[TougeMonster]

So, the first rains in So Cal finally hit and off I went to see what the STi can do in the rain against its many settings.

First off was DCCD Auto and VDC on (or on delay).
The car felt very stable and accelerator work on straight lines was very easy due to the tq limiting factor of the VDC. DCCD Auto was also nice for the straights for more grip to all 4 wheels.

In the corner however, was a different story. Braking was ok, once again on the straight lines, the system works fine. Massive amounts of understeer from the VDC braking and tq limitations. From the driver's seat, in the rain the VDC acts to use the outer brakes in the corners. This caused massive understeer as even the heading wouldn't change let alone actual vehicle direction. Coupled with the DCCD on auto trying to put more power to the front since the rear wants to slide = even more understeer. Mid corner braking necessary to change brake balance from going too far outside. Throttle also doesnt really help because of DCCD trying to pull vehicle out of the corner as opposed to pushing the rear qoutward to change heading and direction. At the same time VDC is limiting TQ and braking the outside wheels. Very frustrating.

 

[TougeMonster]

VDC off DCCD Auto
this setting was a bit better as there was no more braking on the outside wheels. However, the fact that power to the rear is cut and causes additional torque steer becomes the primary problem. With this setting the main problem becomes trying to change the heading of the vehicle since with torque steer and the front wheel power necessitates this driving style. What does this mean? More steering angle to get the needed vehicle heading which is the primary direction set for vehicles with primary front wheel power. Goal: try to get the car pointed where you want to go, because it will take a while for it to get there and actually go where you want it to. Heavy understeer.

VDC off DCCD off Rear setting
This one pretty much lets the car go where it wants with you behind the wheel. The rear can slide so you can change vehicle heading before changing actual direction. Advantage to this? you can keep your line of sight straight on where you want to be headed and maintain your heading. This allows you to pay more attention to car control factors, primarily throttle control. With this setting, the wheels spin freely and if you give too much gas, spin you go or wheel spin with no actual direction change slide only. If you give it the right amount of throttle, just keep the wheel strightened out and your vehicle will head in the intended direction. It will let you get the heading straight faster and you can get back on to giving as much throttle as possible = higher average cornering and exit speeds.
this also requires that you maintain your concentration on the throttle, even on the straights as you can still freely spin the tires in teh rain, unlike with th VDC on limiting your throttle to limit spin.

 

[TougeMonster]

Just some of my initial drving impressions in the rain. Might be some things for you guys to expect when driving in rain conditions in multiple cornering situations. Getting this info now might be beneficial in case of an emergency situation no?

 

[GraveDigger611]

good info. no sti here, but still interesting.

 

[pehon]

yeah i have no DCCD... but great post!

 

[snowcat]

Thanks for the post; good info.

 

[BoostJuice]

yeah soid post.

 

[Serialk1llr]

Hella education, like most of your comparison posts. +1 Karma 8)

 

[joneSi]

Hella education, like most of your comparison posts. +1 Karma 8)

Werd. I read this the other day. I don't have an STi, but it was interesting to say the least.

Once I get my mind fully around the WRX, I'll upgrade to an STi and fully understand about these features. I'm thinking about 5 years or so. Then WRX only for the track, STi for DD, then mod the BEJESUS out of the WRX. LOL

joneSi

 

[fireZ]

i don't have a very good impression of the vdc on the ice. it doesn't really kick in very quickly. i was just messing around on a couple roads and parking lots (empty of course) testing out how quickly the vdc takes control by just giving the steering wheel a little flick or getting on the gas a bit too heavy, nothing drastic. the rear end will definitely kick out before the vdc takes control and i'm just doing little things. i'd guess it's about a half second before regaining control.. while that's not much, if there was something that caused serious loss of traction i feel like i could spin the car before vdc turns on. anyone else experience something like that?

 

[chanke4252]

i don't have a very good impression of the vdc on the ice. it doesn't really kick in very quickly. i was just messing around on a couple roads and parking lots (empty of course) testing out how quickly the vdc takes control by just giving the steering wheel a little flick or getting on the gas a bit too heavy, nothing drastic. the rear end will definitely kick out before the vdc takes control and i'm just doing little things. i'd guess it's about a half second before regaining control.. while that's not much, if there was something that caused serious loss of traction i feel like i could spin the car before vdc turns on. anyone else experience something like that?

yes, I agree. I am not sure whether it is because subaru just doesn't do very good with bleeding edge electronics and such they can't seem to make their vdc as sensitive as it should be, or if it was intentional. It does allow way too much yawing around before it does anything such that I doubt that it would be of any real benefit if there were anything more than a minor loss of control. most other systems ive used have been MUCH more sensitive, though I'd rather have it not sensitive enough than too sensitive.

 

[joneSi]

... though I'd rather have it not sensitive enough than too sensitive.

Exactly what I was thinking. I was messing around w/ the VDC as well in the snow. Hard to tell (for me) what and when it would work. Feels sort of spotty...

joneSi