My review of esp

KJmike06 · **Posted:** Sat Jan 28, 2006 1:16 am

Well im new to the community so I figured id start my second post as kinda a mini review. Im new to this review thing so hopefully it turns out well.

What made me want to do this is the fact that today was the first rain in a few weeks and it rained lightly so it was very very slick. I have a 06 liberty renny. It came with command-trac so i dont get to have full time 4x4.

The first time I encountered the esp on road was by mistake taking a left hand turn up hill as it was raining. The rear end started losing it and just as the tires started sliding the light came on and I was in a straight line. I was rather impressed with it. So at work I decided to have fun. Id get going about 20-30 mph then cut a tight turn. The light would come on then the funny noise then I was straight

with the esp on the jeep never got to out of hand.

Now if you turn esp off you can get the jeep pretty darn sideways. :twisted:

Now keep in mind this is all on road. Iv only had one experiance with it off road and it wasent as good. I was stuck in mud and was 4x4 part time. When I hit the mud I was thinking i messed up the engine cuz it was barely running not sounding to great and the tires where spinning but there was alot of resistance. Then I remembered o crap esp is on. changed to 4x4 low and it turned off and the engine returned to normal and the tires spun freely. lol I was still stuck but no longer limited to the esp when hitting the gas.

lol I was still stuck and had to be pulled out but the esp made a huge difference when trying to get outa the mud. esp+mud=bad times

All in all I think esp is great with on road and off road trail driving as long as sand/mud/anything soft isent around.

Thanks for reading be safe out there.

MattyMac1 · **Posted:** Sat Jan 28, 2006 1:52 am

My Bimmer has Dynamic stabilty control (DTS) which i can turn on and off. The car is amazing in the rain for a RWD. I wish I had it on the Jeep..The Revos are great in the rain though.I haven't had an issue since i changed from the stock tires..

auggy · **Posted:** Sun Jan 29, 2006 12:21 am

Oh you don't know what sideways is :twisted:

. Before we sold the s2000 this fall we had some tires that were nearly slicks on the back, and when it rained I could get the car at about a 55 - 65 degree angle around turns and still end up straight just by the power of the car and the tires

it was great fun

sorry about the slaughter of the english language in this post.

dog_party · **Posted:** Mon Jan 30, 2006 12:53 pm

I had ESP on my Jetta Wolfsburg. It's a great safety mechanism and I'm really glad they added it to the KJ (even if it was the year after I bought mine).

Se7enLC · **Posted:** Mon Jan 30, 2006 12:59 pm

I say any feature is a good feature if it can be manually turned off if you want to (or if it turns itself off at appropriate times, like ABS does)

LibertyCRD · **Posted:** Mon Jan 30, 2006 1:36 pm

EXACTLY. In the mud, deep snow, and sand...ESP sucks! It will bring your Jeep to a standstill...which is exactly the opposite of what you want it to do.

SO...I say it's a great feature for on-road driving, as long as there is a button that will turn it COMPLETELY OFF when you want to. I agree.

Jeepjeepster · **Posted:** Mon Jan 30, 2006 3:29 pm

I thought that esp just braked the wheels that were spinning? Right? So if you put it into 4low with esp on there would be no way esp could over power the 4low and would get you through right? I wish i had esp for on road driving, many near death experiences. Not going side ways but pushing and almost going over a hill.

LibertyCRD · **Posted:** Mon Jan 30, 2006 3:35 pm

Does ESP automatically kick off in 4-low range??

ESP does brake the wheels that are spinning...so in mud, sand, etc...when all of your wheels are spinning, ESP brakes all of your wheels. Pretty much stops you in your tracks and strands you helplessly. Brilliant idea for a 4x4...let me tell you. I'm thankful everyday that I got a 2005 model.

However, if you can turn ESP off completely whenever you want with a button on the dash, I wouldn't mind it. And also, on the street I wouldn't mind it because it would be safer in the rain.

KJmike06 · **Posted:** Mon Jan 30, 2006 4:04 pm

Ok heres a few answers for you guys. There is a button labled ESP off to turn the system into "Partial Off" as the manual states. Here are the modes for ESP.

ESP on = Full TCS and ESP for your common everyday driving. Esp helps prevent oversteer/understeer. TCS is kinda like a electronic limited slip. puts the brakes on the wheel that is slipping to try and get the other wheel to drive. TCS does not change based on how your driving or what wheels are slipping. It just simply adds brakes to slipping wheels to send the power to the wheels that are not slipping.

ESP off = No ESP functions but the TCS is still functioning.

4wd low = ESP is automatically off but will turn back on if your going faster than 30 mph and will turn off automatically when you slow to under 30 mph.

Here is a bad blurry pic of my cluster. In the lower right hand corner is the button labled ESP off.

Most of the info is from the manual. So if anything is wrong then blame DC. :lol:

benmar2000 · **Posted:** Mon Jan 30, 2006 4:41 pm

I have turned my ESP off and I have had my KJ sideways on a slick road.. :twisted:

It was cool..

