Excellent post, VSC usually comes into play when vehicles are going to fast or the driver over corrects to a particular situation.

 

I thank my VSC/TC every time I get in my car during bad weather.

I live in MA, and have driven in plenty of snow storms, and it helps TREMENDOUSLY. I just throw my xD into 3rd gear and take the slow route...and I always get there safe.

 

Volvo has made a few excellent videos for the Swedish market showing the safety benefits of their stability control system.

A lot of car shows will demonstrate stability control by driving a car faster and faster on a curve until traction is lost and stability control kicks in. However, one of the main situations where it kicks in is during avoidance maneuvers. See my last post for examples. Even the best drivers need to avoid obstacles from time to time. VSC can make the difference of whether you actually avoid an obstacle and/or whether you maintain control after the initial swerve. Snow and rain only exacerbate such problems.

 

As for turning it off, what happens if you unplug the yaw sensor? It is pretty easy to get at. I'm guessing you'll get a light on the dash and a code... But it would probably work. N

 

When it's snowing I shift between second and third, engine brake, and keep to a reasonable speed and I have been fine on all season tires(even the ____ty stock ones).

Even in sweden volvo is an old people's car. Most people don't see the need for that crap(especially the thing that stops you in traffic) and want to drive their car(not the other way arround). More often than not in inside line's slalom test(which comes close to mimicking a sudden turn to avoid something) cars do better with the stability control disabled. There appears to be a pattern of toyotas doing badly because of VSC.

And it is not even remotely foolproof. i have a friend who managed to get sideways on a patch of ice in a new(ish) acura rdx.

 

already posted how to turn it off...just hold the button down for a few seconds while stopped.

 

I agree.. While these nanny's can be useful..they can't overcome the laws of physics or undo a stupid move by the driver.. These so called safety features are good for marketing and sales brochures.. They can and do help some.. but cannot overcome driver stupidity and can lead people into a false sense of security. It's amazing how we ever got by without all this added crap..

 

I disagree that they add a false sense of security. My reasoning for that is simply that most people, even on car enthusiasts such as we have here, are, for the most part, blissfully unaware of the benefits of stability control.

The only thing Scion points out in any of their advertising is: here's what it would look like with a custom paint job and aftermarket wheels!

 

Agreed.

Read a little:
http://www.iihs.org/news/rss/pr061306.html

Both active and passive safety devices, along with the most important safety device, the driver, combine and add together to keep us alive. Any one who argues against any one of them is just wrong.

We just had 6 people die in 3 separate accidents because they all thought they were good drivers and failed to us one of their active safety devices. Their seat belt. All 6 thrown from their cars in relatively minor accidents. Just think. 6 fools would be alive today if their seat belts were an automatic system like VSC.

I remember hearing the same arguments when 3 point seat belts became standard and mandated. All the heads that were going to be sliced off from those things. The big thing to prevent that was to tuck the belt behind you. Until people realized that when you did, you just slide right out from under the belt and killed yourself against the dash or steering wheel anyways.

Then came air bags, and all of those were going to blow up in your face, or cause deafness or blindness.

 

All of the things listed don't actually interfere with driving but VSC does. There is no reason not to be able to drive a 2500lb fwd econobox. Seriously, toyota's handling is very forgiving, there is no excuse for losing control.

 

And yet people do lose control. Common sense isn't so common, nor are good drivers these days. Just like in the military, you have to go that extra mile to protect the stupid people from themselves. Toyota is doing their part to keep dumb people from becoming extinct.

Sent from my Droid

 

True. But I at least want to be able to turn the damn thing off(toyota's VSC is always active, even when it's off, above a certain speed).

 

I love how every time people debate VSC here someone wants to talk about seat belts and airbags...your way better off comparing TC to VSC.

 

Man all this talk of seatbelts and air bags would make you think we were talking about them as the main subject. What y'all got to remember is we are just talking traction control. To the person talking about six people dying there cause of death was do to seatbelts from what you said and have no relevance here. Also remember 2010 was the first year the xD came standard with traction control and look at all the 2008-2009 xD's still on the road today. Oh and for the record having it on is still some what of a false sence of security because people will overly rely on it instead of just driving normal.

 

Yeah, but look at how many xDs have been totaled. Quite a few just on this forum.

 

Realy all there is to it is that this is not a sports car it will never go around a corner or perform on a track like one it was made to be an eco car that looked different and when people try to drive it like its a gti or wrx they total them because thats not what our frame was built to do is all. i love my D but i would never do more than try to make it go a little faster in a straight line

 

Sort of... It is a small light car that can go around corners alright(after you get over the body roll, vague electric steering, and VSC) and can be used for motorsports. The problem happens when people try this on the street and bite off more than they can chew.

I would like to point out that most of the accidents that could be prevented by VSC are single vehicle accidents. So basically they take a turn to fast and eat ____. I'm gunna put my flame suit on and say that they got what was coming and because no one else gets hurt I dont care. Seriously, read the recommended speed for the corner and slow the F down.

 

Vlad, I understand your statement, but there's always that time that some fuzzy creature pops out in front of you on a wet road one night...

I had to swerve off the road to avoid someone who had wandered into my lane on a twisty road. The xD performed admirably...and I was just glad there wasn't a tree there.

VSC does not interfere with anything until the yaw sensor detects that the car is rotating contrary to the steering wheel position sensor. If VSC is interfering with your every day cornering, then you might be one of the people who are blindly relying on technology to keep you on the road. I have a feeling that VSC is not interfering with your driving, except maybe some snow-covered parking lot fun!

Don't forget that there is a huge difference between TRAC and VSC. Other than the fact that they are included in the same option package (now standard), there is nothing in common between the two.

 

VSC does not interfere with my everyday cornering because my tC does not have it. Sometimes in the rain when making a right turn one my front wheels starts spinning(FWD fail). Specifically there is one turn where I have to merge so getting up to speed is important. In this situation TRAC would try to top the wheel from spinning and VSC would try to keep the car from sliding(because one of the steering wheels has lost traction it is understeering a bit). I, on the other hand, am merging and need to speed up so I stay on the gas. The understeer is very minor in this situation so in the end I take the turn maybe a foot wider. Don't get me wrong, this is not a close call; there is plenty of time for me to get out but I need to move to keep it from becoming a close call. Nanny-matic would prevent me from doing this. Also, I plan to auto-x this season and VSC would sort of kill that.

As for the furry creature argument there maybe some validity to that but I still think knowing how to handle a sharp turn is better. Contrary to popular opinion VSC does not give you more grip and most cars have safe enough handling(with the exception of BOF SUVs). Another possible case for VSC is that the new tc is very nose heavy and needs the front inside brake to help it turn in. However, I consider this a design flaw and most cars turn just fine without it.