ESP On or Off
- Thread starter Dave1000
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HotboxDeluxe
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This is quite strange because I have driven with and without ESP and I have to say if I am driving fast I have no problems leaving the ESP on. The fastest way to drive really isnt sliding the car about and in mine at least, that is the only time the ESP kicks in.
If you want to have some fun then fair enough, leave it off. For normal everyday driving though, I leave it on all the time. You really do not know when you might hit some spilt oil for example, and no matter how much car control you might think you have, you will not react to that sort of situation as fast as the ESP.
If you want to have some fun then fair enough, leave it off. For normal everyday driving though, I leave it on all the time. You really do not know when you might hit some spilt oil for example, and no matter how much car control you might think you have, you will not react to that sort of situation as fast as the ESP.
I didnt chastise any one for turing them off. I mearly said that alot of people dont seem to understand what ESP is and what it does. Its up to the individual if they have them off but I have no doubt for the majority of drivers they are a benefit when it goes wrong not a hinderance. The biggest problem with drivers is they over estimate their ability, I put my hands up to having done it and I would think most people on here have had a brown trouser moment or two at some point and learnt from it. Thats where these systems come into play and if the driver is lucky they sort out the mess he has made or predicament they have ended up in for no fault of their own. If your ability is such you dont need anti lock brakes ever or brake distribution and the like then my hand goes up to you but you are a rare breed and certainly not the average driver, forum member or not.
HotboxDeluxe
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...but a competent driver should be able to react quickly to any given situation. I appreciate that these driver aids do contribute to safety...but in the long term it is breeding and nurturing drivers that have no idea how to react to emergencies. And that in turn is leading to drivers who barely even think as they are bimbling along. tick the right boxes when you order your new car and you don't even have to remember when to turn the lights and wipers on....
There are more cars on the road now than ever, and the drivers are dozier than ever. Cocooned in their 5 star EuroNcrap-rated safety box, they don't even think about accidents any more. Too busy paying attention to the sat nav to even notice they have nearly crashed into my car or knocked me off me scooter
Give me the good old days, when a fast car actually needed some skill input from the driver. Anyone else noticed that when a modern hypercar like an RS6 or Evo has an accident, it's a really big one?
Ooh, I know, how on earth did we all manage to stay out of ditches before these aids.
Sorry to sound facetious, but it's how I feel about them.
Which is why I rarely look enviously at any other bloke in a BMW/Audi/whatever, but I will stare enviously at the bloke in the old (RWD) escort RS2000.
It's no coincidence, to me, that the market for 'retro' cars is booming.
People are just so ****** bored of modern cars.
Trawling the net yesterday, you know the one car that caught my eye?
A restored 2.8 Capri.
liam
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Until I can manually brake each wheel individually, I'm happy to admit ESP has better reactions than me, haha.
Okay, so I've only spent a few hours behind the wheel of an 8P S3, but in our MINI or GTI I can have all the fun on public roads that I want and still have DSC/ESP left on.
When you're fanging about on tight mountain roads at speeds you probably shouldn't be, you never know what will be around the next blind corner. On the twisties I usually drive on the chances are you will find a couple of cyclists riding side by side, or motorbike rider pushing just as hard and leaning over the centre road markings.
Nobody is good enough to react to and save every possibility on the road, especially ones that may require quick and violent steering inputs. ESP can't even save you from every situation, physics is a pretty powerful force, so better to not be a hero and play it as safe as possible I reckon.
If you're on a closed road or race track, then turn ESP off every time. Otherwise, just think about it... :icon_thumright:
Okay, so I've only spent a few hours behind the wheel of an 8P S3, but in our MINI or GTI I can have all the fun on public roads that I want and still have DSC/ESP left on.
When you're fanging about on tight mountain roads at speeds you probably shouldn't be, you never know what will be around the next blind corner. On the twisties I usually drive on the chances are you will find a couple of cyclists riding side by side, or motorbike rider pushing just as hard and leaning over the centre road markings.
Nobody is good enough to react to and save every possibility on the road, especially ones that may require quick and violent steering inputs. ESP can't even save you from every situation, physics is a pretty powerful force, so better to not be a hero and play it as safe as possible I reckon.
