mrlux Posted November 16, 2011 Report Share Posted November 16, 2011 Do you all drive with the ESC/ESP on or off most of the time. This is the first car that I have had with this feature but not sure if it should be on all the time or just in wet or snow conditions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigtsr Posted November 16, 2011 Report Share Posted November 16, 2011 In as much that it is normally on when you start the car I personally don't give it much thought. I have tried it on and off in wet wx with some hope that it might show a differnce but it was not discernable to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisPollard Posted November 17, 2011 Report Share Posted November 17, 2011 Having just in the past two/three days received our first hints of winter weather, and some slick, icy roads, it's the first chance I've had to even notice the ESC on the Journey - as well as the ABS. (My first ABS vehicle ... first time they dug in, it startled me a bit.) I leave it on, since that's the default. What I noticed today is when the wheels start to spin, ESC takes control of the throttle, drops the engine RPM, and pulses a little to try and sense the wheels re-gaining traction. Most noticeable when accelerating normally from a stop. To get a feel for it tonight, I found a patch of road that looked quite icy and jammed the throttle so see what would happen. As expected, the wheels cut loose - but when I expected ESC to throttle me back, it didn't. At least not until I let up on the gas myself. So it would seem that the system is programmed to look at what you are doing with the throttle before it decides what it is going to do. If you're putting the pedal down, it seems to give you the ability to give 'er without interference. If you start to spin out while accelerating 'normally', it tries to correct for you. Honestly, this is the first vehicle I've owned with either ESC or ABS ... and I'm really not used to the vehicle trying to wrest control from me. In both cases, if you're not used to or expecting intervention, it can catch you off guard. But the advantage of ABS braking is no secret. These days, I don't know why it's even optional on any new vehicle. The ESC ... I don't have a solid opinion of it yet. I can see it maybe saving some drivers from themselves. But I'm not a big fan of not having the engine ALWAYS react to the input of my right foot. Under normal driving, not a huge deal. But in exceptional circumstances, I'd hate to lose reaction time trying to decide if the vehicle is going to go when I tell it to - or if the computer is going to decide it knows better and throttle back the engine. Although at least from what I observed, there seems to be an override when you jam the pedal to the floor. So I'm less worried about it now. I guess I'm a little old school and still believe a driver should be trained to know how to handle a vehicle, and not rely on the electronics to save their @$$ when they get in a hairy situation. Took a lot of years of parking lot donuts and ice road e-brake skids to get those ice and snow reactions mastered ... and I still trust them more than a computer program to get me out of a jam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geer Posted November 18, 2011 Report Share Posted November 18, 2011 (edited) Do you all drive with the ESC/ESP on or off most of the time. This is the first car that I have had with this feature but not sure if it should be on all the time or just in wet or snow conditions. There are two distinct controls going on that should not be confused: ESP (stability program) and TC (traction control). The only time ESP kicks in is when the vehicle is sliding relative to direction the car is pointing, tires are turned etc; particularly during a cornering maneuver. Traction control works independently of ESP and will apply braking and/or throttle control when the drive wheels spin out relative to the road speed (senses different tire speeds at each corner). With my former FWD Equinox I almost always turned off both traction control, and to a lesser extent, the ESP. I could control the throttle much better than how I felt the computer did. When there was alot of snow to plow through, I would ALWAYS turn off the ESP because it's a sure bet it will leave you stuck in those conditions - it cuts throttle at the worst time, when you need to power through heavy snow. Basically it will leave you stuck. Most people are completely oblivious to that fact, and assume the vehicle, with all these great features like ESP and TC will drive itself through poor conditions. WRONG!!! My Equinox had a front-rear weight distribution of almost 50/50 and therefore had very neutral and predictable handling with the ESP off. I could sense and control the movement of the vehicle well enough myself. This can be dangerous in a vehicle with a skewed weight distribution - it really comes down to the abilities of the driver and knowing how your vehicle will perform with no ESP intervention. ESP is a SAFETY feature that enables control of the vehicle beyond what the driver can do, because it can apply brake response to each individual wheel - something a driver cannot do. It also responds much faster, well before a driver would even realize what's happening. And that's why there's the button to turn off TC and/or ESP - depending on conditions you don't neccessarily want to have them