[GeoJosh]

Driving home from the oil rigs on a gravel road today, I had my first experience with VDC (Vehicle Dynamics Control ). It was a little shocking at first, but it is nice to know how it works.

Here is a map of the road I was driving on...

One of those really sharp corners is built with a little opposite banking, so you really gotta slow down for it. The loose gravel allowed for quite a bit of sliding on the bends, which is when VDC kicked in. Each time I would start sliding, it would almost instantly straighten me out. I was quite impressed!

Just thought I would share my experience. I was really happy with the performance and am even more confident that my new Subaru will be excellent in adverse driving conditions.

 

[Sabrewings]

It does a decent job of wrapping up some mess for you. It's immensely annoying when you are trying to blaze some trails (in my STI for example) and tries to keep the rear end from coming around. Almost wrecked me one day when I forgot to turn it off.

For the average Joe though, it is one of the better stability controls out there. It was one of the many reasons I was pleased that my wife wanted an Impreza for her car.

 

[GeoJosh]

It's immensely annoying when you are trying to blaze some trails (in my STI for example) and tries to keep the rear end from coming around. Almost wrecked me one day when I forgot to turn it off.

Yeah, I was initially trying to slide it around some, but it activated VDC and corrected me. After that I was trying to slide to see how VDC worked.

Definitely need to turn it off if you are trying to slide it around.

 

[RadcomTxx]

Except that it doesn't truly turn off when you try to turn it off, unless they changed that on the '14s.

 

[tonyford]

I know driving around the gated area where I work with road has speed bumps every 1/4 to mile or so to keep traffic from speeding. Every once in awhile if I go over one of these speed bumps I notice the VDC being activated. Usually this happens if I am going faster than I should.

What is the difference between VDC and X-Mode?

 

[Rand]

x-mode is low speed only with 50/50 torque split and a few other things.

 

[GeoJosh]

What is the difference between VDC and X-Mode?

VDC is to help correct your slide, to make sure you do not spin out.

X-mode is activated before you get in a tricky situation, and is especially designed for rock crawling, driving up icy/snowy hills, and more serious off roading where only one wheel might have traction.

 

[JFSTi]

Except that it doesn't truly turn off when you try to turn it off, unless they changed that on the '14s.

What? We can't turn vdc off completely? Can someone confirm that with XT2014? I actually have a 08STi and I just can't live with vdc turn on. I hope there's a solution :icon_evil:

Snow is comming here and I can't wait to drift :banana:

 

[Qbi-C]

I need to find how to really turn off vdc on MY14.. But I am afraid it wont be easy..

Any ideas??

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[Sweaty]

i thought i read someone say they pulled a fuse... try holding down x mode for 5 seconds. i haven't tried to turn any of it off. im sure there's a way as i've seen videos of the forester drifting on dirt. i also read the xt is front wheel drive with electrically activated rear drive. so maybe its all propaganda

 

[Dino123]

The switch to turn it off is next to the rear hatch open/close button.


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[JFSTi]

The switch to turn it off is next to the rear hatch open/close button.


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We know about the vdc switch, the question is that some tell us that we can't turn it "all off", anyone tried to drift their FXT2014 without vdc?

 

[Sweaty]

What? There's a VDC button behind the steering wheel!? Heh, just noticed it. Yea, well in my Beemer, you hold down the DTC button for 5 seconds to turn EVERYTHING off while just pushing it turns off traction only and leave abs on.

I don't see why you would want to turn all of it off.

 

[GeoJosh]

What? We can't turn vdc off completely? Can someone confirm that with XT2014?

I can verify that turning off VDC by pushing the button does NOT fully disable it.

I turned it off, it gave me a good bit of sliding, but it did activate when I got more sideways. It gave me significantly more of an allowance to slide than with it on.

 

[dove_jj]

I can verify that turning off VDC by pushing the button does NOT fully disable it.

I turned it off, it gave me a good bit of sliding, but it did activate when I got more sideways. It gave me significantly more of an allowance to slide than with it on.

You should try taking a video the next time you try this.
Make sure someone else knows you're going to do this. In case something happens to you, we'd still like to see the video.

 

[JFSTi]

You should try taking a video the next time you try this.
Make sure someone else knows you're going to do this. In case something happens to you, we'd still like to see the video.

Thanks for test/reply ! Did you try to hold the vdc button 5secs? On 08-13 STI it deactivate the vdc totally.
JF

 

[GeoJosh]

Thanks for test/reply ! Did you try to hold the vdc button 5secs? On 08-13 STI it deactivate the vdc totally.
JF

No. I pushed and held it for about 1 second until the VDC off light lit up.

It also turned off EyeSight.

I will try again another time with the button held off for 5 seconds... and I will hope I don't die. :icon_eek:

I don't have any friends, so no videos :icon_sad:

 

[sokalled]

I understood it to be that Front/Back slippage can be turned off with the VDC button, but since 2012 Left/Right slippage can only be turned off by removing the ABS fuse and going through some process while it's off. I posted a video link a while back of someone doing it to their Impreza. But yeah, sideways drift is always going to engage VDS otherwise. From experience, it's still possible to hang the rear out, just know that your screen is going to switch over to VDC and it will always be trying to work.

More to the thread topic though, are saying you take these 90º gravel corners home from work everyday and this is the first time you've pushed it through them? Seriously bro, what's wrong? I'd have set respectable power slide records on those by now.

 

[GeoJosh]

More to the thread topic though, are saying you take these 90º gravel corners home from work everyday and this is the first time you've pushed it through them? Seriously bro, what's wrong? I'd have set respectable power slide records on those by now.

I always push it if it is light out, not at night, but VDC always catches me. They also just re-graveled the road so it is extra loose now... much easier to slide on.

This was the first time I have made sure to turn VDC off an give it a go.

Another thing which you can't tell from the picture... the road is quite narrow. You have to have 1 person pull over if you meet someone head on. If it was a wider road, and flat rather than on a hill with opposite banking, it would be much safer to drift.

 

[Sabrewings]

Thanks for test/reply ! Did you try to hold the vdc button 5secs? On 08-13 STI it deactivate the vdc totally.
JF

That is unique to STIs and does not apply to other Subarus. It's one of those things that reminds me Subaru still cares about STI owners.