I did a search on VSA and did get an education on how it operates (Great source of info). But I couldn't find an answer to what I've been experiencing.

Being a newbie, with less than 3K on my 06' TL, I still might be green, but this is what I've found.

When I get off the gas under normal driving conditions around town (50-25 MPH), it feels as if the TL starts to lightly brake, and actually slows down a bit even on a level, to slight downgrade.

With the VSA off, my TL doesn't.

Also, it feels as if the TL has a few more ponies with the VSA off. I am far from lighting up the tires, just pulling out from a stop. I sense my butt being planted in the seat with the same amount of throttle with the VSA off as on.

Can having the VSA off also improve gas mileage, which so far only averages 23 MPH?

Am I crazy or do I have a possible issue that I should have the dealer check on my first visit?

Thanks in advance!

 

you have an issue!

 

as far as your mpg goes, i don't think it's that far off

i drive on the highway a lot and still only average 25

although it would be interesting to see if the vsa makes a difference one way or the other

 

Well, there is a deliberately programmed "slowdown" if you are coming across the 40mph mark from above... For example, suppose if you are driving at 45 mph and then just let go of the accelerator, the car will have an added "slowdown" even though you may not be braking at around 40mph.

 

I don't know about all that, dude. As far as I am aware, the VSA is only "active" if the yellow VSA light turns on in your instrument cluster. I've only ever had it come on a few times for a second in the 6 months I've had it. Otherwise I don't think it's actually doing anything. I think all of the things you're noticing might just be in your head...

 

my opinion and experience:

Off the line the TL is good for 1st and second gear then i cut it back on in 3rd.
Without the VSA on in the higher RPM's of third, in certain circumatances, I don't get the same top speed in the gear as the tires, even thought i can't tell, are slipping.

The only time i cut it off is when getting off the line with someone else.
I feel the VSA saves your life time and time again even when the lights doesn't come on. I feel the light just says back off the gas! YOUR TREAD IS TOO LOW!)

 

...also when you finish breaking it in, Just take it out to an empty parking lot and test it out. TRUST! you'll feel a lot more comfortable driving your car after creating different scenarios( rain, snow and dry conditions)

 

Hey Guyz...

I have an Acura TL'04 and i was trading for the Acura TL'07 but not the S-type....The dealer said that they will give me 23,000 for my car and i will have to pay 13,000 for a new one.Is it worth it..Please give me ideas..I have 30,000 miles on my car!!!!

 

Not worth it... I think you're better off just staying with the 04... If you go with the 07, then when the 10 comes out, you'll just end up wanting that... And so on and so forth...

 

I experience the light braking as well, especially coming off a freeway offramp where there is a downgrade. It feels fairly awkward to me, since the car doesn't slow smoothy like it should but rather abruptly and without warning. Braking is normal on level streets. My dealer tells me it's the GradeLogic control in the TL's transmission which kicks in going uphill and downhill. I haven't tried it with VSA off.

It does feel like the car has more pickup and go in 1st and 2nd gear with VSA off, and the engine revs more readily. Anyone know if VSA on a 5AT affects HP or torque on low gears under normal driving conditions?

 

I think you can do a whole lot more with $13K than turn a 3-year old TL into a brand new TL.

Just my $.02; I'm cheap!

 

With the VSA on when I 1st bought my TL I couldn't breqak 26 mpg, now that was the 1st 4 months of me owning it, since then I've turned it off every day when I get in, no matter what type of weather I have and can say that on city driving I average 27 and on the highway 30 mpg or better.
I don't want to atribute my gas milage improvement on my CAI but even so, IMHO that the VSA works with or without the light on, adjusting the idle and brakes .....

 

Oh the conspiracy theories...

VSA is only active when the yellow triangle is flashing. It serves only two functions. Slip control and yaw control.

ABS, BrakeAssist, and EBD are the magical things with the brakes.

