Today I noticed a sort of 'grinding' noise coming from the front of the car while I was driving and the VSA / traction control kicked in. It sort of resembled the noise of ABS and seemed to come from the front driver side wheel well. It was not road noise and was not the ABS. It also happened randomly and was not consistent.

I've owned my 2006 6MT for a year and this is the first time I've noticed this. Also, it's been quite cold (-22°C), could this have played a role in the noise?

 

I believe it's because it's too cold. I get similar noise. Were you turning the steering wheels too by any chance?

 

Its normal. It is the ABS. If there's too much wheelspin the ABS will function to control the wheel that is spinning. If the car slides it will engage ABS on various wheels to try and stop the slide.

 

So maybe it's a normal noise due to the cold? It just doesn't sound right. And it did happen as I was turning the steering wheel, but would also happen when I was going straight

 

Oh I had no idea ABS is linked to VSA, makes sense though. Maybe I'm just unobservant and didn't notice it before

 

I am not sure it's normal or not but I only got that noise in the winter too. I was thinking of getting my car checked out top to bottom this spring but the same thing happened last winter too and last summer I didn't hear anything and the car handled just fine.

 

It won't engage the ABS every time. If there's just a little wheelspin it pulls the throttle back and no ABS. If one wheel is spinning much more than the other, ABS will kick in on the one that's spinning.

I've had it spoil my fun at the track when I forget to turn it off. I'll have the tail out just a little and then I hear the ABS and the car straightens out. It's a weird feeling when you hear the ABS but you're on the throttle and not the brake.