Stability Control / Traction Control -Stay Off

[Preen59]

Guy's it's getting a little heated here, whether you like it or not ESP or similar systems by other names will be fitted to all cars in the near future, it's already available now on many makes as standard equipment. I don't claim to be a race car driver but I have been in the industry for lets just say a very long time, have done many driving couses and track days getting tuition from a number of profesional race drivers. I don't recomend turning it off for road use due to the fact that you will never know when you need it? It could just save your life when that dog runs out across the road? who knows? Grow up chirping tyres in a car park? Do your nuts grow? Leave it for the track thats what the drags and track days are for!! Also I know plenty of rivers of the opposite sex that would seriously make us all look like fools!! Had to ad my two bobs worth!! Hope I haven't offended anyone??

Well said dude. Thanks.

[Blitzen]

Its turning into the MK5 forum over here...All we need is Maverick to pop his head up with a whole bunch of quotes from Wikipedia!!

My balls do grow when I chirp in the car park...I do have moments when I turn my ESP off, and I have had moments on 3 separate occasions where the traction control has hindered rather than helped in situations, all had been in roundabouts, and one had resulted in a very near accident when a driver attempted to drive in front of me coming from the left...Had the wheels been allowed to spin(wheel slip was detected too early in my opinion) I feel I would have had more room to play with, instead, the power was cut too early, and I was left with my food flat on the accelerator, and slowing down.
This is just something that has happened to me, and is my opinion. Take it how you want.

[gtimonkey]

I find it funny everyone gets so excited about leaving the little ESP button on.

A point that some seem to miss is that there will be a portion of drivers who are not particularly talented who will use ESP to go faster. ESP in this case is just allowing bad drivers to get around and do more bad driving, faster. Not sure how that has improved road safety for everyone. The net impact of a technology will also depend it changes behavior.

No doubt that the car industry is working on a stupid driver detector (SDD) which will allow the car to say no to reckless input of accelerator, brakes steering. At that point I will go and trade my polo Gti in and get a Skoda diesel wagon. The whole point of the polo Gti is that it is a bit stupid.

Driving in Jberg, running with the ESP off is the least of JK8's safety concerns - so some perspective.

[pixl]

I think a lot of you are confusing "fun" with "stupidity"

I have a hell of a lot of fun in my GTI, with ESP on. In fact, as I said earlier, it has already saved me once from ploughing through a barrier. At the end of the day, ESP is designed for the masses. More people want a safer car, than a faster one.

The argument that ESP is just going to enable bad drivers to drive even worse is nonsense. Nothing is going to stop them from driving like a lunatic. They're going to be bad drivers no matter what, but if ESP controls the car for them when they have none, then they're less likely to kill someone.

Now, you might be the most hardcore driver on the planet, able to control any car in any situation, but that still does not give you the right to drive like a ****head on public roads.

As Preeny said, you want to kill yourself, let us know when you're not on the road.

[binnyvo]

I think a lot of you are confusing "fun" with "stupidity"

I have a hell of a lot of fun in my GTI, with ESP on. In fact, as I said earlier, it has already saved me once from ploughing through a barrier. At the end of the day, ESP is designed for the masses. More people want a safer car, than a faster one.

The argument that ESP is just going to enable bad drivers to drive even worse is nonsense. Nothing is going to stop them from driving like a lunatic. They're going to be bad drivers no matter what, but if ESP controls the car for them when they have none, then they're less likely to kill someone.

Now, you might be the most hardcore driver on the planet, able to control any car in any situation, but that still does not give you the right to drive like a ****head on public roads.

As Preeny said, you want to kill yourself, let us know when you're not on the road.

Well said.

[Preen59]

Well said.

I agree.



(How can i not, he agree'd with me! haha. )

[Y2008]

I seriously don't understand. are we trying to gain traction or lose it. Each car has its limitations, in our case limited rubber. Our goal is to have maximum traction either off the line or out of a tight turn. If you lose traction (which can happen for reasons under your control such as too much acceleration or out of your control such as road conditions like gravel, water, oil). In all cases the ideal is to keep traction not lose it (unless brake steering, which should be limited to track use). So losing traction on the road to me equals lack of control because if you were so intune with your car you wouldn't be losing traction because you would always be applying the maximum the car can take within its limits without losing traction. So to me if you are losing traction under normal road conditions it means you are pushing the car past its design limits and instead of arguing about how ESP hinders us we should be spending this energy on figuring out ways to get more power onto the road instead of wasting tyre and Kw on spin.

[noone]

Well, thanks to everyone for your feedback.

Think many of you have won me over with the idea that it should be on by default, makes sense that its on when you need it and only off when you specifically ask for it.

Since I've had my car chipped, I have not turned it off, have not really thought about it...

Just 1 closing comment (had to do it), I'm not the one who needed the electronics assists to stop from crashing, so maybe you shouldn't assume I'm a maniac driver, just interested to get to know my new car (only had it 10 days).

Safe driving forumers.

[Preen59]

Just 1 closing comment (had to do it), I'm not the one who needed the electronics assists to stop from crashing, so maybe you shouldn't assume I'm a maniac driver, just interested to get to know my new car (only had it 10 days).

Safe driving forumers.

I personally wasn't referring to you.

Close the thread before it deteriorates.