pwrdbykmfdm

ok so since i dont know much about VSA i decided to turn it off for a minute to see how the car felt, and the car felt a little more responcive. ok..
so tonight i raced my buddy who also has an 08 5AT TL. this was from a dig, and i was in SS mode with VSA off- to see the total opposite of outcome. my friend was in auto mode.
so with VSA off i peeled out in 1st but he didnt. once i gained traction we were equal all the way thru 4th, obviously.
so i was wondering if i would not have lost traction would i have pulled ahead because of VSA off or because i was in SS mode? i dont think SS mode gives more torque thru the tranny right?
in essence if you are 1/4 racing what is the best mode to be in for an auto?
SS mode with VSA on or off?

I hate cars

VSA shouldn't affect you once you're going fast enough to not spin the tires.

What I've noticed is it overcompensates if you spin the tires. Mine backs off the throttle way too much and takes way too long to put the throttle back in. My friend's IS350 pulls just enough throttle to keep it from spinning and immediately goes back to full throttle.

I think you have the potential to be a bit faster without VSA since a little slippage is not a bad thing.

csmeance

This is your ECU pulling power and not the VSA system. In 2006+ models of the TL, the ECU maps were revised to limit torque in first and second gears, to reduce torque steer. In a 04 or 05 TL, the VSA system will simply brake the slipping wheels to stop it from spinning, and then release it, just as ABS does, but in a slower motion and on individual wheels. Having VSA off and knowing how to launch is key to having a fast TL. You can turn VSA off, but if you spin your tires, you gain more time therefore going slower.

I hate cars

So 04 and 05 TLs will remain at WOT and only apply brakes to control traction?


I know for a fact that my 06 pulls back throttle AND applies the ABS if pulling throttle isn't enough.

I don't know this for a fact, but I don't think my 06 automatically reduces torque until it senses wheel spin. Mine won't spin the tires on dry pavement anyway and it feels exactly the same with VSA on or off.

Bearcat94

I get Throttlel reduction. And only AFTER the wheels start to spin. That's with VSA/TC on.

When off there is no "car initiated" throttle reduction.

'07 TL-S, 5AT.

SouthernBoy

I believe for earlier 3G's (mine's an '04 manual), not only will the VSA force brake application, but it also backs off on the throttle. What I feel when I get into it in first and second with the VSA on is a definite throttle backoff effect. For example, when I hit second gear, on a relatively quick shift, then go WOT immediately (this is known as "speed shifting"), it feels as though I have let up on the throttle a bit. This is quite noticable.

BLKURA

Do you guys normally drive with VSA on, or off?

RonJonTL757

I feel real guilty like im getting ready to do something wrong when i turn mine off but i still do.

I hate cars

The sad thing is I drove a car with no airbags, no VSA, no anti locks, and got sideways daily for 13 years before the TL but when I turn the VSA off I get nervous.

don5504

With VSA off you can rev slightly higher. In auto mode it seems to shift a little sooner like a couple hundred rpm. So technically you should be able to go slightly faster with VSA off so long as wheel spin doesn't hurt your take off.

D

A-TLvic882

Always OFF, except fresh snow.

Bearcat94

Alway ON, except HP driving and controlled conditions.




:wink:


D - you know if it's in Sport Shift, it will hold gears 1, 2, 3, ... all the way until redline or until you shift, right? Regardless of VSA ON/OFF. (Pretty sure you've got an '07/'08 TL-S).

TeknoKing

^^^

I've never tried this, you mean at redline it will up a gear by itself??

don5504

Nope didn't know that and haven't noticed it yet. Learn something new everyday cool! Oh wait maybe thats what I mean and I'm getting the two confused.

D

BLKURA

Mine stays on all the time. Dont see a real need to turn it off where i drive...unless ur in Northern states in the winter, why bother!?

pwrdbykmfdm

threadstarter here.
ok so if i turn vsa off and control my throttle as to not spin i will in turn get a better launch, so as long i play with the throttle just enough to keep traction(i know there is a name for this).
im sure some v-grip tires would help too!
question: how much do engine mount inserts help the 3G TL? is it really worth it? i know on my 05 RSX-S they helped a lot(better throttle responce).

don5504

If you are not getting wheel hop the mounts usefulness is greatly reduced. But it will optimize power getting to the ground. So again it will help so that some of the power isn't lost to movement in the mounts but I doubt you will notice a difference except in NVH.

D

IlovemyAcura

This is so interesting lol

so if i'm sport shifting (04) i should have VSA off?

and if i'm in auto i should have it on?

or it doesnt matter

XxAfG786xX

ss mode i redline first then shift and it starts at a higher rpm in second then in auto mode

I hate cars

If you're having traction isssues and you know how to drive you will be faster with it off.


If you have no traction issues or are racing from a roll, it will make no difference.


If you suck at driving and are having traction issues it will be faster with VSA on.

The problem with VSA is, for example, if you spin and normally back off to 3/4 pedal to control the wheelspin, the VSA overcompensates by letting off to 1/4 pedal and then waiting too long to reapply throttle. That's just an example but you get the idea.

