Snowblind - What you get and what you see
12-12-14, 12:41 AM
#1
Driver School Candidate
Thread Starter
Snowblind - What you get and what you see
I've had my 2010 GS350 AWD since September of 2013 and I love it. Currently I am running Bridgestone Blizzaks all round on the stock wheels. Before I bash it, I must say once again that for everything about it I LOVE this car.
However, compared my old Acura MDX (my last vehicle which I traded in for the Lexus) the GS is like a death trap. The idiot light pops up entirely too often during a storm. It over-compensates. I can't even get up my driveway which is literally two feet higher than the street! All because the traction control and its ignominious flashing yellow slippery road icon on the left side of the driver's cowl, sometimes even beeping.
What kills me is this: Lexus went out of their way to make a button to turn it off. I've had it in park, pushed it in for 10 seconds---I feel as if my last resort is an Exorcist. TRAC, the power of Christ compels you! It turns back on once 30mph is reached. Seriously? Audi is supposed to do the over-engineering, not Lexus. We leave the cars that catch on fire to the Americans and the Italians. But the Japanese have always been pretty slick with electronics.
Can I remove a relay, a fuse? Can I insert a relay to trick the ECU? I see this as a serious safety concern. This last big snowstorm in NH caused the fourth largest damage on record. Getting anywhere was rough. With the AWD system I don't expect to speed down the interstate at 70 in those conditions but I do expect to get through the back roads to my house which requires me going faster than 30mph.
I apologize for the rant but before going any further (I have a tendency to start prodding). Whatever system Acura employed was/is absolutely brilliant. Can we have that same ability? Or am I going to have to go back and get a new MDX? However, those LED's are pretty cool on the new ones...
Cheers
However, compared my old Acura MDX (my last vehicle which I traded in for the Lexus) the GS is like a death trap. The idiot light pops up entirely too often during a storm. It over-compensates. I can't even get up my driveway which is literally two feet higher than the street! All because the traction control and its ignominious flashing yellow slippery road icon on the left side of the driver's cowl, sometimes even beeping.
What kills me is this: Lexus went out of their way to make a button to turn it off. I've had it in park, pushed it in for 10 seconds---I feel as if my last resort is an Exorcist. TRAC, the power of Christ compels you! It turns back on once 30mph is reached. Seriously? Audi is supposed to do the over-engineering, not Lexus. We leave the cars that catch on fire to the Americans and the Italians. But the Japanese have always been pretty slick with electronics.
Can I remove a relay, a fuse? Can I insert a relay to trick the ECU? I see this as a serious safety concern. This last big snowstorm in NH caused the fourth largest damage on record. Getting anywhere was rough. With the AWD system I don't expect to speed down the interstate at 70 in those conditions but I do expect to get through the back roads to my house which requires me going faster than 30mph.
I apologize for the rant but before going any further (I have a tendency to start prodding). Whatever system Acura employed was/is absolutely brilliant. Can we have that same ability? Or am I going to have to go back and get a new MDX? However, those LED's are pretty cool on the new ones...
Cheers
12-12-14, 12:58 AM
#2
I've had my 2010 GS350 AWD since September of 2013 and I love it. Currently I am running Bridgestone Blizzaks all round on the stock wheels. Before I bash it, I must say once again that for everything about it I LOVE this car.
However, compared my old Acura MDX (my last vehicle which I traded in for the Lexus) the GS is like a death trap. The idiot light pops up entirely too often during a storm. It over-compensates. I can't even get up my driveway which is literally two feet higher than the street! All because the traction control and its ignominious flashing yellow slippery road icon on the left side of the driver's cowl, sometimes even beeping.
What kills me is this: Lexus went out of their way to make a button to turn it off. I've had it in park, pushed it in for 10 seconds---I feel as if my last resort is an Exorcist. TRAC, the power of Christ compels you! It turns back on once 30mph is reached. Seriously? Audi is supposed to do the over-engineering, not Lexus. We leave the cars that catch on fire to the Americans and the Italians. But the Japanese have always been pretty slick with electronics.
Can I remove a relay, a fuse? Can I insert a relay to trick the ECU? I see this as a serious safety concern. This last big snowstorm in NH caused the fourth largest damage on record. Getting anywhere was rough. With the AWD system I don't expect to speed down the interstate at 70 in those conditions but I do expect to get through the back roads to my house which requires me going faster than 30mph.
