Hey guys... might be a stupid question but is the default for our Traction Control on or off? If you hit the button it lights up on the dash. So is it telling me it's on or off?

I'd imagine it's on, unless turned off by pressing the button, but just checking.

Thanks ahead of time.

 

When you push the button and it lights up on the dash, it's means its off. Just letting you know its not enabled. Same goes for the Type S with the VSC.

 

you could have always tried it too. press it and stomp on the throttle

 

I usually leave it on....what do you guys do??

 

depends on my mood. if im playing around deff off but if im just going to work im too lazy and there is no point.

 

Correction....VSA on the Type S

 

(noobie ?) what does a vsa do in a type s

 

Spins both times...

EDIT: Oh and thanks for the answer guys

 

Well I feel stupid now, I thought by pressing the button and seeing it light up enables it, not the other way around, good question Ricerking13 you learn something new everyday!

 

I read sumwhere on the manual that if you get different diameter wheels you're supposed to turn it off ?

 

Light off - System on
Light on - System off
Light flashing - System active

Yes turn it off with different diameter tires.

Here's how:

1. Open glovebox
2. Get manual
3. Read.

 

acura for dummies

 

A noobie calling another noobie, noobie...lol. The VSA is Vehicle Stability Assist. It's a more sophisticated system then the TCA. It provides more control of the vehicle in hazardous conditions and around curves.

 

wow damn I always though it was the other way around.

Man and I would always press the button to turn it on while doing 120+ damn, well the TL can handel 147MPH without TCS!!!

 

TCS only works up to like 20MPH just under actually.

 

TCS is active only from 1-18mph, it cannot and will not assist you over 18mph. It is for starting off in slippery conditions, it is not a yaw control. VSA is yaw control and is active at all speeds unless it is deactivated.

VSA uses steering input, speed, and yaw sensors to calculate the path of the car and compares it with the driver's intended path of the vehicle, which it determines with steering input sensors. If it detects a case of understeer (where the car plows forward despite the wheels being turned in a given direction) or oversteer (where the rear of the car beings to slide outwards) it will cut engine power and/or apply braking to one or more wheels to get the vehicle back on the intended track.

Please keep in mind that VSA cannot guard against poor judgment and is not a substitute for sensible driving in all weather conditions. The laws of physics will apply to your car no matter how many safety systems it may be equipped with. VSA is simply a stability "assist", it is not designed to completely stabilize the car. As the driver, the burden of ultimate control lies in your hands.

Drive safely.

 

^ Nice write up.
Oh never knew that.

 

if you are on wet ground and stomp the throttle and the tires spin up to 18 faster than it can ingauge the TCS it wont work you will just spin. also if you are going about 20 and stomp on the throttle and it downshifts to first it wont engage.

 

If you can spin the tires faster than TCS can engage you have a problem with the system. TCS, like ABS, detects impending conditions. TCS engages instantly in my TL, even if I floor it on a wet surface. It can't do much to mitigate the slippage, but it does engage quickly.

 

well, on most "slippery roads" i've noticed i encounter slip a lot, as in i'll hear the tires "react with the road" and i'll feel it...it occurs mostly when i start off in a turn, so i can't really see the TCS light come on or off...but it does "slip" in the rain...so idk...is my TCS not workin well?

 

There are times when I will briefly feel TCS activate but the light will not flash quickly enough. That's the only weird thing with mine.

 

TCS doesn't work all that well... It won't compensate for bad driving. I've noticed that if i'm driving in wet weather and and TCS engages, my wheels will keep spinning if I'm hard on the gas, and won't stop till I ease off.

Compared to say a BMW, our traction control really blows. I can't get any sort of wheelspin when I drive my friend's 3 series...

 

Not trying to be captain obvious here, but if you are being "hard on the gas" on wet pavement and wonder why TCS isn't working too well, it isn't the TCS's fault. TCS is supposed to help in situations where it's so slippery it is hard to start off, not when you are deliberately trying to spin.

 

^^ Yeah, that's why I said "bad driving". Like I said, from what I've experienced our TCS is still rather weak compared to other traction control systems.

 

and like ive said before, Our TCS system is about teh worst most usless system in a car that ive ever driven, and is better turned off

 

fascinating. So TCS and VSA are fundamentally two different things. So do the 3rd Gen TL's with VSA actually have TCS standard or is it possible that 3rd Gens technically don't have TCS? That would be something to consider - making a 4th Gen TL have standard VSA as well as TCS.

Personally, I haven't noticed a difference with TCS turned off on my TL, but out here in So Cal, there's really not any slick surfaces to test it's function.

 

 

is there a way to defeat the TCS and not have the TCS light on?.

 

When the TCS is activated the car applies the brakes in attempt to slow the tires down so they can get traction again.... If you stomp the gas in snow the TCS light will flash (active), the tires will spin and the brakes will attempt toslow the tires down enough so they can get traction.... do this for a few seconds and then open your window.... "Nothing like the smell of brake pads in the morning!!"

When the VSA is active the computer robs power from the engine, thus slowing the tires down so they can get traction. So in the same circumstance in the snow... you stomp the gas and the car slowly accelerates through the snow, no spinning or semi-violent brake pulses like the TCS system.

They both share the same "idea" however the VSA is able to "properly" manage the power going to the wheels, where the TCS "attempts" to control the power at the expence of your brakes.

That's the basics of it.. the way it was explained earlier sounded like a add for the new SH-AWD, the car ajdusts power going to the wheels to guide the car in the direction of the streering wheel..


I've thrown my TL-S into a 30+ft fishtail and my VSA didn't come on, so I'm not too sure about the understeer/oversteer comments eariler.. I'm not disputing them.. I'm just talking from experience..

 

VSA without the ability to control understeer or oversteer would just be TCS. And VSA does use the brakes, and TCS does mess with the engine output.

VSA is not designed to be intrustive (like VSC in Lexus) and that's why it won't activate as readily as you may think.

 

^

 

don't tell me take out the bulb...
but that prolly my answer.
i wonder if pulling the bulb would throw a CEL.

 

No pulling the bulb won't throw a CEL. The OBDII system that communicates to you with the CEL could not care less about any light bulbs. It is watching emissions related stuff.

 

What's wrong with using a hole punch on a piece of black electical tape to make a little circle of black tape and placing it right over the TCS light?

 

IMO, It could be the TCS system on 3 seriese, but you cannot ignore other factors (could be major) acting on the car itself. To clarify that, let me give you throw you some questions.

is it 318? 325? 330? FR or All-wheel drive?

With 1.8 litre engine and 2.5 litre engine, You need to push it pretty hard to get
some spinning going on.

Plus, Rear wheel drive won't let wheel spin happen as easy as FF.
Because in FF, as you accelerate, you will take weight off the front wheel making it easier to spin. As oppose to FF, FR will actually put more weight on rear wheels pressing harder on the road, giving more normal force: more friction, giving better traction. And, 3 Seriese should be much lighter than TL right? so F = ma as you all know, and Static friction(when you are not spinning) or Kinetic Friction(When you are spinning) that tire could give you is limited, so more mass means that friction force is easier to be overcome with same amount of acceleration: Lighter car is less likely to have wheel spin.

So... All Im trying to say is...
TL with FF drive train and heavier body is more likely to spin! Yay! and that Its not all Acura's TCS's fault!!!