Odd noise when turning

[s2keepup]

Help! I went out for a drive this afternoon and i noticed when i turn the wheel more than 45 degrees it makes a rubbing sound on the left (drivers) side. I checked the tires, and they were fine, proper pressure too. No split plastic pieces, no caught items in the wheel well. It doesnt do it much when i am braking, but if it happens and then i hit the brakes, my ABS goes off, making the car really shudder.

It didnt do it this morning... i dont know if it makes a difference but it has been unusually hot here. it was 108 when i went for a cruise this afternoon. I wasnt driving hard at all, in fact obeying the speed limit for once :D

My first thought was it was the power steering, but its all electronic so im pretty unfamiliar with it.

Any help would be appreciated, especially by the master :bow:

[repiv]

Left turn or right turn? How fast are you going to make this sound? I'm trying to determine if there is suspension compression or decompression. Once it makes the noise, can you make it go away by increasing steering angle? Decreasing steering angle? Increasing or decreasing speed?
Eliminate the obvious.............. Go into an empty parking lot and do turns that would make the sound. As soon as it makes the sound, hold the steering wheel position firm and come to a stop. No go out and inspect the area around the tire and wheel and ABS sensor and ring. Is anything out of place? Is anything too close or touching anything else?

[s2keepup]

yeah i know its very vague... trust me im going thru the same motions trying to figure out wtf...

ok, it doesnt matter which way i turn, but it seems more sensitive when i turn left.
Doesnt matter the speed im going, it happened at very low speeds and at high speeds.
I can make the noise go away if i decrease the steering angle, but as soon as i increase it again it comes back.
We checked the tire and wheel well on the left side and it was fine.
The ABS sensor and ring were just fine. nothing out of place there.

I know it sounds really random and vague, thats why im scratching my scalp on this one. I really appreciate any help offered. I dont know what we would do without you!

[audax]

After driving it, it seems like something related to the power steering.

The noise was reproducable under the following conditions:

1. Moderate speed (35-45mph)
2. Sweeping turn with shallow steering angle.
3. Sudden increase in steering angle (tighter into turn)

The noise sounds like a solenoid clicking and fluid compressing. The first thing I'm guessing is that it's something with the pressure switches within the power steering due to the high temperatures we've had (105+ F). But alas, the power steering in completely electronic and there are no fluid lines/tank.

We'll have to test drive it again when the temperatures are lower and see if there is any correlation.

[Vorlon]

.......Michelle, are you SURE you know where all of the pets are?

[repiv]

I suggest you take out the EPS fuse and try to reproduce the sound. Bear in mind that you will get an EPS light on the dash and you will have manual steering (so don't expect easy steering when at low or no speed). The light should go away after a few hundred feet after the fuse is put back in.

[desmo4]

Make sure if you take the EPS fuse out the wheels are perfectly straight and straight when you put the fuse back in.

Jonathan

[s2keepup]

.......Michelle, are you SURE you know where all of the pets are?

ROFL :rofl:

[s2keepup]

Today it is a cool 96 degrees :rolleyes: and the noise has mysteriously gone away. I cant replicate it no matter what i do now. Are there heat issues with the ABS or power steering?

Thanks again for all your help!

[ninja]

maybe it's the brake or PS fluid? those are the first things I could think of having heat-related issues

[s2keepup]

it doesnt happen when i brake

[desmo4]

maybe it's the brake or PS fluid? those are the first things I could think of having heat-related issues There is no power steering fluid.

Jonathan

[ninja]

There is no power steering fluid.

Jonathan

there isn't?

shows how often I check it :laugh:

[ChrisS02]

Ok, I am no S2000 expert that is why I take my car to Curt's. How many miles to you have on your tires? Do you track the car with the same tires? The reason I ask is I use the same tires for the track that I use for DD and after four events the tires are kinda worn from the track. Now there are times when I turn slightly to one direction I get a rubbing noise. When I first heard this I took my car to Curt's thinking that I had a wheel bearing going out, come to find out I didn't. What Curt had told me is now that I use the same tires for the track as DD they were worn down enough that when I was at a slight turn and the car started to roll onto the sidewall it generated a slight rubbing noise. So I guess it is just one more option to check, like I said I am not an expert. Hope you get it solved soon and there is nothing serious wrong.

