TCS on or off?

[Rope]

Actually, the TCS doesn't kick on "for no reason". In the case of a 17"/18" wheel setup, it almost certainly goes on because you chose the wrong tire sizes. The TCS on a '91 won't activate if you're using the proper tire sizes - 215/40-17 front and 265/35-18 rear.

I have that setup, and it does kick on during hard acceleration especially during gear shifts. I am not FI so there is no reason for it to kick on. It does not bother me being off, I have had it off for almost 2 years now. The back end doesn't snap out in turns, it comes out in a lackadaisical manner and slides back in the same manner. It takes a lot to push the car to those limits on the street. If you are driving fast enough in the rain to have it kicking on then you are driving entirely too fast.

 

[Honcho]

On the street = ON
At the track = OFF

 

[nsxtasy]

how about 234/40r17 & 285/30r18?

Yes, that combination is likely to set off the TCS. Even more so as the rears wear. Not a good idea.

I have that setup, and it does kick on during hard acceleration especially during gear shifts.

That's because you're causing the tires to slip and lose traction - undoubtedly caused by the hard acceleration and in particular from failure to match revs well when shifting.

 

[Rope]

No, shifting at 80 mph into 3rd in a NA car will not cause the tires to slip. Thank you for diagnosing my problem with the TCS as driver error and not that the computer is in my car is not a fan of the 215/40-17 and 265/35-18 set up.

 

[JLCoolman]

Just for a sanity check.

When the ALB/ABS is bypassed (via shorted pressure sensor connector), TCS is in-turn disabled. Yes/no?

for reference: http://www.nsxprime.com/wiki/Abs

This was actually a question.

Will having the ABS bypassed in turn "disable" the TCS?


I have never had the TCS "kick-in" and the rear has definitely swung out on me a few times (although I usually blame balding tires...).

 

[Rope]

^^ I don't know, good question.

 

[nsxtasy]

No, shifting at 80 mph into 3rd in a NA car will not cause the tires to slip.

That's true, but only if you match revs precisely. If you have the stock '91-93 gears and you're upshifting from second to third at redline, that means dropping the revs to 5700 RPM (5698, to be exact) before letting out the clutch. Do that and there will be no slipping.

Thank you for diagnosing my problem with the TCS as driver error and not that the computer is in my car is not a fan of the 215/40-17 and 265/35-18 set up.

No problem - glad to help out!

Note - I've met in person with at least 50 folks running 215/40-17 and 265/35-18 on their '91-93 NSX, and have e-mailed and PM'ed back and forth with another 50+. Total number of these 100+ owners who encountered TCS problems: zero.

 

[Rope]

That's true, but only if you match revs precisely. If you have the stock '91-93 gears and you're upshifting from second to third at redline, that means dropping the revs to 5700 RPM (5698, to be exact) before letting out the clutch. Do that and there will be no slipping.

 

[nsxtasy]

I love it when people here ask a question and then, when they get helpful and accurate responses, they turn into jerks because they refuse to admit they were wrong, even though they didn't know what they were talking about. Post useful advice on nsxprime and "no deed goes unpunished".

 

[Rope]

You seem to think I asked a question, which I have not. You felt the need to impart your version of reality on me when it was not asked for or wanted. If I turned into a jerk in your opinion then it may be because "no deed goes unpunished."

Your vehicle and mine are similar in that they are both NSX's but no two NSX's are the same as there are tolerances. So what may happen on 99% of the 91-94 NSX's in regards to the TCS, mine does not. My car does not chirp 2nd and it is a complete fantasy to think that a 2-3 shift in a mildly moddifed NSX in NA configuration would spin the rear tires and cause the TCS to turn on. Like I said earlier, I did not have any issues until I upsized my wheels. I have seen your posts in the forum and you always have imperical knowledge to impart on someone and can never accept that you may be wrong or just a tough guy behind the keyboard. So if you are done telling me what is wrong with my TCS, lets get back to what the OP asked as it had nothing to do with my TCS.

I know you always have to have the last word so write what you please I am done conversing with you; have a good day.

 

[nsxtasy]

Thanks for confirming everything I said in my previous post.

 

[Rope]

 

[BATMANs]

Yes, that combination is likely to set off the TCS. Even more so as the rears wear. Not a good idea......

Then I must be the lucky one since no no TCS was set off when I still had the stock ECU in there.

Of course it's a moot point now that I have the AEM EMS 2

 

[IndependentLemming]

Have started to turn it off when playing. Have had it kick on in 3rd while in a high speed curve. Has happened 3 times. Feels like you went from 6 cylinders to 3. Will not drop out till I shut off key and restart the engine. Running 17/18 on a '91

 

[mastaf]

Will having the ABS bypassed in turn "disable" the TCS?

