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First Experience with VDIM

4K views 72 replies 33 participants last post by  absoluteis300 
#1 ·
I have had my car for about 36 hours and already managed to trigger VDIM. It was a bit of a suprise since I'm staying below 3500 RPMs and definately not speeding. Here is what happened:

I was at a stop sign, waiting to turn right while leaving a shopping center. I noticed a bus was coming so I decided to be a bit more aggressive than usual, but keeping my eye on the tach to stay below 3500 RPM. I hit the gas pretty smoothly with the intent to get to 3500 RPM quickly so I can get in front of that bus. Well, it was raining. The pavement I was turning onto was also very slick, and not your typical road surface.

As I accellerated with the wheels sharply turned, I completely lost traction and the whole backend was getting ready to slide out. This would not have been a horrible situation, but I would definately have been pointing toward the sidewalk, would have had to break and then would be in the way of a big bus who would have had to slow down for me.

What happened is that VDIM kicked in after letting the rear slide a few inches and put me back on my original track. It was almost like hitting a rail.

I'm not what you would consider a driving enthusiast, which is why I'm also not a BMW fan. There seems to be a bit of concern about VDIM, but my first experience with it was positive. I have yet to really push this car, so who knows what I will think later on.

I'm pretty sure it was not just traction control that kicked in because of the way the car corrected itself. It was much more effective than simple traction control.
 
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#2 ·
TwoStroke said:
I'm pretty sure it was not just traction control that kicked in because of the way the car corrected itself. It was much more effective than simple traction control.
Glad it worked and that you are okay. That is not just traction control at work. The vehicle stability control on my '02 IS is what snaps the tail back into position, so I assume it's similar with the VDIM.
 
#3 ·
It's nice to hear somebody say something positive about VDIM.
 
#4 ·
doesn't sound soo bad, how much power did it cut just kinda curious. did it fall flat on it's face?
 
#6 ·
IceCold4x4 said:
doesn't sound soo bad, how much power did it cut just kinda curious. did it fall flat on it's face?
That's hard to say, since I'm not a great driver. It seemed like it cut just enough to get things pointed in the right direction. It happened really fast.

I think I'm going to get into a lot of trouble in this car once break-in is over. :)
 
#11 ·
HoustonLex said:
Traction Control would have done that too
No it wouldn't. Traction Control doesn't correct steering inputs.
 
#12 ·
Sounds like the car cut power rather than applying ABS - VDIM is supposed to be smart, and that would be the smart thing in this situation. It's nice to hear it's working as intended. I used to be on the "I want an off switch or bust!" wagon but at this point I find I'm admiring the technology behind VDIM more and more.
 
#13 ·
picus... I think a lot of people are bashing VDIM based solely on the principle of it.
 
#14 ·
Crester said:
picus... I think a lot of people are bashing VDIM based solely on the principle of it.
Ya, not to go OT but I still would like an "off" switch, but I am not as against VDIM as I originally was. I had a bad experience with it at ToL so I kind of didn't give it a chance until I learned more about it. Now that I am pretty much completely aware of how it works I like it, but I'd still like a way to disable it for track days. :)

Guttermouth - I'm editing this so I don't have to make another post. My understanding of VDIM is that it's an amalgamation of all the safety features, it's the system that controls and applies them as needed - so TC and VDIM aren't seperate entities so much as TC is one of the features controlled by VDIM. Flipeside909 is the expert on VDIM so perhaps he will correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that's basically how it works.
 
#16 ·
GutterMouth said:
I was thinking the same thing

I had a similar sitution happen to me...(IS300), And as the car was straightening its self out I notice the traction control flash.....