on. If you do get stuck, you MUST turn them off or the vehicle will actually prevent itself from getting unstuck as the driver attempts to rock the vehicle etc. My '11 R/T AWD is my first AWD vehicle and I'm excited to finally have it. Worth every penny - outperforms FWD in any road condition. However the vehicle will only perform as well as the tires on it, and with the roads icy as we speak up here, it's evident that the factory Khumo's are TERRIBLE on snow and ice! My new winter tires cannot get here fast enough. Edited November 18, 2011 by Geer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Powdered Toast Man Posted November 19, 2011 Report Share Posted November 19, 2011 Hey Geer, Since it just snowed heavy for the first time today, I finally got to take my Journey out in the snow and yeah, those tires don't really inspire confidence. I would say though that they're no worse than the ones that were on my Caravan. I'm in Winnipeg too, so I'm curious where you got winter tires from. Also, what size and wheel did you go with? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geer Posted November 21, 2011 Report Share Posted November 21, 2011 Hey Geer, Since it just snowed heavy for the first time today, I finally got to take my Journey out in the snow and yeah, those tires don't really inspire confidence. I would say though that they're no worse than the ones that were on my Caravan. I'm in Winnipeg too, so I'm curious where you got winter tires from. Also, what size and wheel did you go with? I ordered through 1010tires.com...went with General Altimax Arctics which are supposed to be very good. Got the correct OEM tire size (Canadian Tire does not sell that size). Couldn't beat the price on 1010tires, plus no PST and even got free shipping. Due in within a week - hope so, these Khumos are just awful. Also I run Goodyear Nordics on our Caravan. Pretty good winter tires for the money. Those are the ones that Cdn Tire sells exclusively. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
generaltso Posted November 21, 2011 Report Share Posted November 21, 2011 went with General Altimax Arctics which are supposed to be very good. Got the correct OEM tire size (Canadian Tire does not sell that size) You got General Altimax Arctics in 225/55R19? I haven't been able to find them in that size. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geer Posted November 21, 2011 Report Share Posted November 21, 2011 You got General Altimax Arctics in 225/55R19? I haven't been able to find them in that size. No, I'm going to run 16" steel rims for the winter, so I bought the Generals in the OEM 16" size. They dump so much salt on our roads in the winter time, I won't run good wheels in it. 16s with taller sidewalls probably respond better to winter roads anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Powdered Toast Man Posted November 21, 2011 Report Share Posted November 21, 2011 Thanks Geer. Let me know how they fit when you get them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisPollard Posted November 22, 2011 Report Share Posted November 22, 2011 I would think they'd fit just like stock 225/70R16's ... like mine has. :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armendegga Posted November 23, 2011 Report Share Posted November 23, 2011 That's what I'm running on mine... Altimax Arctic's in 16... Here's a pic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Powdered Toast Man Posted November 24, 2011 Report Share Posted November 24, 2011 Do any 5 bolt rims fit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Powdered Toast Man Posted November 24, 2011 Report Share Posted November 24, 2011 I ordered through 1010tires.com...went with General Altimax Arctics which are supposed to be very good. Got the correct OEM tire size (Canadian Tire does not sell that size). Couldn't beat the price on 1010tires, plus no PST and even got free shipping. Due in within a week - hope so, these Khumos are just awful. Also I run Goodyear Nordics on our Caravan. Pretty good winter tires for the money. Those are the ones that Cdn Tire sells exclusively. What specifically is the size you ordered? These online "select by vehicle" searches are incredibly frustrating. Apparently 1010tires has zero tires that would fit my stock 19's and tirerack.com just has the OEM Khumos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armendegga Posted November 24, 2011 Report Share Posted November 24, 2011 (edited) Do any 5 bolt rims fit? From what I've heard... No. There is very minimal (and I'm talking millimetres) of space with the OEM 16" rim to clear the caliper... If you are buying from another retailer, make sure that they have the rim to OEM specs or it will NOT clear the calipers. The bolt pattern is 5x127 if I recall, and they are a 6x6.5. What specifically is the size you ordered? These online "select by vehicle" searches are incredibly frustrating. Apparently 1010tires has zero tires that would fit my stock 19's and tirerack.com just has the OEM Khumos. The OEM tire size for the 16" rim is 225/70/16, and that is what you see in my pic above... I am not sure why Geer wasn't able to get that at CT as that is where I purchased mine from? Side note - For 19s, the compatible tire size is 235/55/19 Edited November 24, 2011 by Armendegga Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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