How do you disable VSC and Traction 100%?

[piccolabomba]

I find the VSC tends to intervene excessively under 40mph or when cornering, particularly when accelerating out of a corner. Also has unintended consequences in snow.

Engine tranny is not that great to begin with, very sluggish. You find workarounds, but in corners not workable. Give it some gas it loses, does not gain speed until you straighten the wheel as if someone applied the brake when you actually are giving throttle. I don't like this.

Also, speaking of this in snow the VSC is too agressive. Traction control keeps the front wheels from ever spinning. This is fine in theory, but in light of the haldex differential, it means the rear wheels never get any power, making this "part time" AWD solution unworkable. Car seems to prefer to lose power and stop on slippery surfaces rather than feeding traction rearwards.

I just recently drove some old cars while here in Europe, and while I didn't do any crazy maneuvers, I enjoyed having just a trace of torque steer or oversteer here or there. We're talking like around 100hp and not much more, but wow, I was impressed with a car that you can actually.... drive!

I have read there is generally a 15 step process when starting a stability controlled car to disable this system on other Toyotas or Lexuses. Whether a button is available or not, I know for a fact all vehicles with stability have to allow a mechanic performing dyno and emissions testing to shut it off.
I would like to know if anyone has access to this sequence and if so, to post the exact sequence to shut off the VSC and traction.

Thanks in advance

[wongyun]

Have you tried using the shut-off button for traction control? It's to the left of the steering wheel. Holding it down for 5 seconds will also shut off VSC. But you will have to repeat this every time the car is started. Hope this helps.

[happycamper]

Traction control actually helps you in snow, by braking the slipping wheel to direct the power to the wheel with traction. I was in the back of a parking lot with over 10" of snow and an upward slope to the exit. Without traction control, I couldn't move forward or backward one inch. With traction control engaged, it was like driving a 4-wheel drive vehicle and the van easily got out of the parking lot.

I find the VSC tends to intervene excessively under 40mph or when cornering, particularly when accelerating out of a corner

Seriously, how hard are you accelerating out of a corner? It's a minivan, not a sports car...

[brian_bp]

Traction control actually helps you in snow, by braking the slipping wheel to direct the power to the wheel with traction.

I agree, but traction control systems can be too aggressive. Since my 2004 LE has no traction control, I don't have experience with any Sienna system, let alone the 2011 variant.

The problem would be with the engine power reduction response of the traction control system, not with the initial one-wheel braking.

I find the VSC tends to intervene excessively under 40mph or when cornering, particularly when accelerating out of a corner

Seriously, how hard are you accelerating out of a corner? It's a minivan, not a sports car...

I understand the concern, but I find the car I do have with traction control (a Ford Focus), I trigger the system when the inside front wheel hits a bump or patch of gravel, even in generally good summer conditions. The problem is the inside wheel, due to the load transfer toward the outside which occurs during cornering. On the other hand, a friend of mine has a Focus in a higher-performance variant (an SVT), and he never sees the traction control indicator light; driving styles and tire traction vary.

Although I rarely notice wheelspin in our Sienna on dry pavement, its a routine occurrence in winter and even on gravel - it's a minivan, but it has power!

[piccolabomba]

Have you tried using the shut-off button for traction control? It's to the left of the steering wheel. Holding it down for 5 seconds will also shut off VSC. But you will have to repeat this every time the car is started. Hope this helps.

Thank you! I was not aware of this feature. I tried pushing the button, but after a few seconds the "trac off" light went off.

So what is it then, do I have to hold it for 5 seconds BEFORE or AFTER the car is started? Or will holding it down for 5 seconds kill the electronics until engine shut off any time?

The problem lies with the tranmission. You have to accelerate hard every time you gain speed because otherwise the shift logic goes into fuel saving, and even at full throttle it will only upshift at 3500 or 4000 RPM.

Yes, the Sienna has "power", kind of, in some ways. My other car is AWD and can burn rubber in the first 3 gears even when you don't want to (not just a nod to the Beach Boys). That's power. Coming from that the Sienna feels "warm", not hot.

Still, I've driven cars with less than 1/3 the power of the Sienna that felt easier and less sluggish just because the transmission wasn't always hunting, shifting wrong, searching for the gear, getting confused on top of the electronics cranking down power when you least want it reduced. This is a problem w/ VSC's and traction. Have you ever driven a car like the Cadillac CTS-V, AMG Mercedes, or some other 500hp+ beast? They don't feel very fast until well after 100mph because of traction issues. Since wheelspin is so severe, the traction kills the power. Acceleration numbers are impressive, but "seat of the pants", the motor feels none too hot and you don't feel that shove in the back or have any ability to throttle-steer whatsoever as a result.