[audax]

Michelle took it down to the dealership because the noise was still present in more moderate temperatures (mid 70s). The dealership narrowed it down to the ABS/VSA system. The tech is trying to blame it on the new tires (Eagle F1) and their tougher compound compared to the OEM Bridgestones. I know that's complete bullsh*t.

But it did get me thinking that the ABS/VSA may need to be reset because of the new tires. My Lexus needed the same thing when I changed the suspension. I also read that the VSA needs to be disabled when you drive on a spare tire. Right before the tires were replaced, the car was driven on the spare for about 10 miles with the VSA on. I'm guessing the VSA system corrected itself for the spare and is now freaking out over the new tires.

So... with all that... what's the reset procedure for the VSA system? Pull the fuse? Leave the battery disconnected for a couple hours?

P.S. I pulled the fuse for about 2 mins, plugged it back in but there was no change. Probably not enough to remove any residual charge or it's not the proper way to reset it.

[repiv]

Sorry, I don't any experience with the newer cars and the VSA system. I didn't even know that they could be reset. You can try to reset everything by pulling the negative battery terminal for 1/2 hour or so. Make sure you have your radio code before doing this.
I can't imagine that your tires would have such an effect on these systems. I mean, what would happen if you had a flat tire and had to put the little donut spare on the front? I think you need to determine if it's tire noise, steering rack noise or ABS/VSA noise.

[s2keepup]

I couldnt distinguish if it was the tire rack or the vsa unit... the vsa is RIGHT in front of the steering wheel in the engine bay and that was where the noise was coming from. One key thing the technician said when they went out and tested it was the noise didnt happen when they turned the vsa off.

so it has SOMETHING to do with that unit, but they are still insisting that its because of the tires. I dont think that the tire guys would have touched anything other than the rims, but its possible they messed with the sensors in the wheel wells. There arent any lights on other than when the noise happens tho, so i doubt thats what it is.

i am taking it back to them tomorrow so they can swap the rear, new tires on my car with another s2k's rear set and see if the noise still occurs. i still dont see the logic in why new tires would do this, but oh well. they tried to say it was because the eagles are twice the compound and the vsa keeps thinking the tires are going to break loose. however, when the vsa normally went off before i replaced the tires, no noise would come from the vsa. they even took out the 07 on the lot to see if its a normal vsa noise and couldnt get the sound to happen.

im hoping they can narrow it down without spending too many hours in my car. this is the same place that went joyriding in my car last time i left it there. its all under warranty and im dead broke so taking it to anyone other than this place isnt feasable.

thanks for all your help, i know this is a noodle-scratcher.

[karwath]

Sounds like you are not the only one with an '06 with a rubbing noise when turning.

http://forums.s2kca.com/showthread.php?t=17562

[s2keepup]

wow... im telling u this vsa crap isnt worth it...

[repiv]

One key thing the technician said when they went out and tested it was the noise didnt happen when they turned the vsa off.
It might be too late since dealer intervention is well under way, but if you can, drive around for a while with the VSA turned off until you can duplicate the heat and the driving conditions that make this noise.

but its possible they messed with the sensors in the wheel wells.
Just curious, do you have OEM rims or aftermarket? If aftermarket, I'm wondering if they lost the hub ring???? Or perhaps the tire shop rammed the lugnuts on with an impact gun and warped the rotors and damaged the wheel sensors.

There arent any lights on other than when the noise happens tho
What light?? I don't recall you mentioning this before.

they tried to say it was because the eagles are twice the compound and the vsa keeps thinking the tires are going to break loose.
:duh: :crazy: Unless they gave you sizes that were grossly incorrect.

however, when the vsa normally went off before i replaced the tires, no noise would come from the vsa.
How do you know the VSA went off? (I really want to know because I have no experience with it.) If it "goes off" and makes no noise, then I would think that this is the norm, so if that's what's making noise now, then even if it goes off, it shouldn't make any noise. It shouldn't matter if it's the tires that make it go off, it shouldn't make any noise (not that I think the tires would do this). Therefore, they should fix the VSA unit.

[karwath]

If the S2000 vsa is like the VSA on othr Hondas and Acuras, the VSA light goes on when it is in operation. So you drive with VSA on and when it engages the VSA light goes on. Is this what you meant Michelle?

[Bernman]

This is exactly the same problem that I reported just a few days ago.
http://forums.s2kca.com/showthread.php?t=17562

I even went through the same troubleshooting steps thinking that the tires were rubbing. Your list of items to make the problem occur describe exactly the same methods that would produce the noise in my car...

