My car is running Falken 245/40/17s in the rear and 215/40/17s in the front. The previous owner said the tires are what's causing the TCS to engage under acceleration. Why does this happen? If I switch tires (I should anyway they are 10 years old) will this go away? If I shut off the TCS it obviously goes away and solves the acceleration stutter.
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TCS light comes on . Why?
- Thread starter unknownpharoah
- Start date
It sounds like the outer diameter ratio between your front and rear wheels is not within spec for what the TCS likes. Changing to a set of front/rear tires within size would probably fix it.
There are tools out there to help with this, but for reference I am running 215/40/17 in front and 265/35/18 in rear and have no issues. Someone may be able to chime in with a ratio that works for 17/17 F/R.
There are tools out there to help with this, but for reference I am running 215/40/17 in front and 265/35/18 in rear and have no issues. Someone may be able to chime in with a ratio that works for 17/17 F/R.
It sounds like a diameter mismatch, as your rear is just under 4% larger than your front. The OEM ratios, as I understand them, are: '91-'93, 7.8%; '94-'01, 4.7%; '02-'05, 5.3%. So if you have an early-year car, then you are starting a pretty far way off of the OEM ratio, and if your rear tires are worn more than the fronts, you will move farther away from the expected ratio.
If you want to play with various size combos, make a copy of my tire spreadsheet, which calculates the various ratios. For an early-year car, you would be better off with 265 rears. Or 205 fronts.
If you want to play with various size combos, make a copy of my tire spreadsheet, which calculates the various ratios. For an early-year car, you would be better off with 265 rears. Or 205 fronts.
I run 255/40/17 and 215/40/17 on my 91 with no TCS issues.
Your rears are a tad too small. As jwmelvin, when you rears start wearing out faster than you fronts, you are nearing the 2.8% ratio limit for TCS triggering.
Great info. I really like the look of the current setuo. Wonder if I'd notice a little size difference in the rear.
I just got a set of 18/19 Enkei RPO3's, and love some meat on my tires 235/40/18, 295/30/19 (i'll make them fit with alignment). I am getting the TCS under accl. only... Since the different model years had different specs, can I swap out a newer model year TCS with mine and avoid the issue with an unhappy TCS?
help is appreciated. Thanks!
help is appreciated. Thanks!
This
Is there a typo here? How you are putting a 235/40/18 tire in the front.
To avoid any issues with the TCS (or with rubbing), get 215/35-18 front, and 275/30-19 rear ('91-93 NSX) or 265/30-19 rear ('94-05 NSX). Don't worry about "meat on your tires", which doesn't matter significantly; what matters to traction is the type (make/model) of tire, and there aren't any really sticky tires in NSX-friendly 18"/19" sizes that will work with the TCS. If you're looking for better traction, ditch the 18"/19" wheels, get some smaller (16"/17", 17"/17", or 17"/18") wheels and extreme performance tires.
Enkei RP 03's 18x8 (40mm offset) and 19x9.5 (42mm offset)
235/40/18 front, 295/30/19 rear w/ Hankook ventus v12 rubber. All I can say is wow, the car looks mean...
The backs actually fit perfect, and the fronts rub on the backside of the wheel well only. I am hoping by changing the caster enough that I can get the tires to fit (not sure if these cars have fore and aft adjustmetn ) as this is what I have often done with my previous vehicles.
Thoughts and input appreciated.
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Sorry, forgot to snap a few shots of the new girl... I cannot be happier to find my super clean 91, blk/ivory. (tried uploading the two upside down shots 3 times without luck, so you'll have to flip your screen upside down to get the proper effect ;-) ).
coming home... Ridgeline in tow.
Finally my Zcar has a new sister to share the garage with...
Also, What is keeping a person from just Disconnecting the TCS module to avoid issues? are there any other systems that rely on the TCS for proper function? ie; ABS? without forced induction, there just is not enough power to really have to worry about the rear tires going up in smoke, so traction is def. not an issue, especially with the 295 rear rubber...
Is there something I am missing?
If not, is there a way to trick either the front or rear wheel sensors into thinking they are within spec? do they run off of resistance or a reluctor wheel? I would think there has to be a way to bring it back into spec... is it possible to install a 94+ TCS module ( different tire spec programming ) into a 91 car without issues?
