The output of the system is to actuate the brakes. It does not " know" where you want to go, it does not know if you have locked up your brakes. Inputs are driver brake actuation, perhaps a yaw sensor, but that's it. What does that Alko ESC system use as inputs, and what ability does it have to affect the output? To get this right takes literally thousands of hours by very experienced engineers, with horrendously expensive test equipment and mule vehicles. These inputs are then run through the ECU which determined the appropriate individual wheel braking and engine power cutoffs required to maximise stability and ensure the vehicle responds to the intended driver inputs. These measure things like acceleration, deceleration, yaw rate, steering wheel input, wheel rotation, throttle position to name a few. Traditional or modern ESC that most of us are familiar with take inputs from various sensors mounted in the vehicle. Let me say at the outset that I have been involved with ABS and ESC calibration for many years in the past. A couple of things with van ESC do not sit right with me. Well not today – I’m biting the bullet after reading your post and can’t stop thinking of my family this xmas caravanning trip – instead of buying the inverter genset I’ll be booking the panda into have ESC installed as soon as they open up shop this morning. yet still put ESC at the bottom of the list in lieu of some other purchase. since then I've spent countless $'s on inverters, coffee machines, tool boxes and bling gear. I'll admit I’m in the bloody idiot category – I drive in /drive out for work 1100km a week and see crazy $hit on the roads all the time, the same roads I drive on for holidays when towing the van… I’ve even posted on another thread about how ESC must be a good safety device considering money spent on a new van. And you’re right – controlling the van on the back is the last thing on your mind when the situation changes in an instant. Thanks for sharing - Even the thought of ‘what if’ it went the other way after reading your post puts the wind up me as I have the wifey and two boys and know that feeling when things are way too close for comfort. Glad you and your family made it out of that one Chris. Let me say it is worth every cent then some & your a bloody idiot if you don't, not to mention a tight arse for spending +40k on the van & not purchase such a simple safety device. If you were uming & areing trying to decide is it worth the money. The funny thing was the first thing I said to her was "are you still cranky I brought the ESC" because at the time I got it fitted she complained that it was a huge waste of money & could be better spent on other things. We pulled over just down the road & gave the wife a hug who was shaking & just starting to cry, checked on the boys in the back seat, got out walked around the van to check that it was all still intact & the interior was the way we left it, thankfully everything was all good so we continued on our way. That was the scariest moment I think I have ever had, and I have no doubt with out the combination of ABS in the car & more so the ESC on the van to keep it straight, things would have been much worse for not only our car but for the Toyota I was trying to avoid. Then OMG :eek-53::eek-53: He stopped right there across the middle of a dual lane HWY in a 100kph zone, & I quickly realised that escape route I was heading for was no longer, so I swung the Pathfinder hard to the right with out any care for the van hanging off the back & just hoped that there were no cars beside me & back again to correct it.ĭuring these fleeting moments all I remember was the sound of screeching tyres & the sensation of the ESC pulling on the car hard, then as I accelerated out of there the next thing was the ESC was still active ensuring the swing was finished before releasing & looking back in the mirror to see the intersection filled with blue smoke. He subsequently pulled out in front of me:eek-53:, first reaction was to hit the breaks & horn, I realised both I wouldn't stop in time nor would he be out of the way in time if I kept my current line, so I swung it to the left thinking he would keep rolling through the intersection & I could slip around the back of him. The story goes, we were traveling behind a semi trailer at approximately 100kph when he merged into a turning lane to turn into a side road, a head of him turning right out of the same road was a new blue FJ cruiser. On the weekend just past, we were heading north for a short trip away, when all I can say in short is " I'm so glad I had the ALKO -ESC retro fitted onto our van, & I can't speak high enough of it & how it performed.
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