How to completely disable the VDC
 

To all who want to know how to disable the VDC. While searching all over the web, I stumbled onto this bit if information. Hope it helps those who are interested.

"If you use the factory switch, the VDC only partially turns off. If you want to completely disable it, you have to disconnect power to the yaw sensor."

I like the VDC.

That is interesting info, what part is still running when it partly off?

Yeah, but we haven't had a good "I crashed my Z, friend turned off the VDC" story in a few weeks...

I like the VDC too, glad I have it.

As far as what is still running when it's off, or partially off.......I haven't a clue.

I posted the "how to disable" info because I remember some on the Forum were wondering if it could be done, and if so, how.

I have no plans to disable mine.

x1000 :bowrofl:

If it is off, it is off.
I believe in a past thread someone found VDC to be 100% off, but something else is still on (ALBS or something, will find later today).

Some info I found on "another Z site" (I cannot vouch for it's accuracy, but appears to be how I understand it to work):

And here's a GREAT link I found to Nissan's Explanation of what VDC is and how it works:

VDC: What it is and how it works

http://www.the370z.com/nissan-370z-g...etely-off.html

http://www.the370z.com/nissan-370z-g...tml#post442451 -

There's my laugh of the day! Haha, thanks Steve. :bowrofl:

Every once in a while I think about disabling the VDC, then I ask myself what I'm trying to prove and just leave it alone.

ABLS - I notice this when it kicks on with my truck (2010 Frontier SE V6 4x4 AT) - however, turning it off in my truck lets me 1-wheel-peel without trouble. With it on, if I goose it hard, for instance, to get out of the way of some idiot about to back out of his parking spot into the side of my truck...it grabs the rear brakes and I can't GTFO as fast as I want.

Same with the Z - VDC on, it'll grab the brakes and keep the car under control and minimize spin at the expense of GTFOness.

With VDC off, it'll toast the tires not in just 1st, but 2nd and chirp 3rd.

I really think when you turn off VDC, you also turn off ABLS...

True. :icon17:

If my car only has it partially turne doff I don't want it all the way turned off. The Z get's sideway's enough already.

When it's off it only limits wheelspin, doesn't prevent you from doing a 360 pirouette in front of the oncoming semi-trailer.

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/b...5f70eb948c.jpg

my VDC is odd

if its on and I floor it the tires squeel and the back end tends to step out

I tried turning it off once.

floored it. ZERO tire noise. ZERO wonky back end.

odd car mine is

I drive my 2013 6 speed 370z very aggressively. With the VDC off I have noticed that the car does correct itself when doing a burn out. It stays nice and straight without any effort. I suspected that the VDC was still partially ON. It seems I was right. I think it works perfect because you can spin the rear tires but you can feel the car correcting itself when it drifts left or right.

:iagree: I need some laughs

I can't +Like this enough! :) Until I learn how to drive the car properly at the limits and I'm on a closed track, I have to agree. Drive with it off, and this car will put you in your place at some point.

Every performance car (hell, even a minivan) will eventually put you in your place at some point, with or without traction control disabled. The solution is more driver training. Even if you're not going to make a serious hobby of it in the long term, it would help a ton if everyone who buys a sporty car would at least do 1-3 weekends of instructor-led HPDE stuff. It's not that expensive and doesn't require a lot of crazy car mods at that level, and it really does teach you a lot about traction and suspension management via your inputs.

I helped my friend who has a 370Z disable his VDC. It was difficult to find much info on how to do it, but I helped a friend with a 350Z do it before and figured it should be pretty similar.

You can ALMOST reach it if you take off the cupholder, but removing the center console seems to be the only way to go. The VDC controller will come into plain view as soon as the console comes off. I wanted to make a switch to deactivate it anytime without going through the whole console removal again, so I had to pick a wire to cut and test.. There is a black wire which I assume is ground and it works well for what I intended.

When you use the switch, the sliding car symbol will light up steadily but the VDC light will not. I do not know if it affects anything, but we also disengage the normal traction control button in conjunction, lighting up the "VDC off" light. That light does not turn on when we use our new switch.

Perceived differences:

With the 350Z, it seems like throttle response for some reason is much more touchy with the full disengagement of VDC. It's difficult to rev-match because just slightly touching the gas pedal will shoot revs up instantly and abundantly. For the 370, I didn't see the same results.

Fast cornering was pretty scary with the 370Z before. It's like you "think" everything is off because you push the switch, but the car doesn't feel normal. It never sinks into oversteer or understeer, it feels like it just keeps turning. While this sounds like a good thing, it made me feel nervous because I didn't know how the car would react if I ever went past that threshold.

I've had a couple instances of trying to play past the car's grip level and the car in return gave me awkward responses, for example I would try to get the car to start sliding, but a lot of times power is cut and I end up losing all momentum, or I get it to begin sliding and then suddenly the VDC kicks in and my correct amount of countersteer suddenly becomes me directing the car WAY off-line. With VDC fully off, the car does what I expect it to, it has power if I press down on the throttle and naturally slides if I provoke the rear end enough. It actually feels more confident and easy to drive with everything turned off. If I make a mistake, the car will show me instead of brushing it under the rug.

