Crab_Spirits

The VSC on the xB sucks. By "sucks", I mean it's very good at what it does. Sometimes, I don't want stability, I need to slide to get the car pointed where I want it to go. Also, if the snow is deep, I don't want my car automatically braking. I'm going to get stuck. I don't need a computer that doesn't know what I'm trying to do, to take actions for me. During the winter, I always have the TCS turned off. There has only been a handful of times where it has actually helped me. It lugs the engine, and doesn't stop wheelspin any better than what I can do with my right foot. The ABS is another story, I like it on this car.

Case in point, here is what my dash cam captured yesterday. I have ice tires on. They are quite adequate for the conditions. I'm not going very fast. There is snow that's a little deep on the right side of the car. The VSC sees something it doesn't like and starts braking the right side wheels. This just pulls me into the curb. I pull the ebrake in a panic to skid out of it, and take the load off the front tires, but it does nothing. VSC is going crazy and I smack the curb. Then I try to pull away, and VSC (TCS is turned off) is lugging the engine for no reason. If the snow was deeper, I would have been screwed.

I have tried to figure out how to turn these 2 systems off for awhile. Searched all morning, only to find stupid stuff like "cut the wires to 3 wheel speed sensors"

I looked at the wiring diagrams and tried to disable the yaw sensor, but this also disables the ABS. Then I found it. There is a 7.5A fuse under the dash labeled "ECU-B". This supplies power to the steering angle sensor. Removing it disables TCS and VSC, while still letting the ABS work. Super easy solution. I'm surprised nobody figured this out yet. I searched for a long time, and just found more people frustrated with no solution.

criminaltc

Well glad you figured it out. Either way you were going way too fast for that turn. You pushed yourself right into the curb. How were your tires supposed to steer on that? Of course your going to go straight.

Crab_Spirits

That's the problem. I was fine before VSC turned on brakes. Even when I hit the snow, I had plenty of traction.

Disclaimer: I road race a very nervous mid-engine car, do drifting, and have a lot of winter experience in this car. Not just some 16yo newb driver who doesn't know how to handle a little weather.

criminaltc

Nice disclaimer. I hadn't even considered you to be a bad driver at all, plus that would mean you'd be 6 years old when you started on this forum. Haha. I was just calling it like I "thought" I saw it, but I know cameras scew things. I race oval track and can't get full throttle until halfway down the stretch otherwise I'm drifting!

Habes87

Holding down the trac button for 3 seconds shuts off tcs and vsc.