If you're on a closed road or race track, then turn ESP off every time. Otherwise, just think about it... :icon_thumright:
HotboxDeluxe
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liam
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This is fair enough, and sure, old skool cars are all about raw thrills, but ESP only needs to save you once to make it worthwhile.
If you haven't done so already, take your car to a skid pan and drive it with ESP off and guage how well you think you are "saving" the slides. Then turn on ESP and see how damn hard you have to push to lose control. I guarantee you will be amazed at how effective these systems are. It certainly made me change my mind about switching off DSC, that's for sure.
liam
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Traction control and ESP iz all for gays, yo
Traction control, I agree with.
ESP, no.
alfiejts
Registered User
Now I'm not a safety nut, but I've been on an Alfa track day where they actually get you to throw your car into such a violent manouver that the ESP (or ESC - different manufacturers use different acronyms for the same thing) kicks in and you can see what it does for you.
The UK hasn't caught up yet, but its a mandatory safety feature across much of Europe (incl Germany) and NCAP will not now give out a 5-star rating to a car that isn't fitted with it as standard.
Having thrown an Alfa 156 off Snake Pass backwards, I think it saved me on that occasion, so I never turn mine off....
If you read some of the reports below, you see that results show that if you have an accident in a car with ESP, its 25% less likely to be fatal. In other words when you do have a crash, it turns it into a minor one rather than a fatal one....
Read and digest, but mine stays on....
http://www.euroncap.com/esc.aspx
http://www.chooseesc.eu/en/facts_ab.../facts_about_electronic_stability_control.htm
http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/electronic-stability-control.html
The UK hasn't caught up yet, but its a mandatory safety feature across much of Europe (incl Germany) and NCAP will not now give out a 5-star rating to a car that isn't fitted with it as standard.
Having thrown an Alfa 156 off Snake Pass backwards, I think it saved me on that occasion, so I never turn mine off....
If you read some of the reports below, you see that results show that if you have an accident in a car with ESP, its 25% less likely to be fatal. In other words when you do have a crash, it turns it into a minor one rather than a fatal one....
Read and digest, but mine stays on....
http://www.euroncap.com/esc.aspx
http://www.chooseesc.eu/en/facts_ab.../facts_about_electronic_stability_control.htm
http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/electronic-stability-control.html
I usually have mine on for lazy driving and off for playing, I used to have a focus with esp and did some diggin on what it actually does etc. The best demo I found was on youtube :
Focus with esp ON: Focus with ESP - YouTube
Fopcus with esp OFF: Focus without ESP - YouTube
I had first hand experience on the old A1 (now part of the A63) in leeds as the road had been downgraded for gritting, a year or so ago salt and grit stocks were low and the councill were rationing the grit. So this ended up with 3 miles of dual carrageway totally ungritted and was just one huge ice road. Good place to test the esp? oh yes! I reached 80mph and the esp kept the car in a perfect straight line even after trying to make it go off course! I was totally dumbfounded and had a great big smile on my face untill I realised the ABS dont really slow you down on sheet ice when a roundabout is approaching lol.
Its a great invention handed down to the car industry from the plane manufacturers. But all cars should have the option to turn it off, where is the fun if you cant er........ av it off?
Focus with esp ON: Focus with ESP - YouTube
Fopcus with esp OFF: Focus without ESP - YouTube
I had first hand experience on the old A1 (now part of the A63) in leeds as the road had been downgraded for gritting, a year or so ago salt and grit stocks were low and the councill were rationing the grit. So this ended up with 3 miles of dual carrageway totally ungritted and was just one huge ice road. Good place to test the esp? oh yes! I reached 80mph and the esp kept the car in a perfect straight line even after trying to make it go off course! I was totally dumbfounded and had a great big smile on my face untill I realised the ABS dont really slow you down on sheet ice when a roundabout is approaching lol.
Its a great invention handed down to the car industry from the plane manufacturers. But all cars should have the option to turn it off, where is the fun if you cant er........ av it off?
