Hey guys. I'm new to the Tundra discussion boards. I own a 2010 Tundra Double Cab (Metalic Slate) w/led lighting kit, Volant CAI, 4" lift, and Nitto Trail Grapplers (295/70r18). A few more mods as well, but I won't bore you will all of them.
The reason I came to this site is I was experiencing a problem with my VSC controller causing the ABS to kick in when making right hand turns around freeway on ramps and off ramps. This is a very common problem with Tundras that have exceeded the factory 2.5" lift limit, especially if you have aftermarket, oversized tires.
I purchased this truck already modified last year, in December. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the truck. I have to tell you though, the first time that the VSC caused the ABS system to kick on, it scared the CRAP out of me. It sounded like gears were grinding, and the truck was vibrating and rattling. With pale face and cold sweat beginning to bead on my forehead, I pulled to the side of the road and looked in the rear view mirror expecting to see bits and pieces of my transmission laying in my wake.
I immediately made an appointment with my mechanic to diagnose and rectify this issue. Fortunately he is a member of the Tundra Talk forum, and he quickly diagnosed the problem. Fixing the problem was another issue though.
After 4 days of him attempting to fix the issue, he sadly hung his head and admitted defeat. He is a master mechanic, and the tech that was working on the problem with him used to work as a mechanic at the Toyota Dealership. I was unpleasantly surprised to hear that they couldn't fix this problem. I figured I just had to deal with the fact that every time I got into the truck I was going to have to depress the VSC control button for 3 seconds and turn it off.
Well this just didn't sit well with me. After reading post after post from people who successfully rectified this problem, I though to myself, "What am I doing wrong?" Well, I finally figured it out! I started looking at the posts from all the guys who couldn't get the problem to clear- even after shimming up the VSC module with washers and doing the ZPC. After all, I was one of those guys. What did they (and I) all have in common? OVERSIZED, AFTERMARKET TIRES!
Like I said, my truck was purchased post modified. Whoever modified this truck prior to me buying it never took care of the TPMS (tire pressure monitoring system) sensors firing off. So I always drove around with the low tire pressure indicator illuminated. I was told to just ignore it. BIG MISTAKE! Apparently the TPMS sensors weren't ever moved over from the stock tires to the aftermarket tires. I was told by the gentleman at Discount Tires that Toyota TPMS sensors in particular were hard to move to aftermarket wheels and tires because of the angle (or lack thereof) on the sensor that inhibited it from sitting flush and being utilized in the new gear.
I call the VSC, ABS, ZPC, and TPMS the "axis of evil"! ALL of these things need to be addressed before you can truly rectify this chronic problem. You see, your vehicles computer had been programmed to perform multitudes of calculations per second to prevent accidents and rollovers. When you shim up the VSC controller, you compensate for (aka trick) the system on the vehicle to make it think it's back at level, and not in a "nose up" condition. And when you follow it with the zero point calibration you solidify the change. If your truck is lifted 2.5" or less, or you moved the TPMS sensors form the old stock tires to the new tires, then you are DONE! The VSC will never cause the ABS to kick in again (unless it's a real condition that requires it to). However, if your TPMS indicator on your dashboard is still illuminated, you have not totally fixed the problem, and it's only a matter of time before the ABS kicks in on you making a tight turn.
So why is this? Well, the computer on your truck thinks that your tires are FLAT! The engineers at Toyota have written the software to calculate and compensate for any and every scenario. Lets say your tires are actually low (15 psi), and you go to take a sharp turn at a decent rate of speed- there is a possibility that the height, weight, and the inertia of the vehicle will cause you to lose traction and the bead in the tire will slip off the rim. This could lead to a disastrous situation. So the engineers at Toyota have the system calibrated to compensate for this by (once again) kicking on the ABS, and braking to some wheels and applying power to others. However, if the TPMS on the truck shows no trouble, you're able to take the same turn at the same rate of speed without incident.
Sometimes problems can be blessings in disguise. After arriving a at work a few weeks back, I exited my vehicle to hear a hissing sound coming from the valve stem on my passenger rear tire. I decided to bite the bullet, and kill 2 birds with one stone. I took the truck over to Discount Tires (which fortunately is less than a mile from my work) and had them pull all my tires off and replace the standard valves with the new TPMS valves/sensors. They have developed new sensors now that have flexible bases on them. This overcomes the issue caused by the factory Toyota TPMS sensors. The cost me $70 per sensor. The guys at DT then recalibrated my system and cleared the TPMS alarm on my dash. I took the truck to the on ramps and off ramps where I personally experienced the ABS going off before. I burned around the turns at a speed that was probably faster than what would was recommended to be safe- and low and behold...... PRESTO! PROBLEM SOLVED!
I said all that to say this..... 3 things must be addressed to resolve this problem.
1. Shim up the VSC to level
2. Do a Zero Point Calibration
3. Make sure that the TPMS is operating properly (when applicable). NO ALARMS!
If you will do ALL of these things, you WILL NOT have issues with the VSC applying the ABS when taking tight turns.