Anyways I just wanted to give my input and experience with it because I'm sure some people are curious about doing it. Don't worry... You're not going to crash unless you're doing something really really wrong! ;)

Its not a vdc controller its the yaw sensor, and its nothing new This was brought up back in 09. also a momentary interupt button in the yaw sensors power wire is all you need. just have to cut its power until the car decides its "faulty" and it will be off until you turn the car on again.

I couldn't find all the info in one place on how to do it or a review about how it changed the car, so I just wanted to inform my findings

Thank you both! I didn't realize this but my car is going to get a new button! My car cuts power on me all the time because of this and I thought it was the VDC but it makes since now that I realize it has a yaw sensor! One of my biggest dislikes about the 370Z has been that you can't hang out the back without it cutting power.

The major difference between "VDC Off" and "Unplug the Yaw Sensor" is TCS (the really basic traction control that doesn't do as much as VDC) and ABLS (Antilock Brake Limited Slip). I think both are still active when you just turn off VDC with the button (but are dead dead dead when the yaw sensor is gone). ABLS in particular can really screw up a corner. It lightly taps individual rear brakes to try to assist the LSD with the rear wheel speed differentials. If you're trying to corner at the limit, those random brake taps can really screw with you.

I've had a driving instructor yell at me for hitting the brakes in a turn. Told him I didn't. Reviewing my GoPro, it shows that I didn't. The car was doing it, itself. :icon14:

parts of the traction control you normal can't shut off include the electronic rear differential brake assist which will brake the inside wheel in a turn to send power to the outside wheel, the abs(which has no sport mode), and the accel/brake interlock(anti-burnout function)

who's drivin' who ???

In Soviet russia Z drives you, In capatalist america if you don't like it unplug that ****

Hey Slo ... got a kick out of your reply ... VDC/NG :excited: !!!

Has anyone attempted to disable ETC in the ECM? I was told that it disables the cruise, SRM, and VDC. Not sure about ABLS though. I want to give it a shot, but Omar @ UPREV told me that it will make the car undrivable.............

Why would you want to disable all that?

You want to disable throttle control? going to cable throttles? If not they won't open so yeah i would say that would be undriveable.

I think you'd still need to pull the yaw sensor to disable some things (like ABLS), but I don't think ETC-Off in the ROM would be "undriveable" on a 6MT. It would probably be perfect for a track car, if you're willing to give up SRM.

Wstar, so if im correct in reading this just unplugging the yaw sensor and leaving it disconnected will disable both the VDC and ABLS without any ill effects? I am running a racelogic system and last year would just hit the button every time I started the car to turn off the VDC, but I would also like to get rid of the ABLS and let the Racelogic do its job.

Thanks

^ Correct. Unplugging the yaw sensor kills VDC+TCS+ABLS (and you get a permanent VDC OFF / Slip light on the dash, as it thinks the system has failed, which it has).

Supposedly it leaves basic ABS working fine (since it doesn't light up any brake/ABS lights on the dash), but it's hard for me to independently confirm that - something about my brake hardware/pad setup (or my mis-wired brain that refuses to let me try to flatspot tires?) makes it very hard for me to trigger and/or feel ABS on my car in the first place.

I'm in the same boat as you ...
Want to lose the VDC and the ABLS and allow the Race Logic to do it's thing...
Am also setting the car up for the 1/4 mile.

The word here from the drag racers is that you need to pull the Brake/Stop Lamp fuse (10Amp) located in the drivers side kick panel.
(Unplugging the Bosch Modulater/ Yaw Sensor doesn't seem to do it all ???).
Haven't tried that solution personally yet

Pulling the fuse = NO more VDC and NO more ABLS.
The downside tho' is NO more BRAKE LIGHTS.

Fine for the drag strip - but definitely not for everyday driving or the track.

Working on a solution to islolate the brake lights and power the circuit from a different source if possible.
This way I will be able to lose VDC/ABLS and keep the Brake Lights.
Hope I find a way to do that.

I like the Race Logic --- It is fantastic for everyday spirited driving --- but find it might not be all that suitable for drag racing.

Still dialing it in tho' ... gotta play with some more with the advanced settings but am running into some conflicts with the launch and min RPM features.

Car is in the shop now for some power upgrades , so I won't be able to tweak it for a few weeks.

Bob

Actually, it seems to me that leaving the yaw and ABLS is probably strictly for off road (and experts) anyway...

I'm surprised there's no way to wire a bypass on the brake lights so they can be actuated as normal, but do not relay so back to the ECU (or whatever sensor is monitoring that). Seems like that would be easiest solution for full on hooning/full track day control...

If you're going to do all that, just pull the yaw sensor instead of the fuse + rewiring. Or put a switch on the power to the yaw sensor.

Guys are pulling the brake lamp fuse to be able to do burn outs as to the best of my knowledge this is the only advantage in doing so. Currently the car will not let you roast the tires with your foot on the brake so you can only do a rolling burnout. I could look through the FSM and probably come up with a way for you do fool the computer and bypass it for your brake lights. That or just hook up a switch to remove power to the fuse all together and just remember to flip it on when your done at the track.

Also I know what you mean about the racelogic, it is very finicky to get it to launch right. There are a lot of adjustments that can be made in the software however and im confident that with enough time playing with them you will be able to get the car to launch consistently. I personally only have one track day on it myself so mine is not dialed in nearly what it could be, but for everyday driving on the road it works amazingly.