Esp??

[sharkaroo]

When does anyone use it and whats the benefits and dis-advantages?

 

[TheCake]

You should leave this on all the time as it is a safety feature of the vehicle.

Basically....

Electronic Stabilisation Programme is an impressive active safety feature which can help to improve the occupants safety by registering and helping to correct oversteer, understeer and loss of stability in the vehicle.

In everyday driving critical driving conditions can occur. A change in road surface caused by bad weather or fallen leaves a need to swerve abruptly to avoid an obstacle, or a tight bend can all result in loss of control of the vehicle. In these situations not even the most experienced driver can react as quickly as ESP does.

ESP helps to improve a vehicle's behaviour considerably in all critical driving manoeuvres by helping to stabilise the car. The car's driving condition and the driver's actions are constantly monitored thanks to a variety of sensors placed throughout the car. The sensors monitor factors such as steering angle, wheel angle, yaw rate (spinning) and lateral acceleration (side to side movement). According to the situation, ESP reacts by braking the appropriate wheels and automatically adjusting the engine's output.

The only time I would turn it off is if I were on track.

 

[Gareth]

seen it come on on a few fast roundabouts and cornering at HIGH speed. No way I would turn it off. (not that I can in my 52)

 

[sharkaroo]

Do you turn it on everytime you start the car, does the light show?

 

[Gareth]

light only shows when it is doing something, would imagine you get a permanent light on the dash when you turn it off, also would think you do not have to turn it on everytime you start the car.

 

[TheCake]

You do get a constant light on the dash when its turned off.

 

[sharkaroo]

thats what i originally thought, must have confused myself!! cheers

 

[Neil G]

I have a late 2002 172 and the esp light is on permanently on the dash when the button is pressed......goes off automatically if the car is switched off so you have to turn it on manually again when car is started.

 

[David_Snaresbrook]

I have a late 2002 172 and the esp light is on permanently on the dash when the button is pressed......goes off automatically if the car is switched off so you have to turn it on manually again when car is started.

I think you may be confused mate. The light is on, when your esp is off. It is a warning light to say its off, so be careful.

You will know its on, when the light is off.

On a side note, do the CUPs have ESP? I have no button to turn it on or off on my car.

 

[Andy]

I have a 182 Cup, 05 plate, and ESP is on as standard.

I've switched it off a few times, directly a marked change in the car's behaviour is felt. It likes to misbehave which is incredible fun. For the sake of the tyres I leave it on; mostly.

When deactivate the light appears as constant on the dash. When activated you know the car is taking control when it flashes like crazy.

Hope this helps.

 

[blink172]

172 Cups didnt have it fitted, like ABS.

Leave it on all the time, unless your on track or misbehaving with some spirited driving.

 

[David_Snaresbrook]

172 Cups didnt have it fitted, like ABS.

Didnt think they did. I knew it didnt have the ABS, as i've locked the wheels up a couple of times under heavy braking.

I can see this car is either going to be the making of my driving abilty, or the breaking. Im hoping its the first of the two.

 

[Fred@BTM]

it bloody nearly killed me at Brands!!!

 

[David_Snaresbrook]

What did Fred? ESP or not having any at all?

 

[miketheman2k]

Wouldn't turn it off in the cold, wet days of winter.

Certainly would in dry weather though.

 

[Fred@BTM]

ESP, shitest system there is

its fine on the roads, but if you go anywhere near a track turn it off

 

[Gareth]

what if you CAN'T

 

[Andy]

Then drive like a Be'atch!

 

[Liam]

seen it come on on a few fast roundabouts and cornering at HIGH speed. No way I would turn it off. (not that I can in my 52)

if you have esp on a renaultsport clio you WILL have a switch to turn it off. No switch-no esp.

Liam

 

[Gareth]

not true?? IIRC, anyone else?

 

[Fred@BTM]

it has a switch to turn it off

 

[Steve vRS]

I only turn it off on track.

On the road, there are too many variables out of your control so it's handy to have.

ABS is essential on the road IMHO.

Steve

 

[Gareth]

I thought the earlier models had ESP, you just didn't get the option to turn it off.

 

[Liam]

no mate, esp was only introduced in late 172s and all 182s.

 

[Andy]

I certainly have a button.

It would stand to reason that if they've made a pocket rocket that owners will want to take on the track that they would impose such restrictions.

