Very close call!

[kennyboy]

The only time I felt the ESP kick in was going fast round a bend with me having me foot down on the gas. Dectecting slip, the ESP light came, notice the weird sensation someone else braking for me (with me still on the gas)- which I lifted off and thought what the....

My ESP seems to kick in almost every time I overtake in 2nd or 3rd. I guess it could be partly due to the greasy Peak District roads and partly that the straights are short (so you've got to go for it quickly) but does anyone else have this regularly - or am I just too heavy on the gas???

Actually I do recall other times when from a heavy standstill start, it cuts in. So AFAIK ESP kicks in only when you want power and the car is detecting slip.

Is quite intrusive when you want to have fun (but can be switch off) but its there for a reason, of course.

[kennyboy]

Kenny,i did take my foot off all the pedals once the car was out of my control as i felt like the right thing at the time to do.

Yeah I did the same thing once (not in a RS) I began snaking as I pressed the brakes coming to a roundabout, black ice & all . At least your car and you are okay.

[DavidT]

Don't get ESP and Traction control mixed up. They use the same light on the dash to indication activation but perform very different tasks.

Traction control on the 4wd B5 Audi's is very sensistive and will stamp on any wheelspin immediately by reducing power. This includes the situation where one or more wheels leave the ground as well as wheelspin during acceleration.

Stability management is about getting the car to turn in the drivers desired direction and at a speed as close to that requested as possible when the system has detected a significant loss of grip (a slide). The fact that the slide often occurs during acceleration is only one factor for ESP, it will engage if you are braking or in neutral just the same.

[kennyboy]

Quite agree, ESP monitors and brake individual wheels to counteract any loss of stability and brings you back into line (hopefully).

Having been taken around Windsor by JR in the red beast, the ESP was off, letting the 4wd and driver skill to do its work was bloody great fun. I, of course was a bit unsteady when I got out the car .

[FrankC]

Quick follow up to my antics last night,girlfriends sisters lad managed to put his beloved Ferrari off the road at almost the exact same place as me!

Good RS4
Cheers fc

[Golich]

Ooooo your a lucky man Mr. C.

DavidT is correct. All this is explained in the manual. I've played a lot with the ESP and think it very good at handling what is really an out of control situation. It works whether your foot is on or off the throttle. Where else can you apply the font left and rear right and smooth the power at the same time. On the other hand the traction control is too sensitive IMHO.

[Diesel]

Golich - do you know what's the key difference between off and on on the braking side of the ESP programme? I ask this as I understand there ias not a way to 100% switch it off permanently - even if the switch says off...

[andnik]

Last year I went for a "play" on a ski slope car park at night ESP off hard packed Snow.

Lost it at quite a high speed and ended up in a four wheel slide facing about 45 degrees from direction of travel at anout 45kmh......towards a fence .

Panicked and lunged for ESP button and BAM car straightened out and became controlable.

I was trying to drive away from fence not on the brakes at any point.

Anyway it worked for me..


Nik

[DavidT]

Nik, I guess you were a little lucky with that one then!

Makes sense though as ESP will still watch proceedings, even if told not to intervene so when you do switch it back on it will be ready to perform.

If you have ESP off and lose it, hit the brakes hard and engage the ABS. Not exactly a natural action in most cases I admit but when active, ABS automatically re-engages ESP, so it might just get you out of trouble.

Technology - clever stuff when it works !

[DavidT]

DavidT is correct. All this is explained in the manual.

Thanks Golich, I read it last night and it does explain the whole lot, as you'd expect from the manufacturer.

<Note to self RTFM>

On the other hand the traction control is too sensitive IMHO.

Agreed, on the S4 at least it is pants, any differences in wheel speed are corrected with power cut off. It takes a lot away from the 4wd system, which left to its own devices can cope with most situations. The traction control should sit behind ESP, and allow the 4wd system to do its stuff within reason, only activating when a power reduction is required to control a slide based on the ESP's rules.

I've driven other cars with better systems, the current S4 is a big improvement.

Back to the question about upgradeability I suppose and I think I know a man who can advise on that.

[Golich]

Golich - do you know what's the key difference between off and on on the braking side of the ESP programme? I ask this as I understand there ias not a way to 100% switch it off permanently - even if the switch says off...

While I'm not 100% sure. I know the brakes are not applied to an obvious magnitude when ever I have switched the ESP off and gone 4 wheel power sliding.

You can see this for yourself in the topgear vid and the French test drive video.

I can't remember what the manual states but there is an electronic diff which from memory can't be switched off. I don't understand that bit.

[Jani]

In certain situations with ESP off, oversteering with trailing brake I've had it re-engage. Leaves the light illuminated as well, annoying and dangerous. If it is off, it should be OFF. Oversteering or 4-wheel drifting does not re-engage it, seems to be trail-braking/left foot braking.

Agree with above, ESP actually works OK most of the time on road, just the TC (ASR) is way too sensitive.

EDL == Electronic Diff Lock applies brakes individually to prevent one wheel spinning. You can't turn it off, and why would you want to? It does disengage if it detects brakes overheating -don't ask me how it detects that. Then ESP-light comes on also I've heard. Never happened to me yet.

[DaveP]

The left foot braking can be allowed via the ECU, I have it set on mine....unsure as to whether it would allow the above scenario though...

[Jani]

Mine has MTM's modification to the ecu that allows LFB. Still the above mentioned incident happened.