ESP on/off switch

[RoystonB]

Hi,

I have on order an Octavia Elegance and have just noticed that there is a switch that turns off ‘ESP.’

Not being at all familiar with the workings of ‘ESP inc. ABS, MBA, MSR, ASR, EDL, HBA’ (although I have found a description of all but HBA in the Octavia brochure :( ), or ever had a vehicle with any of the above, other than ABS, was wondering what difference that switch has on the normal driving of the vehicle?

Does the EPS, when ON, take away the normal driving response of the vehicle or is it seamless function, to which the driver has no knowledge or is there any noticeable difference when OFF?

Much obliged for any answers, in layman terms please . RoystonB

[Raglits]

The orange light flashing on the dash is the biggest difference you'll notice unless you're really pushing the car in which case you won't get the assistance of the ESP which helps bring the car back into line (within certain limits) if you overcook it going into or coming out of a bend

[Ecomatt]

With ESP, you will notice when it works, It just applies the brakes to a wheel or the wheels it needs too, to stop the car from sliding and get round the obstacle or corner etc Usually the front brakes, dependant on the car and setup? It is a strange sensation when you first experience it. Very similar to when ABS activates, only you dont have to touch the brake pedal for ESP to activate. However I do find the Skoda ESP is less intrusive than the likes of Ford. As the ESP in the Focus is always 'interupting' my driving when I respond to incidents.

[Bogwoppit]

Best thing to do is to watch this video of Tiff Needell, fast forward it to about 2 mins in:

Edited 25 February, 2010 by peter0976

[GroundHog]

Try flooring it around a small roundabout in the rain... then you'll see what ESP does

[RoystonB]

Thank's all.

That was an interesting piece of Youtube, Peter. There were several others in that section that put it all into perspective.

Thanks again, RoystonB

[Bogwoppit]

With ESP, you will notice when it works, It just applies the brakes to a wheel or the wheels it needs too, to stop the car from sliding and get round the obstacle or corner etc Usually the front brakes, dependant on the car and setup? It is a strange sensation when you first experience it. Very similar to when ABS activates, only you dont have to touch the brake pedal for ESP to activate. However I do find the Skoda ESP is less intrusive than the likes of Ford. As the ESP in the Focus is always 'interupting' my driving when I respond to incidents.

Totally agree with your comments about the ESP, our other car is a Focus TDCi and it came specced with ESP, it always comes in too early compared to the Octavia's system.

Edited 25 February, 2010 by peter0976

[OCScene]

Or does the Octy system come on too late??

I have a Mondeo ST TDCI and find the ESP on it fantastic. Afrer driving a few Octys recently I find the Octy system a little late at times in activating, and when it does activate it seems to do less.

[KayakJim]

I recently experienced the benefits of turning the ESP OFF in deep snow. Travelling over a mountain pass in the Cairngorms with deep loose snow on the road I found a massive difference in handling.

With ESP ON my Scout climbed the Hill fishtailing and sliding all over the place as the system tried to compensate for the slippery surface and the deep snow tracks the tyres were bouncing in and out of.

ESP Off and the car went in a near perfect straight line and was far easier to handle. However, when switching ESP OFF on a country lane with a compacted layer of snow then it went the other way and going round corners was very interesting.

My verdict, ESP OFF in deep snow and mud to maintain direction and avoid over compensation of the system, ESP ON on hard slippery surfaces or OFF if you want to have some fun.

[Tiger22]

On the most recent builds I don't think you can turn ESP off anymore, only TCS.

[Raglits]

It's the other way round, you can turn ESP off, but not the Traction Control... Well, that's in my vRS anyway

[Tiger22]

Maybe it's different for the vRS. How old is yours? The latest technical change manual dated Nov 2009 says that ESP cannot be turned off. From pictures I've seen of models in the last couple of months the button has now also been changed to say TCS OFF.

[Raglits]

Built December 2009, registered last month. Will check the button in the morning

[PowerMalc]

It's the other way round, you can turn ESP off, but not the Traction Control... Well, that's in my vRS anyway

Maybe it's different for the vRS. How old is yours? The latest technical change manual dated Nov 2009 says that ESP cannot be turned off. From pictures I've seen of models in the last couple of months the button has now also been changed to say TCS OFF.

Built December 2009, registered last month. Will check the button in the morning

Mine was built on 14th Dec and registered Jan 2010

I can not switch the ESP on or off. The TCS has a button on the dash and can be turned off as per update to the manual, Nov 2009

[Raglits]

Mine was built on 14th Dec and registered Jan 2010

I can not switch the ESP on or off. The TCS has a button on the dash and can be turned off as per update to the manual, Nov 2009

Mine does appear to be the same, the button on the dash looks like ESP rather than traction control, but when pressed the Maxidot says "TCS Off" and the little orange light on the dash flashes away at me...

[pueseso]

ESP is a function that cannot be disconnected from most cars due to the way it works and when it is necesary.

On the other hand, TCS (Traction control system) sometimes needs to be disconnected, as for starting the car in sand or in snow.

