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Traction control /vdc turn off capability?

20K views 20 replies 9 participants last post by  originalspacerob 
#1 ·
I'm in the market for a used SG turbo XT auto trans. Did some reading on cars101 and I think the 06 model is the best for my needs? I drive early in the morning before the roads are plowed and at my price point I think a set of blizzacks and the capability to turn off any kind of traction control /vdc is best for me? In a low traction situation a good tire tread and the ability to keep momentum and tires spinning are crucial.

What do you guys think? Is having a later model with real VDC that vital? Can you turn it off? I've always just had a rwd heavy car and no problems driving on ice or snow. Looking to step up my driving without those little white knuckle moments at time, are we really going to make it up this hill now that we've stopped for the drivers stuck ahead of me? :)

If I read things right on cars101 04 -06 doesn't have traction control, 07 sports XT should have it and 08 XT has it. And by this I mean a switch by the driver's left knee that he can turn of the T/C, vdc system on the fly. For my purposes it has to be that easy, no time to pull over and pop a fuse etc.

Not my video but hope they don't mind a little publicity :)

 
#2 ·
do you own a subaru now? have you recently? not to sound weird, just not sure based on your info over on the left there.

for the most part thats just light fluffy snow and subaru awd kicking butt in that video.

as far as the vehicle assists though....my 2011 has a button like your're talking about that enables me to turn off TC, but not the rest of the VDC (from what ive seen, others have other ideas). which while it limits the old awd donut/drifting a little bit, having the brakes apllied, extra assists, etc can actually help in some cases for most drivers. with the TC turned off i at least have free roam over the go pedal in straight line situations like snowy hills as you mentioned.
 
#3 ·
Thanks for the quick reply FXT, I don't have a Subaru yet but I'm an experienced driver in bad wx. I do understand TC, since even my old 98 Ford crown vic has that. But the vdc merits leave me befuddled :( In some situations like a sudden slippery patch in a corner it could wreck us and in others like the snowy hill in the video it would be better turned off?? But for less experienced drivers thrust into a slippery situation it must be the hot ticket? Otherwise vdc wouldn't have been designed and created with lots of happy customers from what I've read. So it has its place nauturally, I'm just trying to firmly choose if its right for me or not.
 
#4 ·
while there have been slight changes here and there with the assist for each era....i think the skill you mentioned coupled with the ability of subarus awd promotes a confidence that youll enjoy. but be careful...early on i experienced moments of too much confidence, after coming from RWD mustangs, lol.

and "yes" imo to what you posted. in a way id prefer all of it off, but i can understand why were not given that option OEM, for reasons you mentioned with the "general" drivers out there. it def helps. What i will say is that i havent found the brake vectoring (or whatever its called) and other aspects of the stability control stuff to hinder me as far as safety sake. but i consider myself a very good snowy weather driver, mainly as i practice diff situations as often as possible.

but to your overall point, its not like youll be left with no power at all when mid bend and you slide a little out/around...its just that you are limited from just roasting the tires all out...in which the system (from my experience) promotes more of a helping rotation and pulling forward result.

i dont think it will hurt you at all, say in the uphill climb part of that video. some cases the TC portion has helped, most i end up turning it off and controlling it myself. the other VDC aspects have more to do with lateral movement and apply the brakes and such. so i havent had the joy of well controlled WRC style sweeping slides like i enjoyed in my 02 wrx or 00 2.5RS.....ive had no problem walking right up a hill like in that video.
 
#5 ·
Thank you for the clarification FXT. If i'm understanding things correctly it sounds like anything else TC/VDC has its merits. Especially for newer drivers but if you want to also play around at times, not being able to turn the system off completely will be a hindrance :)




eta- I should mention this one is a MT instead of desired auto, yet majorly fun!
 
#6 ·
exactly. i mean i could still pull off the majority of that video. but while it may look just as smooth, there would be a ton more effort (driver input) put in then there should be imo compared to older subies ive owed.

but dont get me wrong...theres still plenty of "fun" time to be had with whatever system you end up with...thats the part i was getting at when i mentioned too much/false confidence.
 
#10 ·
Another deep snow (X-mas tree shopping) excursion that I feel also illustrates the need for constant wheel spin X 4, IF you bog down and since your already pushing the conditions due to lack of ground clearance, tire height etc.. your stuck if the tires stop :)

 
#11 ·
I have been driving for many, many years, and spent alot of time with rwd vehicles, front drive, and some awd. While I understand the feeling of needing to have all of it off in certain circumstances, I can attest that it works very well. I moved to Iowa (from MN) a fews years back, and figured out they have no clue how to plow here. MN would get much more snow, and have everything clear. I never felt the 'need' for awd there. In Iowa, after the first year, I felt I needed, since I drive alot of miles.

