So after reading a thread on here the other day, I realized you could override the VSA system in a 6MT. Wow lol, i saw the VSA button when i bought the car but when i pressed it nothing happened, so I just figured that it was only an option for the auto, didn't realize you had to hold it for a couple seconds haha! can't wait to see how it performs, once spring comes and it can come out of the garage again!

 

why else would the button be there...you have to hold it for a second or two, its like that so you dont accidentaly turn it off...

 

Wow, this thread is burning it up with 1 response! Just wanted to say, believe it or not, some car companies put the same buttons on all their models even if that particular car doesnt have that option, just because its cheaper to build it that way, so thats why I wasnt sure if that was the case with the TL, but honestly I didn't give it a whole lot of thought, I've been enjoying the car so much I had forgotten that it even had VSA!

 

keep the vsa on.

while its cool for the first 2 secs, there really isnt a point in turning it off.
I had a challenger srt8 in my possession for about a month. and it had a dummy VSA on/off.
meaning if i clicked off the VSA the VSA would still be active.
I had to hold the button down for more than 30 secs to actually turn it off.

while it was cool to do burnouts with the vsa off, it was pretty dangerous.
I would always end up sideways and had to fight the steering wheel to correct my self.

the TL wasnt meant to do burnouts.
keep the vsa on, your tires and your wallet will be happy

 

I've had my '11 TL SH-AWD 6MT for a few weeks now, so I don't know how good the VSA is.

Coming from a '02 Passat 1.8T 5MT FWD, I would turn "ASR" off occasionally. The primary scenario: going up a hill in the winter with snow on the ground. I was better able to regulate wheel slippage manually (keeping the tires spinning a little) and gain momentum up a hill. With ASR, at the first detection of slippage, the engine would immediately cut power and cause the car to literally stop moving or go VERY slowly up the hill, sometimes dangerously slow.

With AWD in the TL, I don't envision this being a huge issue. Maybe if I was in the middle of a snow bank and had to rock the car back and forth to get out, but that would be rare in itself.

 

That's the point!

 

exactly!!

 

but in an awd 300 crankhp sedan!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?

 

VSA also feeds info to the ECU to the SH-AWD split - yaw sensors are marvelous things.

 

 

Maybe i'm missing something here, but the TL shouldn't do much in the way of burnouts because the VSA is separate from the AWD system, so I would expect some wheel slip but not crazy unless u redline the car upon launch, which is not what i intend lol

 

AWD cars are just NOT meant to do burnouts!

 

I tried the off switch in my company's 20 acre parking lot after it snowed 3 inches the other day and I was one of the last few to leave that day (ie no pedestrians or other cars in the vicinity). The awd system indeed continues to work, using the outside rear wheel to steer the car. Without VSA on, I was able to do a nice 4-wheel drift, let up on throttle, rotate the car, back on the gas for another 4 wheel drift pointed in the opposite direction.

Given the VSA allows a decent amount of oversteer (at least in 6MTs) with it is turned on, I see no reason why anyone would want or need to turn it off anywhere but a track. Occasionally, it will cut fuel if certain conditions are met; but I've rarely believed it was overly intrusive - I like knowing it's there when I hammer the throttle in second with about 1/4 of a cloverleaf on-ramp left to go...

 

Perhaps I should have been more specific in my post.... with VSA on, if slip is detected torque will be cut and/or breaking applied to the wheel that is slipping - and the other wheels will have torque applied to counter steer.

With the VSA off, the SH-AWD system will receive the maximum amount of toque to all wheels dependent on throttle input. Naturally, there will still be a FWD bias, however it is quite easy to get the vehicle to kick it's tail out in a corner, intentionally in a open parking lot with VSA off.

 

I was able to kick my ass end out with VSA ON today in our big NE snow storm, helped to get around a couple tight corners.

 

Ya I noticed my 4Runner does that somestimes when it's in 4WD but haven't tried it with the wifes TL.

 

Oh yea, just to be more specific, if I was going to be driving the car in snow or rain i would leave the VSA alone, but since the car is garaged, and I only drive the car in decent weather, the VSA will be turned off anytime the roads are dry for maximum fun!

 

the manual suggest to turn it off in unplowed snow. which I did...especially during Snowpocalype 2011 in the northeastern US.

I was able to go to work and come home without a problem...and I had to go because I'm a registered nurse...

 

Really, I would have figured otherwise. With AWD I would think this car is a TANK in the snow. Thanks for sharing that information.

 

I had no problem during the recent storms in the NE with the system left on. It cut in once when I made a sharp turn in medium heavy snow/ice.