Most people on here probably think they are a good driver. If they haven't been to the track or Xcross (safe environment) try it out and they'll soon find out how good a driver they are.

My suggestion is to leave it on in anything less than perfect driving conditions and always in traffic or roads that aren't straight and wide.

 

On my second test drive with the car, I found where the vdc button was. So I turned it off and had way more fun on the test drive. I had the car sideways A LOT of the drive. My salesman in the back was wicked cool and kept saying "hmm nobody has done that before" and I replied "Took VDC off" and then he said "OH". When he said "Oh" his face was priceless. Needless to say, the fact that it gets sideways so easily means to me that the car could use stickier tires. That being said, its a very neutral handling car and the rear snaps right back into place. It feels quite similar to my M3 and having the car sideways felt pretty natural.

 

I'm not sure what the weather was like when you test-drove, but the OEM tires on the S (RE050's) are nearly useless below 50 degrees.

 

Do yourself a favour and don't mess with the VDC. It's a great safety feature that should be left on except for a few exceptions mentioned in the owner's manual.

C.

 

Probably upper mid 40's. Plus the roads were pretty salty.

 

+1, the Potenzas the come on the Sport are borderline useless in cold temps.

 

Aha!!!!! Hadn't even thought of that - and you're right, I've seen the worst behavior in close-to-freezing temps. Thanks, that at least explains it.

 

That's a public service message, right?

 

More of a reason to never have VDC in the first place, and have more stringent driving skill requirements.

I test drive the 07 6 speed MT and the first thing I did was turn off all the traction control stuff. My test drive was very pleasant, with very nice controlled launches, slight drifts through hairpin turns, and the ability to kick out the rear end when needed. I purposely made a 2nd test drive the next time it rained, and VDC did its job when turned on, but it was totally unnecessary. If you know how to drive in the first place VDC won't be needed, even on those "rare" occasions.

But...if you don't know how to drive I guess VDC is a good thing - it keeps the idiots from killing other people, but unfortunately not themselves.. Ok I guess I didn't really mean that last part.

 

They were just bad drivers. I guess VDC is a lot cheaper than actually requiring people to know how to drive.

 

Ha ha ha ha!!! Man, that's hysterical - it's great how fast you got to that generalization without any actual details. Thanks for adding some humor to the thread

 

I wish Infiniti would put better tires on all models in their lineup. My FX had the stock Goodyear Eagle RS-As and they were absolute crap. They have almost no grip in the wet and are rated as all-season. The Michelin HPA tires I replaced them with (slightly more expensive) do everything better.

/end rant

Anyway, I would leave VDC on unless you are at a track/autocross/etc. event.

 

I couldn't disagree more strongly about VDC. This type of electronics is a huge advance in auto safety management. It is relatively unobtrusive until you do something quite aggresive.. I do agree more stringennt driving skills would benefit all drivers and in addition to vdc type systems make the roads much safer.

Extremely gifted drivers can control the vehicle in all or most conditions. IMHO, most of us cannot even come close and can benefit from this technology. I would be inclined not to want to drive if even a small majority of the poplulation were driving on the street the way you indicated in your test drive. That's okay in a controlled situation but not stuff for the street.

The beauty is you can mostly disengage it when desired. The trouble is numerous people switch if off when they don't have the skills necessary, but think they do when driving a relatively powerful car. They also might be trying to do that when driving conditions are less than ideal and their driving skills can't keep pace.

As I said before those that haven't taken an advanced driving session and track session might be very surprised.

 

My previous vette had active handling.. same system, different name. I would turn it off most of the time. This was dependent on weather, road conditons, etc..
I like being in control and knowing what to expect from the car. If I was to hit 2nd or 3rd gear real hard it would cut back power when the back wheels slipped.. The system was set for pretty agressive driving and didn't come into play unless you really pushed it.
I suspect I will do the same with this car depending on how intrusive it is when I want to play.
I attended BMW performance driving school.. One of the courses was about this technology.. We has some track time with the system engaged and with it off. This system can save your butt when you don't expect it, but I still prefer it off for agressive driving in dry conditions

 

I'm usually not this blunt here, BUT what kind of stupid a$$ statement is that?? Sorry, but that has to be one of the most ridiculous posts here in a long time.