Hey everyone,

I have some questions regarding the handling of the new A4.
I just got the 2005.5 A4 quattro with sport package a month ago and was trying to test the car in the curves. In my area there is a nice long curved ramp to the freeway, where I tried to take it with 60mph and was trying to find out when the ESP will kick in. The car got a little into skidding, nothing big. The ramp has two lanes, I was in the inside lane, and when it started to skid I went just a little into the second lane. My question is, how much does the car have to skid so the ESP kicks in? Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks!

 

I don't think there is an exact answer. It's not like it comes on at a 60 degree turn over 40mph. There are a ton of factors. It kicks in when it determines that the the car isn't doing what the driver wants it to do.

You can also turn it off, which is a lot more fun when going around corners.

 

Wait till the winter , then you will see ESP kicking in alot more often

 

it kicks it when it feels the tire slipping
it can help u but i wouldnt rely on it

 

i had my first experience with esp a couple of weeks ago...

i was driving down a dirt road kinda quick. the traction wasn't good at all, and i took a turn and started to slip and skid a bit. i got nervous for a second, but then the esp light came on in the dash, and within a second or two i was back on track instead of off the side of the road and into a ditch.

i don't think the esp is directly dependent on how fast you are going, cause i wasn't going that fast down the dirt road, but i was going quicker than i should have to maintain control. i think esp is mainly for when the conditions of the road and your speed combined, cause your car to skid and lose traction more than just "a little bit."

it kinda just pops up when it needs to...which is good, cause if it hadn't i would have ended up against a tree.

 

It's good stuff for when you lose control unexpectedly... when you are purposely pushing your car hard... I'd turn it off... I personaly think it limits the car's capabilities... this may not be (and likely is not) the case on dry pavement... but I've used ESP in gobs of snow, and I did much better with it turned off.

 

i think its more fun when its off in the snow
or in a rain in a huge empty parkin lot

 

Hey everyone,

thanks for the replies. So from what I read here, it's possible that ESP doesn't always kick in when the cars skids a little and you hear the tires squeak? The reason I'm asking is, I wanna test the limits and see when ESP will kick in. I thought it will always turn on when it notices any kind of skidding? Am I wrong? Then how can I test ESP? Does anyone know?
I did something funny in an empty parking lot, where it's not paved, but more loose stone, I went into a curve and turn quickly left, and the car went sidewayy to the right and I landed exactly in the parking spot. This was extreme skidding, but still no sign of ESP. Seriously my car knows that I planned that? :=)

 

you are slidding rite your wheels arent moving anyways
unless your gunning it and smokin some tires but i dont think u have enough power for that
i think its more on the like one or more wheels are slipping and losing traction then ESP will notice it
so i guess when all four are moving at the same time and rate it wont notice it

 

its good to have in the background but if u are a good driver and know what ur doing u should be truning it off in anything extreme. Whenever a car is taken to a track with a pro driver they alsways turn it off cause it limits teh car a little.