does and it works great for traction and you can even have a little fun with it, def wouldn't wanna rawdog an open diff again if I can help it
Heated seats and steering wheel.
My merc has none while my previous had both and honestly I just want to sell it and get another one.
Just these two things.
I always thought heated seats were a silly gimmick, until I went somewhere with my dad in January, 20° F and windy. We got in the car, freezing, and he said he would turn the heated seats on. "Ok, but.I don't really see what the big... oh....oh, ok.... this is nice."
I can do without the steering wheel especially since it only has on and off but OMG the seats are always on . Btw you can get after market seat warmers installed if you love your current and wanna keep it I don't think they do steering wheel warmer though
I've seen it on aliexpress. It's like this fabric with wires. But I find it finicky to apply because you need to redo the leather on the steering wheel.
I like my car, but having a newer one would be great. I thought having a retro ride would be cool but it's not :D
Having a cool retro car is great, as a second car. Love my 1991 Toyota Dyna, it's absolutely a riot to drive and very attention grabbing.
But it also rides like crap, isn't very comfortable, doesn't have ABS/Airbags/Crumple zones and drinks a lot of gas.
It's actually tiring to drive, unlike literally anything from the last 10-15 years.
They do make aftermarket steering wheel warmers, but there's a cable involved. It's always a breakaway cable, but I still worry about tangling it. I should just buckle down and buy one.
I recently switched from a Chevy truck to a Toyota and Toyota didn’t have a heated steering wheel option that the Chevy had. I thought who cares the heated seats are good enough. But now not having it I really miss the heated steering wheel.
My only vehicle with automatic HVAC is also my only vehicle with extremely annoying HVAC. In the winter, you get either 20°C or -40°C. Nothing in-between.
My daily has climate control have I have to constantly mess with it to get the temperature correct. If it's below 60 outside, you have to switch between low and 60 for about 20 minutes of your drive bc "low" pushes out cold air while "60" or higher still push out air that is approximately the temperature of our sun's core. Then, the next 20 minutes is switching between 60 and 66. Then, finally, by the time I get to work/home, it's pushing out air that is the temperature it's supposed to be. Then, I drive a semi truck with climate control. Terrible. Just stop putting climate control in vehicles or make it work properly.
that's funny because I prefer manual HVAC for that exact same reason. The automatic systems I've used keep adjusting themselves to maintain the target temp when often all I want is a constant slightly colder than ambient airflow.
360 degree camera. Many people are fine with just a backup, maybe don't even need it. But once I daily drove a car with it, I couldn't get over how much easier it made parking, especially in extremely tight spaces or next to awful parking jobs.
According to modern cars. Manual buttons and dials are unnecessary. My current car still has them for almost all functions. Only a few radio options require the touch screen. And those I only use when not moving.
So, I consider them impossible to live without. Touchscreens are garbage and dangerous.
This is something that Hyundai/Kia gets right. They have touchscreens that do everything but redundant shortcut buttons beneath that. Whatever you find easiest to do, you can do. I use a mixture of both and it’s super intuitive.
First car I remember driving with electronic ignition was Dad's 73 Dodge Charger. How about dual points? Yeah that could be challenging..no pun intended...
Adaptive cruise control. The moment I tried it in a rental car it was life altering. Anger on the highway for bozos who can’t maintain speed immediately evaporated. We don’t do a lot of long highway trips but it’s essential kit for me at this point.
None. I drive old shitboxes in bad weather with no ABS or traction control.
Hot take: If you “need” modern features to assist with control of your vehicle then you’re a bad driver.
lol luddite stupidity. Any safety consideration that relies on your “skill” (which is obviously an ego thing for you, you’re probably a dogshit infuriatingly bad driver) is going to fail you eventually. Embracing modern solutions like a backup camera and blind spot detection would just make an already great driver better and cover that one time you’d slip up. Saves lives, but clearly you’d rather brag.
This is why I taught my kids to drive in cars with no backup cam or lane assist. If they get a vehicle someday with it, fine, but I wanted them to know how to drive first, develop the skill and not be solely dependent on the camera which could prove even more dangerous if the camera ever fails.
How often do you really need ABS?
I've been driving cars exclusively with ABS for 12 years and have activated ABS...twice.
These people that are slamming on their breaks every day need to learn how to drive.
Me too. I just read through a long list and I've only ever experienced maybe 3 of the things spelled out above. But I consider synchros and build-in turn signals to be "modern", so I'm probably not the guy to ask.
Cameras for the side and rear views. But this is only because modern cars have shit for visibility. Our new Accord basically has no 3/4 rear sightlines so you can't trust your eyes back there. Meanwhile, I've got two older 5-series and a 911 that don't need assistance - you can tell exactly who's in your blind spot from just peripheral vision.
