XDS - Torque Vectoring Questions

[TwistRate]

I understand there are different components built into the system. My question is really how the car behaves once you turn ESC to sport or turn it off completely.

There's Electronic Stability Control (ESC) to prevent skidding helps keep the car straight under heavy braking. I'm also aware that it can pull power as well as apply brakes.

Then there is Electronic Differential Lock (EDL) that simulates an LSD and finally XDS which can react to the unloading of the front wheel on the inside corner or some say both inside wheels to help produce a slingshot exiting effect.

What happens to those features as we goto sport and off modes. Does it simply disable the throttle intervention or if it also reduces the torque vectoring of the car.

[javbomb]

Torque vectoring is definitely still on for me when I am in TC sport mode.

[TheContrarian]

Great question, I tried to search these topics with little result.

My own experience is that sport largely defeats the ESC. I was able to get some big drifts going during winter driving without intervention in sport mode. I can still feel the xds and/or edl working in sport, especially when on turn in there's understeer and then magically the rear comes around. It is always an odd feeling when it occurs.

With ESC off, 2 clicks, I have never felt anything resembling intervention but I also rarely drive in this setting.

[TwistRate]

This is excellent feedback. Curious what mode we should run it in on a road course. I ask because I've seen videos of cars crashing that is blamed on overheated brakes due to XDS.

[steve111b]

Suspect that TC sport mode is a package that engages AWD full time and reduces ESC a lot (maybe 50%). I have been able to drift the car on snow and ice and never felt the need to turn off ESC completely.

Even if you turn off ESC completely the system turns back on when you apply the brakes. This is required by law and cannot be changed with VCDS. When the ESC is fully active it applies brakes to individual corners as needed to make the car go where the steering wheel is pointed.

I have driven a Haldex car with an LSD and felt that one time the LSD kicked in and pulled me out of trouble. I have never noticed what the EDL does. As far as I know XDS is only used on FWD cars.

Since I drive in the snow I would say that a big factor is tire grip. If your front tires do not have enough grip you have an anti drift car.

[TheContrarian]

This is excellent feedback. Curious what mode we should run it in on a road course. I ask because I've seen videos of cars crashing that is blamed on overheated brakes due to XDS.

On the road course I used sport mode. This is partially due to relative inexperience driving this car, the desire not to wreck and the fact that it was cold and wet that day. I'd like to try again with ESC OFF to see how much difference it makes.

When I was driving a mk6 GTI, I honestly felt the car handled (understeered) worse with the XDS turned off via Rosstech.