Safety and Security Package: Worth it or not?
02-09-2008, 11:58 PM
#11
1st Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 140
RE: Safety and Security Package: Worth it or not?
ORIGINAL: powerband
Pony_car,
My first few cars did not have anti-lock brakes or traction control. Two were very heavy cars, one of which was a Buick Grand National whose sole purpose was to accumulate overwhelming momentum. Though not as fast as today's cars from 0-60, they still achieved high speed and great velocity, the condition in which braking and traction are crucial. Not once did I have an accident in those cars. And that was living in Virginia, a state that had weather and 4 months of rain or snow. No anti-lock brakes, no problem, ever. No amount of safety features can replace common sense and driving sensibility.
The first cars that offered anti-lock brakes were targeted for wet-weather or slippery weather driving. How brilliant it was to also market this as an overall safety feature for added profit. I live in Northern California now and it doesn't snow in my area, other than a few months of rain. Having owned, driven, and lived through several cars that offered no safety features in my younger days, I don't feel the eminent need for electronic nannies. I can pump the brakes to avoid a lock-up, for f***k's sake. Those are things we did before "technology for the lazy" took over.
Good luck with your decision.
Pony_car,
My first few cars did not have anti-lock brakes or traction control. Two were very heavy cars, one of which was a Buick Grand National whose sole purpose was to accumulate overwhelming momentum. Though not as fast as today's cars from 0-60, they still achieved high speed and great velocity, the condition in which braking and traction are crucial. Not once did I have an accident in those cars. And that was living in Virginia, a state that had weather and 4 months of rain or snow. No anti-lock brakes, no problem, ever. No amount of safety features can replace common sense and driving sensibility.
The first cars that offered anti-lock brakes were targeted for wet-weather or slippery weather driving. How brilliant it was to also market this as an overall safety feature for added profit. I live in Northern California now and it doesn't snow in my area, other than a few months of rain. Having owned, driven, and lived through several cars that offered no safety features in my younger days, I don't feel the eminent need for electronic nannies. I can pump the brakes to avoid a lock-up, for f***k's sake. Those are things we did before "technology for the lazy" took over.
Good luck with your decision.
The funny thing is, it's not so much a matter of cost. IfI'm spending somewhere around $20,000 on a car, I guess I can spend an extra $1,000 or so for the added safety. It's just that I hate spending that much for something I'm not sureI reallyneed or will ever actually use. Of course, I could say the same thing about airbags, but I don't want to get rid of those.
02-10-2008, 12:51 AM
#12
3rd Gear Member
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location:
Posts: 565
RE: Safety and Security Package: Worth it or not?
ORIGINAL: powerband
Why else would Ford be willing to omit ABS but not the others?
Why else would Ford be willing to omit ABS but not the others?
02-10-2008, 01:01 AM
#13
4th Gear Member
Join Date: May 2007
Location: OC, California
Posts: 1,039
RE: Safety and Security Package: Worth it or not?
Mine has that damn anti-theft active alarm and it still got broken into without sounding the alarm. Go figure.
Anyway, yes, those options are worth it. The traction control and ABS certainly come in handy in wet road conditions. My car has slid several times and the traction control always catches it before I can even react. You can turn these options off at will, so it doesn't hurt to have them. If anything, it can help save your life in some circumstances.
Anyway, yes, those options are worth it. The traction control and ABS certainly come in handy in wet road conditions. My car has slid several times and the traction control always catches it before I can even react. You can turn these options off at will, so it doesn't hurt to have them. If anything, it can help save your life in some circumstances.
02-10-2008, 01:10 AM
#14
2nd Gear Member
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location:
Posts: 321
RE: Safety and Security Package: Worth it or not?
ORIGINAL: tmsmith
Just wanted to add that some of those in the list are required by law for making a vehicle now-a-days. I'm sure Ford would of gutted them out if they could of. More money for them.
ORIGINAL: powerband
Why else would Ford be willing to omit ABS but not the others?
Why else would Ford be willing to omit ABS but not the others?
Another factor to consider is that Ford Mustangs have 5-star crash ratings in front and side impact, as well as roll-over prevention. Of course, it hasn't escaped me that an accident can be caused by numerous variables beyond our driving skill, road diligence or electronic nannies, but it's a peace of mind to know that the final line of defense - protection of occupants against the actual impact - has the highest rating.
02-10-2008, 09:54 AM
#16
1st Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 140
RE: Safety and Security Package: Worth it or not?
ORIGINAL: VictoriaRR
You can turn these options off at will, so it doesn't hurt to have them. If anything, it can help save your life in some circumstances.
You can turn these options off at will, so it doesn't hurt to have them. If anything, it can help save your life in some circumstances.
02-10-2008, 12:46 PM
#17
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Louisiana
Posts: 6
RE: Safety and Security Package: Worth it or not?
I had a drunk pull right in front of me on Mardi Gras. I slammed on the brakes and swerved to miss them, and I was blown away at how good my Mustang with ABS handled it.
Also traction control is nice. It kicks on for me at least twice a month. Usually it is a wet road and I overestimate how much I can accelerate. Sometimes TC kicks on when I hit a pothole while I am accelerating. (I live in Louisiana, so potholes and wet roads are the norm.)
Anyway, I am making sure my next Mustang has the Safety and Security Package.
Also traction control is nice. It kicks on for me at least twice a month. Usually it is a wet road and I overestimate how much I can accelerate. Sometimes TC kicks on when I hit a pothole while I am accelerating. (I live in Louisiana, so potholes and wet roads are the norm.)
Anyway, I am making sure my next Mustang has the Safety and Security Package.
02-10-2008, 04:33 PM
#20
5th Gear Member
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Sterling Heights, MI
Posts: 3,792
RE: Safety and Security Package: Worth it or not?
Not woth it to me. I paid a lot for the extra anti theft in my GT but I never leave the car out of my sight when I'm out with it. Other than that its always locked up in my garage.