I've changed from a Focus mk1 to a 2.5 Zetec 1.6 petrol 2009. The new car has ESP and i know winter is a way off but how do you drive with ESP?,the same is i've been driving i.e dipping the clutch and pulling away in a higher gear, or a totally differnt technique.

Well you could do what most do when they find out their new cars has ESP fitted...floor it everywhere expecting the car to sort out your mistakes...

But seriously, in snow you'll probably need to turn it off. It turns off in the dash computer settings if you haven't seen that yet. It's more for emergency situations than helping in adverse weather.

Most manufacturers recommend you turn ESP off in the snow.

Yet i've just watched a Ford video of a Focus driving on an Alpine pass with 2 feet of snow and the ESP is flashing away on the dashboard and the car doesn't slide once...confusing!

theres a certain irony having to turn ESP off in the winter snow...

I'm not keen on it, makes strange noises when you don't want it to as well which gets you even more paranoid.

Turn it off and drive properly in the snow, its all good! :)

Yet i've just watched a Ford video of a Focus driving on an Alpine pass with 2 feet of snow and the ESP is flashing away on the dashboard and the car doesn't slide once...confusing!

The problem with ESP in the snow isn't so much sliding, it's pulling away. The ESP (well the traction control part of it) reduces engine power and brakes one wheel if it senses any spinning. The problem is you often need a bit of slip to pull away on snow which the ESP won't allow so you end up not being able to move at all because of the ESP. That's when you need to turn it off.

However if you happen to park on the road, half on a gritted surface and half on a slippery frozen puddle, the ESP will 'hold' the icy slipping wheel which will let the wheel with traction pull you out of that situation.

Didn't turn mine off once last winter, if you find you're not able to move off, or are slipping a lot, then turn it off - otherwise keep it on as I'm sure it will provide some assistance if you misjudge a situation.

With esp on, just let the car manage it unless you start to head towards a stall situation - ESP off drive as you would in a car with no ESP

Just out of curiosity does anyone know if ESP automatically turns back on once engine is restarted?

(My VW used to come back on)

Yep the ESP defaults to on each time you turn the ignition on.

What perplexes me is you buy a car with it installed and there is are no instructions or guidance on how to use it or drive with it. If you search Google they make a big thing about the safety features and the advantages of using it and yet the manufacturer tells you nothing, maybe i've missed the point.

I'm sure its in the manual. The idea is you don't need to know how to drive with it as you shouldn't need it in normal circumstances - I believe it does say you may need to turn it off in snow/icy conditions if you cannot get moving.