can you turn off the vsc?

I

ishium 80439

New member
Hi. First post newb with a question about the vsc. I tried using the search function and did not come up with any hits regarding my question but apologize if this has been done before.

I have a 2005 SR5 and absolutely loathe the VSC. The drive by wire thing drives me nuts. In some circumstances I feel it is more dangerous than helpful. I have been driving in the snow for many years now and know how a car handles. Two circumstances where this feature almost caused me more harm than good:

1) Pulling out of a driveway and turning left uphill (snow covered road). In this situation you expect a certain amount of wheel spin followed by the tires finally linking up and of you go (center of road had been plowed so there was traction to be had). I pull out, the wheels spin and the car takes away my throttle control. The problem is there is a car coming downhill toward me and since I don't have control of the vehicle I am in there travel lane. It all worked out fine but could have been much different.

2) Wheeling in the spring time. Try to crash through a snow bank. Again the car takes away my control. If that bank had been 2' longer I would have not had enough momentum to get out of the other side and would have been stuck.

I understand the drive toward safety but don't feel that taking away control from the driver is the way to accomplish that. My question is this: Is there anyway to bypass/ eliminate this feature? How about something that you have to manually override everytime you start the vehicle? That way Toyota's lawyers would be happy and those of us who prefer not to deal with this can make it go away.

So is there any simple way to bypass it? Any after market company with a new brain programmed around it? Any options at all?

Thanks in advance.
 
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The methodology described on the FJC forum works. The good is as follows: No interference from VSC. The bad: The ATRAC (your limited slip functionality) doesn
 
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so does the method used on the FJ thread turn VSC off totally, in 2WD as well?? too much information and thought needed here...

ill be back to this thread after i get my mind right and i get my dash lights taken care of lol

i guess in the meantime i could hit up some dirt lots and bust out some doughnuts!
 
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Thanks for the replies. I'll have to dig through those links a bit closer and try to figure out what the best option would be. While there seems to be a lot of resistance to disabling "safety" protocols, it seems that I am not alone in my feeling.

Digging through a '80 GMC 3/4 ton is so much more straight forward :D .

edited for grammar
 
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ishium 80439, I understand the reservations about disabling safety systems. Keep in mind the '08 T4R has a VSC defeat switch.

NJRunner11, pulling the wire on the master cylinder does defeat the VSC in 2wd. Unless you have a locker or Trutrak it's going to be the 'one-wheel-peel'.:mad:

:cheers:
 
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My other issue about this feature is the ability to be able to handle the situation w/o relying on technology. When I teach my kids to drive it will be in a rear wheel drive vehicle and I plan on taking them to a snowy parking lot. If you do not develop the tools mentally to be able to handle the situation no amount of circuitry will help you.

I understand that you can not handle every situation and sometimes you will lose, but w/o the knowledge/ experience of how a "loose" car behaves I feel that you are stacking the deck against yourself. It's just like handling a gun- never rely on the safety.
 
to anyone that whines about disabling the VSC being "unsafe" --- what did we used to do before this technology??

i think its a great idea. there are many many cars that have tration contol on and off switches. a few months ago my uncle bought the brand new challenger. that car is bad ass, and once that TC comes off that thing is rediculous!

*edit* sorry for being stupid, but what do you mean by one wheel peel? :headslap:
 
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NJrunner11 said:
*edit* sorry for being stupid, but what do you mean by one wheel peel? :headslap:
Click to expand...

From the movie My Cousin Vinny... Marissa's character saved Vinny's cousin by noting two burnout marks vs one.

If that's a reference that means nothing then... It refers to one wheel doing all the spinning and the other doing essentially nothing, pure old-school open differential. If you have one wheel on ice and one on dry pavement it won't move. With limited slip via a mechanical device or the brake computer (ATRAC) the vehicle will move forward off of the icy patch.

:cheers:
 
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This may be fodder for another thread but ties into the whole drive by wire concept. When I was first looking at vehicle the off roading capabililty was a large part of my thought process. When I heard of the DAC it was explained to me as almost being a tranny brake. However, after reading the manual, I realized that it was nothing more than a way to give the car control over your brakes. In a steep descent on a loose surface this seems downright dangerous to me (all I can picture is hitting some corduroy, hopping the rear end and having the wheels lock, when they come down it will initiate a skid). Am I hallucinatory with my fear of this feature? Anyone have any personal experience?
 
ishium 80439 said:
This may be fodder for another thread but ties into the whole drive by wire concept. When I was first looking at vehicle the off roading capabililty was a large part of my thought process. When I heard of the DAC it was explained to me as almost being a tranny brake. However, after reading the manual, I realized that it was nothing more than a way to give the car control over your brakes. In a steep descent on a loose surface this seems downright dangerous to me (all I can picture is hitting some corduroy, hopping the rear end and having the wheels lock, when they come down it will initiate a skid). Am I hallucinatory with my fear of this feature? Anyone have any personal experience?
Click to expand...