 

[Gareth]

i'm still not convinced, folk on here before have said what I am saying and more than once I have since lights flickering on the dash when the car is under heavy pressure driving HARD on the road and its not the old 'dodgy brake\brake fluid' trick.

 

[David_Snaresbrook]

I only turn it off on track.

On the road, there are too many variables out of your control so it's handy to have.

ABS is essential on the road IMHO.

Steve

I'd disagree with that, you just have to adjust your style of driving to accomodate not having it.

 

[Chad]

Personally I turn it off all the time, its not that good on the 172/182. Only really works if you f**k up big time (ie go into an out of control slide).

I left it on once when I was giving it some and instead of the tail wagging when I lifted off on a fast bend the car seemed to go into a four wheel drift and felt very floaty when the ESP kicked in. It probably kept the car in a straight line but when your expecting to have to catch a bit of lift off oversteer and the car takes over its a bit scary.

Depends how you drive really but I prefer it off.

 

[Lagerlout]

I agree with you to a certain extent David, but there are lots of variables on the road that are beyond your control.

I wasn't convinced about the ESP system until this winter. It's saved my dumb ass more than once.

 

[Ian_182]

Im sure my old 02 172 had it but i could'nt turn it of.I could feel it stopping me spin...

ian

 

[David_Snaresbrook]

I agree with you to a certain extent David, but there are lots of variables on the road that are beyond your control.

I was convinced about the ESP system until this winter. It's saved my dumb ass more than once.

Yeah i suppose there is.

I tend not to drive my car like a loon unless im not around other cars anyway, so hopefully i'll never have to find out if ABS would have saved my arse or not, lol

 

[Steve vRS]

You don't relaise how usefull ABS is until a car pulls out in front of you from a side street and you stamp on the brakes. You can feel the ABS kicking and you don't skid.

Unless you are Stirling Moss and are calm enough to cadence brake yourself to a standstill or hold the brakes on the point of skid until you stop, ABS is worthwile on a road car.

Steve

 

[David_Snaresbrook]

I must have a nack at braking then, as i have given the brakes on the cup some seriously hard braking, from about 60 to 5mph, so i could turn a corner. I could tell the brakes were on the verge of locking up, and just as they were about to start skidding i came off, and back on again.

I really think i need to get the CUP on a track this year, to test my driving skill properly.

 

[Chad]

If something pulls out right in front of you its pretty hard not to instinctivly stamp on the brakes (no matter how good a driver you think you are) and if its right in front of you theres no time to lift off and reapply the brakes.

ABS is very worth while for this reason alone even though the idea of ABS is so you can still manouvere the car round an obsticle while braking sharply.

 

[Neil G]

I think you may be confused mate. The light is on, when your esp is off. It is a warning light to say its off, so be careful.

You will know its on, when the light is off.

On a side note, do the CUPs have ESP? I have no button to turn it on or off on my car.

So what you are saying is that it's on automatically all the time and when I've been pressing the button and the light has been coming on I've actually been disabling it!!!!

 

[MarkCup]

I thought the renault ESP was a pile of shite when I took a 182 Cup round Brands...kept grabbing at the brakes mid-corner and unbalancing the car...pretty dangerous at those speeds IMO.

As for braking and ABS - if you treat every hazard you come across on the roads appropriately, you should always have plenty of warning to not need ABS.

 

[ant]

my 02 172 doesn't have it.

cant say i miss it??? car feels fine to me


cant see the point in having esp and no option to turn it off. not heard of that before!

 

[Scott 172]

So what you are saying is that it's on automatically all the time and when I've been pressing the button and the light has been coming on I've actually been disabling it!!!!

This is what i have been doing thinking its on when the light is on haha!

 

[Chad]

I'm 99.9% sure that if the car has ESP theres a button to turn it off. In the manual it tells you to turn it off in snowy or icy conditions (which is about the only time I'd want any electronics taking over and saving my ass TBH). Apparently it isn't clever enough to cope with very slippy conditions.

Personally I'm glad its there though as there are plenty of people driving round in fast cars that can't drive for s**t.

 

[Scott 172]

I'm 99.9% sure that if the car has ESP theres a button to turn it off. In the manual it tells you to turn it off in snowy or icy conditions (which is about the only time I'd want any electronics taking over and saving my ass TBH). Apparently it isn't clever enough to cope with very slippy conditions.

Personally I'm glad its there though as there are plenty of people driving round in fast cars that can't drive for sh*t.

yeah there is , its next to button which controls the brightness of your clocks, right and to the bottom of steering column