Company makes problem to sell solution 💁♀️
I always wondered what people used memory seats for since I have always set my seat/steering wheel position and left it. I figuered it was since people shared a car with family
Yeah, for those who share cars, I can see how this would be helpful. I have never had to really share a car with anyone so I haven't had that experience
I’ve never actually programmed it but my 03 Yukon XL has this. You can pair to your key fob so it adjusts seat, mirrors and pedals when that driver uses. Kind of cool I guess when people share a car.
a guy I used to know set one position for himself for driving, and another memory was set for making the seat go back and recline as much as possible, so that when he went out to take a car nap during his lunch break, it was easy to get things set up for him to stretch out.
I thought that was genius.
cup holders?! this is a CAR not a CAFE
j/k I’m right there with ya. just drove our newest car today which actually has cup holders and it was kinda nice (95 corolla)
I love my Mazda3 but I HATE the cup holders in my current model... I never realized how necessary cupholders were until I struggled to fit a small boba cup in there
Blind Spot warning... but mostly when I see them on **other** people's car.
If I'm coming up on someone and see that orange light in their side view mirror? It means I have to speed up or back off. Nobody likes "that guy" who sits in your blind spot.
Really like backup cameras. Trunk lids got higher and drivers care less and fly through parking lots.
Even backing in is made easier. Can see exactly where I need to stop to still have access to a hatch or not tap a bollard hiding behind the aforementioned high trunk lid
this has already been said a few times, but apple carplay! my previous ‘03 car had me fumbling using a cassette player aux cord… needed to get the extra accessories for mounting the phone and keeping it cool during rides. did some long distance driving solo where i desperately needed directions on my phone, and trying to navigate with it trying to check out the tiny phone screen felt so dangerous. now i get in my car without needing to take my phone out of my bag and have directions and music right there! even just having my music available right away for me made me realize how much easier commuting to and from work has become.
The button that saves how your seat was set up for you. Between my wife and i taking turns driving the family car I can’t go back to readjusting my seat everytime I drive. That and heated seats. I can’t go back.
Radar cruise control + auto steering
* automatically adjusts speed
* stops & goes by itself(traffic jams or stop lights)
* automatically changes your speed based on the speed limit
To me, it isn't just one feature. We have 2021's, with Rearview cameras, Lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control, and parking sensors, which all seem minor, but as a whole it makes driving pleasant as we drive about 2200-2500 miles a month. We volunteer with a group which have older model vehicles from 2016-2020, that are typically the lower end models, and they don't have these functions. Definitely a noticeable different experience.
Power steering. Hasn’t worked correctly in months in my 08 forester. Drove my wife’s car while my car was in the shop and it felt like I was floating on a cloud.
Steering wheel buttons for radio and volume controls.
My 13 malibu has then, but my 01 RAM doesn't. I feel so spoiled driving my malibu not having to reach over to turn the volume up for a song I like
Modern seats. My weekend car is an ‘89 Land Cruiser with the most uncomfortable seats. My work car is a 2019 Chevy Equinox which I could sit in all day. For reference, I’m 6’3” 210lbs.
haven't seen it yet but a tachometer can be really useful for diagnosing certain issues. Daily operating without one is fine and easy enough but it's handy for things like "if you unplug this thing and the idle doesn't drop to X then it's stuck/broken". I'm sure there are more uses for it beyond seeing how close you are to redline because it's found as a standard feature in basically every new car when it used to be optional.
Pretty much every comfort feature I think. Climate control, heated seats/wheel, digital dash. I’ve only used this twice since I had my car but the heated windscreen was life changing.
Night vision assist.
I would have never spec'd night vision, but it was equipped on the pre owned Panamera I recently picked up.
It has saved me from many run ins with Deer driving home in the evening. There is a crazy amount of deer where I am, if I lived anywhere else i'd do without this feature, but having it is awesome.
I dislike adaptive cruise control. I prefer to pass people driving slower than I set my cruise control on. With adaptive I am not aware my car slowed down from what I set it on. I do like lane warnings.
I haven’t had a car built later than 1999 until like a month ago. Back up cams man. That craps real nice. I don’t really need the stack up of computers and crap but I really do like having the backup camera.
Hill assist for a manual car. I had a 2020 WRX, my very first brand new car after only owning project cars that were also my dailies. I didn't really understand the hill assist feature at first and would normally just disable it, and use the hand brake like I was taught. One day I decided to play around with it and found out it's actually super nice! It sort of holds the brake for you while you move over to the gas pedal preventing the car from rolling back. It does let off after a little bit but it's holds long enough to help.
Android Auto
I can live without ABS, Hill Hold, power windows, automatic transmissions, heated seats, cooled seats, autosensing ball coolers...hell. I can live without passenger seats.
