Trac and Vsc=awesome

[gizzer777]

I am in N Nevada where that "giant storm sweeping the USA began " we had about 18" at my house.

Finally today (wed) the snow was pretty well packed down and I had to get out for supplies.

Warmed up the 2009 w/ Trac and Vsc on board and still stock all weather tires on it (YES I READ THE STICKY)


Well the corolla handled beautifully with no slipping or sliding and just a few warning beeps from the VSC that it had engaged....I was impressed considering I have never had anything but 4x4 and awd SUV's in the past.

Not being too foolish, I did what was needed and made it home ASAP...the people in the suv's are nuts out here! Aggressive idiots!!!

Ahhhh and I was getting low on TP which forced my hand!

[sinnaever]

ya the VSC & TRAC is pretty good.

I had a fun drive home from work last night at 4am (in the middle of the storm)

Not one issue at all, the Michelin Xi2's are great tires for winter.

[gizzer777]

Originally Posted by sinnaever

ya the VSC & TRAC is pretty good.

I had a fun drive home from work last night at 4am (in the middle of the storm)

Not one issue at all, the Michelin Xi2's are great tires for winter.

Geez, I did not know it moved into Canada too...what a monster.
hate to tell you but 2 more are forming in the Gulf of Alaska now! the bigger one is due fri-sat here...Hope it misses you!

[bb147]

So I was doing a turn at a slightly higher speed and VSC kicked in (and beep'ed) as I feel my car drift a bit, but then I also hear what I think is the ABS (a loud grrrh)

Is that normal? Trac and VSC work together with ABS sometimes?

The last time I had VSC kick in (with beeping sounds) my ABS did not kick in, at least there was no grinding sound.

[gizzer777]

Originally Posted by bb147

So I was doing a turn at a slightly higher speed and VSC kicked in (and beep'ed) as I feel my car drift a bit, but then I also hear what I think is the ABS (a loud grrrh)

Is that normal? Trac and VSC work together with ABS sometimes?

The last time I had VSC kick in (with beeping sounds) my ABS did not kick in, at least there was no grinding sound.

I am guessing that the ECU "felt" it should engage all 3 systems under the conditions that prevailed..... (how fast, snow/ice etc???) but am not positive. My ABS has only kicked in once this summer when I had to jam on the breaks to avoid getting rammed by some idiot in a tahoe on her cell phone.....

[SuperchargedMR2]

Originally Posted by sinnaever

ya the VSC & TRAC is pretty good.

I had a fun drive home from work last night at 4am (in the middle of the storm)

Not one issue at all, the Michelin Xi2's are great tires for winter.

I made sure that I had both VSC & TRAC on my 09 S which was hard as it wasn't standard in 09. I just ordered a set of Yokohama W. Drive's as the reviews I read were really good. Discount Tire Direct has them for a great price with free shipping & no sales tax for me!

I figured it is better to be safe than sorry & so I decided to get my winter rubber. We don't get deep snow here very often though so I stayed with a 17" tire in a 215/45R17 & I will select another alloy wheel that I like & just swap them in my garage!

[gizzer777]

We are getting pasted again and I had to get out again to get more oil for the snowblower. Our street never gets plowed. The only fear now is not to get high centered or hit by one of those idiots driving their "unstoppable SUV's

Many accidents and SUV rollovers

Was not happy about going out in this, but TRAC and VSC, even in some pretty nasty stuff, was just awesome...yeah, the VSC came on much more often but i was able to get in and out of the hilly area i live in with no problem!

The worst is yet to come tonight here in the High Sierra...Corolla in garage and staying put now....no tempting fate for me!

[trucknut1]

^^^ I had to use my top heavy suv to haul my xrs's useless a$$ up a slight incline in 3-4 inches of snow.. car was unable to move, trac lights flashing away... well it did move actually.... sideways and backwards

if its alright with you I will stick to my 4wd on the slick winter roads... and when I do slide into the ditch I will just drive back out , and please pull over when I am riding your bumper in a snow storm

[gizzer777]

Originally Posted by trucknut1

^^^ I had to use my top heavy suv to haul my xrs's useless a$$ up a slight incline in 3-4 inches of snow.. car was unable to move, trac lights flashing away... well it did move actually.... sideways and backwards

if its alright with you I will stick to my 4wd on the slick winter roads... and when I do slide into the ditch I will just drive back out , and please pull over when I am riding your bumper in a snow storm

[gizzer777]

Trust me....I would rather have a 4x4 or AWD....but I now have to make do with what I have. I was just impressed that for a FWD car, it was pretty amazing. perhaps this spring/summer, I will get another SUV and ditch the corolla but not til then.