I apologize for the rant but before going any further (I have a tendency to start prodding). Whatever system Acura employed was/is absolutely brilliant. Can we have that same ability? Or am I going to have to go back and get a new MDX? However, those LED's are pretty cool on the new ones...
Cheers
However, compared my old Acura MDX (my last vehicle which I traded in for the Lexus) the GS is like a death trap. The idiot light pops up entirely too often during a storm. It over-compensates. I can't even get up my driveway which is literally two feet higher than the street! All because the traction control and its ignominious flashing yellow slippery road icon on the left side of the driver's cowl, sometimes even beeping.
What kills me is this: Lexus went out of their way to make a button to turn it off. I've had it in park, pushed it in for 10 seconds---I feel as if my last resort is an Exorcist. TRAC, the power of Christ compels you! It turns back on once 30mph is reached. Seriously? Audi is supposed to do the over-engineering, not Lexus. We leave the cars that catch on fire to the Americans and the Italians. But the Japanese have always been pretty slick with electronics.
Can I remove a relay, a fuse? Can I insert a relay to trick the ECU? I see this as a serious safety concern. This last big snowstorm in NH caused the fourth largest damage on record. Getting anywhere was rough. With the AWD system I don't expect to speed down the interstate at 70 in those conditions but I do expect to get through the back roads to my house which requires me going faster than 30mph.
I apologize for the rant but before going any further (I have a tendency to start prodding). Whatever system Acura employed was/is absolutely brilliant. Can we have that same ability? Or am I going to have to go back and get a new MDX? However, those LED's are pretty cool on the new ones...
Cheers
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/1913052-post40.html
Last edited by Brotha500; 12-12-14 at 01:08 AM.
12-12-14, 01:10 AM
#3
Driver School Candidate
Thread Starter
You absolutely rock. I've never heard of this. This sounds like I can also make my GS into a whole new beast during the summer time. This is excellent information. Thank you!
12-13-14, 08:25 PM
#6
12-14-14, 02:07 PM
#7
Guys I am surprised no one knows how to turn of traction completely!!!!!!!!! On Gs350 2007+, all you have to do, stand in one spot hold the traction button, one light comes on, keep holding it and the second one comes on letting you know the traction system was completely disabled. Until you have 2 yellow lights on the dash on, it is not completely turned off and it will turn on traction after 30 MPH.
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12-15-14, 07:28 AM
#8
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I've done the "holding" down TRAC button on park or when I'm stationary and it would NOT let me even if held it for a good minute. I've searched prior before the pedal technique and I've tried numerous times to break the rear traction loose & just wouldn't let me disable it from a dead stop by "holding" the TRAC button down. Got a bit frustrated and I looked like an idiot mashing the throttle in a residential neighborhood by trying to do this method, did the pedal dance and it brought the car to breathe again with the message saying "check VSC" and TRAC light on.
12-15-14, 07:48 AM
#9
You are either doing something wrong, or something is wrong with your car....
I find your "death trap" comment funny, but anyway.... Traction control and VSC are different things. Traction control only shifts torque between back and front to the wheels that have more traction, nothing more... stability control is a different thing, the beeping means VSC kicked in, I can over-simplify it by saying somehow the car detects sliding at which point it cuts out the trottle (as long as the beeping goes on) and applies selective per wheel ABS to straighten the car until it regains traction....
Last winter I experimented in a local round-about, when entering at full speed into the curve the car will slide to a near stop and straighten out.
Now.... IF you want to disable these safety features because you feel they offend your intelligence.
- pushing the traction button (you can be moving at low speed) will turn off only traction control until you get moving at which point it comes back on, that is done so that you can get unstuck
- pushing and holding the button (when at a stop) until the VSC light comes on on the dash turns off traction control and VSC... there should be no "Check VSC" warnings, only the yellow light indicating it is off as well as TRAC OFF in the information display... It will stay like that until you either turn it back on, or until you turn off the car and turn it back on. in this mode the car will not interfere with your driving decisions.... I did doughnuts in a parking lot for 20 minutes like that one evening, I also set it up like that whenever I feel like driving like an idiot.