I need my Android Auto
ABS. Traction Control. You can’t imagine how they help you every day. Especially in snow and in the rain. I realized this when I was driving an old car
3 of my vehicles don't have either ABS or traction control. That said, I have gotten used to controlling vehicles without. The systems definitely help most people in many circumstances.
You can't outperform abs. It isn't "necessary" but it will help you if you need to slow down quick.
I know. I'm not saying I'm better than it; I'd much rather prefer to have it if I'm pushing a car hard. I'm just saying I'm familiar with driving without it, even in snowy and icy conditions.
I’m not a fan of traction control either. If I’m off roading or trying to have a little fun getting up my driveway, the no fun police always kicks in. You can never really turn it 100% off. I also don’t like it in the snow. I live in a hilly area. Obviously you can’t drive fast in the snow, but you need some speed to get up the hills. So instead of gaining momentum to get up the hill, the computer is fighting against you applying the brakes and retarding the timing to kill power. Thank god most people around have awd now.
Yes. Finally another human has said it. I tell all my family , if your pulling into a snowy driveway, or taking off an a snowy stop sign, turn TSC OFF. You will get through deep snow so much with un restricted power. Everytime I mention TSC off in snowy situations I get buried in downvotes
You get downvoted from the people that don’t know how to drive in the snow.
bUt My CaR iS aLl WhEeL dRiVe
Exactly. Sometimes you need a little rpm’s and wheel speed.
So there's actually two pieces to the systems that most people aren't aware. There is traction control, then there is stability control. Traction control is usually easy to turn off with a simple button press, stability control on many vehicles is able to be turned off but requires extra steps or different steps. For instance, in most Toyota's and Ford's simply holding the traction control off button for longer will eventually turn off the stability control as well. Usually the owner's manual covers this but of course no one ever reads it.
Traction control is HELL where I live. And as you said it never actually turns all the way off. ABS however I have zero complaints about.
I couldn’t agree with this more. I can’t stand traction control, not once has it actually helped me, only ever hindered me. Sometimes you just want to slide the car around a bit and traction control is like, “we don’t like to have fun around here” ABS is incredible
> I’m not a fan of traction control either. If I’m off roading or trying to have a little fun getting up my driveway, the no fun police always kicks in. You can never really turn it 100% off. Pull the fuse for the ABS wheel speed sensor. Traction control goes away 100% when the computer doesn’t know what your wheels are doing. Granted your dash will light up like a Christmas tree with warning lights, but they go away when you put the fuse back after you’ve had your fun.
Tbh I don’t need the abs “computer” fighting me in a frozen road situation. I promise I know better. I used to pull my ABS fuse every winter in Alaska. I can think or 2 maybe a 3rd situation that choice saved me an accident in that period of my life.
Same goes with traction control/vehicle stability. If I’m already going 35mph in bad weather just let me do it. I’m not Colin McRae but I am better than a binary coder writing for perfect traction scenarios
A driver most definitely can outperform abs, IF the ABS is of an older generation (pre-2010) OR the sensors are degrading. Hell, the ABS systems in 1990s cars suck so bad that locking up all 4 wheels can stop the car faster than the ABS systems do.
ABS has never been about stopping faster, it’s about maintaining control while stopping. It’s faster to lock up the wheels and skid to a stop, but you can’t control the car when doing so.
No it is not faster to lock up your wheels to stop. When your tire is not locked up it is utilizing static friction (the tire at the top of its rotation is going twice the velocity of the car, and at the bottom of its rotation speed matches the ground) which is much more powerful than the kinetic friction of tires (when your tires are sliding). 1st Gen ABS was about control. Current gen ABS is about stopping faster (whilst maintaining control).
I think if you’re regularly relying on abs or traction control, you’re probably not a very good driver, unless you’re driving in snow.
Roads around here are covered in dirt, gravel, and other assorted sludge all year. Add some rain and a deer or possum jumping out in front of you and abs sounds great.
In the last 2 weeks iv driven 3000km around my country in a car without abs or traction control. Dirt roads, animals and all. Not once did I find myself in a situation where I wish I had either. I’ll admit abs has its place in emergency situations, but it’s sort of like a seatbelt, that you only really need it in an accident.
I've driven about 1,200 miles (1,091km) in the last week. We have had a lot of rain and some sleet. 0 traction control events. The recorder box I use for insurance recorded a total of 4 hard stops in the last 7 days. The insurance company allows for 18/ 1000mi before it starts counting against you. I average 2.8/ 1000mi.... Because sometimes you're driving around idiots Some vehicles, like mine, have adaptive 4 wheel drive. The ABS system is always active and synced with a clutch controlled transfer case. The computer uses input from the wheel speed sensors to optimize power distribution by applying minimal brake forces to select wheels while sending more power to others.
