I was going down topanga canon in the CLS (has comptech sways, but no springs) and on one of the longer turns, i felt the back end break loose, and lo and behold, it did, i almost flew off the canon. anyways, my rant is at the VSA system. what is the deal with that thing?! it didn't even turn on..i didn't notice the light or anything. i'm pretty sure it didn't turn on at all. i got lucky there were no cars comming the other way. I have driven a lexus gs430 on topanga, and when the rear broke loose, there (lexus's) VSA comes on and fixes it...i know it's not a real comparison, as it's a rear wheel car vs a front wheel car..but it seems the VSA sucks unless the front wheels start to slip..and that will probably only happen in the rain or something..i thought the VSA system on the CLS was supposed to be all four wheels...am i wrong?
/endrant!

 

Same type of thing happened to me going up the 18 to Lake Arrowhead. I took a turn too fast and the rear end of the car swung around. All I could do to gain control was to hit the brake.

I guess it's normal? :sux: !

 

If you get too out of control I believe the VSA system won't kick in at all to prevent interference with driver input. I kicked the rear end out a few times and the VSA did its job on all but one where I corrected with a little brake and throttle input.

 

I was in one of those "out of control situations," the car was pretty much sliding sideways. An E-ticket ride for sure.

 

VSA doesnt do shit for the rear i beleive, When i spunout at 130 all did was use the throttle and slight braking to save me. But then again i think my vsa was off

 

So if it was off......................

 

it's supposed to be 4 wheel independent braking...with VSA on the CLS vs 3 wheel (fronts are independent and rear is all 1) on the CL..is this wrong?

 

You can't really compare with the Lexus' system. Theirs is programmed to kick in very early.

As for ours, I think Acura engineers left some room in there for the driver to correct him/herself, before the VSA steps in.

I remember earlier this year when it was like 35 degrees out at night, I took a left turn really hard. There was no snow, and the pavement was as dry as it could be. However, my tires were most likely still cold. The rear end started hopping up and down and I lost traction. I didn't even need to counter-steer, but the VSA started blinking and brought the car back under control. The whole time, the front tires had plenty of traction and felt sure-footed.

 

CL-P doesn't even have the VSA system.

 

...i was driving down some industrial road the other day, when boom! right in front of me a huge straight away......no side roads, no cars just one lane for me...i took off and reached about 130 when i saw the road start to curve ahead...on the left of me were industries..and on the right there was a fuckn' marsh....i tried to slow down but ended up taking the turn at about 90-95 and spun out.....got completely backwards and almost ended up in a marsh! at first the rear wheels slid out and no VSA light came on, but a second later when the car was turned around the big EXPLANATION POINT lit up...

 

i have had the exact same experience with the gs4 and tls (both stock)
the vsc on the lexus is imo one of the best systems i have ever experienced. it really takes control and saves your ass. the vsa on the other hand, only like to help, not really take full control. however, i have noticed if you really screw up the vsa doesnt come on.
the same thing happens in the lex, but they allow alot more 'screwup' before it doesnt do anything.
to put things in perspective, i have lost it almost 100 times with the lex, and only once, under the worst conditions, it didnt come on. but then again, it might of and it just couldnt fix the situation entirely.
in the tls, it has decided to not work on more than one occasion.
vsa will basically do nothing for you, dont depend on it!

 

dude wtf were u doing going to fast through a turn on topanga! thats suicide bro and u should know that! ... many many cars have ended up in the bottom of topanga, especially close to PCH the S-turns..... glad to hear you're ok bro... remember ur dippin a fwd car

 

No joke. I live very close to that area... and I've actually been in an accident on Topanga Cyn... through the same twisty shit you're talking about. As always, I wasn't driving, it was an idiot friend of mine who's still a decent driver. Fortunately, we hit the hill and didn't fly off the cliff... I was in the passenger's side and that's the side that hit the hill.

"What the fuck was that?" is what I asked him after we pulled over to the side and collected our thoughts.

He says...

"Dawg my bad I didn't see the hill."

 

About the VSA though, I once took a 90 degree left turn @ 40 mph when it was wet... but I steered gradually so I was fine. But there were leaves on the road, cause it was Fall or something.

My back spins out, I point the front wheels to a safe exit, lower the gear, and managed to pull the traction-less back side out pretty quickly with the help of VSA. It was smooth then, as it has been quite a few times when it's saved my ass.