1. Moderate speed (35-45mph)
2. Sweeping turn with shallow steering angle.
3. Sudden increase in steering angle (tighter into turn)

I will add that it will make the noise on left or right corners.

I had a flat tire just a few weeks ago, as well so this is a very good clue.

Now that said, I took the car to get the oil changed on Tuesday. I asked them to look at the noise but they did not get to it. Amazingly though, the noise was gone when I got the car back. The next day I asked the service advisor if they had done anything other than change the oil and he said no. Maybe the reset process for the dash indicator clears whatever the problem is. Or some other part of the "21 step check" that they do.

No matter what I did today, I could not replicate the problem. The noise is gone...for now.

[karwath]

No matter what I did today, I could not replicate the problem. The noise is gone...for now.


Maybe they turned off the VSA?

[s2keepup]

It might be too late since dealer intervention is well under way, but if you can, drive around for a while with the VSA turned off until you can duplicate the heat and the driving conditions that make this noise.


Just curious, do you have OEM rims or aftermarket? If aftermarket, I'm wondering if they lost the hub ring???? Or perhaps the tire shop rammed the lugnuts on with an impact gun and warped the rotors and damaged the wheel sensors.


What light?? I don't recall you mentioning this before.


:duh: :crazy: Unless they gave you sizes that were grossly incorrect.


How do you know the VSA went off? (I really want to know because I have no experience with it.) If it "goes off" and makes no noise, then I would think that this is the norm, so if that's what's making noise now, then even if it goes off, it shouldn't make any noise. It shouldn't matter if it's the tires that make it go off, it shouldn't make any noise (not that I think the tires would do this). Therefore, they should fix the VSA unit.


yikes sorry... when the vsa turns on in a slide, there is a little light on the dash that turns on. when you regain traction it goes off.... its an exclamation point.

i have oem rims still and just replaced rear tires with eagle f1s, which is why it might be possible they messed with some sensors. i havent checked the rotors to see if they warped them or the sensors thats a good point.

we tried to duplicate the sound thru a couple of turns that EVERYTIME made the noise and couldnt get the noise to happen with the vsa turned off.

im using incorrect terms :D when it "goes off" i mean it turns on :duh:
when the vsa is needed, it doesnt make any noise.. the only way i know its working is the change in feel thru a turn and the light that goes on the dash.

that was my exact point to them today was that no matter what, when the vsa is in use, it still doesnt make a noise, so this sudden noise thing is a PROBLEM... of course they feel i broke it because of the tires possibly. they want to rule that out so i dont "break" it again i suppose... IF they replace it.

[s2keepup]

If the S2000 vsa is like the VSA on othr Hondas and Acuras, the VSA light goes on when it is in operation. So you drive with VSA on and when it engages the VSA light goes on. Is this what you meant Michelle?

yeah when the vsa engages, a light on the dash goes on. it turns off when vsa stops

[s2keepup]

my noise went away for a day too... it mysteriously disappeared and then came back today.

[repiv]

yeah when the vsa engages, a light on the dash goes on. it turns off when vsa stops

Got it! I still think it might be a worthwhile exercise to reset everything by disconnecting the battery. It won't hurt anything and who knows, maybe it'll clear things up. But I still think it's weird that under normal operation, these systems don't make noise, yet now they do. :think:

[Jays2k]

Bernman did you put a spare on the rear like Michelle did?

[s2keepup]

Got it! I still think it might be a worthwhile exercise to reset everything by disconnecting the battery. It won't hurt anything and who knows, maybe it'll clear things up. But I still think it's weird that under normal operation, these systems don't make noise, yet now they do. :think:

i think ur right... with the change in tires and everything it might still be thinking its the old settings. ryan will help me do this tonite and hopefully all will be good.

ur the bomb i love you! thank you so much for dealing with all this wierd stuff.

[s2keepup]

Bernman did you put a spare on the rear like Michelle did?

lol brat :p
the owners manual says u can put the spare on it but have to turn off the vsa... i didnt turn off the vsa when i had the spare on there. :duh:

[Jays2k]

Love you too darling!!!!

[Bernman]

Don't let them tell you it is the tires. Not a chance. I did have both rear tires replaced, but they are the same size Bridgestone RE050 that came on the car.

