richiep350 Posted October 23, 2011 Posted October 23, 2011 So I'm new to the 350 scene and after going out for my first drive last night i couldn't help but think that the ESP was ruining my drive when ever i gave her a bit of throttle it felt like i was being limited and the ESP light kept flashing up. As I don't have much experience driving the 350 i don't want to turn it off just yet but I'm wondering, how many of you turn it off and how often? Thanks Rich Quote
Ebized Posted October 23, 2011 Posted October 23, 2011 First thing to do is the check your tyres - hopefully all 4 corners are the same type, the right size, decent tread depth, same pressures (35psi when cold). The ZEDs are very sensitive about their shoes If one or more of those are doubtful that is likely to be the problem, unless you are being so brutal on and off the throttle you are inducing excessive wheel spin Quote
CaptainSensible Posted October 23, 2011 Posted October 23, 2011 Was it wet? If its kicking in a lot when its dry then you need to learn to drive more smoothly! Quote
DoogyRev Posted October 23, 2011 Posted October 23, 2011 Mine does not really come on that much at all so don't turn it off. Was the road wet/damp? A common issue with the TC coming on all the time is tyres... how much tread do you have left on the fronts and rears? Quote
richiep350 Posted October 23, 2011 Author Posted October 23, 2011 Thanks for the quick replies, the dealer where i bought the car from decided to put different tyres on the back to the front does that make a big difference? The rears are brand new and the front still have a lot of tread on. Rich Quote
DoogyRev Posted October 23, 2011 Posted October 23, 2011 Should not make that much difference having different front to back, as long as the pairs are the same. What make and size do you have on front and rear? Also if they are new on the rear it may take a few miles to get rid of the release agent a bed them in. I have falkens on, and the first few hundred miles made the car feel a bit skittish..... all good once bedded in Quote
richiep350 Posted October 23, 2011 Author Posted October 23, 2011 The front are Michelin bit I'm not 100% sure of the rears. Thanks a good point iv only done around 50 miles on the new rears so hopefully they will get better So back to the whole ESP situation, is there ever any need to turn it of il be leaving it on as id rather not spin out, but I'm confused on when you would ever need to turn it off? when it snows maybe? Quote
Sarnie Posted October 23, 2011 Posted October 23, 2011 The front are Michelin bit I'm not 100% sure of the rears. Thanks a good point iv only done around 50 miles on the new rears so hopefully they will get better So back to the whole ESP situation, is there ever any need to turn it of il be leaving it on as id rather not spin out, but I'm confused on when you would ever need to turn it off? when it snows maybe? Tell us what size tyres you have on the front and the back. Quote
richiep350 Posted October 23, 2011 Author Posted October 23, 2011 Just had a look the fronts are 18/225/45 and the rears are 18/245/45 Quote
Ebized Posted October 23, 2011 Posted October 23, 2011 If you have Michelin on th front (PS2's ?) they are a 'premium' tyre. I wouldn't mind betting the dealer has put budget (cheap) tyres on the rear. That is quite likely to be the issue, although as DoogyRev says the release agent on new tyres means they need a few hundred miles on them to offer their full grip potential. Post up the rest of the details about your tyres as per my thread above ^^^^ to help us give you better opinions. Quote
richiep350 Posted October 23, 2011 Author Posted October 23, 2011 ok the rears are 18/245/45 Falken, no idea if these are budget and the fronts are 18/225/45 Bridgestone Potenza RE040's again no idea.. hope this helps Quote
Ebized Posted October 23, 2011 Posted October 23, 2011 ok the rears are 18/245/45 Falken, no idea if these are budget and the fronts are 18/225/45 Bridgestone Potenza RE040's again no idea.. hope this helps There is your problem, IMO - the (worn) RE040's on the front - useless for decent grip - ideal for drifting and lighting up the dashboard. Get a matching pair of Falkens (hopefully the 452's) on there and it will be a different and planted car. Quote
richiep350 Posted October 23, 2011 Author Posted October 23, 2011 Excellent thanks for the help guys new tyres come payday Quote
Southernspeed Posted October 23, 2011 Posted October 23, 2011 I always turn mine off. Mainly because, when I first got the car, several times I'd 'nip' out of a junction only to have it cut in and leave me bogged down in front of approaching traffic. I'd much rather have a bit tyre chirp or , if I'm feeling playful, a bit of fish tailing than having it cut in as it is rather sensitive and very abrupt. But having said all that, you have to judge your own driving skills as to whether you can drive with it off or not. Quote
