Traction Control Question

[Canehda]

Hey guys,

I just got home from a drive and I'm not sure if I've broken my car already... On the way home from an event I had my car in VSC sport on some wet roads. Long story short I hydroplaned on an off ramp and spun the car, but kept it on the road. After I checked whether there was .... in my pants I tried to restart the car. It started with some hesitation but seemed fine once running. Oddly however, the two TSC off lights are on and I'm fairly sure (dont really want to test it at the moment) that the system is fully off... What have I done? Any similar experiences/fixes? I've restarted the car since then and the lights are still on!

Thanks!

[humfrz]

If you have a code reader (or ask a auto shop) to take a reading to see if you have any stored codes.

You might try disconnecting the battery for a few minutes then re-connect, to see if that will clear the system.

You sure the button hasn't been punched, "off" ...

humfrz

[Burrcold]

Dude why are you putting the car into VSC sport on wet, public roads?? Jeeesus.

[Unicorn]

Dear Canehda,

Longer starting cycle after a spin has been witnessed before. Root cause is not understood, but best guesses on the rainbow revolve around engine flooding/fouling plugs.

Please learn how to drive or leave the aids on. This is not some Ameribarge.

Yours sincerely,
Unicorn

[Muskokan]

you figured out how to keep if off all the time between starts?... bravo.

[Porsche]

Originally Posted by Unicorn

This is not some Ameribarge.

Ameribarge?

LOL!

[Suberman]

Originally Posted by Canehda

Hey guys,

I just got home from a drive and I'm not sure if I've broken my car already... On the way home from an event I had my car in VSC sport on some wet roads. Long story short I hydroplaned on an off ramp and spun the car, but kept it on the road. After I checked whether there was .... in my pants I tried to restart the car. It started with some hesitation but seemed fine once running. Oddly however, the two TSC off lights are on and I'm fairly sure (dont really want to test it at the moment) that the system is fully off... What have I done? Any similar experiences/fixes? I've restarted the car since then and the lights are still on!

Thanks!

No form of traction control can operate when you hydroplane. The tires have to be gripping the road surface for the traction control or stability control to work.

[nelsmar]

Verify you have no DTC at a shop / parts store. Then try disconnecting the battery and clearing the ECU. I did this in my S2000 in a similar situation many many years ago. After reseting the ECU / VSC module by cycling the power from my battery the lights went away and I never had another issue. Not to say this is 100% the same, but quite possibly the same situation.

[Canehda]

Originally Posted by Burrcold

Dude why are you putting the car into VSC sport on wet, public roads?? Jeeesus.

Yeah, not making that mistake again! I'm used to a Quattro Audi A3 that doesn't allow ANY slip even when in sport+ so you should have seen my face when I started to spin on a ramp doing less than 20km/h... I'll admit the rain was quite heavy but I was pretty surprised how easily the rear end let go!

On a quick side note, are the OEM tires a good rain tire compared to something like a Pilot Supersport?

[Canehda]

Originally Posted by humfrz

If you have a code reader (or ask a auto shop) to take a reading to see if you have any stored codes.

You might try disconnecting the battery for a few minutes then re-connect, to see if that will clear the system.

You sure the button hasn't been punched, "off" ...

humfrz

Originally Posted by nelsmar

Verify you have no DTC at a shop / parts store. Then try disconnecting the battery and clearing the ECU. I did this in my S2000 in a similar situation many many years ago. After reseting the ECU / VSC module by cycling the power from my battery the lights went away and I never had another issue. Not to say this is 100% the same, but quite possibly the same situation.

I brought the car back to the dealership today since the thing is less than a week old and after they checked it, decided they would keep it for the night... They really didn't know what the problem is so we'll see tomorrow I guess

Originally Posted by Muskokan

you figured out how to keep if off all the time between starts?... bravo.

Actually I haven't yet, but I'll take note not to go looking until the temperature gets back up again...

Originally Posted by Unicorn

Dear Canehda,

Longer starting cycle after a spin has been witnessed before. Root cause is not understood, but best guesses on the rainbow revolve around engine flooding/fouling plugs.

Please learn how to drive or leave the aids on. This is not some Ameribarge.

Yours sincerely,
Unicorn

When you are stuck in traffic while leaving a highway, you aren't exactly expecting TC to be an issue... I never usually touch the TC on the road but I was stuck in traffic... Blame it on my ADD

[Burrcold]

Originally Posted by Canehda

Yeah, not making that mistake again! I'm used to a Quattro Audi A3 that doesn't allow ANY slip even when in sport+ so you should have seen my face when I started to spin on a ramp doing less than 20km/h... I'll admit the rain was quite heavy but I was pretty surprised how easily the rear end let go!

On a quick side note, are the OEM tires a good rain tire compared to something like a Pilot Supersport?

The stock tires are decent at best. I put Pilot Super Sports on and the wet traction is night and day (so is dry traction for that matter). You just have to get used to the sounds of ten thousand more rocks and debrit smashing up in your wheel well. Fair trade off though.

[chrisl]

Originally Posted by Canehda

Yeah, not making that mistake again! I'm used to a Quattro Audi A3 that doesn't allow ANY slip even when in sport+ so you should have seen my face when I started to spin on a ramp doing less than 20km/h... I'll admit the rain was quite heavy but I was pretty surprised how easily the rear end let go!

On a quick side note, are the OEM tires a good rain tire compared to something like a Pilot Supersport?

I run PSSs on my Cayman, and they have a shockingly large amount of grip in the rain. From everything I've heard about the stock tires on the 86, I very much doubt that they're anywhere close (and I don't think you would ever have the slightest bit of trouble on a ramp at 20kph on PSSs). If you want a ton of grip in every possible road condition that can happen above 40F (5C or so), the Pilot Super Sports are amazing tires - they definitely are not just for dry roads.

As for the traction control, that's disappointing to learn about the Audi. I like a traction control system that has several levels, and which allows a bit of slip in sport mode. My Cayman allows for a fair amount of slip in sport mode, and I know BMW is similar (even on the x drive models - I've driven an F30 335i Xdrive a couple of times, and it definitely lets the rear end step out in sport+). I haven't had a chance to drive an Audi all that much in a sporty manner though, so I'm not as familiar with them.

[Canehda]

Originally Posted by Burrcold

The stock tires are decent at best. I put Pilot Super Sports on and the wet traction is night and day (so is dry traction for that matter). You just have to get used to the sounds of ten thousand more rocks and debrit smashing up in your wheel well. Fair trade off though.

Can the rock sound be masked by music or is it more of like a drone that is hard to overcome?

btw are you in the Yorkdale area? I see a white brz in the north lot every time I'm there, It has SS tires on it (the inspiration) and the rims are matte black Rota's... Please tell me its yours, that would be amazing!

[chrisl]

Originally Posted by Canehda

Can the rock sound be masked by music or is it more of like a drone that is hard to overcome?

I've never noticed it as a problem on my Cayman. It came with Continental ContiSportContact 3 tires though (pretty sticky in their own right), so I don't really have anything to compare it to that would be similar to BRZ/FRS/86 stock tires.