shutting off traction control

Japanjay

True. I always drive with my VDC turned off. I honestly dont remember the last time I forgot to turn it off. It is habitual now. I also dont know how many times with it off it still will kick on, not bad, but enough to notice, then I look down and it is blinking.

LunaZ

The OP said he was going to autocross the car.
Seems like a good, reasonably safe place to drive the car without VDC interfering.

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sk8geezer

I agree, too many people on this board have control issues. It would be nice if people could answer technical questions without the additional ethical BS.

m4a1mustang

Agreed. Pretty clear the OP was referring to turning VDC off for AutoX, in which case we should be praising him for taking the car to the proper venue.

It's not like he came in saying, "yo dawgz, me 'n my boyz wanna go driftin' but I can't get my driftz on coz thars lyke 10% TC on evn when I turn VDC off whats up?"

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zZSportZz

Word.

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samurai jack

thanks for the sensible advice guys.appreciate the supports.there are always gonna be sarcastic replies so i just focus on the helpful ones.yes this is for auto-xing only im old enough to know not to do stupid **** on the streets.i love my car too much. soo much so that i refused to auto-x last week cause it was not broken-in yet but im good for this week.i know most of the guys are just overly concerned but ive autocrossed all my previous cars to no ill effects.difference is i knew how to turn off tc in those cars.cheers

bucketman

Good luck and have fun!! Try running the car once or twice with the VDC on, probably give you some insight as to where to slow down. Smooth=Fast. Enjoy!

kannibul

Well, if the OP had RTFM'd...he'd know the answer.

samurai jack

have u seen the manuals in these new cars?dude if u have the time to read that then more power to you.ive been driving for 15yrs and auto crossing for 5yrs in that time ive owned and raced a mazdaspeed,wrx,m roadster and a lotus elise before getting this car.i can handle it.i simply asked an innocent question.p.s thanks to those who gave me a simple answer.if we all read the manual or listen to the dealership we bought these cars from,the forum would be a very boring place

kannibul

I wouldn't suggest someone to RTFM, if I hadn't read it myself. Read it the first night after bringing it home. Most of it is simple crap like how to use your seatbelt properly...which you can easily skim over that junk, unless you need a refresher.

Same with my Frontier.

VCuomo

As one of the "old guys" on this forum, I'm constantly amazed at how dependent we've become on technology - not just with cars, but in general. And in this case, I can guarantee you that if you know how to drive and handle a car, you can safely drive the 370Z on the street with VDC off - let's face it, 332HP and 270lb-ft of torque isn't exactly super high performance (my 1972 Corvette with a 383 stroker in it kicks my Z's butt, is safe to drive on the street, and the only computer in it is in the radio...).

If you don't know how to handle a car, or if you're in inclement weather conditions, leave VDC on. But if you do know how to handle a car, driving the Z with the VDC off is a lot more fun. IMHO, YMMV, etc...

kannibul

I'm sure pilots thought the same thing when hydralic control surfaces entered the industry...and again when computers took control of the plane, and fly-by-wire became the norm...

We're heading the same way...one thing at a time.

The Z has a number of charactoristics to it that older cars don't - even if they have more under the hood...there are other factors at play with the balance of the Z as well as the lack of a solid rear axle, different suspension tendancies...etc.

VCuomo

Yep, agree. What gets me is that a lot of people seem to think they're taking a huge risk with VDC off. IMHO, the Z is a very easy car to handle - it's very predictable and very stable, even at high speeds, with VDC on or off. So if you know how to handle a performance car, I say turn VDC off and have even more fun.

m4a1mustang

That's a big if. You have to understand than a HUGE number of people that buy this car or are gifted this car don't understand any basic vehicle dynamics at all.

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kannibul

That or they understand BASIC vehicle dynamics...ie, not high performance vehicle dynamics.

This car (like other high performance cars and motorcycles) have a sharp learning curve - when you find your limit, it's a toss up as to if someone or something gets hurt.

As seen on other threads...


Myself, I drive with it turned on 95% of the time, and it doesn't interfere. Could I drive with it off and be fine? - sure...but why bother - if it's unobtrusive as-is for my driving style, it's just a layer of protection like ABS, say for instance, I'm in a near-accident scenario, and I goose it to "jump" out of the way...goose it too hard, and the Z won't go QUITE where you point it...lol