VDC (VEHICLE DYNAMIC CONTROL) light comes on when I hit the gas hard.

[300WHP11]

I have a 2011 WRX and after I got my car tuned for my upgrades (dp, Intake, bov, intercooler) when I floor it the VDC light flashes. Is it because of the new found power making the car pull more G's causing the light to come on or is there a problem. Has anybody else experience this before? Thanks for the input.

[Trunkmonkey56]

Cornering at the limit in my stock 2011 wrx and pinning the throttle will get mine to come on. U should turn it off if ur new found power is engaging it as it applies the breaks to get traction back from my understanding. I haven't read to deeply about how it functions yet though

[SuBieReX11]

If your going to get on it, It seems you should turn it off before hand , That's how it is in my weak little 08 civic SI, If i don't turn the traction control off, it reduces my acceleration by trying not to allow your tires to spin. It is known to take anywhere from .5 to a whole second off a quarter mile on the SI when left on. Hopefully this helps some =)

[mjboudreaux77]

I have the '11 STI... With my stock tires, my light didn't come on unless I really hammered on it. When I put my snow tires on, its on all the time. I am running Blizzak WS70s, and now the light comes on if I get on it at all.

[Trunkmonkey56]

Not sure if ur running snow tires cause its snowy there, but u r supposed to turn off the VDC if on any loose surface like snow, mud, gravel, etc.

[anxiouz]

I have yet to get mine to turn on but it's always sunny and warm here in So Cal.

OP...you're in MA? If you're on a wet (or gravelly) surface and still on stock tires, when you gun it you could be breaking traction. In this case I blame the tires and conditions.

[mexicanzero]

if the light comes on when you mash it then that means its doing what its supposed to do... limit tire slippage

it should be turned off when driving aggressively or when you're trying to get un stuck but not if your driving normally even when on snow gravel etc... its purpose it to keep you from loosing control of which there is a much higher change when your on loose surfaces

-Alex

[mjboudreaux77]

Not sure if ur running snow tires cause its snowy there, but u r supposed to turn off the VDC if on any loose surface like snow, mud, gravel, etc.

VDC is specifically designed to help in snow driving...

My 07 WRX was good in the snow, but the car would swirve sometimes under severe snow. The STI stays in a straight line almost all the time - because of the VDC.

[mangostick]

I have a 2011 WRX and after I got my car tuned for my upgrades (dp, Intake, bov, intercooler) when I floor it the VDC light flashes. Is it because of the new found power making the car pull more G's causing the light to come on or is there a problem. Has anybody else experience this before? Thanks for the input.

you're breaking traction.. plain and simple.

you need grippier tires, or you need to use less throttle... or... you can just watch the light blink and giggle because you're making enough power to break traction

[mangostick]

Not sure if ur running snow tires cause its snowy there, but u r supposed to turn off the VDC if on any loose surface like snow, mud, gravel, etc.

what?? Tell us what page in the manual it says that... I've been through mine end to end and there is NO place that subaru tells you to disable a vehicle stability function when on surfaces that NEED assistance in that area.

In snow driving that vdc may be the difference between a safe trip home or a trip into a guard rail. There's a reason its there... 90% of us.. you included... are not as good a driver as we think we are.

[Trunkmonkey56]

No need to attack my driving ability since u don't know me or my history. That's why I added the I'm not sure comment about the vdc. Just my undedrstanding so far. Utimately peruse the manual and don't listen to what any internet people have to say. Figure out what works best for u. Ill look at the manual and see what it says sometime soon and post back.

[mangostick]

No need to attack my driving ability since u don't know me or my history. That's why I added the I'm not sure comment about the vdc. Just my undedrstanding so far. Utimately peruse the manual and don't listen to what any internet people have to say. Figure out what works best for u. Ill look at the manual and see what it says sometime soon and post back.

dude you can take that comment personally if you choose to but everyone that says they're a great driver is usually much less than great. Besides, I did add a caveat in there that included the rest of us. It wasn't a personal shot.

Reading comprehension.. its important. You should learn it. (THAT was a personal shot btw.. incase you needed clarification)

[Trunkmonkey56]

I never drove my previous wrx's into guard rails in any weather, and they didn't have vdc. Guess that puts me in ur 10%. Whether that remark was at me, or 90% of the driving population, its attacking others u know nothing about. I took it personally since it implies that u know what my opinion of my driving is, and how good/bad a driver I may actually be. U didn't need to add the comment about driving abilities to get ur point accross, but oh well. I don't care for internet drama since its pointless, so attack all u want. I'm done with this response and I'll continue to comprehend the way I do, even if it doesn't match ur idea of what that is.

[anxiouz]

You're both making a bit too much of it although I do see both sides. Just drop it.

The whole point of VDC is to control the car in cases of driver non-control. Tires spinning, sliding, the car rotating, etc.. So in snow more than any other situation VDC would likely be engaged.

Back in the day I had a 350Z and it had VDC. It was specific to the car rotating so if the rear stepped out too much it would kick in. If the front was understeering bad and digging in, it did nothing because there was no rotation. But for RWD that may be more logical, who knows.

I'm not sure how the Subaru VDC works but it's likely similar. If only 1 or 2 tires start to spin I suspect it would likely engage. If the brake are pressed and the car slides at all, it would prob come into play too.

Long story short, VDC is there to help when it thinks you are losing some aspect of control, even if you're not. So if you're in snow I would expect that light to come on all the time regardless of how "in dange" you are or crashing the car.

[mangostick]

I don't care for internet drama since its pointless, so attack all u want.

HA! I never attacked ya, but hey.. if you're soft spot is that large I could say that all day and you'd never get it.

fyi, my 10% Is more accurately 1% and consists of professional race drivers.

The rest of us (including you unless you're a paid professional race driver.. which I highly doubt), are normal every day drivers. My opinion is we all suck, some worse than others. If we didn't..there would be no need for manufacturers to spend money on systems like vdc or traction control or abs or collision avoidance or power brakes or.. I could go all day. Because you know well if they didn't have to spend that money.. they wouldn't.

I haven't driven into guard rails either, most of us here haven't but that doesn't mean it cant happen. Not all vehicle driving situations depend on just the driver, many are reactionary to outside situational influence. Avoidance/road damage/other people crashing... etc.

Take my opinion personally if you want, I'm sure you're not the only one. Its your waste of time. It wont hurt how I sleep at night.

Anxiouz; consider it dropped. I think I've proved my point.