Snow Mode and VDC??

F

faithy

Member
Hey all so I've owned my FX for a couple of months now, been going through the owners manual and learning a LOT from you all. I have a question regarding these two switch's/features on my rig. When/what/why are they and what do they do exactly? Posi dif? shuts off AWD=rear wheel? any easy explanations out there of when I should be playing around with the settings would be appreciated. thanks!:tup:
 
Snow Mode: Will not allow you to take fast starts. I believe it starts you out in 2nd gear. Also, it slows the engine down immensely...you can be flooring it and your mph will very slowly increase. Worked great in the snow for me (Rwd)

VDC: On/Off traction control. Easiest example: Take your car to a corner where normally you gun it to enter traffic. With it on, you will see/feel your engine slow down a split second trying to get the rear wheels traction. With it OFF: you can get your rear wheels to spin. Or course that is with a RWD.

And DO NOT shut off your AWD for long periods of time, if at all. Infiniti for whatever reason, did not make this car able to shut off AWD for long periods without damaging your "rig".
 
Snow button...does two things:

1. Reduces throttle sensitivity. This means that if you slam on the gas pedal, it will purposely open the throttle (butterfly valve in the throttle body) much slower than if you were not in snow mode, resulting in a more controlled acceleration from stop.

2. Raises the AWD-RWD transfer speed. Like many others here, I don't know the EXACT speed at which the ECU tells the TCU to make a RWD powertrain. Again, from what I remember, this number is 19mph. In snow mode, you will maintain the AWD start for higher speeds than if the button was not depressed. The transmission will still be RWD biased and will revert to a RWD, just a little later on.

The '03 models did not have a snow button, but rather an AWD Lock button, which did the same thing except did not have the throttle sensitivity adjust that the snow mode has.


ATTESA E-TS traction system

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Infiniti's advanced Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) system with Traction Control System (TCS) is standard on all FX models. VDC adjusts brake pressure and engine torque automatically in understeer, oversteer or slippery road surface situations, helping the driver keep the intended path.

The ATTESA E-TS™ (Advanced Total Traction Engineering System for All Electronic Torque Split) all-wheel drive system utilized on FX45 and FX35 AWD uses an advanced torque split control strategy that automatically transfers optimum torque to the wheels according to road and driving conditions. The system provides outstanding handling due to optimum torque distribution for front and rear SNOW MODE(50:50 up to 0:100). ATTESA E-TS™ also provides high starting traction performance and smooth, stable acceleration, especially in snow-covered or off-road situations with a 50:50 torque split at standing start.
 
What happens if I leave the AWD lock on and do 40-50mph? As that's what I did the last time I drove in snow.
 
MUFC said:
What happens if I leave the AWD lock on and do 40-50mph? As that's what I did the last time I drove in snow.
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No problem (Edit:on icy or snow covered roads). At speeds above 12 mph, the Snow Mode function allows the central computer processing system to take over again, and continually monitors the traction conditions and changes the torque distribution as needed. So basically the Snow mode cuts out above 12mph and lets the Atessa awd look after what wheels require traction.
 
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MUFC said:
What happens if I leave the AWD lock on and do 40-50mph? As that's what I did the last time I drove in snow.
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You definitely do NOT want to leave the AWD lock on all the time as it will cause problems with your control arms and axles as well. Someone learned this the hard way.
 
Dr.2K said:
You definitely do NOT want to leave the AWD lock on all the time as it will cause problems with your control arms and axles as well. Someone learned this the hard way.
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Dr you mean on bare roads don't you?

If you leave it on while on snow covered roads, it poses no problem.
Personally I never use the snow mode since I find the Atessa system does great on it's own.
 
toy4x said:
Snow Mode: Will not allow you to take fast starts. I believe it starts you out in 2nd gear. Also, it slows the engine down immensely...you can be flooring it and your mph will very slowly increase. Worked great in the snow for me (Rwd)

VDC: On/Off traction control. Easiest example: Take your car to a corner where normally you gun it to enter traffic. With it on, you will see/feel your engine slow down a split second trying to get the rear wheels traction. With it OFF: you can get your rear wheels to spin. Or course that is with a RWD.

And DO NOT shut off your AWD for long periods of time, if at all. Infiniti for whatever reason, did not make this car able to shut off AWD for long periods without damaging your "rig".
Click to expand...


