disabling ESP

[sambb]

Can anyone tell me the effect of pulling the ABS fuse with a view to disabling ESP/ABS/TC etc. I assume it will bring up a code but will it be a 'limp mode' type of situation or can you drive without issue?
On some other forums apparently when its done to the SEAT's, the only i'll effect is slightly too much rear bias. Anyone have any experience with doing this? - not just the code side of things but driving it hard that way

[h100vw]

Can anyone tell me the effect of pulling the ABS fuse with a view to disabling ESP/ABS/TC etc. I assume it will bring up a code but will it be a 'limp mode' type of situation or can you drive without issue?
On some other forums apparently when its done to the SEAT's, the only i'll effect is slightly too much rear bias. Anyone have any experience with doing this? - not just the code side of things but driving it hard that way

When you go to find out Sam, do it in a big carpark with no lamp posts.

I don't even turn it off at Lakeside and Can't ever recall any intervention occur, even from the traction control. S3 is different and definitely cuts out due to lateral G.

Gavin

[rgvlee]

I'm not game enough to turn it off at the track
On the slower tighter tracks I get traction control kicking in. Sometimes a bit of ABS coming off a straight into a tight turn.

[seangti]

I turn off TC when doing committed laps as it does interfer, though I thought off is off for stability too, though ABS is still present... I have had some good slides in the wet, nothing too bad in the dry, it'll certainly slide with it off and I haven't felt intervention.

Won't be pulling the fuse out though.

[sambb]

TBH its a struggle to make sense of what it says in the manual re Initially it says Traction control (TCS) reduces engine power to help prevent the driven wheels loosing traction. That has you thinking that TCS uses throttle cut or boost cut. But then it goes on to say that TCS works in conjunction....with the ABS system and that if there is an ABS failure that you will loose TCS. It also says ESP uses individual wheel braking to pull the car back into line if it starts to slide ie the ABS system too.
That to me really says that that TCS is just a component of ESP ie. they both use the ABS system to apply brake force modulation, its just that the TCS cross monitors the front wheels only for wheel spin and ESP monitors all 4 wheels for slides. I'm guessing that when you turn ESP off, that ESP is staying fully on, its only TCS that gets turned off.
Its just the power cutting claim that I'm really curious about. On the course I've been hillclimbing on where its got really tight hairpins, down hill off camber carousels that then switch straight through chicanes etc the power just dies in the ar#se. It may not effect track guys so much because you don't get really sudden G changes from one side to the other up or down hills as much? Maybe the system is way more sensitive in 2nd?? Whether what I'm feeling truly is a power cut done by direct means or if it happens indirectly due to ESP applying the brakes for me (which kills the power too - just try and left foot brake our car and you'll see what I mean) I don't know but its freaking frustrating. There's a guy there with a skoda fabia vrs who apparently can seperately deactivate traction control and ESP. He runs with ESP off but TC on and said he has no such dramas. I'm hoping someone out there with full VCDS has at some stage checked to see if throttle plate cut, boost cut or fuel cut actually does happen when the TCS or ESP or whatever the hell it is cuts in.
As it turns out, there is a seperate fuse for ABS and two seperate ESP fuses (maybe one for TCS and one for ESP proper?). If it wasn't my daily I'd just start pulling fuses to see if ESP can be disabled without deactivating ABS - as it is i'll do a bit of reading before I get too carried away.

[seangti]

If doing motorkhana or hill climbs, you could try disconnect the brake sensor in the footwell which will allow you to apply brake and accelerator at the same time without intervention. It will mean the brake lights WON'T work, so would never do this on a shared track environment. It's horribly disconcerting following a car with weak or not working brake lights.

The system isn't more sensitive in 2nd, still intervenes in 3rd... and 4th

[sambb]

Sean, is that definitely confirmed as do able with our car - to disconnect the sensor allowing left foot braking. That'd be sweet!

[seangti]

Sean, is that definitely confirmed as do able with our car - to disconnect the sensor allowing left foot braking. That'd be sweet!

It came from my mechanic when he was trying to diagnose an issue, then said it'd be worth disconnecting when on the track...apart from the lack of brake lights. I haven't looked for the connector/sensor myself.

[ben22j]

I've had my ABS fuse disconnected for about 6 months now (well it blew and i didn't bother replacing it). The lights on the dash get annoying but other than that its way better for track use and my daily drive to work.

[sambb]

tell me more. I've read that at in SEAT ibiza's (or was it cupra's) that there was too much rear brake bias when the fuse was disconnected. Have you found that to be a non issue - it hasn't tried to swap ends on you?
And whats the go with the ESP since ABS is disabled - does the ESP light still flicker when its wheel spinning? is there no difference whether the ESP button is on or off?

[ben22j]

tell me more. I've read that at in SEAT ibiza's (or was it cupra's) that there was too much rear brake bias when the fuse was disconnected. Have you found that to be a non issue - it hasn't tried to swap ends on you?
And whats the go with the ESP since ABS is disabled - does the ESP light still flicker when its wheel spinning? is there no difference whether the ESP button is on or off?

No I've never had the rears lock up. I have a 3km dirt driveway into work that I get pretty loose on each day.
I temporarily reconnected the fuse and found that I lost feel on the dirt and the Stability control would interfere with sliding through the corners.
As for the ESP, when the fuse is disconnected it is permanently switched off. The light stays illuminated on the dash all the time and the ESP no longer does anything.

Same deal on the track as well. Tried with the fuse both ways and I personally prefer it disconnected as there is no pesky stability control trying to wreck the party.

[sambb]

and can you left foot brake with the ABS disconnected without it feeling like someone flicked a kill switch?

[ben22j]

and can you left foot brake with the ABS disconnected without it feeling like someone flicked a kill switch?

Dunno, I'm not really Colin McCrae enough to left foot brake. I'm in the work truck tonight however I'll give it a go on the way home tomorrow arvo and let you know if it cuts power or not.

[sambb]

ha ha neither am I. I havent used it in about 10 years since my RS2000 and got a (not) nice surprise when I tried it in the Polo. I was glad to find out it wasn't a complete lack of talent - it'd be fun to re try some old footwork though just for the hell of it.

[Stuwey]

If you touch the brake first, then the throttle, it won't cut the power.

Practice makes perfect