I turned off the VDC but it still runs like it is on

[Indy Golfer]

The other day the weather was nice enough to have a little fun with my newly purchased M45. I turned the VCD off, but the car ran the same it does when it is on, the car bogs down if it senses the wheels are slipping. I read somewhere that you need to punch it a couple of time before the system actually gives you control of the car. That didn't work.

I bought a M45 for a reason, a reason I have yet to experience.

Any ideas?

[M4T5]

That's odd. When I turn mine off, I have complete control of my car! The rear tires will ignite into smoke, from a stand still wide open throttle or going around a corner giving me some sideways action. Boy, you are missing out on the fun! Take it to the dealer if your car doesn't want to give you all control. They cant tell you how you can or cant drive the car. Also, I read an article...somewhere about when the VDC is turned off, it still has some control of the car.... I don't know what year M's that referring to, but mine "seems" to be giving me all control when it is off. Maybe they changed that for the 08' & up models. I'm feeling your pain.... Maybe someone else will chime in on this that has more knowledge about it.

J

[ArbitrageMan]

My VDC is the same way. You press the button and all it does is turn the light on the dash on. MAYBE it reduces the threshold before intervening, but the traction control is definitely still on.

In fact in the manual I remember reading that if the car is stuck in snow or mud, youre supposed to be able to turn the system off so that the engine isnt getting cut out constantly.

[M4T5]

Then why does mine give me complete control?Mine will definitely ignite the tires from a stand still. I hope mine doesn't learn anything differently!!!!! Sorry to hear this is happening to you guys.

J

[Indy Golfer]

I will have the dealership look at it. Looks like I have to take my car back again, it still won't take more than 5/8 tank of gas. I thought they had this resolved 1 1/2 weeks ago when they had the car for 2 days.

[ken in az]

Mine does that too. It launches like cow dung at the track and when you try and brake stand it, it will pull power from the engineonly spin the tires to 3mph and that's it. Nothing like this video from youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRebMoxh04s

I think it has something to do with the way traction control is linked to the braking system and the TCM in the trans. Possibly why some with worn tires will easily spin and others with good traction will put more strain on the transmission causing the input and output shaft speeds to vary causing the limited engine power to reduce the engine output. Same thing with the brakes being held it sees more strain on the transmission and cuts power.

The Titan guys do a "burn out mod" to their trucks which essentially keeps the computer from knowing the brakes are on allowing them full power brake stand burnouts and launching at the track in the stall of their torque converter for better 60ft times and lower E.T.'s at the track.

I've yet to try this on our car, but that video looks like they did it to theirs because it looks like a brake stand, but with no brake lights on makes me wonder

[M4T5]

There was no brake stand from what I could see. The rear end of the car would have torque down before it took off. But, I too didn't see any tail lights on. I'm not sure. Mine will take off like that too though. I don't need to stand on the brake to get it to do that. I can just nail the throttle and kill the tires!Maybe mines one of those "special edition" ones...

J

[ken in az]

After I watch the video again and listen to the audio more closely you can definitely hear them put it into gear at the 4 second mark(i think), then at the 7 second mark the engine begins to rev and the tires don't start spinning till the 8.5 second mark.

Last time I checked you have to have your foot on the brake just to shift it into drive. Unless what I hear at the 4 sec mark isn't them shifting into gear. Another thing is if they aren't on the brakes, why does it take 1.5seconds to get the car moving?? I have to be on the brakes otherwise my car will idle off move it's way down the road. Maybe they are using the E-Brake to get this going?

I think I see brake lights after the burn out when they are down the street but I can't tell.

I'll do a few test runs here in a coupla minutes when I leave the office and report back.

[M4T5]

I'll have to admit, I don't see any tail lights either.....Maybe they had it in Drive and then put on the e-brake like you said. I wonder if that would trick the VDC from knowing the brakes are on. All I know is, mine can take off like that without brake stalling the car.

J

[ken in az]

Mine will launch pretty hard if I don't use the brakes, but once I use them to bring up the revs then let off....it bogs bad and its terrible. I'll report back, but I'm pretty darn sure they used the e brake cause I do notice the brake lights at the end of the street.....took me a while to notice, but I see em.

Ken

[ken in az]

Eh...I don't know what the crap now! My car does exactly what that car does in the video with the VDC off. I have it on video on my cell phone so maybe I'll put em up on Youtube then post em here. VDC on it is a pig in the mud still - lol

Was pretty fun too....but I wonder why it was acting like a little baby at the track?

I guess I need the Cifer and do some data logging to see what the ECU is really doing to throttle position, ignition timing and everything else to really be certain. I guess our ideas are only that and they are open to interpretation.

I have to say it was fun doin those burnouts but it was weird, I know these cars don't have a LSD rear end but I was laying posi and almost every vid I see of an m45 doing a brody/burnout they are laying 2 stripes as well. Maybe the traction control kicks in with the rear brakes to prevent the one wheel peel like the dodge chargers do

[M4T5]

So, your car all of a sudden started acting like a crazed banshee???Mine always has the wild hair ready when the VDC gets switched off. I'm glad you finally got to respond to your wants! There kind of like a women, you just have to put your foot down a few times and then they finally come around to your needs!!