richiep350 Posted October 23, 2011 Author Posted October 23, 2011 I always turn mine off. Mainly because, when I first got the car, several times I'd 'nip' out of a junction only to have it cut in and leave me bogged down in front of approaching traffic. I'd much rather have a bit tyre chirp or , if I'm feeling playful, a bit of fish tailing than having it cut in as it is rather sensitive and very abrupt. But having said all that, you have to judge your own driving skills as to whether you can drive with it off or not. i guess with experience its a more enjoyable drive with it off, think il wait until I'm use to how the 350 drives/reacts before i start playing lol Quote
Southernspeed Posted October 23, 2011 Posted October 23, 2011 I always turn mine off. Mainly because, when I first got the car, several times I'd 'nip' out of a junction only to have it cut in and leave me bogged down in front of approaching traffic. I'd much rather have a bit tyre chirp or , if I'm feeling playful, a bit of fish tailing than having it cut in as it is rather sensitive and very abrupt. But having said all that, you have to judge your own driving skills as to whether you can drive with it off or not. i guess with experience its a more enjoyable drive with it off, think il wait until I'm use to how the 350 drives/reacts before i start playing lol Unless you're really trying, nothing happens too quick in the dry though in the wet it's very tail happy with only moderate throttle. I'm very 'mechanically sympathetic' and hate all this 'high revs, dump the clutch' stuff but can still have fun driving reservedly Quote
nzr350z Posted October 23, 2011 Posted October 23, 2011 Before you consider turning TCS off might be worthwhile for you to learn a bit more about your Zed,taken you several attempts to decide what tyres you actually got fitted to car,wonder how many attempts to do a 360 spin with TCS OFF? Quote
Rob22 Posted October 23, 2011 Posted October 23, 2011 Needed my ESP last night coming off a roundabout, greasy as get out on the roads round me at the moment, for a second i forgot myself (used to driving an idiot proof awd turbo) and was glad i had the computer to back up my handful of opposite to correct my lack of talent! Never got too scary but definitely woke me up. Im running goodyear eagle F1s at the minute. Id recommend keeping the ESP firmly on till you get a good feel for the car in different conditions. Quote
Beau Posted October 23, 2011 Posted October 23, 2011 When I first starting driving mine it was off, I didnt realise it was really meant to be on.... so I got used to it and never use it.... even in the wet. Quote
Darren-B Posted October 23, 2011 Posted October 23, 2011 If the Esp is that intrusive it might be worth getting a 4wheel alignment done once you get your new tyres, if the alignment is slightly out this can completely change the characteristics of the car Quote
richiep350 Posted October 23, 2011 Author Posted October 23, 2011 If the Esp is that intrusive it might be worth getting a 4wheel alignment done once you get your new tyres, if the alignment is slightly out this can completely change the characteristics of the car Thanks il keep that in mind and yea ESP is staying on for a while Quote
Southernspeed Posted October 24, 2011 Posted October 24, 2011 When I first starting driving mine it was off, I didnt realise it was really meant to be on.... so I got used to it and never use it.... even in the wet. How come yours is automatically off? Have you had some sort of mod done to keep it off? Quote
Neilp Posted October 24, 2011 Posted October 24, 2011 ok the rears are 18/245/45 Falken, no idea if these are budget and the fronts are 18/225/45 Bridgestone Potenza RE040's again no idea.. hope this helps There is your problem, IMO - the (worn) RE040's on the front - useless for decent grip - ideal for drifting and lighting up the dashboard. Get a matching pair of Falkens (hopefully the 452's) on there and it will be a different and planted car. The re040's are very good tyres if you can get heat in them. Excellent warm day track tyres and very hard wearing. The falkens are budget tyres but are reasonably good all round tyre. Wouldn't fancy getting too much heat into them as my guesses will be that they are similar to the Toyo t1r and melt easily. As for traction control. Once you feel confident driving you can turn it off but be warned it will spin the wheels up very easily and you could end up sideways before you know it. In everyday road driving there is no reason to turn it off. If I'm out having a play then mines is usually off regardless of whether it's wet or dry. Quote
spursmaddave Posted October 24, 2011 Posted October 24, 2011 It's not that scary, I never intentionally turn mine off but around this time last year I had a switch go in one of my rear lights that confused the ecu and meant I was driving the Zed for 2 months over winter with no TCS and no ABS Quote
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