The VDC/TC on my '14 is awesome. I have turned it off a few times (mainly just to mess around), but with it on, have made it up some places very few vehicles would, even with snow up to the front bumper and not plowed. This is even with the crappy geolanders that come stock. I will also attest to the comment about getting overly confident, as it just seems to go in any conditions.

I think the button on the dash does seem to allow you to spin if you want, while still having some portion of VDC still on.

I am no expert at all, just impressed by how well it works.
 
#12 ·
So what I'm understanding anything 07xt and newer Can not do "OUTOFCONTROL" donuts? The Vdc stays on to not let the car slide off track, but the traction control is off?

Reason I'm asking I want to upgrade to an XT, I would love "VDC" for climbing and certain off-road situations, but I love drifting "on my land" in snow without the car braking wheels...

Blackops: nice XT by the way, you have no problem spinning tires or sliding when you find snow? Thanks
 
#18 ·
Sorry for the slow response Vamp, we didn't get as much snow this year as I wanted. But my XT and the blizzacks were awesome in the snow we did get! About 4 inches max at one point. Did a test on a empty flat level snow covered road. From a dead stop, I floored the gas until any tire starts spinning. It was funny with the turbo lag and incredible grip from the tires. The front tires didn't start to spin until 35 mph and 5500 rpm! Felt like taking off from a light on dry pavement until that point. I didn't try and do doughnuts anywhere because I hadn't searched out any empty parking lots ahead of time and don't have any land to play on. Looking forward to next year though..
 
#13 ·
You can fully defeat vdc by pulling abs fuse. Since the front and rear diffs are essentially open diffs you get 1 front and 1 rear wheel spinning in bad traction situations unless all wheels have equal amounts of no traction. If any 1 wheel gets less traction on one side of the car it will spin nearly freely without forcing the other side to do much.

The vdc is what gives it traction in ice like conditions.
 
#15 ·
A lot of people feel that when the VDC switch is turned off that the traction control is still active so you would still have the brakes acting on individual wheels for traction. Drifting would be difficult though, the system doesn't like for you to slide sideways. You could remove the fuse or install a switch, although installing a switch to deactivate a safety devise is a no no from a legal/insurance point of view. You could buy a pre-VDC Subaru with limited slip rear, you can also buy all sorts of limited slips to upgrade too. A real limited slip allows a lot more freedom of movement.
 
#16 ·
On an older Subaru I had installed a rocker switch in the center console that was hard wired to the ABS fuse to by-pass the traction control. It worked great and served the purposes it was intended for.

Looks like you picked up the FXT that you were looking for so congratulations on your purchase.
 
#19 ·
Thanks for all the responses! A while back I sold my wrx "Frown" and got an 02 S model Forester with the vlsd, (I needed more room) I love the traction it gets on ice and snow.. A lot of fun on the roads before they got plowed.
Debating of getting an XT but was wondering about the traction control system, like the o4 &o5 models w/out new system but think the VDC system could be a lot of fun to beat high siding..

The switch to disable fuse sounds awesome, thanks! Good to know too. I think o9's came with vlsd and vdc, correct? (then they did away with the vlsd altogether) biggest thing on my mind was can I do a donut in a newer forester and like the answer, thanks! Enjoy your Subi!!!!
 
#20 ·
I was looking for the same info on the Forester and turning off stability control. Found this thread and another one about people wanting to add switches. I didn't get a Owners Manual when I got my car a month ago so I ordered one on Ebay and got it the other day. Its a 2011 Forester 2.5X Manual. I was reading on the VDC, traction control and ABS section and they said that when you push the button for traction control off, it also disables VDC. The traction control, stability and ABS is grandfathered into the VDC definition in the manual. The only parts of the system that still work are the breaks, which is the ABS, when the button it pushed and VDC disabled. I have yet to try it since we have not got any snow, but am curious. You can also hold the button 5 seconds while turning the car to the run position and it keeps VDC (traction control, stability, and ABS) on and doesn't allow it to be turned off until the next start cycle.
After reading I was wondering why one would need any extra switches. The manual also says that even with the button pushed and the light on the display showing VDC (traction control and Stability) its not active the VDC will still come on and possibly flash if the sensors feel the system should activate. Even though the light comes on it is not working when the button has been depressed and the non active VDC light is showing.
I read thru the section three times to confirm I was reading that right. If I go to VT this weekend and they still have some snow in lots available to play around I'll see if that's true on my vehicle.
 
#21 ·
I am currently finally up in VT, snow is on the ground and tried out the traction control off button. It does turn off traction and stability. The stability/traction light does blink but the brakes don't kick in to allow stability and traction to work. The computer is saying it needs to activate by the light blinking but because the button is pushed it wont allow it to activate. This is on a 2011 Forester, 2.5X with manual transmission.


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