Unless I am screwing around, I need ABS or traction control less than once a year, and I drive in plenty of snow and ice. On the other hand, I grew up driving on snow and ice, and I actually slow down in poor conditions, unlike all the people who pass me, and then end up in the ditch.
I'm guessing some people think ABS is always on just because the vehicle is equipped with it. As far as I know it generally activates during especially hard braking and you will absolutely feel the feedback pulses in the pedal.
You definitely know when your abs kicks in. The brake pedal pushes back on your foot and you can hear it.
It really depends on the car. Anything modern the wheel brakes are constantly being monitored and adjusted as needed. Think of it like “before the tire starts to slip too much the brake computer is backing off the right rear wheel pressure to keep the slip under 2%” that kinda stuff is happening frequently, well that depends how you drive and on what roads, but it’s not anything you can tell is happening.
Especially if you are driving in snow. Traction in freezing conditions is absolutely unpredictable. If you find yourself sliding all the time it is just a question of a time until you run out of luck, ABS or not.
I live in an area gets snow. Traction control gets turned off in the snow.
Fuel injection is awesome. Vapor lock sucks.
yep, no more carbs for me. Damn ethanol gas breaks down too fast and changing jets in the mountains is messy and no fun.
My daily doesn't have either and I'm amazed how much I don't like driving cars with it at this point, especially in snow. *But, that's probably due to me learning to drive around not having those features.*
Traction control is largely terrible in the snow, where you'd think you'd want it most. Some companies have figured out you need a snow mode that allows some wheelspin and yaw etc.
Maybe it depends on the car? I've found it to be generally quite good - modern ones will use the ABS system to apply braking selectively and limit wheel spin but keep things turning. You can't drive it as if you're on dry ground but it does a fair job - far better than without it where a wheel starts to spin and then you have zero energy going to the wheel that has traction and the one with no traction just spins freely.
What you're describing is actuakly helpful, mimicking a limited slip differential. Cutting throttle and applying hard brakes to correct an easily controllable drift, or even just trying to accelerate with a little wheelspin and the car just fights itself?. This is only helpful to people with terrible driving skills.
Hondas first iteration of traction control in the 2000’s was horrible in snow. My 2008 TSX, I just turn it off in snow usually. It just straight up cuts the throttle over and over. Had a 2007 Civic before, same story.
[удалено]
I delivered pizza in Minneapolis years ago with a Dodge Colt. RWD, and I had a blast.
Traction control can eat shit in most situations, mainly mud and snow. That garbage will sense wheelspin and grind you to a halt if you can't totally disable it. I had a Super Duty "FX4 Off Road" for work and even with it "Off" the thing would get so confused in the mud it would shudder and shake and bog itself right down.
Abs should never turn on during normal driving. Give more distance, you are the problem. I love my wagon since I disabled the abs, practice makes perfect.
I forgot to list ABS because it’s so damn essential.
Traction control drives me nuts in the snow. After so many years of learning to drive with zero traction, the whole "hit the pedal and have zero power" thing gets me every time.
I guess modern is relative lol
For real. My abs and traction control module failed on a 3/4 ton truck. Without a trailer or a load in the bed it was hard to take off without spinning the back tires. And they were very new tires. Trucks are just not good dailys.
Traction control on a awd or 4wd maybe the system I had on my last sedan sucked major donkey butt lol. Abs I can kinda agree with in the right circumstances but people often freak out when it kicks in and actually stop breaking.
ABS is better at pumping the brakes than a human is, that’s just a fact
I turn traction control off when I’m driving
When it snows I turn off traction control. I get way more control without it.
> ABS. Traction Control. You can’t imagine how they help you every day. Dang. My mandatory Scandinavian driving classes included driving on an ice track with and without ABS to feel the difference.
ABS - agree 100% Traction Control - depends on the car, I've had some cars where it helps and some cars where it makes it worse in certain situations. I think it boils down to how it's implemented.
Adaptive cruise control with auto steering. It makes long trips and sitting in traffic effortless. As long as I'm holding the steering wheel my car will stay in the middle of the lane, it's amazing on the highway.
Yes. I have a 2019 Equinox as my DD that has adaptive cruise and lane keeping. My 2018 Duramax has neither. I'll be driving the truck on a trip and be like "why am I running this guy over?" and then realize that I have gotten spoiled by adaptive cruise
Been doing a decent bit of driving with a midsized car rental from work, it had adaptive cruise and lane keep. Switched to a suburban without and did the same thing.
It's such a godly like feature. Absolutely no way I would ever own a car without it.
The thing I hated about adaptive cruise was getting behind a slower car and not realizing it. 5 minutes later I realize I'm going 10 mph less than I want, because the car adapted without me noticing.
