I went to both Infiniti dealers here in Vegas this week and asked both service departments about the VDC switch. Both dealerships stated that the VDC switch completely turns off the traction control and yaw control. THere is no 1/2 off or off a little bit. THe VDC switch is an on/off switch.

 

There's a Brake LSD system that is still active with VDC off. I've had it activate on me on an autocross course. It flashes a distracting SLIP light in my face, reduces power (by braking) just a bit, and screws with my ability to control a power slide out of a corner.

Here's the text from my 2003 Owner's Manual:
And here's the text from the 2005 Owner's Manual to show that it hasn't gone away, it just has a slightly fancier name:

 

That only applies if you have the limited slip.. My sedqan does not have it.. I have autocrossed my sedan and there is absolutely NO traction or yaw control that activates at all.. even during power slides and full throttle turns..
No traction control, no slip light..

 

well, when you dont have the limited slip diff, you are going to spin the inside rear while autocrossing and wont be accelerating either

 

lolol.. not true,, you get tire spin, but you still accelerate.. you can actually control high speed turning better with out limited slip. When both tires start spinning it is very easy to lose control..

 

There have been than a few occasions where I've gotten the "SLIP" light to come on when I've had the VDC switched off. It only happens when you completely blow the tires off and they're spinning way faster than the fronts. With temps in KC hovering in the 40s/50s, I can light my Turanzas up all the way through 1st on a quick brake stall launch, but the car is still accelerating forward at a good rate, a little sideways though , and that's with an open differential. In those situations, the SLIP light doesn't come on. If I'm on a slick surface, turn off the VDC, go WOT from a stop, the SLIP light will come on and cut power. Honest to God, it happens. Your dealership is wrong. Hell, even the owners manual says this.

 

On my 03.5 the vdc never turns off. On my way back from a G35 meet on a twisty road it kicked in eventhough the switch said it was off.

 

well, thats why I asked the dealerships,,, on my 05 AT when I autocrossed it 2 weeks ago there was more than one occasion where I got full throttle sideways in low gear, in a tight turn sipnning the hell out of the tires even "fishtailing". Never once did the slip light come on and any type of traction control activate.

 

I read that also in my 05 manual.. like I said I put the car through some tight full throttle turns with no activation from the VDC at all.
THe way it reads seems to me that is is a separate system from the LSD. I wonder why mine didnt activate?
I have another auto-x in December here in Vegas. Maybe I will intentionally try to get it to activate then I can set the Infiniti dealers (and me) straight.

 

It's because you're not spinning your tires enough. Go outside and put a lot of water mixed with a litte bleach (very slick) in the street. Put the rear tires in the mix, brake stall, and go WOT. Your rear tires will spin really fast and the fronts will barely be moving. Your SLIP light will come on.

The only time TC will be completely turned off is when you unplug the VDC brain under the center console. When you do that, the VDC, SLIP, and ABS lights come on.

 

This has nothing to do with an actual Limited Slip Differential (which wasn't available on the 03's). It doesn't kick in all the time. I've had it kick in maybe at two events over 3 years. I'd imagine if you have the actual LSD, then this ABS-controlled fake LSD system won't ever have need to activate.

 

Why would the dealer know? In particular about the VDC- They just are not well enough read to know or care about the issue- Honestly, they are going to give you answers they think you'll want to hear, or that they are programmed to offer.

 

Normally the service advisors, at least the ones I have had experience with over the years, were seasoned auto mechanics that were on light duty, or just tired of working on the cars and needed a break, (as is a friend of mine at Chevy) I shoulda figgered when the ones from Infiniti appeared to be in their late 20s.
Probably related to the mananger or owner and didnt want to get dirt under their fingernails..

 

I have a funny story about the VDC. a couple of weeks after I bought my 03 G, my wife was driving it and it happen to be raining. when I got home that day she had asked me "how do I know if the traction control is working?" being that she like most people were brought up to think that FWD cars don't lose control, I had to go back and explain the whole process of the LSD and how wheel spin is controled with the brakes yada yada yada. so anyway I had to pick up a friend from the airport that night anyway, so I figured I put the car through its paces to try and find itsboundries in wet weather. now for you SoCal drivers out there you know the minute the clouds roll in people slow down to 5mph on the freeways, but I would not be deterred by this. with it close to midnight and raining to make cali a little thinner, I was tearing down the 8W at speeds of around 80mph and not once did I get the sensation that the car my lose control even when hitting small patches of water that so convieniently populate cali highways. so I figured maybe it was just the tires and the fact that this G was much better car than any I had driven up to then but no slip light came on to tell me that things were out of wack. well once I got to the airport I was finding myself in start and stop traffic sometimes right in a puddle. I hit the gas the slip light would flicker a little but the car darted ahead as if everything was ok. even when punching itno a turn from a standstill she held her lane and didn't skid or slide, nothing. so to make a long story short after I dropped my buddy off at his house I cam to a stop sign, checked for the absense of oncoming traffic, and disengaged the VDC. when I hit the gas I was surprised to find the car pointing in the other direction, and and had even spu a little past 180* before I took my foot off the gas. and that was at only 3000rpms. needless to say I turned the VDC back on got the car poiinted back in the right direction, and drove home. the moral of the story is I'm never turning it off again. at least not until its paid for, and then I may have some fun with it, but not for a while.

 

hahahahah... that is a good story. U gotta be careful with posi..