Tech: Electronic Stability Program (ESP): How It Works

[Northern Rider]

If you have ever pushed your 300C beyond the limits of adhesion (hard cornering; sudden evasive maneouver; panic braking; slippery roads, etc.), you just may have felt there was some mysterious force assisting your brilliant driving skills.

The link below is a recent article about a study in Germany on how effective the system really is:

http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/tw/esp.htm

[Shmirgin44]

Thanks...I printed it out for my dad. I had to argue w/ him for months about how his stigma of RWD cars (especially in foul weather) was antiquated!

[II kings 9:20]

YOu will see similar impressive results from window curtain aribags pioneered by BMW in '97.

[DESIREE]

Originally Posted by II kings 9:20

YOu will see similar impressive results from window curtain aribags pioneered by BMW in '97.

Ah, I don't EVER want to see my window curtain airbags! It's enough just knowing that they are there.

[II kings 9:20]

Originally Posted by Northern Rider

If you have ever pushed your 300C beyond the limits of adhesion (hard cornering; sudden evasive maneouver; panic braking; slippery roads, etc.), you just may have felt there was some mysterious force assisting your brilliant driving skills.
]

I was driving into the office the other morning and it was slippery with light ice glaze right at the driveway entry. I hit the brakes and ABS kicked in and of course some A-hole in a Ranger was right on my bumper. I should have kept straight and went around the block but I flicked the wheel right with the ABS pumping and it was if the car "crab walked" through the turn at a pretty good clip, briefly I thought about the light pole in my mesh grille but all was well with the ESP . Had this been without ESP, no doubt I would have bent some sheet metal , and probably sheet in my pants too. Similarly, BMW pioneered ABS for motorcycles and Speedvision showed an impressive display last night, without ABS if you lock the front wheel you have less than 0.2 seconds to unlock it or you will be slammed to the ground. The ABS bike stopped true on a soap, straw, and water soaked track, the bike without ABS (with out riggers) crashed everytime.