It works well. It's loud and annoying but it works well. Is it a practical feature that you'll use a lot? Probably not. The wheels do not lock and you don't lose control. If the surface is very loose and very steep the vehicle will just roll a little faster until more traction is avail at which time it slow it back down.

IMHO the DAC is probably a lot more desirable on manual shift Prado's and Hilux Surfs etc. With the auto I find select 'L' is more desirable than using DAC. When selecting 'L' and heading downhill the system actually applies the front brakes more. The control is excellent and the ABS keeps the front wheels from skidding.

:cheers:
 
That's good to know. I guess I'll try it on slope that is not that intimidating when I get chance. There is one trail out here that I would like to try (Red Cone Peak) that has little room for error. It is a loose talus slope that is too steep to walk up. If you start to skid and the rear end swings around on you, you will roll and wind up in the canyon 1500' feet below. You can understand my reluctance to trust this feature without some feedback first.
 
I do like the VSC when driving on the road traveling in snow conditions , BUT !!! I think the system is dangerous and have almost caused me to be hit because of the power shut off. I don't have a choice in my v8 since it's a full time 4wd.

Being able to disable VSC and have Atrac still working would be idea. Sometimes you have to power through. Having an Atrac on/off switch too would be the icing on the cake.

My wife honestly refuses to drive the 4R in snow conditions because of this , it's too bad but I from almost getting hit myself understand her point.
 
Falls,

That is exactly my point. I was the first to gripe about this but my wife had grown to agree that I wasn't just whining. I could see this system being of some use if you hit some black ice or a slick overpass, but for the vast majority of situations I think it has the potential to cause more problems than it will solve.
 
My switch setup would cure what you're complaining about. Turn it on to pull out and off to drive or leave it on if you chose...

:cheers:
 
Isn't the question at hand here about how to disable ATRAC and not how to disable VSC? ATRAC is the system the prevents wheel spin by taking control of the trottle, while VSC is designed to prevent lateral spinning of the vehicle (such as hydroplaning). When wanting to crash through a snow bank, or seeking intentional wheel spin while maintaining positive throttle control, isn't this asking how to simply disable ATRAC?

In addition to my '06 T4R, I also own an '07 Lexus IS350 which has a TRAC/VSC defeat button. If I press it once TRAC is disabled allowing me to spin out the tires with throttle (basicly it gives me total control of the trottle). If I hold the button down for 3 seconds, it disables TRAC and VSC. Two completely seperate systems. Without VSC I could take the car on a track (or road) and rip around corners without the system kicking in braking preventing a spinout. So TRAC is for trottle control, while VSC is for lateral spin control. Thoughts?
 
IS_350 said:
Isn't the question at hand here about how to disable ATRAC and not how to disable VSC? ATRAC is the system the prevents wheel spin by taking control of the trottle, while VSC is designed to prevent lateral spinning of the vehicle (such as hydroplaning). When wanting to crash through a snow bank, or seeking intentional wheel spin while maintaining positive throttle control, isn't this asking how to simply disable ATRAC?

In addition to my '06 T4R, I also own an '07 Lexus IS350 which has a TRAC/VSC defeat button. If I press it once TRAC is disabled allowing me to spin out the tires with throttle (basicly it gives me total control of the trottle). If I hold the button down for 3 seconds, it disables TRAC and VSC. Two completely seperate systems. Without VSC I could take the car on a track (or road) and rip around corners without the system kicking in braking preventing a spinout. So TRAC is for trottle control, while VSC is for lateral spin control. Thoughts?
Click to expand...

VSC will cut power off . Say if you were crossing a a medium strip area in a snow storm where it was deep and unplowed . The way you can tell is if you lock your center differential ( which disables VSC ) and then just your Atrac is working you will get out with ease.

Chris , I know you did the mod on your V6 , but I wonder if it would work the same way on a V8 4wd ? Then if what your saying is (for you) it does not work in 2wd , but works in 4wd hi/lo locked and unlocked , correct ??
 
ishium 80439 said:
...There is one trail out here that I would like to try (Red Cone Peak) that has little room for error. It is a loose talus slope that is too steep to walk up. If you start to skid and the rear end swings around on you, you will roll and wind up in the canyon 1500' feet below. You can understand my reluctance to trust this feature without some feedback first.
Click to expand...

I've used DAC on Red Cone (Avatar). It makes it a piece of cake.

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/showthread.php?threadid=13977<br%20/>
 
Falls said:
Chris , I know you did the mod on your V6 , but I wonder if it would work the same way on a V8 4wd ? Then if what your saying is (for you) it does not work in 2wd , but works in 4wd hi/lo locked and unlocked , correct ??
Click to expand...

Absolutely!:biggrin2: If you follow the link in my 'how-to' post you'll see the procedure was "discovered" using a V8 T4R.

Everything about the mod is the same. My pics will be 100% applicable to a V8 model.

:cheers:
 
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