I don't remember seeing the VSA light coming on when the noise occurred, but it may have. I have seen the light flash at times when it is supposed to (i.e. my right foot is deep into the floorboard...). The traction control system works well, and is not overly obtrusive. I agree that something in this system seems to be the cause of the problem. Particularly since we have both recently run with the spare. I had the spare on the right rear. I didn't turn off the VSA (didn't think of it) but didn't have any problems either. I drove for about 5 miles on the spare and that was it.

Hmm...mine is white too. Maybe it's the paint ;)

[s2keepup]

oh trust me i wont let them... thats why it worth the experiment of putting a set of re050s from another s2k on the lot on the car... they will plainly see it will still make the same noise.

[repiv]

Bernman did you put a spare on the rear like Michelle did?

I think I missed this part, too. Was this posted? So, both of you put the spare on the rear? How many miles did you travel like this? If this is what happened, then it could easily give the VSA and ABS a brain fart and now that all the tires are back to normal, a reset would be a good idea. It's entirely possible that in Bernman's case, enough time has elapsed that all these sub-system computers have reset themselves.

BTW, if you drove for too long with the spare on the rear, you must now consider the health of the LSD. I suggest you consider doing a fluid change just in case. Hopefully, no real harm has been done.

[photodavo]

This is starting to sound like a very similar situation and end result. :kickcan:

[photodavo]

I think I missed this part, too. Was this posted? So, both of you put the spare on the rear? How many miles did you travel like this? If this is what happened, then it could easily give the VSA and ABS a brain fart and now that all the tires are back to normal, a reset would be a good idea. It's entirely possible that in Bernman's case, enough time has elapsed that all these sub-system computers have reset themselves.

BTW, if you drove for too long with the spare on the rear, you must now consider the health of the LSD. I suggest you consider doing a fluid change just in case. Hopefully, no real harm has been done.

Dave - one interesting thing that Michelle mentioned in the shoutbox was that her '06 owners manual says it is OK to put the spare on the rear as long as you turn the VSA off. First of all, this surprised the hell out of me. The other point is that apparently both did not turn off the VSA after putting on the spare. I think Michelle drove some 10 miles at max 45MPH if I remember her correctly.

[repiv]

Dave - one interesting thing that Michelle mentioned in the shoutbox was that her '06 owners manual says it is OK to put the spare on the rear as long as you turn the VSA off. First of all, this surprised the hell out of me. The other point is that apparently both did not turn off the VSA after putting on the spare. I think Michelle drove some 10 miles at max 45MPH if I remember her correctly.

This also surprises me as well. Even before VSA came out on this car, Honda has always advised AGAINST using the spare on the rear. The main reason was that it would irreversibly damage the Limited Slip Diff. Did they make the LDS different on cars with VSA? Or did they make the spare different?

[geras003]

NO spare on rear on '06 either - page 170 of the owner manual!!!!

This also surprises me as well. Even before VSA came out on this car, Honda has always advised AGAINST using the spare on the rear. The main reason was that it would irreversibly damage the Limited Slip Diff. Did they make the LDS different on cars with VSA? Or did they make the spare different?

[Jays2k]

Very interesting stuff!!! This thread is great!!! Def some useful info!!!

[Bernman]

The car went in to the dealer for an oil change with the noise, and came out of the dealer without the noise.

The dealer did nothing the diagnose the noise problem. They only did the standard checks, and reset the oil change indicator.

I had driven for a week and a half with the ability to make the noise happen at will. It has been two days since the oil change and I can not reproduce the problem any more.

I really don't think that 5 miles of gentle driving with the spare on the rear will damage the differential, but it certainly is possible. I suspect that this is a VSA software problem.

Whether it was resolved by the oil light reset, or was just coincident with the amount of driving, I can't say for sure. As s2keepup said, it is possible that the resolution is temporary. You can be sure that I will report any further problems here.

Thanks for all the help :)

[repiv]

NO spare on rear on '06 either - page 170 of the owner manual!!!!

Interesting! :think:

[karwath]

Maybe Michelle can ask someone from Honda at the homecoming about her problem and see what they say? :think:

[repiv]

I really don't think that 5 miles of gentle driving with the spare on the rear will damage the differential, but it certainly is possible.
This depends greatly on all sorts of variables.......
-inflation pressure of the spare at the time
-speeds travelled during those 5 miles
-number of turns in any particular direction while the spare in on the rear
-degree and frequency of load placed on the rear diff during this period.

