So I am driving down the highway in a straight line when my cars seems like it shut off. I look down and I see my slip indicator flashing. Whats going on? I have had it coming on when going on hills and curves at fast speeds but not while driving a straight line. Only thing I can think of is that i did get a great deal on four wheels and tires. They are not a staggered fit. They are straight 8.5 wide. Can this cause it?

 

Are they taller than you others?

 

If your car came with a staggered setup and your new setup isn't staggered, then you run the risk of VDC/TCS kicking in when you least expect it.

BTW - it has nothing to do with the wheel width, it's the tire OD that matters.

 

VDC is set up to monitor a staggered set up. And deviation from what it is set up to tollerate will cause the VDC to activate because it thinks you are losing traction. There is a sticky thread at the top of the Wheels & Tires section that explains all about the VDC and proper tire sizes.

 

What size tires are you running?

--Spike

 

20" 235 20 35 i believe

 

Can I turn off or disable the VDC?

 

Do you have an Owner's Manual?

bill

 

Have you noticed that little VDC Off button under the dash by your left knee?

 

That's not enough information for us to help you.

The metric tire sizing system represents a tire size as:
[section width (mm)] / [aspect ratio] - [rim diameter (inches)]

Questions:

1) It sounds as though you have 20" wheels... is that right?

2) Is your tire size 235/35-20" ? That doesn't sound right since this would be narrow for a wheel with a width of 8.5" (especially a 20" diameter wheel).

3) Do the front and rear tires have the same overall diameter?

--Spike

 

I have 255/35-20 in front , and 285/30-20 rear.My front tire is bigger than my rear tire ,and I never had a VDC light flashing ,even in long trips.
Something is wrong in your car.......

 

But... Are your tires the same as lawman2010's?

We don't know what tire size(s) he's running.

--Spike

 

I have 245 35 ZR 20's. I dont have a vdc button only a traction control. It is going crazy now. It turned on a few dozen times driving on a 2 hour trip last night. I just had the brakes changed when it started to happen. Could this have down it some how? How does the vdc measure the rotation of the tire? I noticed that since my brake change I have these small tabs sticking of the brake housing. They look lie they fold down and suppose to lock down on a tab but wont since the brake job. I dont know what they are I will try to get a picture of them. I appreciate all the help.

 

You do not have VDC so the problem is the rear axle.

Are you certain that the wheels and tires on the rear axle are the same size?

Check the tire pressure. Make sure they are the same.

New tires are slippery. Put 200 miles on the tires. See if that solves the problem.

 

Ok what is the "slip" indicator mean? I drove in the rain today approx30 miles or so with no occurances.

 

You still are not providing enough information for us to help you.

You said: “I have 245 35 ZR 20's.”
Is this the tire size on the front, the rear; or are all your tires this size? If all four tires are the same size (same OD), your problem is just that.

The SLIP light means TCS is activated. Since you do not has a button labeled “VDC” but you see the SLIP light, your car has TCS but not VDC.

--Spike

 

they are all the same size. It rarely slipped until after I got the brakes changed (all four) now it is slipping all the time even in a straight line

 

Well… I’m stumped. I don’t know how a brake replacement would cause TCS to start malfunctioning, but I suppose it’s possible. Since you report having the problem (albeit to a much lesser degree) before installing new brakes, there is something other than the new brakes at work here.

I drove a 2003 Enthusiast model which had an intermittent engagement of TCS for no good reason (just as you report). This happened after installing new tires (Avon) matching stock sizes (the 2003 Enthusiast came with 17” wheels). The problem was there for a month or so, and then it went away. I can only assume it was the slippery grease on the new tires that wore off after a few hundred miles of driving. TCS is quite sensitive and activates quickly.

--Spike

 

After turning off the traction control I drove 150 miles with no occurances. I guess it is being caused by the traction control not vdc. Its weird its either goes crazy or works fine. One other thing while driving a straight line every evening going home I have it do it in the same spot every night. Straight road, no bumps etc. Can an electronic interference of some sort cause this to occur?

 

WTF?
___________________
Re> “After turning off the traction control I drove 150 miles with no occurances. I guess it is being caused by the traction control not vdc.”

Geez… We have already established the fact that you do not have VDC on your car. Why in the “H” do you keep mentioning VDC? And… Of course if you turn TCS off, you will not experience traction control engagement. Duh!
___________________
Re> One other thing while driving a straight line every evening going home I have it do it in the same spot every night. Straight road, no bumps etc. Can an electronic interference of some sort cause this to occur?”

No, that won’t happen.
___________________
My nature is to try being helpful, but your posts are beginning to sound like a fake. Sorry, but I’m off this thread.

--Spike