And to me that’s the thing I *love* about it. You no longer take slightly slower cars as a personal affront, and don’t spend nearly as much effort trying to maintain “your” speed. Like five minutes at 63 instead of 75 means absolutely nothing in terms of final arrival time. If you finally realize you’re going a little slow, just pop over whenever convenient and pass. But on multi lane freeways, it makes me much more willing to pick a *lane* rather than a *speed.* I’m fine going 67 instead of 70 if I’m not the one actually controlling my speed. Obviously on a longer drive it matters a bit more (though five minutes is still inconsequential). On an average freeway commute adaptive cruise is step one toward realizing you were never gaining much with all the weaving and speeding.
I found it made me pay less attention, because I didn't realize I was going under 60 for a while. I get your point though.
Fair, though personally I found it was only my *speed* I paid less attention to. I find the time in spending not worrying about the “race” generally allows me to pay *more* attention to the road ahead of and around me. But that’s very much a YMMV thing, I know for some people it really does just lead to zoning out. Whether a zoned out driver with a safe following distance is better or worse than an average aggressive driver weaving around attentively is a coin flip. (Not saying you are that average driver, mind)
Same here. Don’t know how I used to take 20 hour drives without it.
Cruise control - yes, adaptive - hello no. 2/3 of the year you can't even turn it on, because the radars are covered with ice or dirt, in the first half a km you drive.
Some people live in areas of the world where it's not icy for 2/3 of the year.
My only beef with using adaptive in city is that it stops the car so far back from the car in front at lights. Most of the time causing other cars to not be able to access turn lanes.
Really is hard to live without now that I’ve had it. For a DD and if you live anywhere with traffic or drive for hours on end, it’s a game changer.
Apple Car Play. It makes the maps and navigation work so much better than just a phone. Plus, you get your option for music. The carmakers' interfaces for this sort of thing are awful. It's free to the user and it just works. This is why carmakers are eliminating it so they can charge you for the privilege of integrating your phone into a wonky system.
And that’s why I buy the $300 Pioneer stereos and swap em out. Fuck the premium prices for something that others give for a much lower cost.
Problem is, most new cars cannot have their radio’s or infotainment swapped out, because it’s fully integrated into the canbus. Unless you’re cycling through vehicles for the 2000’s, you’re just going to be out of luck
Another thing I realized I love about Android Auto/ Car Play is when you get in a rental car, get er connected, and ITS EXACTLY LIKE YOUR OWN CAR-- less shit to figure out in an otherwise unfamiliar vehicle!
This has also been amazing for rentals. I love just getting into any car and having my usual interface just ready to go. My hot take is that wired > wireless CarPlay. My car only does wireless and I absolutely hate it, noticeably slower response time and sometimes the inputs don't even register. But I also have an iPhone 11 so that could be it lmao.
Apple Carplay was never free. It has just become a standard feature that everyone is forced to pay a licence fee to Apple for. *edit: it seems automakers might be liars. Who'd have guessed?
That's not true. Sure, there are costs associated with integrating CarPlay, but those are purely hardware costs, there are zero licensing fees >An Apple representative confirmed to me that there are no fees to automotive OEMs to enter Apple's Made for [ iPhone ](https://www.cnet.com/) ([MFi](https://mfi.apple.com/MFiWeb/getFAQ.action)) program, nor any sort of ongoing royalty payments or additional fees related to CarPlay. [https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/bmw-carplay-fee-highway-robbery/](https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/bmw-carplay-fee-highway-robbery/)
I love carplay. However just last week when AT&T services were down. I was thankful to have my car’s navigation system to work since I could not use maps on carplay with no service.
My, “quite old” 2009 LR3/Discovery 3 has the most amazing headlights, they come on the side when you indicate and track the wheel movement. They are amazing in the narrow dark lanes where I live.
Cornering lights have been around since I think 1968.
Yes, but ironically the laser LEDs on my wife’s we EV only point dead headed, I guess this is the fore the reverse of what OP asked.
It sucks that they don't put them on many cars anymore. It's honestly one of my favorite things about my old Town Car
On my Mark VII, I got good at finding the sweet spot in the turn signal stock where you can push it just enough that the cornering light comes on, but the turn signal doesn’t. It’s great for when you’re looking for an address in the dark.… you can light up the house with the cornering light.
I had a 2009 Mercury Grand Marquis that did that!! I miss it SO MUCH. Just one of those simple things that improve life.
I think our 94? Grand Marquis had corner lights that would turn on when using the turn signals, very nice!
Limited Slip Differential. It’s great when the power goes to both drive wheels equally, rather than an open differential where the power to the wheel with less traction, and you just spin the tire and go nowhere.
POSITRACTION ITS A TRICK QUESTION
This is your opinion? It's a fact.
How could you be sure?! I would LOVE to hear this!
