Did you ever check the park brake on your previous car? It might have been engaged constantly at a low level. I can't see how adv trac could cause you to go through pads that fast.
Yeah, I had to replace one rear caliper. Then I took it to a local shop and had the system bled (Brembo brakes, PITA to bleed), and we checked the whole braking system.
While I would agree with you, I don't think learning you and your car's abilities on public roads is a good idea. I'm pretty sure there are countless Youtube video's proving this point. I'd also wager to say that most of those drivers probably posed similar questions to yours or at least previously complained about the nannies getting in the way.
Because clearly professional race drivers never crash. Just look at rallying.
My Toyota has super sensitive electronic nannies that won't allow any wheel spins. I get the system kicked in regularly, the rear pads worn about same speed as the front. Like I said even when the system is engaging, it's only for very short duration. Your problem was clearly seized handbrake mechanism.
Which has nothing to do with learning how to drive for the conditions of the moment on the street. Or whether TC is a PITA.
In my experience you're more likely to come across dirt, tire "marbles", oil, coolant, etc. on a race track.
You're still missing my point.
This has nothing to do with OP's TC question either. But in 53 or so years of my own driving (and 46 years of my wife's) neither of us has ever had to swerve to avoid something while under extreme braking. We've learned to give ourselves enough room for the conditions of the moment to either brake, or make a lane-change maneuver, or brake then ease up and steer. I'm entirely comfortable braking at more than 0.9g from speeds above 110 mph. From half that speed, an 0.75g stop doesn't even rate a good yawn. Can't say as I've ever actually panicked . . .
I think you are missing my point. Race track is not the same as public road. You can spin out on a track no big problem. Plenty of run off areas to slow down. If you spin out on public street, I hope there is not a tree there. You may remember where the water, oil spill, or sand is on a track because it's not long, but you will never know what's around the corner.
Again, still missing my point. Public road conditions are never the same. It always good to have it on and allowing it to work instead of getting into an accident with it off. You will have an accident, it's just a matter of when.
Again, OP was talking about driving aggressively on public street. It's meaningless to compare to racing on a track. On a blind corner there could be an animal, a broken down car, anything that you don't expect to see.
You must be assuming that I typically drive at 9/10ths on the street. I don't. Offhand, I'd guess it peaks closer to 4/10ths, and generally below that which leaves plenty of margin for suddenly encountering most any conditions. The exceptions are controlled with respect to conditions, no other traffic, etc.
Is it possible? Sure. But with 50+ years and maybe half a million miles under my belt I've apparently been able to do quite well all by myself (I do drive more conservatively in some respects these days than I perhaps used to). I've spun exactly once on the track (driver error), and got about 45° to the road once (about 40 years ago, loose gravel). And one incident in a snowstorm in heavy highway traffic where no good choice existed, only various poor options (46 years ago). That's it, and no guarantees that AdvanceTrak would have been able to do any better (you'd had to have been there).
OP was only talking about TC, not about any of the other systems that have since crept into this thread. There isn't enough room in a post to condense whatever wisdom I've managed to accumulate down to fit, let alone in a manner that people with far less experience would grasp on a gut-level.