Has VDC made you a worse Z driver?

butdamnbrian

def. on the to-do list, right after #3: get clear bra!

true, but you can't turn a suspension on or off... though some can be dialed, i guess. i think the point of this thread is to question whether drivers lose out by keeping vdc on or off..

nismolife

I started the thread because I suspected I had become reliant on my vdc kicking in to save me. I wondered if the presence of vdc has allowed me to unlearn good habits of throttle control, car control & feedback. Has the presence of the safety net even allowed me to tend to be more reckless and disrespectful of the power my Z has?

The vdc was not much of a problem in my 07 350z, but with my Nismo it comes on all the time - usually in a corner, often when starting out from a stop, and yes - accelerating more aggressively, however not necessarily driving like an ***. If the road surface is a little wet, I'll even see the slip light come on with a hard shift into 3rd gear.

So, after swapping ends in the Nismo and bending some rear suspension, yeah I'll be more respectful. Admittedly the road conditions were very slick and I should have recognized that and changed my driving style, I can't help wondering if I was thinking, "The vdc will save me..."

Except this time the vdc was turned off of course.

shadow2k

Of course you have unlearned certain things when you don't use those skills every day. Just like you would with anything else.

For example, take SRM. If you constantly heel and toe and leave SRM off, you're going to get very good a h&t shifting. If you leave SRM on for a month, and then turn it off one day, you'll have to get used to driving with it off again. You lose the muscle memory, the familiarity...the feel for doing it on your own.

VDC on vs VDC off is almost like two different cars. Constantly driving with it on, and then turning it off one day is like stepping into a new car you're unfamiliar with. What makes it dangerous is that you think you know the car, but you've completely altered a major part of how it handles. My opinion is that this is exactly why people keep crashing with VDC off.

VDC off, by itself, is not dangerous. The false sense of security it has given people is why it is. You've been driving a fairly high hp RWD car around that handles like a dream. Well, sorry, but turning VDC off brings you back to reality...the reality that RWD sports cars don't really drive themselves. You have to be respectful of their power, and know how to handle them.

Nitex

^^^ couldn't agree more

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nismolife

Great point Shadow - now add some wet pavement and you get a big surprise. So if you turn off vdc, then carefully learn your "new" car, and drive like you have an egg between your foot & gas pedal!