For your particular problem about the beeping constantly activating when driving in the snow, perhaps you have a heavy foot, or your winter tires are not so good (used/or perhaps old as per date code). you can set the transmission to snow mode, this way it always runs in 50/50 front/back power rather than waiting for loss of traction to shift power, it also will start in 2nd which will reduce initial take off torque and minimize any lead foot impact on immediate loss of traction when you are starting/turning from a low speed/stop.
I find your "death trap" comment funny, but anyway.... Traction control and VSC are different things. Traction control only shifts torque between back and front to the wheels that have more traction, nothing more... stability control is a different thing, the beeping means VSC kicked in, I can over-simplify it by saying somehow the car detects sliding at which point it cuts out the trottle (as long as the beeping goes on) and applies selective per wheel ABS to straighten the car until it regains traction....
Last winter I experimented in a local round-about, when entering at full speed into the curve the car will slide to a near stop and straighten out.
Now.... IF you want to disable these safety features because you feel they offend your intelligence.
- pushing the traction button (you can be moving at low speed) will turn off only traction control until you get moving at which point it comes back on, that is done so that you can get unstuck
- pushing and holding the button (when at a stop) until the VSC light comes on on the dash turns off traction control and VSC... there should be no "Check VSC" warnings, only the yellow light indicating it is off as well as TRAC OFF in the information display... It will stay like that until you either turn it back on, or until you turn off the car and turn it back on. in this mode the car will not interfere with your driving decisions.... I did doughnuts in a parking lot for 20 minutes like that one evening, I also set it up like that whenever I feel like driving like an idiot.
For your particular problem about the beeping constantly activating when driving in the snow, perhaps you have a heavy foot, or your winter tires are not so good (used/or perhaps old as per date code). you can set the transmission to snow mode, this way it always runs in 50/50 front/back power rather than waiting for loss of traction to shift power, it also will start in 2nd which will reduce initial take off torque and minimize any lead foot impact on immediate loss of traction when you are starting/turning from a low speed/stop.
12-15-14, 05:21 PM
#10
If you take the gas cap off completely this will trigger a check engine light; followed swiftly with a check vsc light: and there you go. Traction control off.
Or you can dig into the relays and pull one that controls the vsc.
Or splice into an abs sensor . Put a switch that acts as a breaker. But that would kill off abs as well.
And yes I agree: If I want vsc off , that means I want it off!!!!!
Or you can dig into the relays and pull one that controls the vsc.
Or splice into an abs sensor . Put a switch that acts as a breaker. But that would kill off abs as well.
And yes I agree: If I want vsc off , that means I want it off!!!!!
12-16-14, 12:00 AM
#11
I've done the "holding" down TRAC button on park or when I'm stationary and it would NOT let me even if held it for a good minute. I've searched prior before the pedal technique and I've tried numerous times to break the rear traction loose & just wouldn't let me disable it from a dead stop by "holding" the TRAC button down. Got a bit frustrated and I looked like an idiot mashing the throttle in a residential neighborhood by trying to do this method, did the pedal dance and it brought the car to breathe again with the message saying "check VSC" and TRAC light on.
12-16-14, 08:51 AM
#12
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Oh wait, I'm assuming you've meant pedals.
12-16-14, 09:45 PM
#13
Pole Position
My AWD drives like a tank in all conditions, I have never been stuck or had any trouble getting it to go where I want it to go.
I'm a smart guy though, I put winter tires on the car in the winter.
Hate to be the guy that points out over and over that AWD doesn't make tires with no traction magically have traction. Your MDX probably was the beneficiary of being heavier.
Get proper tires and your crisis will disappear... I swear I hardly ever see the traction control even activate even in the worst weather.
I'm a smart guy though, I put winter tires on the car in the winter.
Hate to be the guy that points out over and over that AWD doesn't make tires with no traction magically have traction. Your MDX probably was the beneficiary of being heavier.
Get proper tires and your crisis will disappear... I swear I hardly ever see the traction control even activate even in the worst weather.
Last edited by BinaryJay; 12-16-14 at 09:50 PM.
12-28-14, 09:40 PM
#14
Guys I am surprised no one knows how to turn of traction completely!!!!!!!!! On Gs350 2007+, all you have to do, stand in one spot hold the traction button, one light comes on, keep holding it and the second one comes on letting you know the traction system was completely disabled. Until you have 2 yellow lights on the dash on, it is not completely turned off and it will turn on traction after 30 MPH.
, keep in mind i have a 2007 gs350