Compared with my dad's S500's ESP, however, I have to say, the VSA has a lot more faith in the driver than the ESP does.

 

A while back I took a right curve in the CL-S that had the sign to slow to 15... I had taken it at 30 before many times, but this one time it was after some rain and although the pavement was dry, there was a pothole right at the start of the turn. I took it right around 30, knowing I could make it, hit the pothole, front end kept going straight for a split second instead of turning and when the tires regained traction... instant spinout. This was on a 2-lane road (1 lane ea direction) and thankfully the cars coming the opposite way saw me spin out and stopped way back. I needed the space because the front end faced the ditch to the right, then the marsh to the left, and stopped facing the ditch to the right again. I ended up without a single scratch to the car but at no time did the VSA light go on.

The only time it has helped is in the snow. Changing lanes with slush between lanes it keeps the car straight.

 

So basically, VSA keeps you from doing burn outs from a stop ?

 

vehicle stability ASSIST
thats all it does, doesnt completely fix the situation.

VSC (lexus) = vehicle stability control
ESP = elec. stab. program

I think the names really do mean something after all. All i know is, do not depend on it as if it could save your ass everytime. It helps a little bit here and there but i believe it was programmed with alot less intrusion and a lower cutoff point. All these systems have a point where the sensors exceed their limit of programmed capability and the system keeps quite and leaves it up to you.
In VSC lex cars, ive noticed that when it goes on in a really dangerous situation, it usually makes a 'beep' sound. when the situation is beyond its control, it doesnt make any noise or flash any lights.

final point: all these systems turn off if the situation is too extreme. the vsa just cuts off earlier than others.

 

VSA have saved me couple of times from my stupidity, but dont' rely on it to much jsut drive it like u dont' have it and don't drive like an idiot and u be fine

 

newsflash... The CLS doesn't handle that well, even with springs. Altho I have felt a bot of oversteer that can be corrected by letting off the throttle when going around long bending curves. better tires, some coilovers and the sways you got would def help, but don't count on VSA, I think that just cuts off the throttle, it doesn't add braking and it doesn't involve the rear at all.

 

any pics of these so called famous turns

 

I thought that only the CL-S with NAVI is capable of sensing if the car drifts. It uses the on-board navigation gyro-sensors to tell it that the yaw is wrong and corrects accordingly.

Does the non-navi have this (gyro sensors for VSA) too?

 

i think the vsa is more for oversteer or understeer, fwd's are pretty hard to correct when the back end comes loose, all you can really do is apply the brakes or have VSA apply the brakes.

as for a GS its rwd so naturally it'll be eaiser to correct.

My back end came loose coming off a ramp and vsa kicked in after i corrected the steering twice.

 

my back end came loose the other day getting on fairfax county parkway from braddock rd. i was doing like 90 threw the turn kinda slid almost into antha lane but managed to keep it under control. i need to swap im front and rear tires. my pradda spec2's(rears) sticky like glue

 

VEHICAL STABILITY ASSIST (VSA) SYSTEM
First equipped in the 2000 model year Acura 3.5 RL flagship sedan, the Acura Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) system is standard equipment on the 3.2 CL Type S model. Similar to the 3.5 RL system, the CL's VSA system orchestrates the throttle and brakes to seamlessly integrate traction control, anti-lock braking and stability enhancement processes. This innovation is designed to assist the driver in maintaining control during acceleration, cornering and sudden collision-avoidance maneuvers by applying braking force to the right or left front wheel as necessary and managing the throttle system.

By monitoring input from eight vehicle sensors, the VSA system can calculate a predicted range of vehicle response while constantly monitoring the vehicle's actual response and the driver's control inputs. If the actual response is outside the predicted response range -- as when cornering forces exceed the tires performance, for example -- VSA automatically intervenes with corrective action. In the case of oversteer (which may lead to spin), VSA applies braking to the outside front wheel to counter the unintended yawing tendency. On the other hand, if understeer becomes pronounced, VSA applies braking to the inside front wheel and reduces engine power to turn the car back into the intended course.

Unlike some vehicle stability systems, which can seem intrusive to enthusiast drivers, the Acura VSA is calibrated to add to stability and predictability, without stifling the driving enjoyment of the CL's carefully engineered chassis and double wishbone suspension. An indicator light flashes on the instrument panel while the system is actively enhancing the stability of the vehicle. A cockpit switch is provided to disable the VSA and TCS while leaving the antilock braking system fully functional.

