Can ESP be switched off?

[cktsi]

Hey guys, I've seen in numerous articles that the ESP cannot be fully deactivated for the Mark6 GTI. However is this also true for the Mark 6 twincharger?

reason I ask is because I'm thinking of going to this event at Eastern Creek but don't know if my car can actually be induced to go sideways due to the ESP.

Any help appreciated !

[Corey_R]

No
Not on any MK6 model.

[Maverick]

Hey guys, I've seen in numerous articles that the ESP cannot be fully deactivated for the Mark6 GTI. However is this also true for the Mark 6 twincharger?

reason I ask is because I'm thinking of going to this event at Eastern Creek but don't know if my car can actually be induced to go sideways due to the ESP.

Any help appreciated !

If you can't turn it off on the performance model you sure as hell won't be able to turn it off on the more pedestrian models.

As coreying said there is no way to turn it off on any of them and they all use the same system (with different variations of firmware depending on the model). These systems are too integrated with so many features to be able to turn off a few selective areas without taking all the other features away at the same time.

[hooba]

That said, if you try hard enough, at the track you should be able to get it sideways.

[Ozram]

Just use your handbrake while turning

[Corey_R]

It's not possible and never will be possible as disabling ESP fully is now against the law as it's mandated in some countries and even in some states in Australia. I have heard no indication from aftermarket tuners that they have any interest in providing this feature. They would probably be very cautious due to possible litigation issues if someone had an accident on the public roads with this disabled.

[Corey_R]

After receiving a few PMs from different members, it was clear that there was some confusion on this topic, so I have merged your question into an existing thread and reopened it.

To clarify the situation. You can turn off the traction control by pressing the "ESP Off" button in the centre console. You can do this on all of the MK6 models, including the Golf R. Unlike the MKV Golf however, what you cannot actually do is fully disable the ESP! This in a way makes the "ESP Off" button seem like it's rather mislabelled!

Traction control is part of the ESP functions. Whether or not other ESP functions are turned off when you press the button is not clear.

ESP is now mandatory in Victoria, and is becoming mandatory in states and countries around the world. Because of this, I believe the days of you being able to disable the ESP completely are long past. Just as we haven't been able to disable ABS for many years now (also part of the ESP system).

[Stoney!]

That said, if you try hard enough, at the track you should be able to get it sideways.

Wasn't hard to get the GTi's sideways at the VW driving school last year. I believe the ESP off button Disables TCS and puts the ESP in a lower state of tune, but cannot be switched off completely.

On a dirt road recently i found it night impossible to drift through the corners with ESP on without the inside rear wheel locking up to bring the car back into line, press the ESP button and it barely happened after that only when going very hard at it, so it definitely puts it in a lower state of tune. I was however very impressed at the ESP's ability to control the car on such loose surfaces.

Stoney!

[dave_r]

Have found with the R at least that even with all the systems turned on, if you want the back to wag its tail.....it will! Just make sure there is plenty of room when it does! On a track, you should be right provided you stay away from the walls and railings

[masev]

I just managed to completely turn off the ESP!!!!!!!!

All you have to do is turn the key very slowly to the left until you can't turn no more - Then just gently pull it out of the ignition!

[Corey_R]

Have found with the R at least that even with all the systems turned on, if you want the back to wag its tail.....it will! Just make sure there is plenty of room when it does! On a track, you should be right provided you stay away from the walls and railings

Heh yeah - when you've pressed that ESP Off button, it gives the average enthusiast amoungst us a LOT of leeway! When I was at the Volkswagen drive day, I took one of the corners at Eastern Creek so fast that the car slid (evenly) sideways so far that ALL 4 WHEELS ended up over the ripple strip and on the concrete run off! Since I had an Australian Formula Ford champion sitting beside me, on the next lap I learnt that with more aggressive turning (i.e. turning the wheel to aim for 2 metres to the INSIDE of the apex) could account for this sliding and therefore enable the perfect corner, I was seriously SURPRISED at [/b]how MUCH leeway[/b] the ESP gave me! Suffice to say, that if I were on the public roads, and/or didn't have that Formula Ford champion sitting next to me to guide me through how much I could actually give the car, my next turn probably would have been to the changing rooms for a new set of underwear

[dave_r]

I've found super aggressive steering seems to get the thing to turn in very nice, guessing its part of the AWD system doing some technical stuff but NFI. Requires some misplaced bravery sometimes so more often than not, easier to just brake a bit more hehe