VSA, Traction Control and TPMS questions
 

I'm shopping for a Fit and am just learning about it. Anyone know if the VSA and TC can be shut off? Also, I heard that there can be some difficulty in getting the systems to work correctly if wheels are swapped with different or incorrect tire pressure monitoring sensors. I'm pretty vague on that, can anyone clarify?

I'm asking about this because I like to mod my cars a bit and I like to autocross, so I'd almost definitely want to put a different set of wheels and tires on it and I'd like to know if I'll have any problems or expenses doing it.

VSA can be turned off. I thought traction control was part of the VSA system. Not sue about the TPMS and aftermarket wheels. I thought the tpms was from sensors on the corners Measuring rolling radius and not the actual pressure in the wheel on the fit

TC (traction control) can be turned off. VSA (vechicle stability) is always active, but generally doesn't come into play unless skidding sideways is about to happen (which, of course, is not out of the question for autocross).

TPMS on the new Fits is indirect based on wheel rotation, so swapping wheels won't give it grief provided you reset it (there's a reset button) afterwards, just as you have to reset it whenever the tires are changed or have air added or whatever. Previous Fit models did not use the indirect method but instead do have pressure sensors that the car must be paired with (and so they need to either be moved to any replacement wheels, or different ones put in the wheels and the car reprogrammed for the sensors whenever the wheels are swapped).

I think traction control can't be turned off if the TPMS system isn't happy; that's certainly the case with the previous models.

TPMS does not use sensors, rather it measures wheel rotation. If you change wheels/tires, there's a simple recalibration you do by pressing and holding the TMPS button on the dash.

I have aftermarket wheels/tires, and have no issues.

http://www.peachtreeprairie.com/road...rota_rrear.jpg

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what a great solution from having TPMS to not having TPMS in the wheels themselves.

yep, even with VSA (traction control) the ESC (stability control) is still on. ESC really saps the fun & kills the power once the fit is a just a little bit sideways.

it will make the car suck in the winter, so i am looking for a fix as we speak...

How do you turn off traction control? VSA can be turned off via a button. Are you referring to an older fit? I am pretty sure on the 15 traction control is controlled by the VSA button. If one is off both are off.

See page 333 in this 'Owner's Manual'.

The upper right hand corner says, 'Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA), aka Electronic Stability Control (ESC) system'. They are both one and the same!

On page 332, it says, 'VSA® helps to stabilize the vehicle during cornering if the vehicle turns more or less than what was intended. It also assists in maintaining traction on slippery surfaces. It does so by regulating engine output and selectively applying the brakes.' This to me sounds like 'Traction Control'.

So VSA is essentially ESC and Traction control. Turning this on and off is a simple matter of pushing a button. Below is some more useful information copy and pasted from page 333.


This button is on the driver side control panel.
To partically turn the VSA features on and off, press and hold it until you hear a beep.
The traction control stops fully functioning, allows the wheels to spin more freely at low
speed. The VSA® OFF indicator will also come on.
To turn it on again, press the (VSA® OFF) button until you hear a beep. VSA® is turned on every time you start the
engine, even if you turned it off the last time you drove the vehicle.

With the button pressed, your vehicle will have normal braking and cornering ability, but VSA®
traction and stability enhancement becomes less effective. In certain unusual conditions when your vehicle gets stuck in shallow mud or fresh snow, it may be easier to free it with the VSA® temporarily switched off. When the button is pressed, the traction control function becomes less effective. This allows for the wheels to spin more freely at low speed. You should only attempt to free your vehicle with the VSA® off if you are not able to free it when the VSA® is on.
Immediately after freeing your vehicle, be sure to switch VSA® on again. We do not recommend driving
your vehicle with the VSA® system switched off.
You may hear a motor sound coming from the engine compartment while system checks are being
performed immediately after starting the engine or while driving. This is normal.