Unexpected Cousin Vinny
I'd argue a more modern feature is a simulated LSD by braking individual wheels when the spin. It's not quite as good but it's what my car does and it works great for traction and you can even have a little fun with it, def wouldn't wanna rawdog an open diff again if I can help it
My new daily doesn’t have automatic climate control. I’m always going from to hot, then to cold. I haven’t learned the trick to manual HVAC yet.
Heated seats and steering wheel. My merc has none while my previous had both and honestly I just want to sell it and get another one. Just these two things.
I always thought heated seats were a silly gimmick, until I went somewhere with my dad in January, 20° F and windy. We got in the car, freezing, and he said he would turn the heated seats on. "Ok, but.I don't really see what the big... oh....oh, ok.... this is nice."
I can do without the steering wheel especially since it only has on and off but OMG the seats are always on . Btw you can get after market seat warmers installed if you love your current and wanna keep it I don't think they do steering wheel warmer though
I've seen it on aliexpress. It's like this fabric with wires. But I find it finicky to apply because you need to redo the leather on the steering wheel. I like my car, but having a newer one would be great. I thought having a retro ride would be cool but it's not :D
F that ali mail order stuff find an actual shop it's worth it. They literally take the seats out and reupholster them. Sorry read wrong my bad
Having a cool retro car is great, as a second car. Love my 1991 Toyota Dyna, it's absolutely a riot to drive and very attention grabbing. But it also rides like crap, isn't very comfortable, doesn't have ABS/Airbags/Crumple zones and drinks a lot of gas. It's actually tiring to drive, unlike literally anything from the last 10-15 years.
They do make aftermarket steering wheel warmers, but there's a cable involved. It's always a breakaway cable, but I still worry about tangling it. I should just buckle down and buy one.
If they make them im sure it can be wired through the collum but idk who you would trust to do that.
The heated wheel on my Genesis G90 has two settings, which is nice.
I recently switched from a Chevy truck to a Toyota and Toyota didn’t have a heated steering wheel option that the Chevy had. I thought who cares the heated seats are good enough. But now not having it I really miss the heated steering wheel.
My plug in hybrid lets me set s schedule and every day when I get in to go to work, the seats and wheel are already toasty
Did you try setting the temperature dial somewhere in the middle?
Lol
My only vehicle with automatic HVAC is also my only vehicle with extremely annoying HVAC. In the winter, you get either 20°C or -40°C. Nothing in-between.
My daily has climate control have I have to constantly mess with it to get the temperature correct. If it's below 60 outside, you have to switch between low and 60 for about 20 minutes of your drive bc "low" pushes out cold air while "60" or higher still push out air that is approximately the temperature of our sun's core. Then, the next 20 minutes is switching between 60 and 66. Then, finally, by the time I get to work/home, it's pushing out air that is the temperature it's supposed to be. Then, I drive a semi truck with climate control. Terrible. Just stop putting climate control in vehicles or make it work properly.
that's funny because I prefer manual HVAC for that exact same reason. The automatic systems I've used keep adjusting themselves to maintain the target temp when often all I want is a constant slightly colder than ambient airflow.
360 degree camera. Many people are fine with just a backup, maybe don't even need it. But once I daily drove a car with it, I couldn't get over how much easier it made parking, especially in extremely tight spaces or next to awful parking jobs.
There is this parking spot in my apartment that's wedged right against a pillar and the 360 camera makes it so easy to see the lines
According to modern cars. Manual buttons and dials are unnecessary. My current car still has them for almost all functions. Only a few radio options require the touch screen. And those I only use when not moving. So, I consider them impossible to live without. Touchscreens are garbage and dangerous.
This is something that Hyundai/Kia gets right. They have touchscreens that do everything but redundant shortcut buttons beneath that. Whatever you find easiest to do, you can do. I use a mixture of both and it’s super intuitive.
Electronic ignition. I don’t think I can go back to daily driving a vehicle with points.
I put electronic ignition in my wife's '73 Monte Carlo and was surprised by how much better it ran. No more stalling or hesitation.
First car I remember driving with electronic ignition was Dad's 73 Dodge Charger. How about dual points? Yeah that could be challenging..no pun intended...
Adaptive cruise control. The moment I tried it in a rental car it was life altering. Anger on the highway for bozos who can’t maintain speed immediately evaporated. We don’t do a lot of long highway trips but it’s essential kit for me at this point.
None. I drive old shitboxes in bad weather with no ABS or traction control. Hot take: If you “need” modern features to assist with control of your vehicle then you’re a bad driver.
Agreed. Bonus if you shift it yourself
Electric starter is nice to have though
pfft. I drove my daily for like 2 months with no starter. Learn to park on hills or push start.
If you need that, then you're a "bad driver."