The spare is considerably smaller in diameter than the other tires and if placed on the rear with one good tire, the side the spare is on spins much faster than the other side. This will be compounded by turns and by load as the LSD must respond accordingly. It would be like driving in a tight circle with normal tires on for 5 miles. The LSD would take one heck of a beating. Enough to do damage? I don't think anyone can say with absolute certainty.

[Jays2k]

Bernman did they do a diff fluid change?

[karwath]

Bernman did they do a diff fluid change?

Also, Bernman, just out of curiousity, are you in California?

[Bernman]

Page 171 of the 2006 owners manual:

The compact spare tire is smaller than a standar tire, which will affect handling. Drive cautiously when the spare is mounted on your vehicle.

The size difference may also cause damage to the rear differential, so do not mount the spare tire on the rear. If either rear tire goes flat, remove the front tire on that same side, mount the compact spare tire on the front , then mount the front tire on the rear.

So, I didn't crash. Passed that hurdle, but possibly the differential is damaged. Worst thing that could happen is that it needs to be replaced at some future date. Best case, it lasts the life of the car. I will hope for the best and plan for the worst. Either way, I think I am ok on the diff front for a while since I did drive gently for the five spare tire miles to the shop. Still, I agree with your analysis xviper :)

The dealer only replaced the engine oil. I live in the SF Bay Area...for the past 36 years...I still love it.

[karwath]

I live in the SF Bay Area...for the past 36 years...I still love it.

Same state as Michelle, but I was going to :yikes: if you were in So Cal too!

[s2keepup]

This depends greatly on all sorts of variables.......
-inflation pressure of the spare at the time
-speeds travelled during those 5 miles
-number of turns in any particular direction while the spare in on the rear
-degree and frequency of load placed on the rear diff during this period.

The spare is considerably smaller in diameter than the other tires and if placed on the rear with one good tire, the side the spare is on spins much faster than the other side. This will be compounded by turns and by load as the LSD must respond accordingly. It would be like driving in a tight circle with normal tires on for 5 miles. The LSD would take one heck of a beating. Enough to do damage? I don't think anyone can say with absolute certainty.

ok, the page i read said nothing about not mounting the spare on the rear... that was in a different section. all i read was that if the spare is mounted to turn the vsa off.
however... the route i traveled was only a couple miles and all straight. there were no turns except into the driveway of the tire shop. the noise never happened but there was no load that would make it happen.

since then, we have tried to reset the vsa according to how the owners manual says, by removing the fuse and then replacing it. that didnt seem to work so we are trying a hard reset.

i will let you know how that goes.

ps: fortunately there appears to be no damage to the lsd

[s2keepup]

Same state as Michelle, but I was going to :yikes: if you were in So Cal too!

me too.. in fact i wanted to borrow u to take to my dealer as proof its NOT the eagle f1s :mad:

[s2keepup]

hard reset in process... let the anticipation begin...

[photodavo]

:wait:

[s2keepup]

ryans out testing it :)

[audax]

I'm pretty sure I've got this figured out.

I pulled the battery cables to be sure all the computers would be conpletely reset. Then I took the car out for a good thrashing to test it.

There is still alot of NVH from the front of the car but I can tell now that it is the VSA and it is perfectly normal in this case. The unique part of the problem is that we only replaced the back tires (upgraded to Eagle F1s) but the front are still the OEM Bridgestones with about 20% life left. After the short break in period on the new tires, the VSA system is seeing a large difference in traction between the brand new Eagles and the worn out RE050s. When taking the car into a slalom at 35+mph, the rear tires are holding beautifully but the fronts are breaking some laterally. With the VSA off, the NVH goes away but I can hear the squeal of the tires getting close to the limit. With the VSA on, the squeal is gone but the ABS modulator starts kicking it on the front tires.

Kudos to Honda engineers on a tight system. I'll test further when we upgrade the fronts to the Eagle F1s later this month.

Boo to the dealership (like normal) and their sad conclusion that the rear tires were the problem.

P.S. NVH = Noise Vibration Harshness

[audax]

By the way, I only see a problem with the spare being on the rear if you have to drive a long distance (like 20+ miles back to civilization). The 10 or so miles we did wouldn't do that damage.

[s2keepup]

btw thanks a TON to everyone who helped out on this one. As davo said, this is what this club is about :) And this isnt the first time ive had a ton of folks jump in to help.

i will keep everyone posted when the fronts get replaced. when the grip evens out, hopefully this will fade like a bad memory.

ps: dave, audax is my husband ryan. he also likes scary faces for avatars :D

[repiv]

ps: dave, audax is my husband ryan. he also likes scary faces for avatars :D
I figured as much. :rockon:
I hope the mystery is solved.

