greatfox

Hi everyone,

I just got an alignment done in preparation for an upcoming autocross. Here are the specs:

- 1.75 degrees negative camber in front
- 1.25 degrees negative camber in rear
- O front toe
- 1/16" rear toe-in
- maximum caster

Before the alignment, I never had any issues with VSA kicking in (unless I was being really aggressive with the throttle mid-corner). However, after the alignment, the VSA will make a tsk-tsk-tsk sound coming from the outside front wheel during even mild turns. I experienced this when exiting the freeway on a right-hander off ramp (the kind that turns 270 degrees). I wasn't going anywhere near as fast as I could have and was far below the limits I had experienced before the alignment was performed. Nevertheless, I still heard the tsk-tsk-tsk sound coming from the front outside wheel.

At first I thought I was rubbing the inside fender well, but upon further inspection and even more agressive turning (in a parking lot, mind you), I found not one single shred of rubbing evidence. To make sure that the problem was indeed VSA kicking in too early, I turned it off and did the exact same corner again, and heard no sound at all.

Anyway, is there a reason why the VSA kicks in so early (before I'm even close to slipping the tires) now that I have a more aggressive alignment? Is there a way to fix this issue, or change some alignment setting to alleviate the problem? I'd like to have a more aggressive alignment, but I still want to have VSA on for street driving.

I would really like to avoid having to get an aggressive alignment for every single autocross I attend (and then subsequently return it back to stock afterward) as it could get very pricey!!!

Any help would be most appreciated

barrett4bama

Does the VSA light come on when you did it?

greatfox

nope.

thomsbrain

Clean your ABS/VSA sensors. Solved it for me. Takes a couple minutes per wheel, a 10 mm wrench to loosen the sensor, some brake cleaner, and a rag or paper towel. Some people need to use mild sandpaper to clean the place where it mounts.

greatfox

I can try that, but the car has only 9,000 miles and it's never been driven in the rain. It would be pretty remarkable if the ABS sensor were already fouled/dirty after so few miles...

thomsbrain

They may be ok then, although it is a nearly free fix and it never hurts to take a look at the brakes from time to time. I had the same symptoms all of the sudden around ~40,000 and cleaning the sensors fixed it. It was mostly just brake dust and grime.

clarence35

With apologies for bumping this old thread -- I thought it would be helpful for others to reply that your suggestion worked for me on my 2009 S2000 w/135k miles. I got a more aggressive alignment done and had the VSA cutting in with the tsk-tsk-tsk sound in lower speed turns, well before the tires started to lose grip. Took about 20 minutes to clean all 4 sensors and the VSA is back to normal now. Thanks for your suggestion!