Esp In Light Snow Covering...... What A Cafufull

[catch]

Right my 05 Mk2 Focus no ESP and not a problem on new snow light covering roads.

But today was my first experiance on snow in my 11 plate Mk2.5 with ESP. Now I dont drive on my brakes, I use my gears to control speed and avoid nigh on at all costs braking in snow conditions.

Well first squirming about I had was when a white van decided to abort a steep hill climb mid way up the hill and do a U turn at a junction. So I had to stop whilst it did the U turn, goes to gently set off and it was all over the place. Again stopped to let a bus out of a junction in town, and again ESP light flashing and car squirming about, again after stopping behind the bus queuing to enter a roundabout, [silght gradient] vibrations coming from the ABS/ESP I guess. Up the High street a newish Mazda in front of the bus, well his back end was all over the place when attempting to move of in stationary traffic due to a Pelican Crossing.queue. I thought I bet he has ESP as well

Now in theory I thought ESP was better in snow, but not my experiance today. Now I did not notice other drivers experiencing trouble with their cars squirming about which I would have expected if conditions where that bad. But then again I did not consider the conditions bad.

50 years of driving experience, so it ain't as if I don't now how to drive in snow conditions up and down the Yorkshire Dales as a Journeyman Electrician in my prime.

I'm thinking of switching the ESP Off in snow to see how it behaves, Apart from the ESP it's the same engineered car as the Mk 2 I had for five years. Any observations from EPS owning Foci owners welcome.

[Pink Panther]

My Citroen is the opposite, all over the place if you turn the esp off, with it on you would now even know you are on snow, my xr3i however is a different kettle of fish

[PHILIP1193]

Does yours make a hissing sound / growl? I've never had it and noticed it tonight.

[Dee_82]

im not sure you can completely turn it off, or was that the ABS, cant remember, anyhow its all linked together an theres something thats considered a pain in the bum with it all in the snow.

So far ive avoided serious snow in this car so im not really sure what to expect yet, it handles wet very well though so hopefully its ok, perhaps just different to what ive experienced in other cars!

[catch]

Does yours make a hissing sound / growl? I've never had it and noticed it tonight.

One time going down a slight inclined road [slow as it leads to our small drive, length and a half of the car] it as you discribed it "growled" But I would have discribed it as a vibrating rumble, so in that instance it was the ABS cutting in.

Incidently, I pulled up on the slight down ward drive about 4ft from the patio doors, with two big pot planters filled with cyclimens in them, in turn sat on two large pot water trays [in other words heavy beggers]

I gets out, wife goes to get out of the car, one foot on the drive and one still in the passenger footwell ...............and the Focus just slide into the planters. I thought sh"t thats the grill and or possibly the bumper stuffed. As luck would have it there was no damage done. The planters might have slid a bit on their round water trays possibly. But I reckon it there had not been planters there it would have stuffed into the hard wood frame of the patio doors dead centre where the fixed Patio window frame sat.........now that woud have been damage indeed for the car I reckon, and possibly frame and double glazed panel damage.

Now I put it into reverse gear when parking up for obvious reasons, and though I did not check if I had, I'm sure I had Monday. So the snow was obviously very slippy and the wife getting out iof the car [it being 72Kg lighter, it lost it's grip and just slid off down the drive] :D

Darren,

I had a look in the dash comp settings this morning, and as I thought you can disable EPS. Just keep flicking the lefthand stalk until you come to the Menu setting, enter and there is it EPS with a little tick box with an X in it. Untick that box and the EPS light comes on in the speedo dial. Click the back option and you get a warning message reminding you you have EPS disabled. So a five second job really to disable/ enable.

Monday we go to a lesiure center swimming "up the Dales" We did the 10 mile drive, and on the journey it started to snow but not really heavy. But on getting there it started turning into white out conditions, we had just parked so waited for it to ease up, only being in gym kit. But it didn't so I said to the wife, we could come out of the lesiure complex in a couple of hours and we could be snowed in. Or have the car body work stoved in by little old ladies panicking to get their wee motors home. It seems the smaller the car these old dears have, the more room they need to work in. I they scrape something, instead of reversing out and surveying what the problem is, they just plough on in a panic....................Anyway thats when I decided to reverse out and go home.

Bloke I was talking to in the changing rooms today, said it was possibly a good decision as there where a few accidents on the roads there abouts. I reckon it could possibly have been snow falling on none gritted roads, or the wrong type of snow as British Rail use to say regarding leaves on the tracks.

[Dee_82]

yeah the option is there but I don't think it turns it all off completely. Something todo with the ABS and it all using the same sensors - system

try it can go for a spin, soon find out! :)

[artscot79]

My old vw had esp hated it in the snow my mk2 focus doesn't have it and its far better in the snow

[catch]

Yes The BFD and ABS will still be active Darren, but the EPS element will be disabled, as for switching it off and going for a spin .....I'll pass on that thanks .

Will defo switch it off if it starts squirming about in the snow, and see how it performs with it off.

Like arthur sez, mine like his Mk2 Focus was rock solid in snow, no agressive acceleration and staying of the brakes obviouisly. That was on Goodyear Optigrips all round, must say when I bought it, it was sporting Italian Marangoni rubbish and they were crap in snow. So when they got down to 3mm of tread I got shut of them.

This Focus came with Mich Primacy on one axle and Goodyear Excellence on the other axle, decent tread on them.