No, it will not.

 

[docjohn]

I always have it off except in rain/ice.

 

[JLCoolman]

No, it will not.

Hmm, that's interesting. I wonder if something is wrong with my TCS since it's never engaged, even in hard rain or on a track.

 

[docjohn]

compared with even the most pedestrian of todays sedans our tcs is a crude thing kinda on/off....and rear wheel only...so its more of a psychological tcs....ptcs where the p stands for placebo:tongue:

 

[willabeest]

compared with even the most pedestrian of todays sedans our tcs is a crude thing kinda on/off....and rear wheel only...so its more of a psychological tcs....ptcs where the p stands for placebo:tongue:

since i shut my TCS off a few days ago the very annoying (and infrequent) lags (sort of like a prolonged turbo lag) SEEM to have stopped.
i have rear tires that look a little like slicks, i think they spin more than normal tires and were triggering the TCS. or maybe it is the tire pressure or the rim size, whatever, the vehicle seems as if it is running better. if it goes another 2 weeks with no more lagging, i will be convinced and the TCS will be always off unless i am in rain (which i never drive in anyway).

 

[cmthomson]

My TCS has only engaged a few times, each time when there was a serious traction issue (sharp turn or heavy acceleration in the rain). I guess that's why it's called traction control...

And no, it's not subtle or smooth; it feels like the engine's been turned off. But it straightens out the car in a hurry.

Of course nobody who would track an NSX would ever want such a thing enabled...

 

[vmax]

I always have it off except in rain/ice.

What kind of studded knobbies are ya runnin in the ice. Just kidding but I would like to know how the car reacts on a wide, high speed, sweeping turn with really good traction, when it breaks loose with tcs on and off. Please share. Thanks.
On for now. The car doesn't know what rain/snow/ice is.

 

[Cozmo]

Mine has been unplugged since I installed my EMS and I haven't missed it yet.

 

[Rope]

What kind of studded knobbies are ya runnin in the ice. Just kidding but I would like to know how the car reacts on a wide, high speed, sweeping turn with really good traction, when it breaks loose with tcs on and off. Please share. Thanks.
On for now. The car doesn't know what rain/snow/ice is.

That is all dependent on your tire choice, suspension setup, alignment settings and weight bias. It can under steer mildly, be neutral, mild over steer or a violent over steer. My car started out with violent over steer on stock rims and some cheap tire I have never heard of that had zero traction beyond what a smart car is capable of. Putting much better tires on the car tended to have a slight under steer and with my current suspension settings I can have either end break free in a slow and controlled manner depending on what I do with the gas pedal. So the best way to find out is to try it in a controlled area at slower speeds and see what it does. Just my two cents.

 

[nsxtasy]

since i shut my TCS off a few days ago the very annoying (and infrequent) lags (sort of like a prolonged turbo lag) SEEM to have stopped.
i have rear tires that look a little like slicks, i think they spin more than normal tires and were triggering the TCS. or maybe it is the tire pressure or the rim size

It is quite possible that your TCS is being activated because of your worn rear tires, particularly if you are using tire sizes that are not the best sizes for the NSX's TCS. For proper operation, the TCS is calibrated for the ratio of the stock rear outer tire diameter to the stock front outer tire diameter. Theoretically the threshold for proper operation is that the ratio of the outer diameters must be within 5 percent of stock. However, there are variables that affect this ratio in addition to the nominal tire sizes (as labeled on the sidewalls), plus this threshold is not precise (it's not like it works perfectly at 4.9 percent and never works at 5.1 percent). One of these additional variables is indeed the amount of wear on the tire. That's because a tire that is very worn has an outer diameter that is around 2 percent smaller than a brand new tire, due to having less tread depth. So maybe your tire sizes work okay when tires at both ends have the same amount of tread depth, but not when the rears are worn and the fronts aren't. Differences in size, front vs rear, can also result when mixing different makes/models of tires, front vs rears, because some tires can run large while others run small, even when labeled with the same tire size.

However, I'm guessing that you are not using one of the combinations of tire sizes that work best with the TCS, and that your TCS problems will go away when you start using one of these combinations:

205/50-15 front, 225/50-16 rear
205/45-16 or 215/45-16 front, 245/40-17 or 255/40-17 rear
215/40-17 front, 265/35-18 rear ('91-93 NSX) or 255/35-18 rear ('95-05 NSX)
215/35-18 front, 275/30-19 rear ('91-93 NSX) or 265/30-19 rear ('95-05 NSX)

I have never seen an NSX have problems with the TCS when using any of these combinations of tire sizes, with the same make/model for all four tires. And 90+ percent of TCS problems I've seen have been due to using combinations of tire sizes other than those listed above (although there are some other size combinations that work also).