Ditched front sway bar, trac control issue

[gfluff]

I removed the front sway bar last week, truck feels 10x smoother over everything. Only slightly tippier, so I gotta take it a little easy on the corners. I'm of course blasting up driveways now like I'm in a trophy truck, but it's triggering the Traction Control stuff now. It will sometimes beep/click/cut power. Is this the Skid control ECU or YAW sensor or both killing my fun? Anyone ever been successful bypassing these things? I have yet to do my VCS off mod, but I was wondering if there's any other options...

 

[LandCruiser]

I removed the front sway bar last week, truck feels 10x smoother over everything. Only slightly tippier, so I gotta take it a little easy on the corners. I'm of course blasting up driveways now like I'm in a trophy truck, but it's triggering the Traction Control stuff now. It will sometimes beep/click/cut power. Is this the Skid control ECU or YAW sensor or both killing my fun? Anyone ever been successful bypassing these things? I have yet to do my VCS off mod, but I was wondering if there's any other options...

Probably Yaw.

It's not the wisest thing to do for a vehicle that gets used on surface streets.

If you have to do an avoidance maneuver you're hosed...

I removed them on my FZJ80. Then decided to run with the fronts on and the back removed for max articulation--that way it wasn't TOO scary on road.

 

[LTDSC]

ive had my front sway bar removed for two years. So you can kick rocks with the "on pavement" argument. Never an issue, not even a scare and i drive hard.

My guess is somehow you stretched the speed sensor wire and its throwing trac lights. I too did this when i first lifted mine. Need a new wire.

 

[gfluff]

I don't think I recently stretched a wire, it's been lifted for over a year and has always been a little sensitive. I only pulled the sway bar off, last week nothing else was done. I've had it TC-VSC me a few times on bumps and fast turns, but the lack of front bar has magnified it. Worth doing the YAW recalibration thingie?
It's favorite time to do it is when you're stopped waiting to make a left turn across traffic. If you mash it a bit to get thru your traffic hole, it cuts power and beeps and clicks...not the last sounds I want to hear before I die...

 

[chmura]

Maybe do zero point calibration on your yaw sensor?

 

[t-man]

I've had mine off for over a year, and if I really get playing and go hot into a corner it will kick on but I can usually feel the front tire on the inside sliding or lifting off the pavement when that happens. lol I think I've had it about an inch off the ground before. Learn it's limits, or disable it I would say. Could always be a bad part somewhere, time will tell.

 

[RPS13]

Removing one sway bar will increase weight transfer on the stiffer axle (rear). This will mean your rear inside is getting lighter, and you're more likely to spin it while loaded up in a corner and getting on the throttle.

Honestly, the 4th gen 4Runner traction control absolutely sucks. It's way too sensitive, and when it does kick in it basically brings you down to near zero acceleration for a solid 3+ seconds. The yaw sensor also seems to be tuned to only give you around 0.6 G of lateral grip. Generally the yaw and lateral G limits are way too low, and well below the limits of the chassis, which actually aren't bad, and are pretty approachable.

IMO, the engineers who tuned it took the easy way out of making the thing 10x more restrictive than it needs to be rather than doing their job well and giving you 90% the chassis limits and being more subtle when it comes to getting a little wheelspin on power.

 

[BlackWorksInc]

Removing one sway bar will increase weight transfer on the stiffer axle (rear). This will mean your rear inside is getting lighter, and you're more likely to spin it while loaded up in a corner and getting on the throttle.

Honestly, the 4th gen 4Runner traction control absolutely sucks. It's way too sensitive, and when it does kick in it basically brings you down to near zero acceleration for a solid 3+ seconds. The yaw sensor also seems to be tuned to only give you around 0.6 G of lateral grip. Generally the yaw and lateral G limits are way too low, and well below the limits of the chassis, which actually aren't bad, and are pretty approachable.

IMO, the engineers who tuned it took the easy way out of making the thing 10x more restrictive than it needs to be rather than doing their job well and giving you 90% the chassis limits and being more subtle when it comes to getting a little wheelspin on power.

While I agree with the ABS/VSC being restrictive and limiting, Toyota has always been conservative with their approach to designing vehicles. To expect them to give themselves any room for lawsuits over idiots that flip an SUV hitting a corner at 50mph is just not smart on their end (even though I am one of those idiots who drives their lifted 4Runner like they stole it, I'm just smart enough to admit it's my fault when I get unlucky and do roll it. :biggrin1 Basically the entire reason we have all this crap is because most people CAN'T drive a vehicle properly and so they need the nannies just to keep themselves on the road.

 

[RPS13]

Oh, I completely understand WHY they did it that way. But I still don't think it's dangerous to tune the electronic systems well and allow a little more SAFE chassis ability out.

See BMW's SUVs for a good example of this.

 

[CruzadoBlanco]

you probably need to do a zero point calibration. when i originally took mine off it was doing the same crap but once i ended up imploding a CV axle and severing a speed sensor line and re-calibrating it its been fine. if i do drive it like i stole it and hit a corner hard ill have vsc kick in but no trac but it what ever.

 

[RPS13]

I probably drive... more spiritedly than most.

It's pretty damn consistent when it hits the electrical limits and starts dragging the outer brakes.

 

[4gin007]

Not to sure its a good idea to ditch the sway running fj springs. I dont think there stiff enough, could cause issues you dont want one day. I ditched my front sway once i installed the ome 885s, there plenty stiff.

 

[gfluff]

Not to sure its a good idea to ditch the sway running fj springs. I dont think there stiff enough, could cause issues you dont want one day. I ditched my front sway once i installed the ome 885s, there plenty stiff.

Running Taco fronts, FJ rears. It's really not that tippy, and all my other trucks have been long-travel/coilovered, so this felt sooo stiff to me with the sway bar. Feels right without it.

 

[470SNC]

I ran without a front sway in my FJ for 5 years, 1 year in my GX with no traction issues unless I'm really trying to.