Grade Logic Control is the "braking" you feel when going down an incline and releasing the gas.. So here we go:

Vehicle Stability Assit

Slip control - VSA monitors the speed of all four tires. When the fronts begin to spin faster than the rears, it knows that the front tires are slipping. Within a fraction of a second that it detects this scenario, it begins using the ABS system to pump the brakes to the disobedient wheel. This is usually enough to whip that wheel into going instead of slipping, but under more excessive slip VSA will modulate the throttle and reduce the power sent to the wheels. This is why with VSA active, the car will not respond to throttle input as it usually does.

Yaw control - Using yaw sensors, steering input sensors, and the wheel speed sensors VSA is able to determine what the driver wants the car to do and, with its wickedly smart and fast brain, compare it to what the car is actually doing. If the car is obeying the driver's input, the VSA is inactive. If VSA detects that the car is not obeying, such as in understeer (where the front of the car is plowing forward even when the wheels turned) or oversteer (where the rear of the car starts to slide around) VSA acts fast to correct these conditions. It activates ABS at stability-critical wheels and cuts back power in order to get the car back on the right track.

VSA can save your life.

BrakeAssist

The TL has BrakeAssist. Based on research by the NHTSA, they determined that drivers suddenly faced with obstacles panic and slam the brakes down but then immediately release the pressure a bit. Since stopping distances in such situations are critical, the car needs maximum braking force and drivers don't always do what they should to get it. BrakeAssist determines how fast/hard your foot hits the brake pedal, so if you suddenly slam the pedal the system will apply full braking force even if you release some pressure. Test this out by getting in a parking lot, doing about 20mph, and slamming your foot down. You will feel the brake pedal pulled away from your foot all the way to the floor - and the stop will be fast and hard.

Electronic Brake-force Distribution

Back in the days before EBD, the front brakes on a car did most of the work.. about 70% of the braking power, IIRC, went to the front wheels. EBD routes braking force more evenly, sending more power to the rears for increased braking stability and decreased braking distance.

Grade Logic Control

This system controls the transmission. To prevent speeding up while going downhill with no throttle input, the car will shift down and use the engine to brake and maintain a steady speed. While going uphill, to prevent hunting (changing back and forth in and out of overdrive) the car will downshift and hold a lower gear if needed.


I assume everyone is familiar with ABS.

There, I hope that helps. I've outlined the systems and their functions, and these are their only functions. They do not affect normal stability, gas mileage, etc.

 

Mileage figures normally go up after 4 tanks or so when you start driving more reasonably!
And the engine needs to seat in and such, just enjoy, it only gets better, then the performance mods come attack your wallet at night!

 

From my experience, the car does seem to behave differently with the VSA off

 

Thanks for all the input. Forgot about the Grade Logic in the transmission.

Just filled up yesterday. Plan on running a tank with the VSA off. Curious to see if the mileage will vary.

Cool to hear other TL owners have similar handling characteristics.

Love the forum! Such a wealth of info.

 

Nicely put... I was reading through the posts and surprised that nobody mentioned most of what you did until this late in the discussion. I know on the 2Gen TLs, there's grade control and TCS. I turn the TCS on and off as I please (do a search for TCS in the 2Gen forums, this has already been widely discussed and that'll help you figure out how to best use it). One thing I was wondering if you knew was whether or not the 2Gen TLs have Yaw control, EBD and Brake assist and if they do, how much more advanced are those systems in 3Gen TLs?

 

Acurazine is the best there is!

Wish there was a forum like this about relationships...I completely suck in that area...lol.

 

Yes and No.

The 2002-2003 TL-S and CL-S models (with the exception of the 03 CL-S 6MT) have yaw control (VSA).

The 1999-2003 TL-P and CL-P models all have TCS. I do not believe that TCS in the 2nd gens modulates the throttle.. instead it just pumps the brakes as if ABS was active. It is a less advanced system in that regard.

No 2nd gen TL has BrakeAssist or EBD.

 

http://sosuave.net/forum/index.php