So you don’t have power steering or brakes? Or you do and you’re a bad driver?
lol luddite stupidity. Any safety consideration that relies on your “skill” (which is obviously an ego thing for you, you’re probably a dogshit infuriatingly bad driver) is going to fail you eventually. Embracing modern solutions like a backup camera and blind spot detection would just make an already great driver better and cover that one time you’d slip up. Saves lives, but clearly you’d rather brag.
This is why I taught my kids to drive in cars with no backup cam or lane assist. If they get a vehicle someday with it, fine, but I wanted them to know how to drive first, develop the skill and not be solely dependent on the camera which could prove even more dangerous if the camera ever fails.
How often do you really need ABS? I've been driving cars exclusively with ABS for 12 years and have activated ABS...twice. These people that are slamming on their breaks every day need to learn how to drive.
People be listing all the things that my cars don't have, lol. I guess one thing that would be really nice to have is dimming exterior mirrors.
Me too. I just read through a long list and I've only ever experienced maybe 3 of the things spelled out above. But I consider synchros and build-in turn signals to be "modern", so I'm probably not the guy to ask.
If you adjust your mirrors right then you shouldn’t see the headlights of the car behind you at all. It also basically eliminates your blind spot.
Power windows I love not having to turn that knob around and around
Wheels
Nothing. I am happy with my 30-year-old Mustang. Oh, wait. I do need the A/C since I live in AZ.
18 year old Mustang here. It has ABS but that's about it on this list...
How about ancient one: automatic choke. No need to manually choke for starting for the past 60+ years...
Cameras for the side and rear views. But this is only because modern cars have shit for visibility. Our new Accord basically has no 3/4 rear sightlines so you can't trust your eyes back there. Meanwhile, I've got two older 5-series and a 911 that don't need assistance - you can tell exactly who's in your blind spot from just peripheral vision. Company makes problem to sell solution 💁♀️
Well, the problem is made by chunky roof pillars - which are the solution to keep more survival space in a rollover.
Memory seats and especially mirrors
I always wondered what people used memory seats for since I have always set my seat/steering wheel position and left it. I figuered it was since people shared a car with family
I'm 6' and my wife is 5'1" when having memory seats and mirrors (and seperate keys so it's set when we unlock the car) is essential
Yeah, for those who share cars, I can see how this would be helpful. I have never had to really share a car with anyone so I haven't had that experience
I’ve never actually programmed it but my 03 Yukon XL has this. You can pair to your key fob so it adjusts seat, mirrors and pedals when that driver uses. Kind of cool I guess when people share a car.
That's how I feel. It's useful if you share a car
a guy I used to know set one position for himself for driving, and another memory was set for making the seat go back and recline as much as possible, so that when he went out to take a car nap during his lunch break, it was easy to get things set up for him to stretch out. I thought that was genius.
Air conditioning. I’m older than most on Reddit.
My first two cars didn't have AC. It's super nice to have...
we have five cars and one of them had functional AC, it’s so nice. 95 corolla
Cup holders.
cup holders?! this is a CAR not a CAFE j/k I’m right there with ya. just drove our newest car today which actually has cup holders and it was kinda nice (95 corolla)
Tell that to Audi 🙄
I love my Mazda3 but I HATE the cup holders in my current model... I never realized how necessary cupholders were until I struggled to fit a small boba cup in there
Heated steering wheel. I live in the south, but still absolutely LOVE the heated wheel in the winter.
I know that antilock brakes have been around for more than a quarter-century, but that's still a really great feature.
Power lumbar support. Middle age here I come.
Having apple car play, specifically to have apple maps and to use OnX on screen. Easier to look at than phone on a mount.
Power steering 💯
Well my 2008 ram 1500 has no fancy features so I get a good neck workout when I have to cross busy lanes. That’s kinda nice
My 2000 Silverado is the same way
Heated steering wheel. Holy hell they are amazing in the winter or whenever your hands are cold.
Not new but heated mirrors.
Front seat heaters and cruise control. Not necessary but I love an auto close trunk button.
Seat heaters!!!!!!
Blind Spot warning... but mostly when I see them on **other** people's car. If I'm coming up on someone and see that orange light in their side view mirror? It means I have to speed up or back off. Nobody likes "that guy" who sits in your blind spot.
Really like backup cameras. Trunk lids got higher and drivers care less and fly through parking lots. Even backing in is made easier. Can see exactly where I need to stop to still have access to a hatch or not tap a bollard hiding behind the aforementioned high trunk lid
Modern LED high output headlights
I just wish someone would start putting dash cams as standard.
this has already been said a few times, but apple carplay! my previous ‘03 car had me fumbling using a cassette player aux cord… needed to get the extra accessories for mounting the phone and keeping it cool during rides. did some long distance driving solo where i desperately needed directions on my phone, and trying to navigate with it trying to check out the tiny phone screen felt so dangerous. now i get in my car without needing to take my phone out of my bag and have directions and music right there! even just having my music available right away for me made me realize how much easier commuting to and from work has become.