[s2keepup]

well i took the car in to the dealer today to show them it didnt matter what tires were on it. low and behold, they actually said when they put brand new re050s on the back the noise didnt happen. he then continued to badmouth the eagles saying they are of poor quality, are twice the hardness and they are sliding in the back causing all the problems. he then said they cant fix anything since its not broken.

after i remembered shooting an idiot is a felony, i decided not to pull out a shotgun.
i will NEVER EVER EVER be taking my car back to these guys for ANYTHING. EVER! The fac that he said the REAR tires are breaking lateral traction when it was obvious my BALD front ones were the culprit was strike one.

then when he said that the vsa is supposed to make a terrible sound when engaged was strike two.

Finally he said i dont know why s2000 owners would choose to put such crappy tires on their car when the re050s are clearly better. strike three pal, ur OUT.

i ordered 2 more for my front so i have balanced grip all the way around. i am still concerned about the fact that the vsa was making this sound in the first place when engaged. ryan had a theory tho that it was working on all four wheels before, but now that there is massive grip in the rear, it is working on only 2 wheels, making for an uneven load... or something like that. ive had so many theories told to me today my mind is spinning.

i get the new tires put on tomorrow and if the vsa still makes noise when engaged, im pulling in a honda rep. im tired of this crap the dealer has been giving me. they never got my hardtop installed correctly even tho they had clear directions printed from honda on how to do so. ryan had one crack at it and it was done within an hour. i guess i gave these guys credit because i figured honda wouldnt hire them if they didnt at least know how to change a spare tire. all they have to know is one manufacturers vehicle line. not very hard right? i was wrong.

thank you to everyone who has helped out. i guess i learned my lesson... family honda service is non-existent.

btw these are the same boneheads that were caught joyriding in my car.

[Bernman]

I took a ride today to a spot that has triggered the noise every time since the car was new. It is a 15mph sharp left with a stout bump in the middle of the corner. I used to think it was the suspension bottoming out, but now realize that it is the VSA momentarily actuating one of the front brakes. The noise is still there. It is less pronounced than before, but still there.

The VSA actuating in this manner is annoying, particularly when it does it in the middle of a corner. I am willing to bet that creating a mis-match in tire pressure front to back would exascerbate the problem. It's worth testing. When I really noticed this problem, the front tires were at 30 and the new rear tires were at 40 (from the installer...nice). I had tried bumping the front pressure to 35 and had lowered the rear a little, but didn't notice any improvement. The dealer reset the tires front and rear to 32. This pressure change is probably why the problem was less pronounced when I got it back after the oil change.

The VSA should not be this sensitive or drastic in its action. I will take it to the dealer to have them check the problem. This will at least put it into the Honda database that may some day turn into a fix. I don't really expect much better treatment than Michelle received.

Until then, I will either have to live with the noise or remember to turn off VSA. It's too bad really. In conditions where it restricts the power output to the rear wheels, the VSA really does work well and does not make unruly noises. I really *don't* like the way it actuates the front brakes if this other situation. It's noisy, and unbalances the car when you really don't want it to.

Win some, lose some.

[asnbanker]

One quick question. What noise does the VSA make? I read the previous posts and sounds like rubbing is that correct? I have made the VSA kick a few times, but its always been just the light on the dash no sound.

[s2keepup]

right alex, same here... in the past it never actually made a sound, just the light would come on. This is a clearly loud rubbing sound with a few clicks in between. REALLY doesnt sound like its "normal" as the dealer put it.

[s2keepup]

I took a ride today to a spot that has triggered the noise every time since the car was new. It is a 15mph sharp left with a stout bump in the middle of the corner. I used to think it was the suspension bottoming out, but now realize that it is the VSA momentarily actuating one of the front brakes. The noise is still there. It is less pronounced than before, but still there.

The VSA actuating in this manner is annoying, particularly when it does it in the middle of a corner. I am willing to bet that creating a mis-match in tire pressure front to back would exascerbate the problem. It's worth testing. When I really noticed this problem, the front tires were at 30 and the new rear tires were at 40 (from the installer...nice). I had tried bumping the front pressure to 35 and had lowered the rear a little, but didn't notice any improvement. The dealer reset the tires front and rear to 32. This pressure change is probably why the problem was less pronounced when I got it back after the oil change.

