Not a problem. Some people have reported that ABS is disabled, but mine still works. I tested it by braking on ice last winter and I felt the pedal pulsating with ABS.

 

I've had good results leaving the ESP and TC on in deep snow. No bogging, no slipping and even the BLD logarithm did its thing well. Compared to my CJ5 and YJ, the JK is a veritable Snowcat.

 

ok, the switch is in and EVERYTHING seems to be off. it looks like it killed the ABS along with the ESP and BAS. the light is on but i've yet to *test* it and see what happens.

you can have everything on as normal and when the need arises, flip the switch and it's all gone! excellent! thank you guys for the info... i now have a jeep that i can drive.

 

My final verdict:

ESP is fantastic for those who have very little experience driving a rear drive based vehicle (especially a light rear end like a 2door JK). It will help them keep the vehicle on the road. But for those who have extensive experience in the snow (such as me), the ESP actually interferes with our driving ability and can be downright dangerous.

For both drivers, the ESP would be safer in an "oh crap!" situation, but it all boils down to driver preference.

 

ayup, good for the "oh crap" scenarios.

Like when I was following my wife back from the lake the other day and she was driving the Jeep and I in the minivan (don't ask, I lost a bet and had to cart the kids).

She was texting (she doesn't do that anymore) and dropped the right tires off the road into the grass at 60mph. Backend started to slide down the embankment, ESP kicked in and kept her going straight.

For us, we'll keep it and enjoy it. I think it is fantastic invention for the road.


Off-road, gravel/dirt roads...I disengage it, mainly for the "fun" factor.

 

That's what drivers said when ABS came out, too.

Some of it is getting used to using it. I turn it off, most of the time, but in heavy snow, or when my 1y/o is in the Jeep, I turn it right back on.

Never had an issue with the "dance", either - except remembering the pattern!!!

 

I just have a hard tine believing ESP just "goes off" on sharp mountain roads and freeway ramos when everything is properly adjusted to spec in the steering and suspension. Only tine mine had ever gone off on dry pavement us when I limped to the gas station with 15psi in the tires at only 20-25mph. Other that that, it's only gone off from a vent tie rod, again with a bent drag link. All due to the steering wheel position being off. Basically I think if you ESP inadvertently goes off, your shit isn't properly aligned or something is bent/off center.

 

I have owned many rear drive vehicles, including a 245 hp CJ5 and my current Honda S2000 sports car. Likewise, I've managed to drive through 40 winters in New York and Maine without undue adventure. So, I'm certainly not a novice.

There is nothing dangerous about ESP. If that were the case, there would be suits flying like mad. Many high performance cars are equipped with a stability control system, most of which can be disabled. It's there because many drivers are of insufficient skill level and can easily find themselves in over their heads in high performance vehicles. This has filtered its way down to passenger cars and even Wranglers.

Very few drivers of any vehicle have any idea of their ride's limits. They only know when they are below the limit and recognize when they have exceeded the limits. Some who disable ESP are kidding themselves as to their actual skill level. A friend's brother destroyed his Z06, thinking he could drive his Vette near its limits with stability control disabled. He was fortunate to limp away.

It's okay to explore the limits, but not on a public road with traffic and pedestrians. That's what race tracks are for, that's what off road parks are for.

The worst driving mindset is overconfidence. I attended the Skip Barber Pro racing school some years back. I wanted to sharpen my much neglected road racing skills. Driving Formula Fords, we had a full class. There were young guys dreaming of being professionals and others who came just for the experience. There were guys looking to improve their skills and a couple of older fellow (like me) who wanted to sharpen a dulled edge. Overconfidence was poison. There were a few ego-driven types who were quickly humbled. Wrong attitudes and fast cars makes for eating a lot of crow. One instructor, a former national champion, gave us the best and most simple advice I had ever heard relative to competitive motor sports. We were debriefing after a practice session, and took a break. Out in the hallway he said to me, "just keep this simple concept in mind.. Slow is smooth and smooth is very fast."

My bottom line is simple... If you're on the public roads, leave ESP on. It reacts faster than you can to a loss of adhesion and/or traction. Even on snowy roads, it's still faster than you in recognizing trouble. Off road, at low speeds, go ahead and turn it off. There are many instances when you need to let the wheels spin. It's fun hanging out the tail on a dirt fire road. There's a time and place for all things.

Ever see the carnage when it snows an inch in Atlanta? ESP is there to mitigate risk and increase safety. It does that very well. Just remember that ESP cannot overcome physics. Nothing can ever be idiot proof; there's simply too many ingenious idiots in this world. However, ESP can certainly reduce the carnage on the public streets.

 

Well. the ESP interferes with my normal driving skills. I can understand it on a higher performing car. I just have an easier time with a little wheel spin than having the throttle lock up on me causing the jeep to lurch forward and backwards on the road. I could put it back on for the dry months, but never saw the need to. I think the Jeep drives great with it on, but the throttle cutting and braking is wayyy too sensitive. I keep lurching and rocking when trying to go from a stop light. I have old people in FWD buicks passing me. The ESP is a lot less sensitive on my Dad's rubicon unlimited and I love its function in there. That thing is a beast in the snow.

I completely agree with Widewing's comment. His comment is more applicable to 90% of the drivers out there on the road.



EDIT: I had the Jeep looked at because I thought something was wrong with it. I didn't know what the ESP's function was exactly in a Jeep. When the dealer(s) told me that it was "normal", I disabled the ESP pronto. My buddy has ESP on his 2009 Jetta turbo stage 1 chip. He can chirp his tires through 3rd gear and his ESP is kicking in and the car goes with a little chatter, but in no way is there any "lurching" of any kind. My WRX had ESP and it was much more subtle than my JK and had no lurching. My girlfriends 2010 wrangler with an auto has no problems with her ESP but the lurching is more tolerable, since its an automatic.

"Lurching" = Imagine slamming the brakes while trying to accelerate 2 to 5 times. Scares the hell out of me. Sometimes you press the gas, and the Jeep will not go until it decides to a few unknown seconds later.

 

i forgot that my mustang had ESP... guess what happened to it? there was no kind of switch installed, it was completely disabled by a friend that owns a race shop. it did have an off button but i got tired of pushing the button. i kinda like to have full control of my ride.

for a *normal* everyday kind of vehicle i'm sure that it's fine. for the average idiot that has a car and a drivers license it's a great idea. young drivers? absolutely. old people? yep! people who insist on texting while driving? yes.

i've managed to drive modified jeeps and cars for the last 18 years with no issues. am i an extra awesome, super driver? na. do i drive like an idiot? no. if i want to spin a tire that's up to me and not the insurance company / government.

with the kill switch installed i now have the choice of what i do with my vehicle.

i did this mostly for off road situations but i like the *full off* option.