What doe ESP actually do?

[Fl@pper]

different class of cars in the past, you'd feel the road better and have more control with nothing over compensated or taking control and cutting power however we never tried to do 60mph round a bend on teh way to work in a mk2 escort or an imp without taking a deeep breath first

must admit i've thankfully missed a few tree's in my time trying - lol

i totally agree some appear intrusive and usually are a little but they are only working to the paramaters they are programmed too under testing and development so something somewhere is over the limit or they would never need to do anything at all

 

[Dyscontinued]

Guessing that racecar off here doesn't have it?

 

[Twiggy86]

ESP has nearly caused me to have an accident, but not at my own fault. I was driving near a busy roundabout near me which is a big island so you can not see the other side. When i pulled out a car came flying round, due to my position on the road my best action would of been to speed up. The ESP thought otherwise when i began to loose a LITTLE traction and decided i was travelling too fast! Thus nearly endangering my life.

On the other hand, i personally think it is good for wet days and even icy days where you need the tiny bit extra traction.

 

[sh4rk]

hi sorry if i have hijacked this thread but i have searched for a while now and all i can find is ESP light staying on etc. Mine however never lights up and doesn't seem to do anything when i push the button - i am assuming as since the button is there, is wired up and lights up with the rest of the car that i have ESP - i have a 2001 leon cupra but just wondering what the most likely cause of this system not working

 

[Dyscontinued]

Strange I thought only the LCRs had ESP and the other Cupras had TCS.

Anyway, the lettering on the button lights up red when you turn car lights on.

When pressed to deactivate it should light up an orange TCS light on the dashboard underneath the handbrake light, I think it's an circular arrow around a hazard sign.

 

[traumapat]

ESP has nearly caused me to have an accident, but not at my own fault. I was driving near a busy roundabout near me which is a big island so you can not see the other side. When i pulled out a car came flying round, due to my position on the road my best action would of been to speed up. The ESP thought otherwise when i began to loose a LITTLE traction and decided i was travelling too fast! Thus nearly endangering my life.

On the other hand, i personally think it is good for wet days and even icy days where you need the tiny bit extra traction.

But without esp youd have spun and not made progress. If the wheels are losing traction then your going to fast for the available grip. Esp slows you down or you slow down, alternatively lose control.
Not esps fault really. You were too fast for the conditions, which for all you know could have been oil on the road?

There have been times where ESP has pulled me back, sometimes ive felt annoyed that it stepped in but then im never able to see what the outcome would have been if it hadnt.

 

[traumapat]

Strange I thought only the LCRs had ESP and the other Cupras had TCS.

Anyway, the lettering on the button lights up red when you turn car lights on.

When pressed to deactivate it should light up an orange TCS light on the dashboard underneath the handbrake light, I think it's an circular arrow around a hazard sign.

Early cupras had esp

 

[andycupra]

Strange I thought only the LCRs had ESP and the other Cupras had TCS.

Anyway, the lettering on the button lights up red when you turn car lights on.

When pressed to deactivate it should light up an orange TCS light on the dashboard underneath the handbrake light, I think it's an circular arrow around a hazard sign.

Early 'proper' cupras had ESP.. along with leather, autom dimming mirror, memory seats, auto wiper etc (£18,000 car).

2001... it might have it.

 

[sh4rk]

well the button is there it just lights up red with everything else when i press it i get no orange light and i have never seen a flashing light on the dash to let me know its working - i defo have a 2001 "proper" cupra full leather climate control annoying wipers that randomly speed up and slow down dimming mirror etc but this esp i wasn't sure about i guess it just ain't working

 

[m0rk]

well the button is there it just lights up red with everything else when i press it i get no orange light and i have never seen a flashing light on the dash to let me know its working - i defo have a 2001 "proper" cupra full leather climate control annoying wipers that randomly speed up and slow down dimming mirror etc but this esp i wasn't sure about i guess it just ain't working

Run it through VAG-COM to see if there are any fault codes for it.

ESP is a good safety net, despite all the neigh sayers, you will find it lets you 'go sideways', but will bring you back in line in a controlled manner, preventing fishtailing.

And less of this 'I want to feel what the car is doing' crud, if that was the case you'd have bought a proper car which doesn't need things to be turned off to have fun

 

[GREY 225]

I think the esp may need recalibrating considering the mods done to the vehicle, ie lowering and arbs or stiffening up chassis.
Ive found esp cutting in on certain slow speed sharp corners when there was no way it was near the edge of saftey, sometimes wondered if its got confused with the car being modified.
Couple of corners ive used to test this and everytime esp cuts in, and personally made it feel more unsafe, with it off the car was well under control with no hint of under/over steer.
However if you had to make a sudden steering input or lift off mid corner to avoid something then it is potentially a life saver and sorts out the problem for you.