Good luck guys.
The reason I came to this site is I was experiencing a problem with my VSC controller causing the ABS to kick in when making right hand turns around freeway on ramps and off ramps. This is a very common problem with Tundras that have exceeded the factory 2.5" lift limit, especially if you have aftermarket, oversized tires.
I purchased this truck already modified last year, in December. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the truck. I have to tell you though, the first time that the VSC caused the ABS system to kick on, it scared the CRAP out of me. It sounded like gears were grinding, and the truck was vibrating and rattling. With pale face and cold sweat beginning to bead on my forehead, I pulled to the side of the road and looked in the rear view mirror expecting to see bits and pieces of my transmission laying in my wake.
I immediately made an appointment with my mechanic to diagnose and rectify this issue. Fortunately he is a member of the Tundra Talk forum, and he quickly diagnosed the problem. Fixing the problem was another issue though.
After 4 days of him attempting to fix the issue, he sadly hung his head and admitted defeat. He is a master mechanic, and the tech that was working on the problem with him used to work as a mechanic at the Toyota Dealership. I was unpleasantly surprised to hear that they couldn't fix this problem. I figured I just had to deal with the fact that every time I got into the truck I was going to have to depress the VSC control button for 3 seconds and turn it off.
Well this just didn't sit well with me. After reading post after post from people who successfully rectified this problem, I though to myself, "What am I doing wrong?" Well, I finally figured it out! I started looking at the posts from all the guys who couldn't get the problem to clear- even after shimming up the VSC module with washers and doing the ZPC. After all, I was one of those guys. What did they (and I) all have in common? OVERSIZED, AFTERMARKET TIRES!
Like I said, my truck was purchased post modified. Whoever modified this truck prior to me buying it never took care of the TPMS (tire pressure monitoring system) sensors firing off. So I always drove around with the low tire pressure indicator illuminated. I was told to just ignore it. BIG MISTAKE! Apparently the TPMS sensors weren't ever moved over from the stock tires to the aftermarket tires. I was told by the gentleman at Discount Tires that Toyota TPMS sensors in particular were hard to move to aftermarket wheels and tires because of the angle (or lack thereof) on the sensor that inhibited it from sitting flush and being utilized in the new gear.
I call the VSC, ABS, ZPC, and TPMS the "axis of evil"! ALL of these things need to be addressed before you can truly rectify this chronic problem. You see, your vehicles computer had been programmed to perform multitudes of calculations per second to prevent accidents and rollovers. When you shim up the VSC controller, you compensate for (aka trick) the system on the vehicle to make it think it's back at level, and not in a "nose up" condition. And when you follow it with the zero point calibration you solidify the change. If your truck is lifted 2.5" or less, or you moved the TPMS sensors form the old stock tires to the new tires, then you are DONE! The VSC will never cause the ABS to kick in again (unless it's a real condition that requires it to). However, if your TPMS indicator on your dashboard is still illuminated, you have not totally fixed the problem, and it's only a matter of time before the ABS kicks in on you making a tight turn.
So why is this? Well, the computer on your truck thinks that your tires are FLAT! The engineers at Toyota have written the software to calculate and compensate for any and every scenario. Lets say your tires are actually low (15 psi), and you go to take a sharp turn at a decent rate of speed- there is a possibility that the height, weight, and the inertia of the vehicle will cause you to lose traction and the bead in the tire will slip off the rim. This could lead to a disastrous situation. So the engineers at Toyota have the system calibrated to compensate for this by (once again) kicking on the ABS, and braking to some wheels and applying power to others. However, if the TPMS on the truck shows no trouble, you're able to take the same turn at the same rate of speed without incident.
Sometimes problems can be blessings in disguise. After arriving a at work a few weeks back, I exited my vehicle to hear a hissing sound coming from the valve stem on my passenger rear tire. I decided to bite the bullet, and kill 2 birds with one stone. I took the truck over to Discount Tires (which fortunately is less than a mile from my work) and had them pull all my tires off and replace the standard valves with the new TPMS valves/sensors. They have developed new sensors now that have flexible bases on them. This overcomes the issue caused by the factory Toyota TPMS sensors. The cost me $70 per sensor. The guys at DT then recalibrated my system and cleared the TPMS alarm on my dash. I took the truck to the on ramps and off ramps where I personally experienced the ABS going off before. I burned around the turns at a speed that was probably faster than what would was recommended to be safe- and low and behold...... PRESTO! PROBLEM SOLVED!
I said all that to say this..... 3 things must be addressed to resolve this problem.
1. Shim up the VSC to level
2. Do a Zero Point Calibration
3. Make sure that the TPMS is operating properly (when applicable). NO ALARMS!
If you will do ALL of these things, you WILL NOT have issues with the VSC applying the ABS when taking tight turns.
Good luck guys.
