Video: VSC demonstration and test

[Primo86]

Awesome video... clearly the VSC works very well... this is my first rear-wheel drive car and my first car with VSC /TC... The Celica was a very different beast. It is going to be fun experimenting in a big parking lot when it rains.

Great vid! thanks...

[blu_]

Originally Posted by AX_FRS

seemed terrible. barely attacked it with vsc on. i'm pretty sure the first one with vsc off was gassing it when he started to slide

You do realize that VSC will be braking and reducing engine power enough to look like that, even if he had the car floored.

That surface looked like it had as much grip as wet snow or ice.

[ROJ]

I drove the car there on that day in Yas,

We went flat-out into the wet course. Even with VSC & TC switched off the car can be navigated with ease in such terrible traction conditions. I just fell in love in how responsive the car is and how easy it is to adapt to its dynamics..

[ZetaVI]

good vid. informative as well.

[xravexboix]

Originally Posted by DarrenDriven

I'm relabeling my VSC SPORT button the DRIFT SMART button. The TRAC OFF button will become the DRIFT DUMB button.

Just like the select fire ARs that say "Alive" for safe, "Dead" for semi-auto and "Undead" for full-auto hahaha.

[SioXie101]

the rain by not turning your VSC off!

[TRD_07]

Great video! Thanks.

[rcm47]

86 waterpark/ slip and slide

[Bristecom]

It's funny because any time I drive a 2 wheel drive car in snow or slick conditions (the time you need SC/TC most), I always end up turning them off because it's harder to drive properly with them on. Although I'm glad this system has a sport mode which seems to be a good compromise. I'll probably hit the VSC sport button every time I get in the car and turn it completely off when I'm in a safer environment and want to play around.

[carbonBLUE]

I'm still curious how the snow mode behaves other than it starts the car in second gear

[Brett]

Originally Posted by rcm47

86 waterpark/ slip and slide

I was just thinking that looked like a giant automotive slip and slide!

Brett

[Jayde]

I'd love to do that. Seems like a lot of fun! But I'm glad to see with everything on the car runs through it almost perfectly.

[DoogenBurns]

Originally Posted by Bristecom

It's funny because any time I drive a 2 wheel drive car in snow or slick conditions (the time you need SC/TC most), I always end up turning them off because it's harder to drive properly with them on. Although I'm glad this system has a sport mode which seems to be a good compromise. I'll probably hit the VSC sport button every time I get in the car and turn it completely off when I'm in a safer environment and want to play around.

Yep, Snow mode = Understeer mode if you ask me. My biggest fear in adverse conditions has always been understeer. Oversteer can almost always be controlled with your steering wheel and your right foot; the former is usually because you missed your braking zone.

[Frost]

Originally Posted by DoogenBurns

Yep, Snow mode = Understeer mode if you ask me. My biggest fear in adverse conditions has always been understeer. Oversteer can almost always be controlled with your steering wheel and your right foot; the former is usually because you missed your braking zone.

For my old IS300, snow mode just meant retarded gas application and quicker upshifts (it was a slushbox). It didn't necessarily mean understeer, it just didn't tend to mass oversteer anywhere near as often. I drove that car for 3-4 years through a few messy winters and had my fair share of scares when trying to change lanes in a 5-6" snow day on the highway. Those ridges that build up between lanes can really mess you up regardless of how light you are on the throttle because you go from low-grip to no-grip and if you apply the same gas, you are going to lose it if you hit an uneven spot. Traction control for me was always on unless I wanted to do something stupid on purpose.

Trick is to understand what you are about to hit (which VSC can't do - it only reacts, cannot pre-empt... yet) and prep accordingly. Going to change lanes in my situation above? Ease up on gas before hitting the ridge.

Usually gas + overly high speeds is the enemy in low grip scenarios. It will only understeer if you were going too fast to begin with.

Back on topic: the VSC looks just right. Glad the programmers got the nanny trained just about right. As for the comments on "bad drivers", it looks like they were being told to never gas off during mid turn to purposely lose it to show off how it can save you. The guy is practically gassing through out most of the slalom even though if I were to lose control like that on a wet road, I'd be gassing off to regain grip.