 

Yes it does. The VSA on the non-navi cars is identical to those cars with navi.

Come on now... do you all really think that ANY type of stability assist system on ANY car is going to save you from sliding out during a sharp corner at 80+ MPH? I'm seeing posts like "I spun out at 130 and VSA did nothing" "I got up to over 130 and then a turn came and I had to take it at 95 MPH and I spun out" Hello :captainobvious: You are driving a 3,600 pound FWD entry-level luxury coupe, not a Formula 1 car. Wise up and slow down in the turns. VSA isn't some magical system that is designed to be a safety net for stupidity.

 

In the TL-P and CL-P you have traction control. Thats the throttle control w/o any braking.

In the TL-S and CL-S you have vehicle stability assist. Thats throttle control *and* a 4-channel ABS system that works in conjunction with VSA. According to Acura, I believe the VSA system itself only works for braking on the front wheels. So that would kindof explain why when you lost the rear end that VSA didn't interact.

Here's a link with more info on VSA: http://www.hondanews.com/CatID3014?m...asc&archives=t

Bah, when I originally started writing this, it wouldn't have been repeat info ... Damn 2 hour long meetings!

 

Damn, stay alive.

Come down to Santiago Canyon, you'll be much safer without the cliffs

Topanga Canyon is deadly! On a VW run a few years back, we lost an A4 around one of the curves, the guy walked away suprisingly but the car looked like a sardine can. Those curves come out of no where very quick. Be careful!

 

^^^
Plus, some curves you can take at 110mph easily..... without fear of breaking the rear loose.

 

http://www.topangaradio.com/images/t...urns_small.jpg

try searching Topanga Canyon

 

How about slowing the fuck down. Just a suggestion.

 

Technology can't fix stupidity.

 

i believe this post is targeted at me, so i would just like to clear the air. i did not expect the VSA to help me make a perfect turn at 95mph :captainobvious: . i was simply stating that the VSA light does not come on in my car when the rear wheels are spinning or sliding(response to a previous post). it only comes on when the front wheels are spinning---hence the story that points out that "when the car spun around, the VSA light came on" .....and dont tell me to wise up and slow down around turns,i wasnt trying to be some bad ass and take a turn at 95mph,shit just happens sometimes when you go fast and im sure you know that...the story clearly states that the bend came up a lot quicker than i thought it would,i did not give myself enough time to stop and i know this..but what was i supposed to do??? i slowed down as much as possible which got me to roughly 90-95 w/out losing control, but that is beyond the point...the point is i am well aware that VSA "is not some magical system"but thanks for informing me.....

 

Don't flatter yourself; I wasn’t picking you out of the bunch. It was a blanket statement towards everyone who complained VSA doesn't do its job.

EDIT: The only "shit" that happens when I go fast is I get up to 115 MPH at the end of the 1/4 mile and then I slow down. 130 on public streets is nuts. Especially when it isn't even a highway.

To each their own. I'm not preaching and telling you not to go 130 MPH, just realize VSA does exactly what it was designed to do and saving the car from a complete spin at 90+ MPH is not one of them,

 

all apologies mr.steve....i thought it was a sarcastic statement targeted @ me, but i guess i was wrong.....either way i normally would never go that fast on a public street, but as i said it was an industrial area and it was very late...so no one and i mean no one was out there....the street and lights(not stoplights,just street lights)went on forever and i just figured i had a mile ahead of me and said..."well, shit ill have time to slow down"....but i guess i was way off.....either way, as long as i wasnt targeted, im cool...my bad for accusing you if it wasnt true,...and also, i dont really waste my time @ the track where i live because its only an 8th of a mile....i wish we had a 1/4 mile track but we dont...

 

You don't need to justify your actions to me. I couldn't care less.

Sounded like people posting here thought VSA was the end all, cure all, remedy for losing control of their car.

 

For peeps with modified cars, s/c, big brakes etc., the system (VSA) probably isn't working at factory specs anyway .

 

not justifying myself to anyone, just thought i would clear the air and make things holy and nice ......but either way, i think you meant to say, "you could care less"....

 

stfu u two!

vsa sucks

 

ur right....VSA does suck!!!

 

If I could care less, that means I care at least some what. If I "couldn't care less" that means I don't care at all and there is no room for me to not care any less. I DON'T CARE about you driving 130 MPH. Hense why I "couldn't care less"


Kids these days