Driving with ESP off... discuss

[keano]

Have you noticed the addition of a limited slip diff changes the characteristics of the ESP system Robin?

[muckipup]

I'd be interested to hear from Robin on that too.

I am running a Quaife and, although I have heard others say that the Quaife kicks in before the ESP, that has not been my experience most of the time. I often switch the ESP off if planning a bit of spirited driving and the Quaife does a great job of sending the car where I point it. However, I would also agree with tony_danza that a bit of good driving technique can also stop the ESP from coming in and cutting power (still comes in a little too quick imho)...I just do it for a bit of fun 

[the bruce]

I don't see any reason to switch ESP off on public roads.
If ESP kicks in too early there's something wrong with your
suspension geometry or your driving skills.

Even on the Nordschleife I've driven with ESP on and it never
was any problem. Learn to drive smooth and 'round' and to
respect the borderline.

Only on Autocross I put it off. There acceleration does happen
in 1. and 2. gear and speeds are low.

On my 2008 GTI ESP is in 'standby' when pressing the button.
It just works when braking. Without touching the brake pedal
oversteer ist no problem (with cold rear tyres).

[RedRobin]

Have you noticed the addition of a limited slip diff changes the characteristics of the ESP system Robin?

....Without doing fairly formalised comparitive tests it's difficult to be sure, but I can report that any instances of ESP and wheelspin seem to be dealt with noticeably quicker than before the Quaife was installed. I feel ESP act on the rear wheels more often than on the front especially if pushing on the Nordschleife but I just drive through it.

I think it's a combination of Quaife, suspension mods, and driving style which will influence ESP when on. Overall, like many others, I highly rate and enjoy the Quaife.

[Edition_30_P]

Press and hold ESP to deactivate more of it but it's never fully "off". A quick press to turn off some features helps if you're wheel hopping off the start line.

I thought that feature only worked on Audi's as, I tried it with my Eddy and, it didn't work

[the bruce]

I think it's a combination of Quaife, suspension mods, and driving style which will
influence ESP when on. Overall, like many others, I highly rate and enjoy the Quaife.

agree 

When playing with different suspension and geometry settings
I feel this sigificiently affects the way 'needs' to ESP work.

So it was allways my target to do the adjustments the ESP
will work as less as possible.

The same with my driving style.