Can someone explain how VSA is supposed to make your car quicker. I hear time and time again that turning VSA off will make your CLs a bit faster, but how ?

 

vsa reduces the throttle, in tern, slowing you down.with it off, you can reduce wheel slippage by regulating the gas pedal and still keep the rpm's up.

 

What he said.

Turning VSA off won't make your car faster, it'll prevent VSA from reducing throttle and braking when it "thinks" it should.

While we're on the topic, I've wondered just how useful and how well the VSA works. My observation is that under mild to moderate road contamination (water,snow,mud) conditions it helps but beyond that it is no help and may be a hindrance to handling the car.

Just this morning (we got a good dump of snow last nite) I think I confirmed for myself that VSA does not activate unless you are under acceleration. Entering a curve, turn the wheel - car continues on straight .. argghhh!!! No flashing triangle to help out, so I let off the gas and give a bit more steering wheel waiting for a bit of traction (as the ditch gets closer and closer!!).
Finally a bit of traction and the car negotiated the curve. But through the whole event the VSA indicator didn't flash once. The description of VSA seems to indicate that the car will apply throttle control and braking to individual wheels to correct a control problem. I guess I interpreted that "and" as an "and/or"
not realizing that if there is no throttle for VSA to play with it won't even consider activating the brakes.

Any other experiences? Confirm/refute?

Sorry, didn't mean to hijack.

 

It sounds like you were sliding, not that your wheels were slipping, so vsa isn't going to help in that case. VSA is not going to drive the car for you. it's basicly traction control but a little better.

 

This is exactly what happened with my CLS on Wednesday night.

I have snow tires too... taking a 270 degree ramp (at 35-40 MPH) that dips and then pick up and the curve will tighten... I started to understeer and keep going straight when I tightened the curve ... I was easy on the throtle and lift off untill I get some traction. No VSA lights whatsoever. I slipped like a second or less... Unless the VSA was working without a VSA flashing... I do not know why it did not interveened!!. Haven't Acura Engineers tested the VSA on such icy ramps??!!!

The VSA is designed to help in correcting understeers and oversteers. In addition, It should help the straight and cornering powered traction control too .

I would guess that the VSA has some design problems with losing tractions with light or no throtle situations(coasting rides).

Any thought about VSA and icy 270 degrees ramps?

 

I think you have to be pretty out of shape for VSA to really apply. VSA knows the yaw of the vehicle and by that knows where to apply brake pressure to "straighten" the car out. VSA also cuts engine power around 100hp until everything is under control again. I usually keep it on in bad weather, but I tend to cut it off on dry conditions.