If you’ve been shopping for a new car or truck, you may have seen some references to VDC, Vehicle Dynamic Control or Vehicle Dynamics Control, and wondered what these terms mean. VDC is a very good feature to have on your car, and here’s why.
Since 2012, car manufacturers have been required to equip all new cars and trucks with electronic stability control (ESC) systems, which use computerized technology to detect wheel slippage and apply countermeasures that go beyond what drivers are capable of carrying out manually. Some carmakers — Nissan, Infiniti, and Subaru — use advanced electronic stability control systems that they refer to as VDC, which stands for vehicle dynamic control.
VDC Actions
In adverse driving conditions, the VDC system might apply the brakes to individual wheels to counteract slipping. Sometimes a vehicle will continue going straight when you’re trying to turn. This is called understeering, and VDC can detect it when it occurs. In these cases, VDC will apply the brakes on the outer front wheel which forces the car to turn. VDC does not take over the steering of the vehicle from the driver. Instead, it provides inputs that allow the driver to keep steering the vehicle in the direction they want it to go.
In normal driving situations, a VDC system perpetually monitors your car’s steering and direction. It compares your intended direction (as determined by the steering wheel angle) to the car’s actual direction. The intended path and actual travel path are usually the same, but wheel slippage and a loss of traction can affect this. The VDC system determines this discrepancy and electronically sends orders to the car's systems to correct the problem.
In contrast to understeering, oversteering means a vehicle is turning more than the driver wants. If oversteering goes uncorrected, the vehicle may spin, causing grave danger of a crash. The Nissan/Infiniti VDC system counteracts this by controlling brake pressure to reduce wheel slip on a drive wheel that is losing traction by transferring power to a non-slipping drive wheel on the same axle.
VDC also regulates engine output when necessary to help reduce both oversteering and understeering. Sometimes, when the vehicle is stuck in mud or snow, the VDC may reduce engine output too much, and you will need to turn it off briefly. There is a “VDC Off” switch in most Nissan and Infiniti vehicles for this very situation.
If you have any questions about vehicle dynamic control, contact us at Route 9 Nissan in Westborough, MA. You can either stop by our dealership or check out our inventory online. For further assistance, get in touch with our team. You can also reach out to us for the maintenance and repair of your vehicle. Our friendly staff will be by your side throughout your vehicle buying process. Keep reading our blogs for all the updates. We look forward to hearing from you soon!