In other words, even though the Sienna has X amount of power, and is capable on paper of Y acceleration times, in reality it subjectively feels more feeble, and in practice it often is far less than that as well due to transmission and electronic problems. I have managed to learn how to bypass the fuel saving mapping for which Toyota brags "most efficient cars sold in America", but the electronics are still a problem. We are stuck with the Sienna, and I want to make my extensive time in it the least unplesant as possible in this regard.

[brian_bp]

The problem lies with the tranmission. You have to accelerate hard every time you gain speed because otherwise the shift logic goes into fuel saving, and even at full throttle it will only upshift at 3500 or 4000 RPM.

If this is what the 2011 Sienna is doing, it is completely new behaviour since my 2004. I can't help with that, except to wonder if this still occurs in the "S" (manually selected) mode.

[skinny2]

The problem lies with the tranmission. You have to accelerate hard every time you gain speed because otherwise the shift logic goes into fuel saving, and even at full throttle it will only upshift at 3500 or 4000 RPM.

My wife drives very easy most of the time and no doubt the transmission is in "economy" mode when I get behind the wheel. However it never upshifts before redline at WOT or anywhere near that. Perhaps you have a problem with yours. We have a very steep, very short highway on-ramp here and this thing fires up that ramp (loaded to the max) and easily merges with 75mph traffic. Most small cars can't make it up that hill anywhere near as well as all of my vehicles make it up. It's one of the required "test-drive" points that we always check off the list.

[Delphin25]

Great discussion.
Almost sounds like your SST is kicking in inadvertantly?
or maybe one of the other acronyms lol. VSC TRAC ABS EBD BA?
I tried to engage the SST on test drive but too much traffic. sales guy said he tried it, WOT with brakes on and it comes to a stop?
(sensitive topic here in San Diego)
Now I want to go home and try a few tests though, like disable VSC and TRAC. Maybe the manual overide would help avoid any gear hunting for you?
Sounds like yours is a AWD model? Wonder if that makes a big difference.

[rworne]

I tried to engage the SST on test drive but too much traffic. sales guy said he tried it, WOT with brakes on and it comes to a stop?
(sensitive topic here in San Diego)

Didn't Toyota not put in a throttle override in all their new vehicles after the "runaway car" media frenzy?

Doing WOT and pressing the brake should cut the fuel flow to the engine.

[akphs]

Great discussion.
Almost sounds like your SST is kicking in inadvertantly?
or maybe one of the other acronyms lol. VSC TRAC ABS EBD BA?
I tried to engage the SST on test drive but too much traffic. sales guy said he tried it, WOT with brakes on and it comes to a stop?
(sensitive topic here in San Diego)
Now I want to go home and try a few tests though, like disable VSC and TRAC. Maybe the manual overide would help avoid any gear hunting for you?
Sounds like yours is a AWD model? Wonder if that makes a big difference.

SST? Special Service Tool?

[sienna20082008]

Not sure if im in the right place, But. Ive noticed when punching it from a stop to turn left or right, dry street, my wheels spin and I go nowhere. TC is on. What could be the problem? Or does the TC not kick in that fast?
2008LE
not AWD

[samilcar]

when punching it from a stop to turn left or right, dry street, my wheels spin and I go nowhere. TC is on. What could be the problem? Or does the TC not kick in that fast?
2008LE
not AWD

How do you know that your wheels are spinning (tire smoke?) It almost sounds like the TC is working as intended (engine revving high, but TC is cutting power to the drive wheels).

[skinny2]

Not sure if im in the right place, But. Ive noticed when punching it from a stop to turn left or right, dry street, my wheels spin and I go nowhere. TC is on. What could be the problem? Or does the TC not kick in that fast?
2008LE
not AWD

Garbage tires?
TC might take a sec if you're really hammering on it from a stop. or maybe TC isn't working.

[sienna20082008]

The tires screech is how I know. And they are new. Ya dealer tires probably crap. But if TC isnt working how can I check or fix it.

[akphs]

Um...this is how front-wheel drive works. It's not traction control doing it to you: if it were, the wheels *wouldn't* spin. It's lousy tires and/or dusty/oily pavement AND (not OR) punching it while turning.