Electronics can be much easier to detect for faults than mechanical equipment. Most sensors should have certain readings under normal conditions.

When you turn your key on, all of those indicator lights are telling you the testing electronics is working. If VDIM doesn't test out correctly after you start the vehicle, the light would remain on and perhaps during those conditions, other systems like ABS only would take over.

As I said, it's a lot easier when electronics are involved because many routines can be written to bypass, and redundant mechanical systems are connected together electronically.

 

Our dealership is on a busy six lane divided road that the posted speed is a joke. If you make a right turn on red you will have trucks and cars bearing down on you at 50MPH plus. The traction control can kick on and the power will "sag" and you are left holding the bag helplessly. The VDIM won't even let the wheel spin much if traction is a problem. It is snowing right now and I'm going to wait for it to stick and try out the VDIM some more. It is addictive. It reacts early and smoothly to abrupt inputs whether throttle or steering. I think it is an equivalent safety advance as ABS which freed us from pumping our brakes manually. You don't get that out of control feeling in slick conditions that we did on the Gen. 2 GS430. This is all while comparing a 17" wheel on the Gen.2 with an 18" std. run flat on the Gen. 3. Put some studs on it and it would be fun to drive on a frozen lake....

 

The warning light would come on if the VDIM or any electronic system is having problems. Just relax and drive

 

Itsuki, you are so right about the dramatic difference a snow specific tire will make. The IS300 with snow tires did better than the 325X in the snow slalom test! It is an expensive and time consuming task to break down your tires and remount snows and rebalance times 4. An easier way is to invest in a separate set of rims and you can go down a size and taller for your snow specific tires. Then you just swap them like a pit stop. Some dealers will store them over the winter/summer for you if you buy your tires/wheels from them. That makes the job much easier. If you live in the snowbelt it is worth the extra effort to winterize your treads for safety and handling.

 

Very good to hear!

 

As far as I know ... VDIM has more to do with safet that "limits". The limit I was referring to actually was driving limits. If you're a very experienced driver, VDIM will actually prevent you from pushing the car to the absolute limit .... for example ... VDIM brakes when it feels it is needed ... even if you want to push the car further. A car's limit itself is very high ... and you won't reach a car's limit unless you're practically a professional driver. But of course, hypothetically speaking, a pro driver would be bogged down by VDIM since he would be very in tune with the car's limits ... and would not need such a complex preventive safety system such as VDIM.

I'm pretty sure VDIM was designed for average drivers and experienced drivers alike to drive safely under any conditions.

If Lexus does go through with their performance arm, I wonder if they will take off electronic aids like VDIM to allow for more spirited driving , kind of what BMW does with their M cars.

 

The flakes were coming down in bigger and bigger sizes. I decided it was time the take the Batmobile out of the cave one more time. I volunteered to take some mail to our Audi store down the Pike. On the way back I detoured to the local High School parking lot. It had about 3 inches of fresh pow and I decided to make fresh tracks. I delicately turned onto the lot and felt under complete control as I entered the widest section of the lot. I drove toward the end and made a full lock left turn. The GS430 turned like a figure skater and suddenly I found myself traveling the other direction. That was easy. I approached the other end and did it again and then kept it locked and I started tracing a tight 30 foot circle. It was actually a smaller circle than I could have made on dry pavement because whenever the GS was reluctant to finish the circle the VDIM would brake the rear wheels and tighten the arc. I started to get a little dizzy after a while. I let it make a few faster passes and just turned wherever and whenever I chose. For the finale I started tracing figure eights. They were nicely shaped and I almost wish there had been judges there to score them. If there had been enough space I could have signed my name at the bottom. I haven't had that much fun since doing handbrake turns in the snow with my Mini Cooper when I was a teenager. I turned off the traction control and went back for another pass and the rear wheels would spin whenever I gave it throttle but the VDIM still made the turns for me. Traction on and Traction Off the VDIM never leaves your side. On the way back I had to test the acceleration and I was taking off quickly at the Green lights and then braking and waiting for the traffic and taking off again etc. I could detect only the slightest wavering on steady acceleration but I was now used to the sensation. I turned back into the store and put her back into the cave for the night.

 

Thanks for the superb informative report Rockville. Great job!

 

Wow...sounds like VDIM is an even better solution than AWD as far as safety goes. As someone else pointed out, AWD is only useful for better traction when the throttle is applied, whereas VDIM helps not only with traction but with steering and braking as well. This technology is just groundbreaking, totally awesome.

 

For my question: It seems like the Traction Control is much less abrupt then the 2nd generation. Is that a fair assessment?

 

I understand completely what you are describing. The "drive by wire" was interupted by the Trac and it stuttered. The new VDIM is so smooth you might not perceive its intervention except for the small amber car icon at the top of the instruments that has wavy tracks under it. VDIM rules.

 

Very nice. The smoothness of VDIM's management of the traction control contributes to better traction. It just makes sense. Everything is about momentum and if you abruptly cut the power from the engine and then give it back, your're not going anywhere.

Coolio.

 

Ok, funning thing happened while I was watching tv with my wife. I received a phone call. It was Rockville..."I'm outside your house, want to take the GS300 AWD out to see how it does in the snow?"... I didn't have to think about it, of course I replied....

At this point, the snow was still comming down, the ground had a few inches of snow, and the roads were beginning to ice up. I drove the car around the neighborhood and out to a local school parking lot. We tried the tight circle with the pedal down and no breaking, other than what the car did by itself to keep it from slipping. Absolutely amazing. Rockville is right, the control on the AWD is not an immediate kick in, it will let you get into more trouble before it helps you out. But, in all a great drive and if your not trying to go wild, it is extremely stable.

When you grow up with a lot of snow, as I did, the hard thing to remember during this kind of test drive is NOT to react. The point is to test the car, not yourself. I found myself trying to correct for sliding in the parking lot, and had to back off and let the car show me what it knew how to do.

An excellent experience.....it's so nice when someone knows what they are talking about, takes great pride in learning their product and the competition and in addition focuses on the customer and has fun while doing it all.

 

Great story