BTW....75% of the accidents in the last 24 hrs were 4x4 roll overs and suv's going off the road. The people do not know how to drive!

[trucknut1]

Originally Posted by gizzer777

Trust me....I would rather have a 4x4 or AWD....but I now have to make do with what I have. I was just impressed that for a FWD car, it was pretty amazing. perhaps this spring/summer, I will get another SUV and ditch the corolla but not til then.

BTW....75% of the accidents in the last 24 hrs were 4x4 roll overs and suv's going off the road. The people do not know how to drive!

If only a 4wd could stop in the snow.... the sure footed feel of a 4x4 tends to make drivers a little over confident! I was only joking about riding your bumper in the snow btw, I was in a serious accident thanks to poor weather conditions about 5 years ago now, missed a few months off work thanks to that day... I hate winter!

[gizzer777]

Originally Posted by trucknut1

If only a 4wd could stop in the snow.... the sure footed feel of a 4x4 tends to make drivers a little over confident! I was only joking about riding your bumper in the snow btw, I was in a serious accident thanks to poor weather conditions about 5 years ago now, missed a few months off work thanks to that day... I hate winter!

No problem....I had to get out , thought I had stocked up enough on everything....wrong! I am not a big fan of winter either and my dog is dwarfed by the snow ...he is totally confused.


I think my Trac and VSC is working so well because the all season tires still only have 3300 mi on them....High centering is a real possibility. This is the 2nd yr that i have not had a 4x4 or AWD (been here 30 yrs) and YES I miss it in storms like this. Bought the Corolla when gas went nuts in 2008...

In the spring and summer I will probably be singing a different tune with the MPG that thing gets!

I also was rear ended about 20 yrs ago by a crazed "new arrival" that thought their 4x4 mini truck could stop faster(I was stopped at a light)...I was in an F250 4x4 w/ manual locking hubs.... and was not hurt....they were unfortunately!

Snow is falling about 2" per hr now! Think I will sleep this out and sack out early!

[SuperchargedMR2]

Originally Posted by trucknut1

^^^ I had to use my top heavy suv to haul my xrs's useless a$$ up a slight incline in 3-4 inches of snow.. car was unable to move, trac lights flashing away... well it did move actually.... sideways and backwards

if its alright with you I will stick to my 4wd on the slick winter roads... and when I do slide into the ditch I will just drive back out , and please pull over when I am riding your bumper in a snow storm

That's why you need good winter tires. No matter what vehicle you have, 4WD won't stop better than any other car, worse in most cases because of the extra weight and high center of gravity. I was able to get around on the steepest hills last year in my 94 Corolla when we had 37" of snow in 2 weeks. I had 4WD's that were not getting up hills with all season tires that I had no issue with, and that's without VSC & Trac Control! My new 09 Corolla will be even better combined with my new Yokohama W Drive winter tires!

Remember, tires are the only contact that the car has with the ground so get some good winter tires for the few bad months of winter weather!

[SuperchargedMR2]

Originally Posted by gizzer777

Trust me....I would rather have a 4x4 or AWD....but I now have to make do with what I have. I was just impressed that for a FWD car, it was pretty amazing. perhaps this spring/summer, I will get another SUV and ditch the corolla but not til then.

BTW....75% of the accidents in the last 24 hrs were 4x4 roll overs and suv's going off the road. The people do not know how to drive!

I lived in Colorado for many years and never needed a 4WD. My FWD car got me everywhere I needed without even using chains. My trick, my first set of special winter tires, a set of Bridgestone Blizzacks and I had seen the light!

[gizzer777]

Originally Posted by SuperchargedMR2

I lived in Colorado for many years and never needed a 4WD. My FWD car got me everywhere I needed without even using chains. My trick, my first set of special winter tires, a set of Bridgestone Blizzacks and I had seen the light!

I see the light but am blinded by the snow It rarely does this around here!