I would suspect that since your vehicle is a 2008, you're using stock tires. The stock tires are not particularly well suited to snowy/icy conditions. They are more of an all-season, compromised design. I'd be willing to guess that with deeper tread or other features (maybe ~30psi), you will have excellent traction in snow.

 

If they are "ECO PLUS" tires, those things are horrible in the snow/ice but I'm not sure if they put those things on the 08's...........

~John

 

This is probably true about the tires.

Having experienced stability control in extreme conditions, I can answer "do I feel comfortable putting myself in the hands of a computer?" and the answer is Yes. The computer is invested with countless hours of knowledge and experience of hundreds of engineers whose mission is to prevent me from spinning out or rolling over. They are much better at that than I will ever be, and I trust them.

The other question is rhetorical but could be legitimized by removing the insulting language. Asked another way, "Do drivers need the help of computers?" my answer is Yes. A FEH with RSC will consistently outperform one without RSC in extreme conditions. Stability control reacts hundreds of times faster than even the best driver.

There is almost no high performance vehicle produced today that does not come standard with a system that will step in and take action when the driver makes a mistake. There's a reason for that.

 

Thanks for all the information about the stability control. What it does, how it helps, who has it, who doesn't.

It was on edmunds.com that I read the tribute does have it. CR tested the Escape and Mariner and they noted a tip over tendency that the hybrids had that the gas only models did not have. If you assume they test for rollover the same across all models, and I do, then the results are sufficient enough for me for comparison on what any given car does with vs without it.

Stability control should not be something you bank on helping no more than you would bank on your seatbelts and airbags in protecting you in an accident. Should one's expert handling and cautious driving habits fall short then these passive systems are there as a back up.

Refusal to buy any particular car due to safety concerns trumps environmental benefits that the hyrbid affords in my book. There are other choices in similar mid size suv hybrids today that incorporate all the features I want. The saturn Vue hybrid has the stability control today, but I'll wait on the two mode version later this year if I have to.

As it is, the hybrid tribute is not readily available here in Central AR. If they only have 350 already distributed in NO California and there are no more then my prospects of getting one are reduced. Which means I'll just have to wait on the 2009 Vue or later if the 2009 Escape and Mariner get the stabilty control.

I'm not in a rush to buy a hybrid - I can wait it out. The selections and systems will only get better with time. I already have a Honda Civic that gets 32 MPG and when I'm not driving that to work I'm riding my bicycle - but that's a whole other subject. The hybrid is meant to replace my wife's Mazda MPV which is horrible on gas mileage. But, its already paid for so I'm saving up lots for a down payment on the hybrid of my choice when it finally becomes available.

 

I thought I read that the GAS models have a tip over tendency... and that they hadn't tested the hybrid models for tip up at all. Am I wrong in that?

 

It would seem logical that the hybrid model would be less likely to tip since it should have better weight balance front to back (never seen the actual numbers on this so I could be wrong) and a lower center of gravity due to the ~200 lbs of battery pack weight in the lowest part of the rear of the vehicle.

I think I remember reading where rollover test were not performed on the hybrid models and the rollover results for the non-hybrid Escape were used and considered as a viable substitute. I'd love to see the results/analysis if there were actual FEH rollover test compared to the non-FEH model.

 

Ron,

Please review the Ford press release link I posted earlier (#29). The 2009 FEH/MMH will have traction and stability control.

I also believe that the Mazda Tribute Hybrid is only going to be sold in California and in VERY limited quantity. No mention yet, if there will be a 2009 MTH.

 

Hey, you're right. You had better wait for the LGPE that will be out soon. How soon, we're not certain, but it will probably be on all new models any time now. LGPE will likely reduce traffic related fatalites by over 90%. And I say that is something worth waiting for! Keep up the biking in the meantime. Cheers! -John

 

I agree. I actually delayed putting on 4 Goodyear Triple Treads so I could experience how the Eco-Plus tires handled in snow. There was a four to six inch wet snowfall around here in the first half of December and I was not impressed with the Eco-Plus tires in this condition.

 

Here we go again with VSC as the "end all and be all" of safety features. Great addition to those 6000 lb Expeditions driven by 4'-11" women that drive too fast and can barely see over the dash at what's happening on the road ....while they are talking on the phone.

It is offered as an option in the Prius and I have pasted Toyota's definition below....(I assume Ford's RSC is identical)....someday it will be standard on all vehicles, at this point it is a "nice to have", unless your vehicle is: overpowered, has a high center-of-gravity, and is operated by someone of lesser skills.

I think the last sentence says it all.

"The VSC system electronically monitors speed and direction, and compares the vehicle's direction of travel with the driver's steering, acceleration and braking inputs. VSC can help compensate for loss of traction which can cause skids. It utilizes some components shared with the Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) and an electronically controlled engine throttle as well as a dedicated computer and sensors providing information to the VSC system. These include a yaw rate sensor, a G-sensor and a steering angle sensor. When VSC is active, a warning beep tone and instrument panel warning light indicate that the system is functioning. In many cases, VSC reacts well before the driver is aware of a loss of traction. As with other safety technologies, such as anti-lock brakes, it is important to drive safely, since Vehicle Stability Control cannot defy the laws of physics, nor can it provide more traction than exists in a given condition."

So the question is, when that once in a lifetime event occurs and someone or something darts in front of your vehicle and you have to yank the steering wheel hard over in one direction.....will the computer program be helpful in that situation or are you S.O.L. no matter what happens? I'd probably like to have it in that extreme case. But, I believe I can still drive - safely - without it for now.