beeps while truck is rocking?

I understand your point. However we don't live in a perfect world. I believe from a safety standpoint that it is not a good idea to wholesale abandon all safety features by removing the ABS fuse while driving on street and highway.

ABS permits you to steer the vehicle during emergency braking. Without it, the vehicle is going to lock the wheels and skid out of control.

While it may not be a crime to remove your ABS fuse, if by some freak occurrence you were responsible for injuries to another driver and it was determined that you removed the ABS fuse deliberately, and that ABS or VSC may have prevented the accident, you could be sued in civil court and you would loose.

You don't have to like it, but you should be aware and consider all of the consequences.

With regards to VSC, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has stated that VSC systems are second only to safety belts in reducing traffic fatalities.

Here is how it works:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPxt6Pw00yA

VSC actually saved my life once

I'll assume your speaking to ABS. If so, then I agree with you here. ABS is not our friend when off-roading. It is a fact that ABS will increase braking distance required to stop, and this can be a bad thing for us. This is especially true while driving on snowy, icy, washboard roads, or even in sand.

However, with the ABS fuse disabled, the skid control ECU would be disabled and none of my phenomenal traction systems would work. A-TRAC, TRAC.

If you want to disable ABS, but maintain traction systems, there is a mod which allows you to trick the 4WD ECU into thinking the locker is locked. This is achieved with the installation of a simple toggle switch. When activated, the ABS will be disabled.

 

Yah, VSC is great... BUT, when off roading... the beeper has got to go... Crom, is there a how to disable or maybe muffel the beeper? Where is it and we can put some wax in it?

 

I suppose you could alter the buzzer but I wouldn't recommend it. Why not just turn off VSC using the VSC off switch? Remember our discussion in the "TRAC by Bosch thread?" When wheeling in H4 I would wheel with open diffs in VSC off mode...

I would suggest that to anyone that wanted to play around in their trucks and be free of any restrictions (except ABS which only turns off when locker is on, and under extreme situations VSC may reactivate even if it is off--this can happen while braking and yaw rate is large.)

The buzzer is located to the right of the steering column if you sitting in the drivers seat. Here is the best illustration that I have.

But back to the OP was saying, he doesn't want to take that turn less than 15mph, so... VSC is going to anticipate a vehicle skid and intervene.

The only options are to drive slower, or disable VSC. Adding weight in the back may help him, but only if it it is the rear that is breaking loose during the turn.

 

Nope, I am talking VSC. Even taking a gravel curve at normal speed, it "thinks" that I am sliding towards impending doom. It then brakes individual wheels to straighten me out. Problem is more often than not, it straightens me out directly towards the ditch. I spend roughly 40-50% of my time driving on gravel roads. To be honest, I don't feel like driving 5mph on a gravel road just to keep VSC from kicking in. As far as I can tell, Toyota did NOT program VSC to be gravel road friendly. They programmed it for the place the majority of these trucks will be, the pavement.

You can say all you want about it saving people, and I will agree with you. It works for the average driver who either doesn't have the ability and/or never took the time to learn their vehicle and how it behaves in an emergency situation. Of course on a rainy road it may save your ass if you try to go too fast, etc. BUT the fact is, you were the one who piloted the vehicle into the turn too fast, losing control. The VSC cannot save you from all situations, but nothing is perfect.

 

I've actually wondered about this.... will this mod work for those of us who have neither 4WD, or (obviously) a rear locker? is the 4WD ECU still installed?

 

There is more than one way to defeat ABS... The 4WD ECU is a piece of hardware that exists only if you have 4x4.

I found this thread which shows how to defeat ABS, in a graceful way for the non-locker Tacomas. But it requires you cycle the ignition to bring it back to normal.

If you have a rear factory locker then this mod, or this mod should work for you.

 

Thanks for the reply and illustration... However, I want and NEED 'TRAC' in order to four wheel in sand and arroyos, without deflating the tires.

This was the big improvement over my 2005 Tacoma (and all other 4WDs before): TRAC in H4 giving us 'drive' in all four wheels. Turning VSC OFF is also turning TRAC off, and that is the same as open differentials, and the same as any other 4WD... one tire in front and one tire in back getting torque.

By nature in sand, there is sliding and fishtailing, but are not going to cause a roll over or spin out because I am in sand and speeds are not that high... but the beeper is going off over and over.

I think Hemi also commented once on the desire to have TRAC without VSC on (or at least the beeper)!

 

Okay. I assumed ABS, because I know some Border Patrol Agents who wind up in ditches because their vehicles don't stop when they want them to. Thanks ABS. . That's pretty awesome you get to spend so much time off pavement. I wish my truck saw dirt every day. I could see how after VSC intervention and your front wheels pointed at the ditch would be a big problem! .

If I were you I'd consider disabling VSC each time your tires hit the dirt. Hold in the VSC Off switch for about 5 seconds with the truck completely stopped, it does not matter what gear the transmission is in.

When my tires touch the dirt, as a matter of habit I switch to 4WD, and turn VSC off. Some of my friends here (Davd K, & Isthatahemi) find this behavior questionable. It is just a matter of personal driver preference.

David, You're welcome. Yes. I agree, the ability to use TRAC independent of VSC would have been one step closer to ultimate control over our trucks. I too am disappointed about that. And ironically enough, it is the reason I operate in H4 with open diffs, it is not to purposefully disable TRAC but it's to disable VSC.

And for anyone wondering, what happens when I get stuck, it's easy, I shift into L4 and A-TRAC takes me away!

 

Yes indeed...

Now, you need to come on down to Baja and experience TRAC in H4, on the beach and in arroyo sand... The beaches of the Sea of Cortez are a mix of sand, shell and coral and act like tiny ball bearings. The (dry) sand above the high tide line is bottomless and until TRAC, deflating the Tacoma's tires to 10-15 psi was needed to avoid digging in.

For giggles, I turned off the VSC/TRAC in H4 to make sure it wasn't some freaky condition that kept the truck above the sand with tires at 32 psi... and sure enough, the truck bogged down and dug in with open differentials (one tire in front and one in back spinning). That is when I shifted into A-TRAC/ L4 and the truck wiggled, grunted and drove itself out (without clearing away the built up sand around the tires and without letting any air out. Once free I returned the transfer case to H4 (with VSC/TRAC on) and the truck again drove about the dry beach sand without digging in.

That experience last New Years had me so excited and thrilled about how different and superior the 2010 Tacoma was over my 2005, I have been singing the praises here ever since.

Now, conditions can change and we are going back to our beach again this summer... Naturally, I will have my air pump with me should I need to deflate. Testing continues! In 11 days we will be on the trail to Mision Santa Maria, with its rocky, steep grades that required a locker to climb in my previous 2 Tacomas. This time, I will see how A-TRAC handles the road without the locker. I am pretty sure the locker is not going to be needed. Last time, my friend Roy with his Land Rover LR3 (no locker, but traction control) did the road fine.