Acceleration and ESP?

[rdmac]

So the other morning I'm getting on the Garden State Parkway on my way to work. Its pretty cold out like 10 degrees. I hit the on ramp and punch the car like I typically do. It takes off as usual and I'm getting over to the left lane and passing by cars (changing lanes as I go). All of a sudden for a couple of seconds the car stops accelerating and I am in nervous limbo land. Than it kicks back in again. I think I let up on it and punched it again. Was inbetween cars during all this and things could have gotten hairy. Over the last few days I have punched the car like 5 times and all is fine and strong. I wonder if what happenned is I hit a patch of black ice (we get that alot around here on all roads) and the ESP kicked in.

Anybody else experience this?

Bob

[Brian]

Hi did the ESP light come on in the dash?
Good to here from some one in NJ!
wating for Blue 300C to come in two more months I hope .
Brian

[Northern Rider]

Originally Posted by rdmac

So the other morning I'm getting on the Garden State Parkway on my way to work. Its pretty cold out like 10 degrees. I hit the on ramp and punch the car like I typically do. It takes off as usual and I'm getting over to the left lane and passing by cars (changing lanes as I go). All of a sudden for a couple of seconds the car stops accelerating and I am in nervous limbo land. Than it kicks back in again. I think I let up on it and punched it again. Was inbetween cars during all this and things could have gotten hairy. Over the last few days I have punched the car like 5 times and all is fine and strong. I wonder if what happenned is I hit a patch of black ice (we get that alot around here on all roads) and the ESP kicked in.

Anybody else experience this?

Bob

Almost every day, where I live, Bob.

That's the little ESP Angel saving our leadfooted souls from a black ice spinout.

[rdmac]

Thanks Northern. Thats what I figured. I did not look to see if the indicator came on at the time, but I take your word for it.

Bob

[jcsganga34]

I have the same issue here in Boston. I also thought it was the ESP, but am now glad that others are seeing the same thing at higher speeds.

[Northern Rider]

The indicator light is confusing and one of the few non-intuitive things about the car. There is traction control and yaw control as well as interaction with the anti-lock brakes. the light being on or off isn't really consistant as it is trying to report too many "issues".

The bottom line: These systems are on by default when you start the car. As soon as a wheel spins or the car's attitude (yaw) gets out of shape, the system intervenes to keep you going in the direction you are steering but at a power level that will allow the wheels to grab.

This is Mercedes technology and is the best in the world on a mass produced car, IMO. With the Contis, the system intervenes quite a bit when temperatures and wind create slippery services. When I switched to Pirelli Scorpion ice tires, it does not come on as much. When it is active, it doesn't matter how hard you press on the gas (throttle is electonic; no mechanical linkage) it won't go any faster than your tires will grip. So if someone else is accelerating past you, they just have better tires.

Another interesting point - if you turn off the ESP by depressing the button (the light comes on, which doesn't make any sense), you will get more wheelspin and more sliding out of the rear end. But the system will intervene on its own, before you totally spin out. So it doesn't really turn off. Just gives you more lattitude.

[HaTaX]

Yup, I've noticed that here in MN when we had those -25 days the system killed the power from the motor quite often and I believe it is because the Contis just become too hard in the cold weather and they slip easily..

It does feel weird when it's pulling hard though and all of the sudden if feels like your foot fell off the pedal.