How does the vdc work

Footloose301

Agreed. Mine stays on at all times unless I feel the need to be sideways or lose some tread life.

Theres too many times here in FL where some A-hole cuts you off and you have to swerve at the last second into another lane or whatever. Its kicked on many of times for me, especially in the rain. I'm not driving like a riced out Civic owner either.

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2010 40th Anniversary 370Z

Lug

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shadoquad

How does it work?

Here's the official Nissan Spec of the part:

SeattleLion

I think this all comes back to the same argument the manual transmission people have against the automatics. VDC is similar. I always had manual transmissions (till I got the Prius -- another story). I've had stability control systems (VDC on Nissan) since 2000.

The VDC *prevents* a bad situation from developing when you are on the edge of one. It can't save you if you do something stupid. Having said that, the VDC makes decisions based on an outcome Nissan determined was on the boundary of "safe" operation on a highway. Nissan is a hell of a lot better about this than Toyota. The Toyota VDC takes over in situations that have no chance of causing an accident. I find that the Nissan VDC lets me do pretty much what I want on the road.

As AK said, it is great fun to learn to operate the Z to drift in corners and to possibly spin out. You can't do that with the VDC on. So, in the rare (for most of us) situation when it is safe to risk a spin out or worse, then turning off the VDC is great. I am signed up to take a performance driving course where I will start to learn how to manage the Z on the track both with and without VDC.

I think it is important for people to start to understand that computers and computer programs are a lot smarter than they used to be. That's why the 370's auto transmission has a better 0-60 time than the manual. Yes, there are some amazing drivers that can equal or even slightly better the auto times, but isn't it cool that an automatic transmission is better at shifting than a person in some situations? Similarly, it's truly cool that the VDC will let me make some mistakes on the road that it will correct and prevent an accident? Look at all the crash reports on the forum. Most of them have comments "VDC was off".

There are all sorts of people here. Some believe that real men and women don't drive automatics with VDC. Some choose to take advantage of the advanced technology in the Z and let the computers do some of the work.

Who's right? Neither! As long as the decision to turn the VDC off is informed; you know what can happen if you make a mistake in controlling the car, then turn it off when you want to play. Turn it on when you don't. That's why there is a switch.

kenchan

yah, all this talk about VDC...come spring people put their summers on and forget to torque their lugs and wheels fall off regardless.

Snakes709

Most of those accidents are due to careless driving and/or lack of driving skills. Last 3 accidents i read on the forums were all people that made dumb decisions...ie, the guy that thought someone was going to hit him so he turned into on-coming traffic and hit a elderly women. That being said, you take the number of accidents due to careless driving of the Z owner or other vehical owner, the number of accidents will be the same as people that had their VDC on.

I'm not saying VDC wont save you from getting in a accident, because im sure it has in some cases. But i dont consider having VDC off, the cause of accidents. Even though i only had my 370z for a short time before i decided to sell it. I unhooked the harness for the system so it was always off. I drove in rain, hail, winter with -59*C weather and a city that does not plow until 5 weeks after it snows. I have been in bad situations but i have never once lost control of my car to a point where i get in accidents, not once, not even close to a accident. Does that make me the best driver? no, but it sure as hell makes me a good driver because i dont rely on a computer to get me out of a situation if it happens. I keep my VDC off and when the time and place permits, ie the track or a empty parking lot, i get my car to spin out or do other things to see how the car and myself react.

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SPOHN

^ +1 all the way. The only car I ever owned in my life that had VDC was my G37. So I no alot about not having it. Which is good. I own a base model now. The only way I would want it. There is alot of good points here on both sides. I just want to say know your car and your own personal skills.

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ImportConvert

The VDC isn't as necessary/useful/impactful when you can't spin both rear tires.

RiCharlie

But isnt this like saying you should turn off the anti lock breaks just in case they go down you 'll know what to do? Honestly, isnt it far more likely that someone will spin out of control unexpectedly than having that part of their computer crash?

Mt Tam I am

With that last statement, I think we have found a difference between the manual and auto driver. Why learn to shift either? The car does it by itself. Future cars may self steer too. I want control as the driver. I do not think computers should rule every aspect of my life. All too often the VDC thinks I want to stall out just as I jump into traffic, a climbing turn, etc. I didn't make a mistake. The VDC judged for me, I do not want to do that which I want to do.

Why do I have to learn something the computer will do for me? Only to become a better driver.

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onzedge

...perfectly stated.

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SPOHN

That's true. Good thing for my LSD Im just ordering.

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ImportConvert

I was about to poke the same thing at him, but noticed that he drive auto, lol.

Snakes709

It's exactly the same thing, your relying on the system to do the work for you. To become a better driver you have to fully understand what to do in those kind of situations without the help of the system. I learned how to drive a car before ABS came standerd on all cars, i drive some army vehicals now that still dont have ABS. Very rarely does my ABS come on in my truck. Why? because i learned how to brake earlier and easier in situations that would require ABS, ie Snow, Ice, Rain or other situations.

That being said, i never said you should have the systems turned off all the time, that was just the way i ran my car. What im saying is the people that claim all these accidents are caused by people turning VDC off, is total bs and probably dont know how to drive. Its not that hard to get out of situations with VDC off. Like i said, if you need to rely on VDC system while driving a sports car, maybe you should rethink what kind of car you should be driving, if any.

As for manual vs. auto transmission, to his, his own. My truck is auto, its the one thing i hate about my truck. But dodge made regular cabs manual and quad cabs auto, i needed the room more then i needed the type of transmission. If i had the money, i would swap transmissions and everything so i could have manual.

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SeattleLion

Good point. My 2010 Prius actually did steer for me. It read the lines in the road and could steer the car on highways. It also had radar cruise control that kept me a selected distance from the car in front of me. With those features on, I sure wasn't really driving (not that you can ever really drive a Prius). Oh, it also parked itself without my help.

That's why I sold it. I like to drive. If I want to be a passenger I can take a cab or bus. On the other hand, ABS and VDC don't really take over the driving experience. They just help in some situations. Turning VDC off doesn't make you a better driver. It just forces you to focus completely on driving since the VDC isn't there to make little corrections if your mind wanders. On the track, you have to be 100% focused on driving. On my way to work, thoughts of my job and the radio sometimes divide my attention. That doesn't make me a bad driver. The only time I am aware the VDC cut in was when I tested it by making a hard turn way too fast. It did its job without being annoying.

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