Note to toyota corp: Wifey is complaining about VSC

[syncmaster]

I have a 2006 prius pkg#6 17,000 miles, OEM tires , tire pressure 36lbs

Wifey has been driving the car for 6 months and loves it.
except for the traction control cutting in alot on wet roads.

Today the roads were slightly wet (rained 2 hours ago), temp 50 degrees.
she said she was stoped at a stop sign and tried to make a right turn.
as she started into he turn the steering wheel suddenly gave her resistance to her turning and
she had to force the steering wheel to make the turn or she would have ended up in someones yard.
Wifey is not happy, this is the first time she has had this problem.

It sounds like the VSC cut in and was trying to keep the car straight while Wifey was trying to make it turn.
I asked her if she saw the VSC light come on , on the dash, and she said she was struggling for her life and didn't have time to notice that.

I believe I have read about others having a similar experiance.
I have also been driving this car and have never had any problem with the VSC and making a turn.

The road she was on was very bumpy and uneven and some sand or pebbles.

after OEM tires wear down I will put a better all season radial like goodyear triple thread, I hope that will fix this problem.

[Bohous]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(syncmaster @ Jan 16 2007, 11:57 AM) [snapback]376285[/snapback]</div>

The road she was on was very bumpy and uneven and some sand or pebbles.[/b]

I'm guessing this has less to do with the rain and more to do with loose, uneven surface. I'm not sure how she drives but slowing down or accelerating a little softer would probably help.

after OEM tires wear down I will put a better all season radial like goodyear triple thread, I hope that will fix this problem.[/b]

I said the same thing but ultimately just couldn't justify waiting to make the change just because there was tread left on the (no-) Intergrities. I only had 14k on mine and I'm sure they probably would have lasted another 20k but the TTs come with an 80k warranty and peace of mind.

[auricchio]

I've never had that problem on wet roads. I suspect that she simply accelerated too hard. I can get the wheels to almost spin on dry roads when accelerating from a stop into a turn. On a wet road, it's almost a sure thing. If the road has gravel or a very uneven surface, it's easier to spin the wheels.

I believe it was the traction control that kicked in to avoid wheel spin. It doesn't know why the wheels are spinning, just that they are.

Just have her lighten up. Best thing? Have her demo it to you. I expect you'll find she's accelerating too hard for that turn.

[daronspicher]

now and again, when the coast is clear, I'll take a corner, or accelerate to where the traction control kicks in just so I get more used to how it feels when it does.

Either she's going at it with some ghusto, or there is something different between your car and mine.

If she wasn't expecting it, I'd guess it didn't feel good to her and thus the complaint.

When I do kick in the traction control, I feel it in the steering, but no... absolutely not as far as the car going to take me into the ditch or have to fight the thing to keep control.... just feedback into the wheel.

I'm sure there is room for Toyota to take what they have, improve the software and make it better or smoother, but in the end, there is nothing wrong with what they deployed in the prius we all have right now.

[brick]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(syncmaster @ Jan 16 2007, 11:57 AM) [snapback]376285[/snapback]</div>

as she started into he turn the steering wheel suddenly gave her resistance to her turning and
she had to force the steering wheel to make the turn or she would have ended up in someones yard.
[/b]

This strikes me as unusual. Traction control works by limiting power to the wheels, and VSC works by applying individual brakes to drag the car back in line during a skid. Neither of those features has any direct impact on the steering wheel.

If she didn't hear the VSC beeping and see the icon flashing then it probably wasn't that. (What would cause VSC to engage from a stop unless she was REALLY giving it power, anyway?) And traction control feels more like an engine stall...the pedal goes down but the car doesn't do much about it.

If she truly had to wrestle with the steering wheel then I would be hard-pressed to write it off without further investigation. The other possibility is that her isn't entirely accurate, which is not unusual the first time something strange happens.

[KTPhil]

I ahve read that VSC, in addition to applying individual wheel brakes, can also modify the power steering effect to make it harder to turn in the "wrong" direction to avoid a skid.

[barbaram]

I've had wheel slip problems on wet pavement when starting up- the foot was a bit too heavy on the gas and the pavement uneven...... The motors are very powerful and it's easy to spin the wheels on wet pavement.

[galaxee]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(syncmaster @ Jan 16 2007, 11:57 AM) [snapback]376285[/snapback]</div>

I asked her if she saw the VSC light come on , on the dash, and she said she was struggling for her life and didn't have time to notice that.
[/b]

i hate to point this out and all... but if you're accelerating from a stop and the car doesn't go where you want it to go it's rather simple to take one's foot off the accelerator. or put it on the brake. or both. i think she was just a bit upset about the unexpected experience and the whole "struggling for her life" comment was a reaction to such.

vsc has no control over steering in your prius. so if the wheel didn't want to turn, that's something else. have you driven it since? anything feel different?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(KTPhil @ Jan 16 2007, 01:37 PM) [snapback]376356[/snapback]</div>

I ahve read that VSC, in addition to applying individual wheel brakes, can also modify the power steering effect to make it harder to turn in the "wrong" direction to avoid a skid.
[/b]

not in the current toyotas. this is true for the new generation of lexus vehicles.

[DaveinOlyWA]

i saw a video today of a 4 wheel drive SUV sliding down a street in Portland, OR. it hit about 7 cars...actually hit 4 cars but pushed one car into 3 other cars.

[auricchio]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DaveinOlyWA @ Jan 16 2007, 07:36 PM) [snapback]376618[/snapback]</div>

i saw a video today of a 4 wheel drive SUV sliding down a street in Portland, OR. it hit about 7 cars...actually hit 4 cars but pushed one car into 3 other cars.
[/b]

Was that because of VSC? Traction control? Or just someone sliding on ice? Does it apply here at all?