Thread: Driving steep dirt tracks & DSC

DSC and Terrain Response are different systems. Adjusting Terrain Response settings changes a whole bunch of things on the car, such as throttle response, threshold of DSC, diff locks and 'wheel braking' (or traction control), transmission mapping etc.

The grass gravel snow setting softens throttle response, so on steeper/slower hills it feels dead. Normal will bring the throttle response back, or sand is another option. If it gets really slow then rock crawl (low range only) is the best option.

Gordons handbook from GOE is a good resource for all things Terrain Response.

DSC (dynamic stability control) is an advanced form of traction control.

While traction control will cut engine power to prevent wheelspin, DSC uses a range of inputs to detect steering angle, loss of traction, and so on and apply a countermeasure including braking and suspension to prevent a loss of control. DSC includes traction control.

While it works well in most situations, there are times (particularly off road) when it is counterproductive. There are times, for example, when maintaining momentum is more important than preventing wheelspin. That's why you can turn it off.

See this thread: dsc-button-what-does-do

If a loss in engine power is creating a bigger risk than a little bit of wheelspin, press the button and turn it off...

The FAQ thread on this site explains a lot about the terrain modes and what changes they make to all of the car's systems. I wouldn't use the grass gravel snow setting for steep hills. Sand or rock crawl is about all I use most of the time. It's probably not the DSC causing your issues, just the reduced throttle response and different gear box settings that grass gravel and snow gives you.


You can turn DSC off and still have traction control. Gordon might comment but I think DSC on is better for hills but not sand. I haven't read his manual or the FAQ's lately to remember the specifics exactly.