Traction control problem
 

Hey guys! I’ve had my 2013 BRZ for a month now and I’ve been noticing that my stability control has been turning on when I take corners a little hard(at a speed it should be able to handle). Isn’t traction control only really supposed to come on in the rain and if you really are about to loose control? My car is completely stock. I also took my car to the shop and they said they couldn’t find any problems. Let me know if I’m missing something here and thanks for the help!

Sounds normal. And it is the stability control you are experiencing.

Does it do the same thing with you?

yes, the stability control keeps the car in check if it senses something out of its parameters between wheel speed and rpm and slidea angle and yada yada

hit the sport button to lift those parameters a bit higher

I turn it all 'off" for open tracking, but it keeps them active just raises the limits even higher, youd need a beastronix or oft to activate "pedal dance " mode but honestly outside of autox youd never really need it. I did a few laps at buttonwillow between just holding the traction control off vs pedal dance and i iwas faster with the traction control held off

It’s normal. Sounds like crap, eh?

I used to turn mine off all the time but now only do it on track. I’m not sliding anywhere with stickier tires. I should put the stockers back on for a while :)

ETA There’s no track button in a 2013. Just they traction control buttons which can be turned off if desired.

TCS and VSC work to limit the tire slip. You don't have to be drifting or hydroplaning to experience tire slip. If the vehicle detects that tire is slipping, it will apply brakes to counteract the slip. The TCS is going to operate with the goal of limiting tire slip well before you lose control, not just before....in most cases it would be too late by then. It is every bit a preventative system as it is a reactive one.

The TCS/VSC in the 86 is much to intrusive for my taste. First thing I do when I start the car is put it in VSC sport.

Ok, I appreciate all the info everyone it helped a lot!

It's literally impossible to say if it's normal with just "when I take corners a little hard".

My stability control doesn't kick in when taking corners "a little hard", my dash cam at the least sensitive setting thinks I've crashed ages before stability control would think to cut in. But stability control intervention has a lot to do with the driver and what you are doing in those corners. I often tell people the story of my old 4Runner that I would drive around pretty hard and even drifted through a few off ramps. I'd often give rides to my sister so she got used to "my speed". One time she drove it and was unconsciously going "my speed" and she was lucky to not flip it, she had it on two wheels and eventually off of the street over the sidewalk. Same corner, same speed, different driver inputs, different stability.

Stability control will kick in when the yaw rate sensor detects slip angle amongst other things. How granular is your throttle control? How delicate are you with the wheel? Is the threshold for slip unexpectedly low thanks to slippery tires or a bad alignment? Are you going just that fast?

Can't tell over a few lines of text.

Let's not forget the technical aspects. Are your tires all the same front and back and side to side? What sort of condition are the rears in?

And what pressure are they at?

By saying stability control turns on easily I mean that I haven’t had any tire squeal because it turns on before I get any. The tire pressure is all good. I have the tires on that I bought it with, Michelin pilot sports in the front that are a bit worn down but not to the point that they need to be replaced yet. On the back I have new Yokohama Avid EnVigor tires on.

There is your problem. Different tires front and rear will cause this issue. I had the Exact same thing happen when I had Michelin Pilot Sport tires on the front and All seasons on the rear.

Ok thank you so much for the help, I’ll look into getting new tires.

Yeah, I had one tire replaced due to a nail, and it caused my traction control to freak out.
Traction control was getting super sketchy. It would randomly kick in on the freeway at 65 around a long left turn. it was super trippy. I guess the diameter of the new tire much more than the other worn down tires. I had to purchase another to sort of even it out.

The passenger rear tire was the first one to get replaced, followed by the driver's rear. When both new tires were in the rear (thanks Discount tire, you dorks), my car would try to push the front end and traction control would kick in. I then rotated my tires, and it's been smooth after that.