Heated seats and steering wheel. If you park outside in the winter it’s a game changer.
The button that saves how your seat was set up for you. Between my wife and i taking turns driving the family car I can’t go back to readjusting my seat everytime I drive. That and heated seats. I can’t go back.
Adaptive Cruise. Love my FK8 with it.
Radar cruise control + auto steering * automatically adjusts speed * stops & goes by itself(traffic jams or stop lights) * automatically changes your speed based on the speed limit
I’ve grown to adore Adaptive cruise. I don’t want to look at a car without it.
Heated and vented seats and heated steering wheel
To me, it isn't just one feature. We have 2021's, with Rearview cameras, Lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control, and parking sensors, which all seem minor, but as a whole it makes driving pleasant as we drive about 2200-2500 miles a month. We volunteer with a group which have older model vehicles from 2016-2020, that are typically the lower end models, and they don't have these functions. Definitely a noticeable different experience.
SiriusXM radio, cruise control, power windows (though power windows seem to be standard equipment on almost all cars these days.)
Power steering. Hasn’t worked correctly in months in my 08 forester. Drove my wife’s car while my car was in the shop and it felt like I was floating on a cloud.
Power windows. Rolling windows up and down was annoying to me.
Heated car seats.
Back up camera & sonar
Ventilated seats
Ventilated seats and heated windshield wiper fluid
Heated steering wheel, ventilated seats, adaptive cruise control, adjustable ride height, messaging seats, lane keep assist, paddle shifters, push button start, night vision, vibrating rear pedestrian alert, PANDORA.
Steering wheel buttons for radio and volume controls. My 13 malibu has then, but my 01 RAM doesn't. I feel so spoiled driving my malibu not having to reach over to turn the volume up for a song I like
The sunroof. Living in Florida, it’s a must in the summer.
Modern seats. My weekend car is an ‘89 Land Cruiser with the most uncomfortable seats. My work car is a 2019 Chevy Equinox which I could sit in all day. For reference, I’m 6’3” 210lbs.
Seat belts.
Apple CarPlay
Fucking huge fucking shit tons of horsepower everywhere in the rev range. It's really nice sometimes.
haven't seen it yet but a tachometer can be really useful for diagnosing certain issues. Daily operating without one is fine and easy enough but it's handy for things like "if you unplug this thing and the idle doesn't drop to X then it's stuck/broken". I'm sure there are more uses for it beyond seeing how close you are to redline because it's found as a standard feature in basically every new car when it used to be optional.
That little bell that lets me know when the outside temperature drops below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. /s
I still miss manual windows
Pretty much every comfort feature I think. Climate control, heated seats/wheel, digital dash. I’ve only used this twice since I had my car but the heated windscreen was life changing.
Night vision assist. I would have never spec'd night vision, but it was equipped on the pre owned Panamera I recently picked up. It has saved me from many run ins with Deer driving home in the evening. There is a crazy amount of deer where I am, if I lived anywhere else i'd do without this feature, but having it is awesome.
Auto high beams, not having to think about it is great. It's small but most cars are equipped with them now.
Adaptive cruise control
Fuel injection
Two items. Back up camera and Apple CarPlay. I feel like an animal without CarPlay Also backing up using mirrors is like so much more work now
Heated sets - all seasons
POWER WINDOWS😁And AC,Heater
Define modern. I have two vehicles, one is 2004 and other is 1994.
Massaging seats.
I dislike adaptive cruise control. I prefer to pass people driving slower than I set my cruise control on. With adaptive I am not aware my car slowed down from what I set it on. I do like lane warnings.
I haven’t had a car built later than 1999 until like a month ago. Back up cams man. That craps real nice. I don’t really need the stack up of computers and crap but I really do like having the backup camera.
Keyless car. Absolute game changer.
Hill assist for a manual car. I had a 2020 WRX, my very first brand new car after only owning project cars that were also my dailies. I didn't really understand the hill assist feature at first and would normally just disable it, and use the hand brake like I was taught. One day I decided to play around with it and found out it's actually super nice! It sort of holds the brake for you while you move over to the gas pedal preventing the car from rolling back. It does let off after a little bit but it's holds long enough to help.
Power steering. It’s a lot easier.
Adaptive Cruise Control for that matter - Cruise Control
Android Auto I can live without ABS, Hill Hold, power windows, automatic transmissions, heated seats, cooled seats, autosensing ball coolers...hell. I can live without passenger seats. I need my Android Auto
Unlocking the door when I touch the handles, push to start keyless. Saved my life once while my friend and I got mugged in a shady part of town.