So the question is.... on the IS350, how do you know if its the traction control or the VDIM?
Well, I have also had the same kind of response and had the VSC flash. When the trac control goes on there is definitely a reduction in power. I just let the car do its job and don't worry about it too much! :)
 
#17 ·
TwoStroke said:
I have had my car for about 36 hours and already managed to trigger VDIM. It was a bit of a suprise since I'm staying below 3500 RPMs and definately not speeding. Here is what happened:

I was at a stop sign, waiting to turn right while leaving a shopping center. I noticed a bus was coming so I decided to be a bit more aggressive than usual, but keeping my eye on the tach to stay below 3500 RPM. I hit the gas pretty smoothly with the intent to get to 3500 RPM quickly so I can get in front of that bus. Well, it was raining. The pavement I was turning onto was also very slick, and not your typical road surface.

As I accellerated with the wheels sharply turned, I completely lost traction and the whole backend was getting ready to slide out. This would not have been a horrible situation, but I would definately have been pointing toward the sidewalk, would have had to break and then would be in the way of a big bus who would have had to slow down for me.

What happened is that VDIM kicked in after letting the rear slide a few inches and put me back on my original track. It was almost like hitting a rail.

I'm not what you would consider a driving enthusiast, which is why I'm also not a BMW fan. There seems to be a bit of concern about VDIM, but my first experience with it was positive. I have yet to really push this car, so who knows what I will think later on.

I'm pretty sure it was not just traction control that kicked in because of the way the car corrected itself. It was much more effective than simple traction control.
idiot
 
#18 ·
GutterMouth said:
I was thinking the same thing

I had a similar sitution happen to me...(IS300), And as the car was straightening its self out I notice the traction control flash.....

So the question is.... on the IS350, how do you know if its the traction control or the VDIM?

lifting off the gas would have had the same affect...


VDIM is for much more significant events... such as taking a corner at 60 that was meant for 30... or finding yourself hitting black ice with one side of the car... not for simple things like controlling torque when you floor it
 
#20 ·
People who keep saying "I think people are bashing VDIM on principle" and "have you DRIVEN the car?".

Two good points, but not good enough. If I pay $45k+ for a car, I want to be able to hold the brakes and light-up the rear tires whenever I feel like it, VDIM/TRC simply wont let you do that. Donuts, huge drifts in the snow? Doubtful!

What about a sharp turn with a controlled skid with just the right amount of acceleration hanging the rear out on a 90 degree angle and shaving time off your drive? Doubtful.

I don't need to drive it to know what it wont do and I wont buy the car until I know I can disable it, period.

Take a look at the slalom tests, they came in worse then the previous IS and many other cars.

You guys make a point but not good enough of one, so stuff it. :p
 
#22 ·
ShooExpert said:
No offense but that was a ridiculous comment. The guy almost skidded into a bus and you are asking him how much power it cut as if he was on a race track. :rolleyes:
read closer he wasn't about to skid into a bus, he pulled out infront of it and started to slide, a very valid question, and if you've driven a IS300 in the rain with traction control you would understand my reason for asking. because when it cuts power you lose control of about 60 % of the throttle for about 3 seconds power wise as it brings it back in which because of a few pebbles in medians has almost caused a few wrecks because i couldn't floor it through a little bit of spinning tires.
 
#24 ·
jd- said:
People who keep saying "I think people are bashing VDIM on principle" and "have you DRIVEN the car?".

Two good points, but not good enough. If I pay $45k+ for a car, I want to be able to hold the brakes and light-up the rear tires whenever I feel like it, VDIM/TRC simply wont let you do that. Donuts, huge drifts in the snow? Doubtful!
I can power brake the IS, what do you mean you cant?
 
#25 ·
I'm obviously not talking about VDIM for every-day driving to work situations, it may actually "help" then.

I'm talking for people who actually do SOME recreational driving with their cars and know HOW to do it right. I've never caused an accident or done damage to any of my cars.

Do I plan to keep my new shiny lexus around to beat on? hell no, but those days I want to have some fun and let some aggression/stress out, for me nothing better then driving like a freakin maniac in controlled areas. Once in awhile of course. :)

So it is a SEDAN, so? The M-series are sedans, and they can power/drift through turns well, but of course, they are BMW and the electrical ssytem will shut down :jawDrop: , but same story goes for many other cars as far as the turns go.
 
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