Reaction to skids in an ESP-equipped car
Posted: Sun Dec 14, 2014 9:15 pm
Hi All,
I would like to ask about your opinion on the best technique for dealing with skids in a car equipped with the ESP. Basically, the question I would like to ask is, should the driver try to help the system or should they not do anything and just let the ESP do the job?
Specifically, when the car understeers:
- will you decrease steering angle for a moment to help the front wheels regain grip and try to turn in again (as you would normally do in a car without the ESP), or will you maintain steering wheel lock and wait for the ESP to intervene?
- will you brake or not?
When the car oversteers:
- will you apply opposite steering lock (as you would in a car without the ESP) or maintain the steering angle as it was?
- will you brake?
- pressing the accelerator (which might make sense sometimes in a front-wheel driven car) will not have any effect during the skid because the ESP reduces engine torque (or makes the engine ignore the fact that the gas pedal is being pressed); however, perhaps it is better to keep foot off the gas to avoid a sudden surge of power once the skid has ended and the ESP stops working.
Theoretically, trying to help the car recover from a skid, if done correctly, should make things easier for the ESP. But at the same time the ESP uses the steering angle to determine where the driver intends to go, so changing the steering wheel lock during a skid misleads the system.
Also, will your actions differ depending on whether the car if front-, rear- or all-wheel driven? Perhaps they will they differ depending on some other factors?
Thanks for your opinions.
I would like to ask about your opinion on the best technique for dealing with skids in a car equipped with the ESP. Basically, the question I would like to ask is, should the driver try to help the system or should they not do anything and just let the ESP do the job?
Specifically, when the car understeers:
- will you decrease steering angle for a moment to help the front wheels regain grip and try to turn in again (as you would normally do in a car without the ESP), or will you maintain steering wheel lock and wait for the ESP to intervene?
- will you brake or not?
When the car oversteers:
- will you apply opposite steering lock (as you would in a car without the ESP) or maintain the steering angle as it was?
- will you brake?
- pressing the accelerator (which might make sense sometimes in a front-wheel driven car) will not have any effect during the skid because the ESP reduces engine torque (or makes the engine ignore the fact that the gas pedal is being pressed); however, perhaps it is better to keep foot off the gas to avoid a sudden surge of power once the skid has ended and the ESP stops working.
Theoretically, trying to help the car recover from a skid, if done correctly, should make things easier for the ESP. But at the same time the ESP uses the steering angle to determine where the driver intends to go, so changing the steering wheel lock during a skid misleads the system.
Also, will your actions differ depending on whether the car if front-, rear- or all-wheel driven? Perhaps they will they differ depending on some other factors?
Thanks for your opinions.