VDC off, but slip light blinks

Pharmacist · 09-29-2009, 01:41 PM

Ok after digging through the user manual, I found some info that may explain a few things, though also raising more questions than it answers.

On page 2-14, it states that the slip indicator light activates when either the VDC (which I assume is mainly concerned with preventing over/understeer) or the traction control (which I assume is mainly about reducing wheelspin during hard acceleration) is activated. It says the light is activated to warn the driver that the vehicle is near its traction limits. On the same page, it says the VDC off light comes on when the VDC off button is pushed, which switches off both VDC AND traction control.

Now on to page 5-27. It talks about VDC using brakes and reducing engine power to keep the car on the steered path i.e. prevent over/understeer. It states that the VDC also uses active brake limited slip (ABLS) to improve traction. It says the ABLS applies brakes to one of the driven wheels if it spins too fast on a slippery surface in order to divert power to the other wheel. This sounds a lot like the traction control system mentioned previously on page 2-14. However, the words "traction control" are never explicitly stated in this section. To make things worse, the manual seems to contradict itself. It further states on page 5-27 that even if the VDC is turned off, the ABLS system remains operational, and if it is activated it will cause the slip indicator light to blink. Note that this contradicts what was mentioned in page 2-14, that the vdc off button turns off both the VDC and traction control. However, it does seem consistent with what I experienced during my drive, with the slip light blinking even though I didn't feel any braking effort on the rear wheels.

Is this an error in the manual, or are traction control and abls different things?

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09-29-2009, 01:41 PM	#16 (permalink)
Pharmacist A True Z Fanatic Join Date: May 2009 Location: Toronto, Ontario Posts: 1,249 Drives: 09 370z Sport 6MT Rep Power: 19	Ok after digging through the user manual, I found some info that may explain a few things, though also raising more questions than it answers. On page 2-14, it states that the slip indicator light activates when either the VDC (which I assume is mainly concerned with preventing over/understeer) or the traction control (which I assume is mainly about reducing wheelspin during hard acceleration) is activated. It says the light is activated to warn the driver that the vehicle is near its traction limits. On the same page, it says the VDC off light comes on when the VDC off button is pushed, which switches off both VDC AND traction control. Now on to page 5-27. It talks about VDC using brakes and reducing engine power to keep the car on the steered path i.e. prevent over/understeer. It states that the VDC also uses active brake limited slip (ABLS) to improve traction. It says the ABLS applies brakes to one of the driven wheels if it spins too fast on a slippery surface in order to divert power to the other wheel. This sounds a lot like the traction control system mentioned previously on page 2-14. However, the words "traction control" are never explicitly stated in this section. To make things worse, the manual seems to contradict itself. It further states on page 5-27 that even if the VDC is turned off, the ABLS system remains operational, and if it is activated it will cause the slip indicator light to blink. Note that this contradicts what was mentioned in page 2-14, that the vdc off button turns off both the VDC and traction control. However, it does seem consistent with what I experienced during my drive, with the slip light blinking even though I didn't feel any braking effort on the rear wheels. Is this an error in the manual, or are traction control and abls different things?