+1, and agreed.

 

Good one! I almost missed that.

 

I fortunately have never experienced VDC or TCS

 

Your wasting your time...I have attended 2 racing schools, one of which was Bob Bondurant (5 days), Have a regional race liscense, Roadcourse my STi very often, and attend drift events in my Z atleast once a month...It amuses that you anticipate a thread about me wrapping my Z around a light post, telephone pole, etc...since I dont **** around on the street, and when I break traction its no big deal because its not something new, its something I have been purposely doing for a long time...so thanks, and go **** yourself!

 

The first thing I put on my Z was a Nismo LSD big guy

 

Well, good to hear you're one of those that keeps it at the track. I apologize for my earlier post!

 

 

Thanks man..sorry to be harsh

 

^^ I understand what spf4000 is saying, and glad you see his point (and...I'm glad you responded). Certainly spf4000 never meant his remarks to be disparaging, or to be critical of your experience.

I'm in agreement with spf4000 (and your points). My car is a 2003 Performance model (and therefore the car is equipped with VDC). As an aside, I really like having VDC (although I occasionally turn it OFF).

Here are my "rules/parameters" for VDC:

1) For daily driving, I always have VDC turned ON.

2) If the windshield wipers are ON (it's raining or wet on the expressway), so is VDC (turned ON).

3) When my tires pass 75% "wear," VDC is ON.

4) When doing a "run" through a "twisted" section of roadway that I know well, VDC is OFF. I want to deal with the slight sliding as the driver.

Thanks for contributing to this discussion,

--Spike

 

Here's the thing. It all depends on yur skill level as a driver and how you push the car and what you do at the limits. If you are well versed in rotting the rear end and counter steering to correct, then VDC will indeed screw you up royally. For one with such skill, it is required to forget what you know, ignoe instinct and simply keep steering the car where it is supposed to go and let VDC do the rest. This is why skilled drivers hate it and unskilled drivers love it, but it can also be a bad thing; while keeping you on the road and safe, it can also make a mediocre driver think he is better than he really is, which can lead to trouble, should he find himself in a similar situation in a non-VDC equipped car and not know how to truly handle it if the rear end gets a little squirly.

 

^^ I think you make some very good points.

Not arguing at all, but I would like to present a couple of scenarios:

Case 1: You are driving on "track" roadway and VDC is OFF. You push it hard into a corner, and you sense the rear beginning to "break loose." Since you are on a good roadway, you counter-steer, apply power, and straighten the car back to your line.

Case 2: It's been over 90 degrees for a week or more. You're driving an expressway and entering from an uphill curving entrance ramp. This is a shift position for diesel 18-wheelers, and this "down-shift position" has been depositing "diesel-grease" on the hot road surface for a week or more. Now, add this: It starts to rain just a little. The sprinkle adds just a little bit of water to the grease that is already on the road. Now you are on a very treacherous and slippery roadway. So... Are you better-off using your driving skills (counter-steering, applying power at exactly the right moment, etc.) or depending upon an Electronic Stability Control (ESC) available in your car (VDC in the 350Z)? In this case the best driver relying upon their driving skills is challenged (and probably beyond their ability to control the car). Well crap... the road surface is not predictable and there is no way even a good driver can react fast enough or appropriately. Boy and howdy is VDC useful in this case. The driver (thinking he can control the car better without using ECS) desperately turns the steering wheel trying to gain control is on a fool's errand since he is on a section of roadway that offers no contol at all. Compare this to a car under ECS (where the car automatically taps the brakes on four independent corners seeking the best traction spots to regain control), and you see why insurance companies reduce premiums for cars equipped with ECS.

Sometimes we are great... but not always.

--Spike