so I thought id post a little about my experience with ESP in my 08 unlimited... sure i had played with it a little in snowy parking lots and marvelled at how it could straighten the Jeep back up out of a slide but never used it in real life...

I went winter / spring storm chasing thursday afternoon / night.. was up in northern illinois.. or maybe south wisconsin by then.. temp drops below 32.. im getting some icing on my outside mirrors.. then the windshield..

tag the brakes every couple of miles to check for slick conditions.. still doing good..

grooved pavement ends and sends all the traffic onto brand new smooth blacktop.. next thing I know up ahead i see tail lights andheadlights spinning and realize we are all on a sheet of glare ice at 60 MPH....I tag the brake lightly for an instant and hear the ABS kick so I knew it was a skating rink.. my first thought was to drift over to the shoulder.. get 2 wheels on the "noise bars" and slow down there...

good in theory but reality is pretty soon the jeep is headed sideways.. my foot is off all the pedals.. still in 2WD.. 4x4 is useless on ice so why have it on... I turned into the skid like I always do.. no response.. turned a little more.. and then wowsers.. its like an auto pilot took over.. I heard ABS and felt the wheel being pulled one way and the other and next thing I know im going straight down the road...

now to deal with all the wrecked cars that are blocking the road.. through the use of ABS, and ESP and a little experience I was able to get slowed down and me-ander through them and get on my way... at a much slower pace...

I realize there are times when ESP is a royal pain when trying to wheel.. or pull someone out of a ditch.. but really im glad to have it....

so my advice? turn it off when you dont need it.. but leave it on the rest of the time because it might just come in handy..
-Christopher

 

Glad to hear it worked as advertised. The people who complain about it on the road, saying they are good drivers, and don't need it, forget that it's primary purpose is to help out in the UNEXPECTED situations, whether you are a good driver or not.

 

That is my opinion. I am a good driver, but ESP seldom bothers me and I like having it on. 'Specially when my wife drive my rig.

 

well for me it was exactly that... the road unexpectedly changed.. the traffic unexpectedly changed very quickly and it was surely nice that it was there to help out...

would i have been able to correct the jeep myself? perhaps but that is a question that will never be answered...

I surely would not like it if I couldnt disable it.. however Jeep thought ahead as it can be disabled partially or fully at will....
-Christopher

 

Now what is the point of this system and how does it work? I know its suppose to help in slidding, or slipping conditions...but how does it work? Through the ABS?

 

The point of the system is to manage tire rotation in order to maximize traction in order to keep the vehicle driving forwards. ESP monitors, among other things, vehicle speed, individual wheel speed in relation to the other wheels, steering wheel position, braking, throttle, and vehicle lean and yaw, etc. Through numerous calculations every second, ESP realizes if you are driving in a straight line and if you have adequate traction or not. As long as all the numbers are within the parameters of what would be considered controlled driving, the system remains passive and lets you keep driving without assistance. Once it notices that you are no longer driving the way that you are supposed to, it applies the brakes, utilizing ABS, to slow down individual wheels in order to maximize traction and help correct the vehicle so that you are able to continue driving in the line that you want. In certain circumstances it will also reduce engine speed in order to slow the vehicle down so that the applied breaking is more effective. You could say that it uses all the systems available in the vehicle to provide maximum vehicle control to the driver. Some people say that steering wheel+clutch+break+gas+shifter=ESP, so if you have those things, and know how to use them, you don't need ESP. In a way they are right, but ESP can monitor and correct faster than the driver can, and ESP has the benefit that it can break exclusively the tires that need to be slowed down and not all four at once. On road, the system is great, even for the best drivers. Off road it can become a bit of a hinderance at times, though, someone correct me if I am wrong, it is tied into the brake lock diff, which works well in not so extreme situations. Because it can sometimes be a hinderance, we have the ability to turn it off by pushing the "fun button." All that being said, 90% of the time I have mine disabled with the steering wheel turn thing because it activates at inappropriate times because of the larger tires and lift - there is no point in it reducing engine speed when I am on an onramp trying to accelerate in order to merge onto the Autobahn. When the weather is bad, and I know I am going to be driving slower anyway and staying on road, I turn the thing on because it helps.

 

Great to hear the ESP worked for you so well.

However, who told you that 4wd is useless in ice? It can make a huge difference. 4wd isnt just for getting moving, it can help a LOT when stopping, holding speed, and preventing the back end from washing out on you. If you are in any conditions that are slick (ice, snow, slush, etc), shift it into 4wd. There is no point in having a tool if you don't use it.

 

And that proves the point, ESP is great for those that NEED it.
Personally I can't stand it and have it disabled. It was constantly stopping me from driving the way I want to. If I want to spin my tires, well they are my tires!!!

 

Useless is a little strong, but huge difference is also an overstatement.
Sure, with 4wd you can double your ability to accelerate on ice from nearly 0 to miniscule. In real world terms, it not that much of a difference.

I agree completely with the back end wash out,

In his scenario it's virtually useless. He needed to make big changes in speed and direction, and that's where the ESP makes the most of what's available. It has a better ability to prevent wheel spin in this type of scenario than a human does. On a solid sheet of black ice it wouldn't make much of a difference. In real conditions on a real street though with the number of times a second it's trying to correct, it will brake as well as it can when the ice becomes wet pavement again.

Well just see what Red said (Above) as far as the ESP side goes.

 

I don't know why I'm harping on this, I've had some near collisions, thanks to ESP.

Here's what's "good" about it.

Most drivers don't know what they need.

Most drivers think they are above average drivers. (I am not trying to figure out which catagory you fit in) Sounds like you and I have a lot of driving habits in common by the way.

We can't all be above average, that's just a statistical impossibility.

ESP helps more people than it hurts. That's all the engineers can really shoot for.

The hard part for engineers is developing working algorithms that cover the whole spectrum of drivers from timid to would be sprint car racers, and terrain conditions that may fool the sensors.