Dynamic Stability Control (DSC)
Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) is an advanced active safety technology that improves the integrity of a vehicle's handling performance, by detecting and preventing skids and slides, helping the driver maintain control of the vehicle.
This technology is applied through a computerized system which compares the driver's intended direction (by measuring steering angle) to the vehicle's actual direction (by measuring lateral acceleration, vehicle rotation (yaw) and individual wheel speeds). If the vehicle is not going where the driver is steering, the DSC system then brakes individual front or rear wheels and/or reduces excess engine power as needed to help correct either understeer (plowing) or oversteer (fishtailing).
Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) simplifies steering for the driver by using the vehicle's braking (ABS) system as a tool for "steering" the vehicle back on track. Braking is automatically applied to individual wheels, such as the inner rear wheel to counter understeer, or the outer front wheel to counter oversteer. Dynamic Stability Control systems also intervene to regain handling control by reducing engine power or accelerating the driven wheels. DSC may also incorporate traction control (TCS), which senses drive-wheel slip under acceleration and individually brakes the slipping wheel or wheels and/or reduces excess engine power until control is regained.
Despite continued advances in the performance of active safety systems, DSC cannot override a car's physical limits or increase traction. If a driver pushes the vehicle's traction beyond its limits, DSC cannot prevent a crash. It is a tool to help the driver maintain control using available traction.