 

[leon cupra r]

ESP has nearly caused me to have an accident, but not at my own fault. I was driving near a busy roundabout near me which is a big island so you can not see the other side. When i pulled out a car came flying round, due to my position on the road my best action would of been to speed up. The ESP thought otherwise when i began to loose a LITTLE traction and decided i was travelling too fast! Thus nearly endangering my life.

On the other hand, i personally think it is good for wet days and even icy days where you need the tiny bit extra traction.

Yep ive seen this happen - I get it a lot, if you pull out on a roundabout like you said, and need to accelerate, god help you if there are grates round the inside of the roundabout - if you hit these, even under only moderate acceleration, ESP has a field day and pretty much cuts the entirety of the engines power for about 2 seconds! - Not helpful in this situation!

There are arguments on both sides, and the arguments would have to be based on driver skill - watch the video on the bosch site mentioned at the top of this thread, and in the first few tries without ESP the drivers (think they are mainly women, not that I'd want to be stereotypical!! ) make barely any attempt to countersteer the skid and obviously end up completely sideways wiping out pretty much every cone. Compare this to the last few, who make some attempt at countering the skid, and they do a lot better (admittedly not re-gaining full control of the car, but making it past what would have been the initial hazard, at least).

ESP in principal is a good idea, but should be there to lend a hand once the drivers ability is exceeded, where a skid / crash would otherwise have been inevitable. The system in the LCRs however is too intrusive, and help from a PC is not needed when driving over a grate in the road under acceleration. Especially in a 'sporty' car like this, where a lot of the drivers will want to push the car a little down some empty country lanes every now and then.

Personally, I find the ESP very unnerving - when you are expecting to have the back of the car step out a little I always go to counter it, and having the ESP doing the same thing (through single wheel braking obviously, not by turning the front wheels), and amplifying the countersteering, often find the car ending up sliding the other way!

I leave it on if it's wet (as I am barely ever driving hard anyway) incase it's a little slippy and hope that it's effects will help me out, but usually turn it off in the dry, especially when I find myself on a quiet road!

 

[Twiggy86]

I think it is mainly due to the fact that i used to driving older cars and i am used to slacking off power when i feel "the twitch".

I have a 2001 Seat Leon Cupra and it comes with all the extra's apart from sat nav and memory seats. Funnily enough i havent told my missus how to turn it off, even though i am the one that nearly smashed her old Fiesta ST by spinning out 30 stylee on the same roundabout that the ESP kicked in lol

 

[Murdered LCR]

That's the 3rd thing I do befor driving 1. Start car 2. Turn nob to unfold mirrors 3. Turn traction control off car drives like a pile of **** with it on keep cutting boost out holding the dv/actuator open far to long so the car sounds like a Bus not a nice flutter I all ways get through my hks mushroom , it keeps the ESP on just turns the traction off , you should be able to drive a car with out crashing just because you switched a button off and if you can't then you shouldn't drive at all

 

[TubbyTwo]

That's the 3rd thing I do befor driving 1. Start car 2. Turn nob to unfold mirrors 3. Turn traction control off car drives like a pile of **** with it on keep cutting boost out holding the dv/actuator open far to long so the car sounds like a Bus not a nice flutter I all ways get through my hks mushroom , it keeps the ESP on just turns the traction off , you should be able to drive a car with out crashing just because you switched a button off and if you can't then you shouldn't drive at all

pretty much the same as me then lol

good work on the HKS induction, they do some really good quality stuff!!

 

[Joeb]

thing is

is there actually any performance loss if u belt it in a straight line??



otherwise theres no point switching it off.
with all the pot holes, who would even put their foot down through these roads now?

 

[TubbyTwo]

thing is

is there actually any performance loss if u belt it in a straight line??



otherwise theres no point switching it off.
with all the pot holes, who would even put their foot down through these roads now?

yep mine used to spin the wheels in the dry even in 3rd, now i have some decent rubber on the front its alot better.

I still dont need a over active VAG system to help me drive tho, much more fun without it so im leaving it off.

 

[Murdered LCR]

If I go to pull away quick it cuts the power so yes it does make a difference , it didn't do it as much when it was standard now it's mapped it's not worth having it on and ESP still stays on and will keep you in a strait line if you happen you loose the back end , I hate driving with it on .

 

[karlw]

Has anyone here ever done the E63 AMG driving experiance at Brokelands Mercedese?
If you really want to experiane how ESP works you shoould give that ago
Hammering towards a wall of cones at over 100mph having to brake, go round them and get back in the same lane again is quite tuff with it off.
The Pulling out of a T jucntion on simulated ice is fun too.

 

[Ape]

I don't think you can turn the ESP off on LCR's without VagCom?

I always press the Button by the fuel cap button, to turn the traction control off... BUT, when I was at the 'Ring and overegged a bend (Adenau Forst), the already Illuminated light started flashing and the ABS / ESP kicked in and pulled the car round.

I believe the button only turns TCS off, so if you've got it off and have your foot on the throttle, it won't help you, only when you let off it. (if that makes sense?)