I posted a couple of days ago about my car bogging down after a hard shift into 2nd. So I tried taking tc/vdc off. It eliminated the problem but you have more wheel spin & is very easy to lose control. Last night I had it off & shifted hard into 2nd I then hit a patch of sand and spun out of control I hit a tree then a telephone pole. A lot of damage to front fender and rear 1/4 panel.
SO IF YOU TAKE TC/VDC OFF BE VERY CAREFUL!!

 

sorry bout the crash...hope your okay...the car can be fixed

by bogging I assume you mean it retarded the wheelspin?

I've found that playing with VDC on is safer and when done properly - faster.

It takes practice, but the key is that the VDC allows some slip - not a whole lot. So you really need to stay in control, but still press hard - doing this allows you to stay within the envelope for the VDC to improve your driving. When you exceed it....the vdc will ABRUPTLY engage - hence the "bogging".

 

You should sue Nissan for even giving you the option of turning off the VDC.

 

dont let the slimeball lawyers see this!!!


class action lawsuit!!!

yes...we need more lawyers to protect us from our own stupidity...

 

Yeah I'm okay, thanks.. I meant by bogging down was that when i shifted hard from 1st to 2nd my engine seemed to shut down & it was getting annoying so I turned it off. When I get it fixed I don't think I will ever turn it off again. I will practice what you were talking about with the vdc on.

 

Is this a real post?

ummmm...hmmm......ok

 

Age (smitty16)?

There are a ton of these posts for example on the IS300 forum :

"Um I turned off the TC and next thing I'm taking this turn (oh it was raining out or sand or something) and I crashed why do you guys think the car spun ?"

 

Rai,

age: 38

 

smitty,

Sorry to hear about your crash. Sounds like you are ok, if not a little gunshy.

Good luck with the repairs.

JD

 

You're an old timer like me.

Hope it get's fixed soon. That sucks to have your new pride and joy damaged.

 

i cant say that i know what it feels like to drive with vdc or tc on. I haven't had any problems...hehe

sorry about your loss

 

Sorry to hear about your accident.

Apparently, these RE040s have little grip when it's cold outside. You may want to consider a better set of all-season performance tires.

 

this thread illustrates how great VDC really is.

It saddens me to hear some posters pannig the vdc system - proudly stating that they can "handle" the car w/o any coimpter BS.

The truth is that VDC reacts faster and better than an avg driver. Granted it may detrct from the *entertainment* but let me tell you from my fiest hand experience - it PLENTY entertaining pulling of a VDC-assisted drift.

Like the guys from the BMI6 video comented, the amt of grip the Z has at the rear is really amazing. You can basically floor it out of a tight turn - this are the situatiuons where VDC REALLY helps the most. You can *practically* disregard the possibility nof the rear breaking loose and causing oversteer on corner exits.
The fun starts when you realize the car is drifting, yet is complete control.

It almost feels like a 4WD vehicle in this regard.

yeah - I like VDC.

p.s. regarding th etires - I always check my tire pres to ensure they've heated up (42psi vs 36-38) prior to play.

While the re040s could use some more grip...they are VERY quiet.

 

This is a post I added to a thread in 350ZFrenzy.com recently. I think it applies here:

When I ordered my Z, I felt the VDC was a high tech add-on that sounded good in theory and could be a potential selling point. I wanted the performance model and VDC came with it so I didn't care one way or another.

I have been impressed by the VDC in function. It does all it is touted to do. Yes, it takes control of the car for a split second. Yes, it will selectively apply brakes and reduce engine RPM. As Peter Brock [a profesional Z driver of the 1970s] said, "The advantage, even with a professional driver, is that it does its job before the driver can even react. Additionally, the VDC never loses its focus - even if the driver does."

This is a true safety feature. Hitting a patch of water (I do live in Seattle) while accelerating and turning can cause the rear end to be lost. In a wide-open space, that is fine. Unexpectedly in traffic with two lanes turning left together it becomes a potentially expensive disaster. Cornering, it prevents the driver from doing something stupid like ignoring the laws of physics. The speed in which the car is brought under control and aligns itself is astounding.

I can drive more "sportily" all the time knowing I will be helped if needed. How often does it intervene? Rarely. Is it worth it when it does come on? Yes.

The VDC-OFF button gives back complete control to the driver for times "driving" is required.

I personally feel all cars should have this feature and the default should be VDC-ON.

 

5 years ago, in my '92 ZX, I hit sheet of water and proceeded to frisbee off the road into a telephone pole.

I love the thought that this will probably not happen in my new Z.
The VDC took over for me once already. I was amazed before I knew what happened, I felt the slide and then I was straight and in control. i noticed the light on the dash indicating it was in idiot reversal mode.

Good luck all.

I suggest you practice in a large open area (empty parking lot) if you insist on mastering the car w/o VDC on.

 

If you were getting the TCS kicking agressively on 1-2 shifts, and then you shut it off and spin out on a 1-2 shift, what does that tell you? Maybe you don't need to floor it and dump the clutch on every shift? Take it easy, man! Your car and your life will both last longer!

 

not sure about the tire foam, but I still like the guy that decided he wanted to "shine" his whole tire, tread included, then tried a fish tail in the rain and hit a tree.

that would be bad enough, but then he asked if the tire shine could have had anything to do with it.

 

Sorry to be so rough, but sounds like you just didn't have a clue what you were doing. BAD JUDGEMENT!!! 300hp is not that much folks, but it is if you are coming from an 89hp front wheel drive Civic. The Z understeers so damn much I still don't know how the hell you could spin it!! You would simply of had to stay on the throttle long after the car was way beyond sideways. Don't blame the tires. I had the Z on a damp skidpad and I was only able to get it to spin intentionally with tons of throttle. TCS/VDC is only a recent development and they have had much more powerful and tricky handling cars around for years before these electronic liability protectors. My 138hp MRS was a much more dangerous car to drive fast. If you had simply spent a few $$$ and done a high performance driving school, this never would have happened to you. What stinks is that becasue of lawyers and people that don't use common sense, eventually there will be no VDC off button in any car. SAD SAD SAD.

Anyway, glad you are OK and hope you learned your lesson.

 

Yes I realize it was bad Judgement..THANK YOU!
Not all of us can be so called raceboys like yourself. Instead of spending $$$ on driving school I think I'll just keep the VDC on from now on.

 

My Z28 came equiped with a function called ASR (Acceleration Slip Regulator).. basic priciple is to monitor the tires and if they begin to out turn the front tires power is briefly cut off. Maybe not as sophisticated as VDC is on the 350Z but it serves its function (Car is 8 years old ) Anyways.. I find myself going between these two modes frequently.. I have had some close calls before with it off.. and a few could have been fatals with it on.. Thankfully ive always managed to come out of everything ok. I guess the trick is learning when you should use it and when to turn it off. During the Summer. Dry, Hot days.. always off. PERIOD. During winter its always on.. too cold to risk it. Ill breifly take it off to clear a yellow light, or for a short dragrace.. but once im into 2nd gear I re-engage it. Ive done it so frequently its become 2nd nature to me. One of my friends was confused one day when I reached down to the counsel hit the button and went WOT at the same time.. she thought instantly of N20.. lol..

The thing is these systems really do work, and regardless of how much control you want to have.. unless you are on perfectly dry, level streets in optimal conditions.. its best to let these little gadgets do their work

Sorry for the post.. not really needed I suppose.. but technology is a wonderful thing!