hey all -

ya know ... i love my tl (06) ... but one "complaint" (if you can call it that) is that i think sometimes the steering is too sensitive. maybe i'm just not used to driving a higher performance car (my previous car was a 94 accord ).

so, i was just curious what would happen if i disabled the VSA (or whatever it's called). i guess it wouldn't be too smart to disable something designed to help me drive ... but there ya go ... welcome to ted's world.

thanks!

 

Turning VSA off will not change the steering sensitivity in the TL.. =/

 

Trade your '06 in for an '07 TLS.

Not at all like the '06's...there's a lot more resistance in the steering wheel.

 

very true, the tl-s steering is nicely stiff when cornering... sometimes I lean my body into the curve such a rush lol

 

My VSA always OFF (except snow)


And for -- my is 04, we can check it out

 

this is a stupid question but can someone explain to me how the VSA work? What does it do for your car while you're driving? And what would happen if its off?

 

You can try it yourself. VSA is disabled by pushing the VSA button on the lower left dash. It disables your traction control and stability control, so it means the car's computer will no longer intervene if you do something stupid or something the car judges to be stupid. Some feel that the stability control emasculates the car by taking control away from you just when you're having fun. I find that the car performs somewhat better with it switched off, but you're driving without a net at that point. The way the VSA does its thing is by applying brakes at the individual wheel level and by retarding the timing to keep the car under control. It's a very good thing for most of the time because it knows you're in trouble before you do and acts to pull you back out.

There would be no purpose in disabling VSA permanently. It is a safety feature.

 

The only time VSA has ever slowed me down is when accelerating hard from a stop around a corner. That is the traction control slowing me down, not the stability control (SC). If you know you are going to accelerate quickly and want to get the most of your car turn it off, but once you are up to speed you will want to turn it back on. SC is going to be required by law to be on every car within the next few years (2010 I think). SC is the greatest saftey feature since seatbelts. VSA is great because it saves you from yourself. Multiple studies have shown that SC actually reduces single car accidents up to 50% from cars with SC to cars without. The only time stability control has ever kicked in for me was when I tried to make it come on while playing in the snow or on the dirt roads by my house, no other time. VSA will only come on if the car thinks that you are going to completely loose it.

 

You'll crash and burn

 

Traction Control and Vehicle Stability Assist are two different features that "expand" and run off the same electo-mechanical system - the AntiLock Brake system.

VSA basically compares your steering input (where your wheels are pointed) to your yaw rate (where your nose is pointed). If the system senses that you cannot get the nose to go where the wheels are pointed, it will intervene and selectively apply brake to one or more wheels and/or reduce throttle (regardless of what your right foot is telling the car). The intent is to get your nose pointing where your wheels want to go.

Turning off or disabling VSA will cause the car not to attempt to correct what may be either driving at the limit or going out of control and wrapping your TL around a tree - depending on the driver. You'll also lose the Traction Control which limits wheel spin.

All that said, VSA is NOT a fail-safe. You can still push the car beyond what VSA can correct and still end up wrapped around that tree.

 

Nothing bad happens...



For you of age 20 better to keep VSA on all the time. But I like to drive and have a fun, that's why my cars MT.

 

My VSA is always on, especially on public roads.

Been a while since I've seen a good controversy here so I'll light the fire.

A manual gearbox on a front wheel drive car makes no sense in regard to sport driving. A manual gearbox used during sport driving allows the ability to "steer" the car with the rear wheels. The front wheels simply change the direction of where the car is pointed and where the driver wants it to go.
In addition to that a manual gearbox also allows the driver to hold the engine at a high rpm in anticipation of the next manuver, i.e., while slowing down into a turn and preparing to excelerate when leaving it. That can and is easily accomplished with the sport shift option on the automatic.
Drive wheels on the front of a car are simply dragging the rear along for the ride. They offer no high-speed or manuvering ability at all.

Enjoy.

 

There is no reason to disable the stability controls outside of a track. Even there the difference tends to be marginal unless you're really racing. Drifting is normal and SC doesnt like that. Traction control however I wish I could disable except in the rain and snow. Totally neuters the car IMHO. As others have said you can disable both with the VSA button. I just wish there was a way to disable them independantly.

 

good info guys ... thx! i may try to disable it ... just for kicks. but i suspect i'll keep it on. i'm not a racer or anything ... but i like the idea of the car thinking for me.

 

As mentioned before turning off (or disabling) the VSA will have no impact on streering feel.

Also, don't "disable" it, just use the button and turn it off (but thats probably what you meant anyhow)

 

I just bought a 07 TLS with MT. I havent got past my break in period so I havent accelerated to fast but I still seem to notice a slight difference with VSA on or off. It feels like the car is performing slight adjustments ( i feel a slight jitter with VSA on when im accelerating and performing shifts) but with VSA off acceleration and shifting seems much smoother.

Im I just imagining this or does this make sense. WIth a MT does it make sense to leave VSA more often then not as opposed to an AT.

 

^^^I have a MT, I usually leave it ON, I'll this tonight and let you guys know

 

Yeah tell me what you think. thanks

 

when i turn VSA off... my car runs alot faster and smoother... thats just my opinion..

i have 07 TL-TYPE S AT

 

OK so I am not crazy, with VSA off it does feel smoother, anybody else want to chime in that has an 07 TLS with the same experience

 

I filled up the tank, put in 6oz Marvel Mystery Oil and I was off. I turned VSA off and man .. it felt damn cool. It felt like a car should .

I noticed smoother shifts as well.

 

A simple test of the effect that VSA has on straight line performance is this (with a manual transmission).

From a standing start with VSA on, launch the car fairly hard, from around 2500-3000 RPM, and nail the throttle as soon as the clutch is fully engaged. At around 6000 RPM, speed shift (not power shift) to second gear. What you should feel is not a lot of wheel spin in first, and a definite and serious "bog" when you hit second gear.

Now do the same thing with VSA off. You should see first gear with almost all wheel spin up to your second gear shift, then some wheel spin in second.

As for normal driving, I would recommend you leave VSA on all the time since it does offer a margin of safety for you.

 

turn the VSA off when you race and turn it back on when your driving normal. thats all you need to know. true story.

 

Honda left out a feature that should be standard IMO. They should let you turn off traction control but leave on stability control. My '99 C5 Vette had this feature and it was called "Competitive Driving Mode". All you did was hold down the on/off button for the Active Handling for a second or two and it would put you in that mode. You could spin the tires all you wanted but if you got too sideways it pulled you back in. Very cool.

More applicable to a vette than a TL but it would still be nice.

 

uhhhhhhhh death

 

first part happened to me.... turned VSA off, got in the curb fast while it rained... hit the sidewalk sideways and got $6,000 in damage to suspension parts...