RickBordas

so one question guys... last sunday i went with my friend for messing around with our TL's.. his car is a 04 TL Base with No Navi, and mine is a 2006 Navi.. and we were doing burnouts... and i could notice that my TL DOES NOT REV til the limit.. with VSA OFF and Sport Shift.. his car did the burnout at 6,700 RPM even the car changes gear itself and he was stopped... the thing is mine didnt pass 4,000 RPM.. Is an ECU problem? is my 2006 slower than other?? i am really worried because i feel the power but no as much as the car could do.

geekybiker

In '06 they introduced some thottle cuts to limit torque steer. You may be running into this.

splew

I always drive with VSA on. The stability control has actually saved me in a few "swerve to avoid an idiot" and "holy shit this corner is tighter than I thought" situations.

The traction control isn't bad either. My 06 6MT still allows you to chirp the tires a bit on a quick takeoff with VSA on, unlike some systems that aggressively prohibit any kind of wheel spin.

If you're going for 0-60 runs, it is faster with the VSA off, provided you control the wheelspin. I made this thread a few months back to show a 0-60 run with VSA off: https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-2004-2008-93/holy-wheelspin-batman-0-60-no-vsa-872259/

JTS97Z28

iTrader: (4)

VSA always on. It obviously defaults to on and I can't really imagine any need to turn it off. It's not a race car just a four door sedan daily driver. Besides, burnouts aren't that cool and especially not cool on a low power FWD sedan ;-)

Thunderrr

The only time I turn it off is when I am about to race a car thats in the TL class or higher.

DaeHanMeenGuk

That feel when you can't do this properly in FWD

Jackass

That car won't last long.
Nope, just a driver problem.

MEKO

iTrader: (1)

Wha the heck is Sport Shift?

Dcosta1881

I have an 06 6mt navi and I can tell you the vsa kills all of your power when you chirp 2nd gear. It is a bit too aggressive. I feel you get much better response with it off. Just need to control wheel spin off the line.

MEKO

iTrader: (1)

Depends...
That's the answer for VSA on/off

I hate cars

The only thing worse than a FWD with an overly aggressive traction control is a RWD car with an overly aggressive traction control. A year or two ago I almost wrapped my friend's $220,000 Mercedes around a pole. He said traction control was off and wanted me to drift it so I did, full power in the twin turbo V12, I was already rolling about 30-40mph and it went sideways very quickly which was fine except while I'm almost full steering lock, the ECU lifts completely off the throttle and applies brakes to straighten it back up. I almost couldn't physically turn the wheel quick enough to keep from over correcting. On those cars, apparently you have to have it in "dyno mode" to completely kill the traction and stability controls. Going off topic a little more, those cars have a throttle limiter where even if you punch it to the floor the throttle takes I think up to 3 seconds to hit full throttle. I didn't believe it until I tried it in dyno mode. It responds as if it's naturally aspirated, not a hint of turbo lag, you can leave black lines instantly and at will below 65mph. I had an old video racing a turbo Porsche owned by the same friend that owns the CL65. With the camera in the CL65 I was driving you can see the car going sideways from a 65mph run on a really cold night, right before it pulled the Porsche badly. It's a lot of fun but in this particular car with it's tendency to continue going sideways long after you've lifted, I actually prefer it with traction control on if you're doing point and squirt in (light) traffic. Sometimes you don't have enough asphalt for how sideways this heavy monster wants to get.

The TL is more of an annoyance than anything. You may not get the quickest launch possible. In a RWD car, the last thing you want when sliding is for the ECU to lift throttle for you. I've had the TL sideways a couple times and right in the middle of my fun the pulsing brakes reminds me that I forgot to turn off VSA/Stability control but it's no where nearly as drastic or dangerous as what happens in other cars.

1995hoo

It's Acura's term for the manual-shift gate on the automatic transmission, what Car and Driver sometimes refers to as a "manumatic."

RickBordas

could you be more specific? because as far as i know the only thing is different on 2006 models are TPMS system.. and thats the reason why the ECU model is different..

As we know, the real HP is 258 due to new SAE measurament so in theory the 2006 model is the SAME engine and same everything except for the tpms system

MEKO

iTrader: (1)

Oh I see.
I always heard tiptronic.

Sport shift is the gear "S" like in Audi or Infiniti
I have "L", thought may be Type-S has "S" or something


I never drove 04-05 but to be honest it doesn't feel like there is a torque cut or something. No matter what, I could spin the tires on my car from dead

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

the 2006 did get a change in the way it accelerates.
it cuts throttle in first gear at WOT

the 04 and 05 6MT models are unicorns with MORE aggressive timing, therefore a little bit quicker.

Thunderrr

This would explain why the 07 has the slowest 0-60 time even if it has thesame engine as the other models.

1995hoo

The word "Tiptronic" is a registered trademark owned by Porsche and used by that company and its licensees. Honda is not one of those licensees, which is why they don't use that word. It's sort of like how a lot of people used to use the word "Xerox" as a generic term for a photocopier, or the way a lot of people still use the word "Kleenex" as a generic term for facial tissues—the owners of those two trademarks (Xerox and Kimberly-Clark, respectively) have fought hard to keep their competitors from using those words for fear that the terms would become "genericized." The owner of the name "Thermos" didn't fight other companies who used that word to describe insulated drink bottles and they lost trademark protection for that word as used to describe that sort of product.

But members of the general public often use those sorts of words generically without regard to trademarks. It's not a huge deal in that respect because Porsche won't suffer any monetary damage if you refer to your manumatic as a "tiptronic." But commercial usage is another story and that's why you don't see automakers referring to a "tiptronic transmission"—they know Porsche would sue them.