So what you're saying about VDC, it slows down the respond time of your car?
I have a FX50s, am I better off with the VDC off?

Thanks
 
No, Snow Mode slows the throttle response of the car down significantly, not VDC (unless in an emergency type condition). VDC detects wheel slippage and then applies the breaks or/and decreases throttle to help you control the car safely. That's not the same as "slowing down the car" in snow mode.

Snow mode: Slows throttle response so that you cannot simply hammer the accelerator and make the car spin out, it will make take off much more controlled (to reduce slipping in snow!) It does this all the time while in the mode, regardless of slippage. It basically forces you to go slow or slower than normal.

VDC: Only takes effect if it detects wheel slippage or other unsafe conditions (I believe), but does not do anything otherwise. So you can take off with VDC on and accelerate like a madman if you want to, it will only tap the brakes if the wheels slip, then once they are not slipping it has no effect.

I also have an FX50. If you want to see what VDC does, try this. When exiting a turn, say a corner, punch the accelerator (make sure you are in a safe area!). You'll see the VDC light flash a bit if the wheels start to spin. When it's flashing it's actively working to stop the wheels from spinning (ie tapping the break intelligently) until it's gripping again. So you'll see the VDC light flash a bit then go away. That's all it does.
 
couldn't find a post about this but....

I had to use snow mode for the 1st time last weekend cuz i was in Big Bear and there were tons of snow (check out MTN FX's post). Anyway, a few times when braking in snow mode there was this 'clang clang clang' sound, i also felt something pushing against the brake pedal during every clang. The 1st time it happened i was terrified and thought something broke, but i couldn't pull over immediately because the roads wouldn't permit it. The clangs happened maybe 1 out of 8 times i braked and only when i was going over 20mph IIRC....has anyone experienced this?
 
ghettojiggalo said:
couldn't find a post about this but....

I had to use snow mode for the 1st time last weekend cuz i was in Big Bear and there were tons of snow (check out MTN FX's post). Anyway, a few times when braking in snow mode there was this 'clang clang clang' sound, i also felt something pushing against the brake pedal during every clang. The 1st time it happened i was terrified and thought something broke, but i couldn't pull over immediately because the roads wouldn't permit it. The clangs happened maybe 1 out of 8 times i braked and only when i was going over 20mph IIRC....has anyone experienced this?
Click to expand...

Yep, its the ABS operating normally. I had the same initial reaction. It happens whenever your wheels would normally lock up under braking.
 
I started to get stuck yesterday in deep snow so I turned the snow on and VDC off and powered right through the snow.With the VDC on the brakes were applying too much and robbing much needed power to plow through the deep snow.
 
haha i thought the clang clang was a snow mode issue...move along peeple nothing to see here! :embarrassed:

---------- Post added at 01:14 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:13 PM ----------
MTN FX said:
I started to get stuck yesterday in deep snow so I turned the snow on and VDC off and powered right through the snow.With the VDC on the brakes were applying too much and robbing much needed power to plow through the deep snow.
Click to expand...


hadn't thought of that...next time i'll turn VDC off too!:tup:
 
Don't mean to jack your thread but once I was driving my friend's trailblazer and it was raining a lot. I had to brake hard as I almost ran over a speed bump, and when I did I heard the " clang " sound. I was like " did the front tires just squash the fenders? " and then going about how chevy sucks lol :rofl:. It was afterwards that I figured the ABS kicked in lol.

Oh and back to the topic, when I had the awd lock on, the roads were covered in snow. So, that couldn't do much damage to the axel I think.
 
I've been using the snow mode a lot this winter. We have been hammered by lots of snow already this year. I've come to appreciate how it works. Throttle sensitivity is diminished, very helpful. But shifting manually verified that it still starts out in 1st gear. When I do need to get down the road quickly, punching the pedal still provides get up and go. Interesting to me is how the AWD mode works (according to a previous post) full time under a 12MPH. I'm not sure (because I haven't experimented enough) but I believe I like the VDC under really slick conditions. Our problem in the mountains of northwest Montana is we will have snowy roads and slick conditions every day for several months. We haven't seen the ground since Veteran's Day, and may not see it again until Easter. We'll see. La Nina this year.
 
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