The dependence of the cross section for the C + SH H + CS, S + CH reactions on the vibrational excitation of SH(v = 0–20, j = 0) is analyzed in detail at the collision energies of 0.3 and 0.8 eV by using the quasi-classical trajectory method and the new potential energy surface (Song et al 2016 Sci. Rep. 6 37734) of the . The efficiency of vibrational excitation to promote the reaction is investigated through the analysis of the cross section and its v dependence in terms of the reaction probability, maximum impact parameter, and the features of the potential energy surface. The differential cross sections obtained show that at higher vibrational levels, the products (CS, CH) are mainly forward scattered, and the sideward and backward scatterings are quite weak. In addition to the scalar properties, the stereodynamical attributes, such as angle distribution functions P(θr), P(ϕr) and P(θr, ϕr) at different vibrational levels are explored in detail. Furthermore, through the investigation of the state-to-state dynamics for the titled reaction, it is clear that the vibrational excitation of the product for C + SH H + CS reaction is quite strong, with the most probable population appearing at high vibration numbers.