VSC / A-TRAC in the snow

Topmounter · 11-15-08, 06:38 PM

Friday was the first day I've had my 100 out in the snow, so I headed to a nearby empty parking lot to see how it handles.

What triggers the VSC? I did get it to kick in with the BEEP BEEP BEEP once, but it was sort of hard to tell what it was doing since I naturally corrected for the slide.

However it did not kick in during several donuts / power slides that didn't seem all that much different than what I did when it did kick in.

Also, how is the front to rear power delivery determined? It seemed to keep putting a large percentage of the power to the rear wheels when doing loopy donuts... which is fun, but I sort of expected it to send more power to the front wheels to correct for the rear-end swinging out.

I didn't think to try it with the center diff locked, but other than the boost in HP & Torque, it should then feel more like my 62 did in 4WD.

Everything was stable and predictable and all this was low-speed stuff in a safe, smooth, quiet parking lot.

1loudLX · 11-16-08, 12:02 AM

I didn't read the thread but it works too well, I like to drift...so I lock the cdl to disable the vsc

1loudLX · 11-16-08, 12:16 AM

Oh ya I do high speed drifts and it feels stable then too, enjoy the beast

Topoguide · 11-16-08, 09:28 PM

Here is a link to how the VSC works. In my 2000 I got the VSC to scream at me on washboards and on sand doing donuts (never tried when I was in snow). When it cut in on the washboards I didn’t notice it did a whole lot, probably light braking; but when I was in the middle of a donut and it kicked in it cut engine power and applied brakes… no fun at all.

Side note: every time VSC came on I was pretty hard in it and doing a decent speed.

Yes the CDL will turn off the VSC, which of course takes care of the issue of how much power is being split to which differential. I apologize for lack of info on this (I am sure someone will have more), but I remember reading that more power is delivered to the rear wheels on a regular basis (fuel economy perhaps), and transfers to the front as needed.

Bottom line... if you want more control over your auto and no VSC scream use the CDL.

Topmounter · 11-17-08, 06:53 AM

Maybe the VSC was smart enough to know when I was intentionally doing something rather than reacting. It kicked in as I pulled into the parking lot a little aggressively and induced the slide, rather than when I turned the wheel, floored it and screamed YEE-HAW!!!!

It's interesting that they say VSC is #2 to seat belts in saving lives... I wonder where air bags rank.

ShottsUZJ100 · 11-17-08, 09:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Topmounter

Maybe the VSC was smart enough to know when I was intentionally doing something rather than reacting..

Exactly....it took me a couple a years driving to figure this out. What a killer vehicle!

bwbski26 · 11-17-08, 02:13 PM

its amazing in the snow

2000UZJ · 11-17-08, 06:52 PM

havent had the chance. Wishing it snows down here. maybe a little ice could allow me to test this system out. Ive had it on a grassy farm right after a light rain so it was real slick out. was fun, too bumpy to slide though.

1loudLX · 11-17-08, 07:45 PM

ice it wont help, unless you have studded tires....your gonna be sliding no matter what acronym you have.

Topoguide · 11-17-08, 10:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Topmounter

Maybe the VSC was smart enough to know when I was intentionally doing something rather than reacting. It kicked in as I pulled into the parking lot a little aggressively and induced the slide, rather than when I turned the wheel, floored it and screamed YEE-HAW!!!!

Gotta love that YEE-HAW sensor!! (guess they left it out of the video for insurance reasons)