Ben

smithstoo · **Posted:** Tue Aug 22, 2006 1:48 am

great thread on
what to except from
Esp control of kj
on & off road
thanks
bc

Jeger · **Posted:** Tue Aug 22, 2006 6:55 am

If all 4 of your wheels are spinning at the same speed ESP wil not brake all of them, if that were true the jeep would never move at all even on the road. If the ESP is fully on then it will cut power back if wheels are spinning at different speeds, there is more to it than that but that is the simple explanation.

If ESP is in partially off mode it will not cut back power. It will only brake a wheel that is spinning faster than the other on the same axle. So if you are in the mud, or sand or whatever make sure that the ESP light is ON indicating that ESP is in partially off mode. I will say ESP is a good thing to have just learn how it works and when you need to put it in partially off mode. If you need to go fast in the mud put it in 4Hi and hit the ESP button and you can spin your tires to your hearts content, if you still get stuck you would have gotten stuck sooner without 4WD traction control.

benmar2000 · **Posted:** Tue Aug 22, 2006 6:49 pm

When we went wheeling in Uwharrie, even in 4Lo, I could tell the ESP was working.. It did make a difference in traction.. But no matter what.. You can't beat a locker in the rear...

Ben

GilaMonster · **Posted:** Tue Aug 22, 2006 8:12 pm

ESP on = no donuts on dirt

ESP off = donuts on dirt

I pretty sure the entire system has more that described by the owners manuals. I've read of people having serious issues when on an incline and acclerating with this system. Apparenlty, there is more than just wheel slippage sensing going on because they have had the power retarded when the ESP was off and attribute it to being on an incline.

moose · **Posted:** Wed Aug 23, 2006 7:51 am

GilaMonster wrote:

... I've read of people having serious issues when on an incline and acclerating with this system. Apparenlty, there is more than just wheel slippage sensing going on because they have had the power retarded when the ESP was off and attribute it to being on an incline.

You are right, but my tracking of this ESP "issue" is that it only seems to be a problem for 6spds. It's also going to get someone killed or injured sooner or later. My wife and I hate ESP on dry roads. Dogs the car down to a point - sometimes - that we almost get hit turning out on to busy streets. Others (or at least one guy from the Pacific NW if I remember right) has had similar issues. As long as you remember to turn it off you can drive like A.J. Foyt (& I do

)

GilaMonster · **Posted:** Wed Aug 23, 2006 2:59 pm

moose wrote:

GilaMonster wrote:

... I've read of people having serious issues when on an incline and acclerating with this system. Apparenlty, there is more than just wheel slippage sensing going on because they have had the power retarded when the ESP was off and attribute it to being on an incline.

You are right, but my tracking of this ESP "issue" is that it only seems to be a problem for 6spds. It's also going to get someone killed or injured sooner or later. My wife and I hate ESP on dry roads. Dogs the car down to a point - sometimes - that we almost get hit turning out on to busy streets. Others (or at least one guy from the Pacific NW if I remember right) has had similar issues. As long as you remember to turn it off you can drive like A.J. Foyt (& I do

)

Agreed on it being very problematic in some situations, then combine that with the turbo-lag of my CRD and it can be harrowing sometimes making left-hand turns. I have my suspicions that it even slows the turbo spool up via the electronic throttle and VVT somehow.

ducktail · **Posted:** Thu Aug 24, 2006 10:14 pm

I question the idea of it being a problem with a 6 speed. This morning I dogged it trying to pull a left turn up hill across 4 lanes of traffic on a wet road and got a chirp out of the right rear tire when I popped it into second. There was no apparrent loss of traction and the vehicle went right where I wanted to go. And it seemed to do right well in some sick swamp mud this past weekend. Even with the results that I have had, I still think a rear locker would be an advantage in the mud.

Sport · **Posted:** Fri Aug 25, 2006 12:23 pm

I was driving in the rain yesterday and started to hydro plane a little but the ESP never kicked in. I had to let off the gas to regain control. Was it supposed to come on or were the conditions not right for it?

moose · **Posted:** Sat Aug 26, 2006 2:19 am

ducktail wrote:

I question the idea of it being a problem with a 6 speed. This morning I dogged it trying to pull a left turn up hill across 4 lanes of traffic on a wet road and got a chirp out of the right rear tire when I popped it into second. There was no apparrent loss of traction and the vehicle went right where I wanted to go. And it seemed to do right well in some sick swamp mud this past weekend. Even with the results that I have had, I still think a rear locker would be an advantage in the mud.

The dealer's techs keep telling me there's nothing wrong, and I don't know of anyone with an auto having any problems. I can't get it to do it all the time either, but I can get it to happen too often. I've still got 56 payments, but I doubt I'll keep this special order that long if I can't get it to behave on dry pavement. I just should have gotten the TJ...

benmar2000 · **Posted:** Tue Aug 29, 2006 12:02 pm

I haven't had a problem with mine... But I have an Auto.. And I will say this. Being in the Low Country.. When it rains, roads around here can become dangerous.. But with the ESP helping.. It makes it alot safer.. As for dry pavement.. It does it's thing and I don't notice anything.. I have 15000 miles and haven't had a single problem out of it... But I agree about a locker... That is why when I do my lift.. I am doing a rear locker and a front limited slip.. Can't beat mechanical traction...

Ben

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