Electronic Stabilization Program (ESP®) , how well does it work?
01-30-2003, 06:24 AM
#2
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very well....?
vague question, but its a good system, remember, none of these systems can counteract the laws of physics.
Similarly, the ABS system apparantly makes 30 corrections per second which is quite good, not all ABS systems are born equal.
Similarly, the ABS system apparantly makes 30 corrections per second which is quite good, not all ABS systems are born equal.
01-30-2003, 07:17 AM
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recent example
I've grown overconfident with my quattro.
I shoot up windy mountain passes with authority.
One very recent trip up a steep windy 2-lane grade leaving Tahoe I got into a little trouble however. It had rained (unusually warm weather up there right now) during the day, and night tempuratures fell. I was not driving very hard because of this, the wet road was freezing up pretty good, lots of slick patches.
I did however get a little sloppy at one point. Crossed over the line just a little as I was coming around a sweeping right hand curve. Not being too concerned I was slowly easing the car back over to where it should be. That was when a largish diesel truck hauling gasoline appeared in the opposite lane. Still not too concerned, I pulled the wheel over a little more to get completely back in my lane. At this point I felt the rear tires break contact and begin to slide out. Now it was time to be concerned.
Before I could make up my mind about what to do, ESP start flashing. After about a half-second of this I felt the back-end start moving back in the opposite direction where it was supposed to be. I was able to get back in my lane, and avoid sliding sideways at some speed into the front end of a Mack truck.
Mind you this all happened while I was running with my Dunlop Wintersport M2's. Which up until then I had to push *very* hard to get them to break contact. So not even great tires can stop a bad thing from happened on slick ice. I'm convinced that in any car without at least some kind of active traction control like this I would have been in serious trouble. I'm relatively new to systems like this, so I can't say how ESP compares to it's competition, but it saved my ***, and that's what counts as far as I'm concerned.
I shoot up windy mountain passes with authority.
One very recent trip up a steep windy 2-lane grade leaving Tahoe I got into a little trouble however. It had rained (unusually warm weather up there right now) during the day, and night tempuratures fell. I was not driving very hard because of this, the wet road was freezing up pretty good, lots of slick patches.
I did however get a little sloppy at one point. Crossed over the line just a little as I was coming around a sweeping right hand curve. Not being too concerned I was slowly easing the car back over to where it should be. That was when a largish diesel truck hauling gasoline appeared in the opposite lane. Still not too concerned, I pulled the wheel over a little more to get completely back in my lane. At this point I felt the rear tires break contact and begin to slide out. Now it was time to be concerned.
Before I could make up my mind about what to do, ESP start flashing. After about a half-second of this I felt the back-end start moving back in the opposite direction where it was supposed to be. I was able to get back in my lane, and avoid sliding sideways at some speed into the front end of a Mack truck.
Mind you this all happened while I was running with my Dunlop Wintersport M2's. Which up until then I had to push *very* hard to get them to break contact. So not even great tires can stop a bad thing from happened on slick ice. I'm convinced that in any car without at least some kind of active traction control like this I would have been in serious trouble. I'm relatively new to systems like this, so I can't say how ESP compares to it's competition, but it saved my ***, and that's what counts as far as I'm concerned.
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01-30-2003, 01:08 PM
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Re: Electronic Stabilization Program (ESP®) , how well does it work?
DO NOT TURN THE ESP OFF!
Trust me you B6 platformers. I was just fu#king around in a supermarket parking lot and just for fun, I was sliding and powersliding on ice and snow all of a sudden i'm heading for the cemented lamp post that lights the parking lot! And i'm doing 45 in ice & snow and i'm trying to get this car out it's current path to the lamp post and surely enough my friend taps my button back on (esp) and the son of bitch corrected it self and went into the path I wanted to go in! SO THE MORAL OF THIS STORY, DON'T F*CK AROUND WITH THIS FEATURE OFF BECAUSE IT'S MADE TO SAVE THE CAR FROM *******S THAT F*CK AROUND!
Trust me you B6 platformers. I was just fu#king around in a supermarket parking lot and just for fun, I was sliding and powersliding on ice and snow all of a sudden i'm heading for the cemented lamp post that lights the parking lot! And i'm doing 45 in ice & snow and i'm trying to get this car out it's current path to the lamp post and surely enough my friend taps my button back on (esp) and the son of bitch corrected it self and went into the path I wanted to go in! SO THE MORAL OF THIS STORY, DON'T F*CK AROUND WITH THIS FEATURE OFF BECAUSE IT'S MADE TO SAVE THE CAR FROM *******S THAT F*CK AROUND!
01-30-2003, 01:23 PM
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Dude, 45 in a parking lot w/ice & snow
that's kinda fast. I'm not opposed to messing around in a parking lot, I do it all the time w/ESP off. But if I start to slide out of my intended path, the beauty or RWD (when ESP off, your car is basically a RWD) is to turn the steering wheel and do exactly what is counter-intuitive, GET ON THE GAS. You can steer the car w/the rear end.
At any rate, I'm glad your friend had enough sense to remember to put ESP back on for you. And I'm really glad you didn't hit the post. You would have never forgiven yourself, and hell at 45mph, you could have even suffered some bodily injury.
Drive safe, play safe.
At any rate, I'm glad your friend had enough sense to remember to put ESP back on for you. And I'm really glad you didn't hit the post. You would have never forgiven yourself, and hell at 45mph, you could have even suffered some bodily injury.
Drive safe, play safe.