Then once it has been started they usually reconnect automatically or at least it is better to reconnect them. Also it does not matter if they are 2WD or 4WD.

[magic62]

ESP is mainly to protect the driver (and occupants as well as all other roadusers) under sudden extreme conditions.

Like driving on a motorway when suddenly an obstacle appears. Under these circumstances, avoiding the obstacle isnt the problem, but the after swing of the car mostly causes big troubles.

In these cases ESP will help you to control the car. (like in the posted link on the ice lake).

I had some driver training at the ADAC course at the Nürburgring where the ESP could be tested very well.

You will have to be an excellent driver (at all times, so no handsfree phoning or other things that could distract you) with 100% attention to be able to cope with such conditions.

I always leave the ESP on. Only under conditions other than normal road driving, I might turn it off (as stated above under extreme snowy conditions, where you want the tyres to have a bit of a slip or at the racetrack).

[GAFF]

ESP is a function that cannot be disconnected from most cars due to the way it works and when it is necesary.

On the other hand, TCS (Traction control system) sometimes needs to be disconnected, as for starting the car in sand or in snow.

That was also my intrepretation of EPS and TCS.

Edited 27 February, 2010 by GAFF

[blackielawless]

Built December 2009, registered last month. Will check the button in the morning

So is it on when the orange light is on permanent or off? It doesn't seem to flicker whilst it is working its magic like the Bora did- should it? That's all I need to know, when I push ESP and the orange display lights up does that mean its on or off?

Ta

[pixor]

When you turn on the ignition, all the safety systems will be on. So holding the button switches ESP/TCS off, and the light comes on to warn you.

[CEPi]

Hi,

I have on order an Octavia Elegance and have just noticed that there is a switch that turns off ‘ESP.’

Not being at all familiar with the workings of ‘ESP inc. ABS, MBA, MSR, ASR, EDL, HBA’ (although I have found a description of all but HBA in the Octavia brochure :( )

Hydraulic Brake Assist (HBA)

The hydraulic brake assist system from Volkswagen comes to the driver’s aid in emergency or panic braking situations. The brake assist ascertains from the speed at which the brake pedal is depressed that the driver requires full braking power, and automatically boosts the brake pressure up to the ABS control threshold for as long as the driver keeps the brake pedal pressed down. If the driver subsequently eases off the brake pedal, the system will reduce the brake pressure again to match the brake pedal’s position.

This function can substantially shorten the vehicle’s stopping distance. System operation is barely perceptible to the driver.

[studmuffin]

I recently experienced the benefits of turning the ESP OFF in deep snow. Travelling over a mountain pass in the Cairngorms with deep loose snow on the road I found a massive difference in handling.

With ESP ON my Scout climbed the Hill fishtailing and sliding all over the place as the system tried to compensate for the slippery surface and the deep snow tracks the tyres were bouncing in and out of.

ESP Off and the car went in a near perfect straight line and was far easier to handle. However, when switching ESP OFF on a country lane with a compacted layer of snow then it went the other way and going round corners was very interesting.

My verdict, ESP OFF in deep snow and mud to maintain direction and avoid over compensation of the system, ESP ON on hard slippery surfaces or OFF if you want to have some fun.

had my vrs 6 months now, this is the first car i have with all the gadgets like, esp and traction control

with the snow and ice we have had, i have to say that this is the worst car i have ever driven in these condtions, i have been slipping and sliding all over the place, i even slid down the road {i live on a slight hill} whilst in reverse, i wondered what the f**k was happening ! :wonder:

so if i had pressed that magic little button, and turned the esp off, things would have been better ?

[rob_e]

had my vrs 6 months now, this is the first car i have with all the gadgets like, esp and traction control

with the snow and ice we have had, i have to say that this is the worst car i have ever driven in these condtions, i have been slipping and sliding all over the place, i even slid down the road {i live on a slight hill} whilst in reverse, i wondered what the f**k was happening ! :wonder:

so if i had pressed that magic little button, and turned the esp off, things would have been better ?

Any powerful car with fat wide summer tyres will be rubbish in the snow and ice. I had a golf gti (mk5) before the vrs and that was exactly the same.

Regarding switching the TC off in snow - I got stuck in snow last winter in the golf, tried it both WITH the TC engaged and WITHOUT. It was rubbish with the switch either way but i eventually got it going WITH the tc engaged. I suspect it depends on the type of snow and a bunch of other factors. The simple answer is: if you're stuck, try it with the switch off. If if helps, great. If not, then switch it back on again. This is a far better approach than falsely assuming snow = button off = better.

n.b. my understanding is that the switch on the dash will disable Traction Control (TC) only and has no impact on the ESP or other safety systems - these are on all the time.

[JJBS3]

My Scout has the ESP OFF button, and the maxidot display says ESP OFF when pressed....at this point the orange symbol is illuminated.

Found it useful to be able to turn it off in climbing some hills recently (and when playing in snowy fields!)

[marcusthehat]

Per Rob-e

I tried it both off and on, when driving on poor traction surfaces, could not really decide/ feel any difference so I left it on.