Is ESP Really Useful?
4 Answers
ESP is useful. Here is some information about ESP: Introduction to ESP: ESP (Electronic Stability Program) is an electronic vehicle stability system, which is a very important active safety system in vehicles. ESP is a safety system: ESP is an active intervention safety system designed to prevent the vehicle from skidding, losing control, rolling over, oversteering, or understeering in emergency situations. It can enhance the vehicle's handling and driving safety. It typically consists of a central control unit, steering sensor, wheel speed sensor, lateral acceleration sensor, yaw rate sensor, and actuators. These sensors detect the vehicle's body status and transmit data to the control unit. Once the vehicle approaches a state of instability, the control unit immediately activates the actuators to help the vehicle regain stability.
That day in heavy rain while taking a corner, the car suddenly skidded, and I felt the steering wheel jerk sharply in the opposite direction. Later, I learned it was the ESP intervening—it quietly applied a bit of brake to the inner wheels, forcefully pulling the car back on track. This thing usually has no presence, but you see, all cars produced in the EU after 2014 are required to have it, and so are those in North America. The data is clear—it reduces single-vehicle accident fatalities by 30%. No matter how new your tires are, hitting standing water can still make you drift. Having ESP is like hiring an invisible veteran driver to help you steady the wheel.
Last month, I accompanied a friend to the used car market and noticed something interesting: for cars older than 2015, if they come with ESP, dealers dare to charge an extra two thousand yuan. A mechanic, cigarette in mouth, said they're hesitant to take in cars without this system, especially in the icy winters up north. Owners of cars without ESP often come to install anti-skid chains, but the effect is nowhere near as good as the factory-installed stability system. Once, he repaired a car that had skidded sideways into a tree, with the airbags deployed—the owner regretted not buying the ESP-equipped model.
Don't listen to those who say ESP kills driving fun. I tried turning it off on mountain roads, and the rear-wheel-drive car's tail immediately swung out, requiring constant counter-steering to recover. With ESP on for the same corner, the system had already transferred power to the wheels with grip. German tests showed that at 60km/h emergency lane changes, cars with ESP deviate half a lane less. If you have elderly or children onboard, this feature is more practical than ten airbags.