J

[M4T5]

Get that Youtube vid up! Also, how much does Cifer cost?

J

[ken in az]

I don't know if I'd call it a crazed banshee, but she definitely ripped it a new one!

And it's funny you called the car a she cause I was just thinking that this morning....this car is a chick, really the first time I've ever had a car/truck that I would consider having a feminine personality. All my other cars/trucks I would consider guys because you just get in and go, it would act the same no matter what day of the week, temperature it was outside, sometimes they would develop a rattle and later the rattle would go away with some hard driving. They had more a personality of a buddy you've know since college and maybe a few times you go in a fist fight or two but is was just for fun after you sobered up! lol

This car seems chick ish, The burnout thing and the soggy launch at the track, then I do it last night and it worked perfectly - just like a chick only wants to do it when she wants to - lol

I've also noticed the torque converter lock up is kinda weird too. It doesn't fully lock at first, it takes a while for it to completely lock up. Probably accounts for some of the low dyno numbers some have gotten with this car. If it doesn't lock up completely then you'll loose some power through TC slippage. Maybe this has something to do with the lazy 1/4 mi times as well.

As soon as I can I'll start data logging stuff with the Cifer from UpRev...the hopefully we can learn to make these cars respectably fast. I'm thinking that a TC, VB upgrade from Transgo, and and ECU tune should get these "luxo" cars into the bottom 13's

[digiboy]

You can turn of VDC, but you can't turn off SLP - so I think you'll end up with some computer control no matter what.

[M4T5]

Hell, all it really needs is the ECU trans tuning from the G35! That would definitely make a big difference.I don't see sub 13's in hard reach either for the M45's. It's just all bottled up....lol just like a women, eventually she's going to let it all out!

J

[ken in az]

Heh - I think I figured it out and I'll probably post it in a new thread too...

Did some testing tonight...results are in

Here's what happens...

VDC "ON" car acts like a slug and wont even attempt to break the tires loose no matter how you launch it. No brake stand, no nuthin

VDC "OFF" Car will spin the tires just by nailing the throttle, but not through the moon just enough to get it rolling.

It will also spin them minorly by stuffing your foot on the brake and mashing the pedal, they spin to a certain point then quit just like with the VDC "ON"

If you time the brake and the gas just right you can get the tires spinning just barely and let off the brake, the tires will roast up pretty darn good getting the car going.

*******Disclaimer******* Not for the faint of heart!!!!Up under your dash on the brake pedal there are two switches with connectors on them. one is tan in color and only has 2 wires and the other is white which has 4 wires. I disconnected the white plug while the car was in nuetral because this plug controls the brake lights and the ability to shift out of park. Jumped in and slid it into drive. one foot on the brake and one on the gas I proceeded to rip the tires off from a standstill - yes a true power brake!!!!!

I know this probably doesn't mean much to most here, but it means alot to us that plan on running the car at the track to be able to properly heat up drag slicks and launching at a more aggresive rpm.

I got a slip light on in the dash after I connected the plug back in so I need to do some more checking, but I think it only came on because of the 4 wires in the plug 2 wires are for the brake switch and the other 2 are for the traction control. I'll just need to read the FSM to narrow it down.

The Titan guys do this all the time and just add a switch in line and it actually acts as a shift interlock, which means you can switch it off when you leave your car and even if the theif breaks in, they still wouldn't be able to shift it out of park Search for it on any titan forum as the "burnout mod"

[New2Import]

I don't know if I'd call it a crazed banshee, but she definitely ripped it a new one!

And it's funny you called the car a she cause I was just thinking that this morning....this car is a chick, really the first time I've ever had a car/truck that I would consider having a feminine personality. All my other cars/trucks I would consider guys because you just get in and go, it would act the same no matter what day of the week, temperature it was outside, sometimes they would develop a rattle and later the rattle would go away with some hard driving. They had more a personality of a buddy you've know since college and maybe a few times you go in a fist fight or two but is was just for fun after you sobered up! lol

This car seems chick ish, The burnout thing and the soggy launch at the track, then I do it last night and it worked perfectly - just like a chick only wants to do it when she wants to - lol

I've also noticed the torque converter lock up is kinda weird too. It doesn't fully lock at first, it takes a while for it to completely lock up. Probably accounts for some of the low dyno numbers some have gotten with this car. If it doesn't lock up completely then you'll loose some power through TC slippage. Maybe this has something to do with the lazy 1/4 mi times as well.

As soon as I can I'll start data logging stuff with the Cifer from UpRev...the hopefully we can learn to make these cars respectably fast. I'm thinking that a TC, VB upgrade from Transgo, and and ECU tune should get these "luxo" cars into the bottom 13's

The way I always look at it is what women likes to be blown and stroked lol...So if you dont have it stroked out or blown its a female.

[M4T5]

The way I always look at it is what women likes to be blown and stroked lol...So if you dont have it stroked out or blown its a female.

Should have kept that to yourself....

J

[ken in az]

The Cifer is on their website - i think its $300

[M4T5]

Would be nice to get the M45 to break into the 12's naturally aspirated.You could always buy the laughing gas to get you there!

j