What Are These Buttons Underneath My Steering Wheel?

[Cruzen]

I'd love to push them but I'm too scared

[rs73]

VDC = Vehicle Dynamic Control.

it turns off your traction control / stability system, so in a wet corner you can go out of shape or drifting.

the little round one is usually for mirror down when reversing, but many was disabled or no longer working, plus people believe dipping the mirror every reverse could wear out the mirror motor faster. on my car it doesn't work either, and has been rewired by Chris Rogers as the master switch for Garmin to take over the screen.

[Cruzen]

Thanks ,

How do I tell if the VDC is turned on or off ?

[rs73]

there should be a VDC off light on your speedo.

go on man don't be scared to push any button. have fun.

[V35 Matt]

is it true if you hold down the VDC button for 10 seconds it disables it more than a single press??

If so does it also do anything about the ABS?

I tried it once and the car felt different, like there was no holding the power back.

[rs73]

that's what people said, holding it down for 10 seconds disable it totally. simply pressing it, it will still kicks in if the car goes out of shape badly...

[xscape237]

I'm going to suggest that the "holding down for 10 seconds" is false.

On the skidpan day i didnt hold it down for 10 seconds. Simply turned it off. VDC didnt appear to do anything at all.

At phillip island, with VDC on, i could feel it working on turn #1 and the light would flash. After i pressed the button, it totally stopped doing anything. However i didnt spin out so maybe it only activates in extreme circumstances with VDC off?

[rs73]

did I just spot you @ ballarat rd?

[daisu]

It would more likely be that holding it down for 10seconds is not a permanent disable, but that it doesn't turn back on every time you turn the engine off/on.

I turned mine off this arvo for a minute, it did feel a little bit powerful but I've only owned the car for a couple days so could maybe be a placebo effect.

[Stephen Thorpe]

the mirror down button would be sensational... I would love to have one of those... always put the mirror's down.

love to get an inch from the kerb.

[grae35]

is it true if you hold down the VDC button for 10 seconds it disables it more than a single press??

If so does it also do anything about the ABS?

I tried it once and the car felt different, like there was no holding the power back.

Ive got a 6mt sedan and do a lot of skid pan days and the odd track day so have been most interested in this topic. Am lucky enough to have inherited a glove box owners manual with the car on purchase and have since also sourced an infinity workshop manual. Both have lots about this topic.

Before owning this car I had never spun a car on the road except once in an accident(over 30 years ago). However if you are pushing your limits on a skid pan (as you should be to learn something) then it is really easy to drift and spin. I commonly run out of drifting talent and go for a spin on the wet pan. The VDC button definitely does make a difference to our cars but it is more complicated than many may realise.

Start the car up normally and you should see both the VDC OFF light (rhs of tacho) and SLIP warning light (in between speedo and tacho) illuminate briefly to confirm the system's operational status. They should go out in about two seconds or as you continue to turn the key and engage the starter motor.

VDC is now turned on. This is the default setting and according to the manual...

When accelerating or driving on slippery surfaces VDC sensors detect the tyres beginning to spin or slide and control the brakes and engine output to improve vehicle stability. When the VDC system does this it tells you by blinking the SLIP light in the centre of your instrument panel. The longer it engages for the longer it blinks. However being an earlier generation stability system and aimed for normal rather than sports driving I have found that it actually is too aggressive for my liking and cuts a lot of power from the engine. Thus you whizz round the corner etc barely able to feel any slide beginning but well aware the system has cut your power down. Just as you would want to save you in normal driving.

The TCS (Traction Control System) works in a similar way cutting engine power when wheel spin occurs. So if your off to the drags dont also forget to turn the VDC off each go. Lucky I managed to remember that one ok! Same deal with the SLIP light which blinks to show that TCS is operating to cut wheel spin. Apparently is also very useful in the snow.

ABS or the Anti-lock braking system works no matter whether you turn your stability and traction control systems on or off. Thank goodness because on my local skidpan we have competitions where you need to be able to drift the car but also to brake and swerve on wet concrete which is way easier if abs does all the thinking for you. Although that said one of the boys does actually pull his abs fuse under the bonnet to turn this system off too.

Now is where it gets complicated!! And for those of you like me with the viscous limited slip diff as well I am still not quite sure exactly how it interplays at the same time. But to go back to the manual it says further....

The VDC system also uses an Active Brake Limited slip Differential (ABLS) system to improve vehicle traction. The ABLS system works when one of the driving wheels is spinning on a slippery surface. The ABLS system brakes the spinning wheel which distributes the driving power to the other drive wheel.(and this can scare the shit out of you on the track!) If the vehicle is operating with the VDC system turned off, all VDC system functions and TCS functions will be turned off. (however) The ABLS system and ABS will still operate with the VDC system off. And as for all the other systems the SLIP light will blink to indicate its operation. Also you may hear a clunk noise and/or feel a pulsation in the brake pedal. This is normal and not an indication of a malfunction.

This could explain what happened to me at Willowbank drags last month when up against a beautiful v35coupe with a stroked 3.7 litre motor putting out 40kw more at the wheels than my car, he didnt beat me like I expected. Because it was an auto and no lsd I am thinking now that perhaps his lack of traction for the free wheeling rear wheel (because of the std open diff) caused ABLS to activate to brake his smokin drive wheel and thereby cut his effective power to less than mine. No doubt he will clean me up when he gets an LSD.

And finally to the issue of holding down the VDC off button for ten seconds. I have tried it today and all that happened to me was that the VDC OFF light (which came on when I initially pressed it) went out. Thus VDC was back on. I tested this by cornering hard and yes the SLIP light came on and I could feel power cut. So I agree with Alan, it seems not to work.

Theres heaps more I could say about track corners etc and VDC but this post is long enough as it is so will save next instalment for another time if anyone is even interested that is!

[Touge Kyousou]

VDC is still on even when it's off peoples...well at least on mine it still is on in the background. However it does allow wheelspin and angle etc.

I've found the only way to fully disable mine is to unplug it

[Japav]

VDC is still on even when it's off peoples...well at least on mine it still is on in the background. However it does allow wheelspin and angle etc.

I've found the only way to fully disable mine is to unplug it

hm...i can prove the wheelspin and angle and plus drifting...thats how i bended a "keep left" sign in a raining day =='

[Chris 350GT]

The mirror button should automatically fold the mirrors in when the ignition is switched off. I had a 350Z import with same button. Switch it on (button in) and when you turn off the ignition hey presto! The switch is a bit light and they break quite easily so if it doesn't latch in then it won't work. Jaycar do an identical switch without the logo if it's broken.

[rs73]

there is a separate button for mirror fold - usually just next to the mirror adjustment.

I wouldn't wanna use it too often. high usage also seem to wear the motor from what others have posted around the internet.

also - apparently there was a 'hatred' among some local vandalds looking at JDM cars parked with mirrors folded. They saw the act of mirror folding is a snobbish show offs of that feature so they set off to 'undo' the act by hand. Those vandals really have nothing better to do. They do know that folding it back while the mirror is folded will often break the motor housing inside... and they did it on purpose for fun - just as how they love to key someone's nicely polished new car.