The VSA should not be this sensitive or drastic in its action. I will take it to the dealer to have them check the problem. This will at least put it into the Honda database that may some day turn into a fix. I don't really expect much better treatment than Michelle received.

Until then, I will either have to live with the noise or remember to turn off VSA. It's too bad really. In conditions where it restricts the power output to the rear wheels, the VSA really does work well and does not make unruly noises. I really *don't* like the way it actuates the front brakes if this other situation. It's noisy, and unbalances the car when you really don't want it to.

Win some, lose some.


i wish you the best of luck and hope your dealer had a few more brain cells than mine had. If there is some sort of precedence then maybe other folks wont get the shaft like i did.

however, in light of it all i squeezed out a few bux to get the matching front eagles sooner than we planned... they are being put on today and i will let you all know if this "fixes" the vsa noise.

[asnbanker]

right alex, same here... in the past it never actually made a sound, just the light would come on. This is a clearly loud rubbing sound with a few clicks in between. REALLY doesnt sound like its "normal" as the dealer put it.

That's just odd to me. Once you get the matching tires, try again if the sound is still there then there is something wrong with the VSA system that they need to check out. When I touched the wall about 3 weeks back, I was spinning all over the place and the VSA was kicking in, but no sound. The VSA worked and I got control before really nailing the wall.

[s2keepup]

yeah, ive really set off the vsa before and no sounds were ever made... especially not this irregular of a sound. you really dont have to know much about cars to hear a sound like this and know something isnt right.

[asnbanker]

Just ordered another set of F1 GS-D3. :thumbsup:

gotta make sure I have good tires for my car for S2K Days. Since it will be all fixed up by then.

[repiv]

Just ordered another set of F1 GS-D3. :thumbsup:

gotta make sure I have good tires for my car for S2K Days. Since it will be all fixed up by then.

Just curious how long the first set lasted.

[IMPETUS]

I just ordered a rear set so I have good tires for the trip as well, I was about to get a full set of the F1's, but then I saw that Bridgestone was sponsoring S2KDays and ordered the rear oem tires. They do a good job and they are quiet and I know that already so its no time to be trying others just yet.

I have noticed my VSA makes some noise when it kicks in and always has. It just sounds like ABS working (well, thats actually what it is). If Im really pushing the car hard I can feel it in the brake pedal and maybe the steering wheel too. BUT, this is only when the rear tries to come out or if it pushes. The traction control (loss of 'gription' when going in a straight line) doesn't make any noise as the systems only job is to regain control. If it doesn't compute that any added braking is needed anywhere, it will only close the throttle body.
I had this discussion with another owner who thought something is wrong with the car, but after driving his and then letting him ride with me he realized that his car was fine. Im not saying your is ok Michelle, so dont hear me wrong. Its really hard to know w/o hearing it. If the new tires dont fix it then put up a fight and get whats deserved. They can at least make a note of it so if something goes sour after the warranty, its noted that there was a possible problem before the warranty expired and Honda is usually good about honoring fixes of this nature.
If you haven't told them about the spare being mounted on the rear w/ VSA not turned off yet, DONT!

[s2keepup]

I got the new eagles on my front today and before the tires are even fully broken in they are super grippy. i got the vsa to engage, but it stopped making the sound. the grip is equal now so it went away.

finally... its all over now

[asnbanker]

Just curious how long the first set lasted.

I have about 18K-19K on them with about another 4K left of tread. Since I will be going to S2K Days I figured that tread will be gone on the trip back and since its a long trip, I caution on the safe side.

My OEM were gone about 14K, but I drove another 3K more on them. So all in all about a 7K-10K increase in tire life. F1 are one size bigger, so more rubber on the pavement. OEM doesn't come in the larger size.

[repiv]

I have about 18K-19K on them with about another 4K left of tread.
Sounds encouraging.

[IMPETUS]

It didnt hit me til now, but your dealer was feeding you bull. The car can't sense a tire 'trying' or 'about to break loose" due to lack adhesion. It only knows it needs to take action after it senses tire(s) not traveling at the predetermined speed needed in relation to the other tires and steering angle.
Glad its not acting up anymore. Sounds like even though the new rear tires were the same numerical size, they were physically smaller or larger, and it evidently doesn't take much.

Happy motoring.:thumbup:

[s2keepup]

yeah i cant believe the vsa was so sensitive!