Stabilitrak always on

[l008com]

Why is my stabilitrak always on? Even after I turn it off with the button on the shifter, that does seem to reduce how aggressive it is, but it still is very much on. If I'm driving in the snow with traction and stabilitrak both turns off, and I get super sideways on purpose, it will still start playing with the brakes and try to right itself. That's kind of annoying, why have an off button for a feature and then not have it actually work?

 

[Mooseman]

That's because you're only turning Traction Control off, Stabilitrak stays on. To turn it off completely, push and HOLD the button until you get the message Stabilitrak Off.

 

[l008com]

Yes, I am talking about doing what you said. When you hold the button until stabilitrak is turned off, it still stays on in a more mild mode. But you can definitely still feel it when you are screwing around in the snow. It's always been like this on my truck.

 

[Mooseman]

Never really tried full whacko mode with it off. Now you got me curious. Maybe its a "save you from yourself" mode. If you really want to disable it, youcan pull the ABS fuse.

 

[l008com]

Are trucks are heavy enough and rwd enough that it's pretty easy to do very slow, controlled donuts in the snow. But the system still fights you, just to a lesser degree. I wouldn't want to pull the fuse because I immediately turn the system back on when i'm done screwing around and want to drive away.

I just wish off meant off. And I'll i'm bitching about computer control, I wish traction control was OFF by default and you had to turn it ON when needed!

 

[l008com]

You really don't need full wacko mode. Even just giving it a little gas around a snow covered corner will kick the truck sideways and you can feel the computer trying to recover, but just weakly trying, not aggressively trying like it normally does.

 

[budwich]

are you seeing a "flash of stabilizer" indicator while doing your "stuff" to indicate that the system had activated it?

 

[l008com]

I'll have to double check next time it snows but I believe the answer is NO, no display notification, just automatic corrective brake action.

 

[budwich]

what setting are you having on the 4W switch?

 

[l008com]

2-hi. I always screw around in 2-hi to maximize my screwing

 

[Mooseman]

I tried it today in 2wd with Stabilitrak and traction control off and it didn't limit wheel spin. Mind you, this was mostly just straight on the street in front of my house as that's the only snow covered surface I had. Traction control didn't kick in but I don't know about Stabilitrak. Couldn't find a place to go full wacko

 

[l008com]

It doesn't limit wheel spin if you're going perfectly straight. It's the stability control that kicks in when you're going sideways. But at i'd say 25% or so of normal full stability control.

 

[Mooseman]

Just tried it again and in one instance I was able to go full wacko doing 360's but in another it kicked in but just slightly. Noticed more the headlights dimming from the ABS motor activating than actual control. Like I said, it could be a "save us from ourselves" thing. Why it needs to do this when we consciously turn it off and in prior years we didn't even have this system at all..

 

[l008com]

Yeah I don't get it. I actually do like stabilitrack, i think its a great feature. But when i turn it off, i want it off. Straight traction control on the other hand is completely useless and i wish it didn't exist. or at least that it was off by default.

 

[l008com]

I actually had two different RX8's and they were great. I was going to buy a third around 2009 and passed on them because i wanted the cheaper model - just a simple basic fun sports card - but it didn't have stability control, on the more expensive ones did. And even with snow tires, an RX8 in thee snow without stability control is a death trap.
Also I hit a big puddle during a downpour on the highway in an RX8 once and it definitely would have caused a crash if it didn't have stability control. It was a big deep puddle but only along the left half of the lane. That would have been a baaaad day.

 

[vipergg]

As you suspect it is never really truly off .

StabiliTrak® Off
In this mode, both stability control and part of the
traction control system are disabled. Your vehicle will
still have brake-traction control, but will not be able
to use the engine speed management system. You may
still hear system noises as a result of the brake-traction
control coming on. If the controller detects excessive
wheel spin in this mode, the StabiliTrak® indicator light
may blink and the STABILITRAK ACTIVE message
may be displayed to warn the driver that damage may
occur to the transfer case.
It is recommended to leave the system on for normal
driving conditions, but it may be necessary to turn
the system off if your vehicle is stuck in sand, mud, ice
or snow, and you may want to “rock” your vehicle in
an attempt to free it. It may also be necessary to turn off
the system when driving in extreme off-road conditions
where high wheel spin is required. See If Your
Vehicle is Stuck in Sand, Mud, Ice, or Snow on
page 4-33 for more information.
For vehicles with four-wheel drive, when the transfer
case is in 4LO, the stability system is automatically
disabled. The StabiliTrak® light will come on and the
STABILITRAK OFF message will appear on the
DIC. The StabiliTrak® system cannot be turned on until
the vehicle is switched to 2HI, 4HI, or 4AWD.
The following chart describes the StabiliTrak® system
events and the corresponding messages and lights that
will be displayed on the instrument panel cluster.
4

 

[SoundBass]

Here's a red-neck way to get the ABS shut off on demand. Remove the fuse and tie in one leg of the fuse back to it's slot. On the other leg, install on branch of a lamp cord, and the other branch to the fuse's other slot. Run the lamp cord up to your centre console and install an on/off switch. Now you can turn the ABS on or off at will.