Is there something I am missing?
If not, is there a way to trick either the front or rear wheel sensors into thinking they are within spec? do they run off of resistance or a reluctor wheel? I would think there has to be a way to bring it back into spec... is it possible to install a 94+ TCS module ( different tire spec programming ) into a 91 car without issues?
An easy way to disable the TCS is with the button on the dash for that purpose.
shawn110975
Suspended
+1 Honcho Im running the same setup 17/17 with no problems.
I wonder if you reset the ECU and get it into the learn mode if it will re-learn the new rims/tires setup
I wonder if you reset the ECU and get it into the learn mode if it will re-learn the new rims/tires setup
The TCS ratio is set at the factory; there's nothing to "learn".
I don't know. But there's really no reason to swap them. They aren't all that different. In almost all cases, tires that are the wrong sizes for one are also the wrong sizes for the other one.
Factory specs for the 94+ cars are ~4% size difference, 91-93 cars are ~8% difference. I would assume the logic within the 94+ TCS modules has a different calibration than that of the 91-93 TCS module... Can anyone verify this? They are listed as different PN's but it is a spendy part to "just try".
Input is appreciated!
Input is appreciated!
Yes, it is true that the 1995-2005 TCS modules have a different calibration from the '91-93*. The '91-93 cars are calibrated for rears that are 7.7 percent larger than fronts; '95-01 for rears 4.7 percent larger than fronts; and '02-05 for rears 5.3 percent larger than fronts.
Stick with any of the NSX-friendly tire sizes and they will work with the factory TCS for any year NSX:
15"/16" - 205/50-16 and 225/50-16
16"/17" - 205/45-16 or 215/45-16, and 245/40-17 or 255/40-17
17"/17" - 215/40-17 and 255/40-17
17"/18" - 215/40-17, and 255/35-18 or 265/35-18
18"/19" - 215/35-18, and 265/30-19 or 275/30-19
Again, any of these size combinations will work on any year NSX. Some are closer to the stock ratio for the '91-93 NSX, and others closer to the ratio for the '94-01 or '02-05, but any of these size combinations shouldn't encounter problems with any NSX TCS. Which is why it doesn't make any sense to swap the TCS module to a different year.
*The TCS for the '94 is an "oddball"; in the Acura parts catalog, the automatic '94 NSX has the same TCS part number as the '95-01, but the manual-transmission '94 NSX has the same TCS part number as the '91-93.
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I have these sizes on my 95: 18"/19" - 215/35-18, and 265/30-19
And I still get the TCS light on. It’s been ok for the past 10+ years lol but I finally want to fix it. What could be causing ?
Thanks
I did a quick check and your diameter ratio is 5.8%, which is larger than the 4.7% max your 1995 TCS is looking for. Also, one or more of your wheel speed sensors could be bad.
Which TCS light? If the TCS check light is on continuously it indicates that there is a problem with the TCS. Retrieving the error code for the TCS would help diagnose the problem.
If the TCS light is flashing on occasion indicating that the TCS is becoming active, then you have a tire sizing problem. This may be created by tire wear if you are pushing the limits of the permissible difference in front - rear tire sizing or the fact that not all tires with the same size markings have the same rolling radius. Tire Rack lists revolutions per mile for tires - check your tire brand. If the difference between front and back is significantly different than the OEM sizing that may be your problem.
If the TCS light is flashing on occasion indicating that the TCS is becoming active, then you have a tire sizing problem. This may be created by tire wear if you are pushing the limits of the permissible difference in front - rear tire sizing or the fact that not all tires with the same size markings have the same rolling radius. Tire Rack lists revolutions per mile for tires - check your tire brand. If the difference between front and back is significantly different than the OEM sizing that may be your problem.
Thanks!
Thanks! The light on the cluster is on alway, never goes off or blinks. I saw in another thread that my CEL and TCS light might be related to an O2 sensor issue. I have custom basic test pipes on my 95 so that may be the issue. I installed them over 10 years ago so I’m assuming that I removed the two that were connected to the cats. So I’m guessing I just have to buy two new ones for the two that are remaining and add defoulers to Them? I’m probably going to get some Pride test pipes since mine are ugly.
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