Orpheus1

Please never, ever try this. I attempted to do something in my car a few nights ago, I was compensating for the esp being off and the over steer from my fishtailing and the esp kicked in, I almost went into a pole, but for the good grace of the gutter. My entire right hand side (drivers side here) rims are destroyed, but thankfully no damage was done to my body. Looks like I'm also pretty sure i have bent my axels as my rear wheel sits at about a 100 degree angle now and my front one is pushed back into my wheel well and touches when i turn. Thankfully me and my friend were alright, so I guess im trying to say please dont do what I did.

falls profet

software

A good and fast go kart track is a great place to play.

SeNia_CLK

Honestly man, wtf were you thinking? I need pictures! Ownage pictures! Got any estimates for now?

Orpheus1

It was a stupid decision on my part, but can you honestly tell me you have never driven without esp just to see what it was like? Also now I am going to need my control arms repaired ect. will this damage the resale value of my car? Will there be weld marks ect?

J Lucas

It may never be the same.. Does the control arm need to be repaired or the lower control arm bushings? If so what about the ball joints, the draglink and the engine mounts?

threesticks03

I've been there, but I got lucky. It had just rained so I figured I'd go out and play around a little bit. Was at a four way stop (no one was around) so I proceeded to make a left hand turn, and gunned it....completely lost the rear end, spun around, and nearly hit a stop sign. A friend was in the car and thought it was the greatest thing ever as he owns a GTI and its front wheel drive. From that day forward I don't turn esp off....best of luck with the car

Orpheus1

Would you care to elaborate on "it may never be the same..." rather cryptic comments dont help me. I went into the shop today and they put it on the hoyst me and the shoppie checked it out, doesnt seem to be anything that bad, he said the thing that covers the contorl arms had bent and that they and the control arms would be replaced completely and everything will be good as new, insurance is taking car of it. Will cost around $400 AU per wheel plus some body damage and rims/tyres. My entire front and back suspension is being sent away tomorrow to be refited ect. 2 weeks or so without my baby. Ouch!!

Paul Le Corre

Priceless

SeNia_CLK

Holy ****... well I hope we all learn from this... I have had taken the esp off before, but I made sure to be in a huge empty parking lot. Feel your pain about two weeks man... I was snowboarding for 5 days and couldn't wait to see my baby again!

SeNia_CLK

Ownage!

John 99CLK430

Well I know I'm a little late in posting in this, but why don't we make this thread our story with ESP off.

I'll throw in my 2 cents.

Being the dummy I am, I tend to get aggravated by most Cali drivers out here (those who live out here know how it is) and I really get sucked into the (I'm better then you so I'll show off by cutting you off) so I'm coming down to get on the 55 South, and there is a U-Turn ramp and it's limit is 25 MPH, so I'm at the light waiting to get on the freeway when there were 2 trucks being stupid and driving fast and cutting in front of me, luckily I got the front spot up at the light so when the light hit green I floored it, saw everybody in my rear view mirror but that didn't stop me from going any faster towards the ramp, so now when I floored it mind you there is the ESP switch is right under the ashtray...and you know whats above the ashtray? The pocket box where you can put your cell phone or w/e right?... I had my cell phone sitting in it to the left...I think you guys see where I'm going with this. These cars have alot of Torque, so when I floored it my cell phone came flying out of that little crappy pocket boxthatcantholdanythingfor**** hit the ESP switch off, I said to myself "ahh it's okay" so now when I hit the 25 mph ramp I was taking it at 60...mind you I can handle this car pretty nice in it's stock form and these cars do drive nice and gots grip if ya know how to take the turns right, but power gets the best of us, I got "Trigger happy" and gave it alot of gas just before the ramp connected fully to the freeway and BAM! my car's rear breaks loose and I spin out right on the freeway with on-coming traffic. Our cars also weren't set up for drifting either so there was a little Choku-Dori action going on before I completly did a 360, lol. Luckily I got out of that situation without being hurt or causing a big scenario. There was no damage to my car either, so I was really saved by the big man upstairs.

I learned a big lesson since then.

SeNia_CLK

Yah man you got lucky there...definately...I always keep m cellphone in my lap when I drive though... because those pockets are good for nothing unless you really pack them which usually works for me... cellphone, wallet and a pack of snigs (cigarettes). You situation could have easily turned into a freak accident though

DKCLK

Okay yes I too have played with the ESP off.

First time user.
I decided one morning to see what the ESP does when OFF when I was driving to work and was one street away from turning onto the street where I work.

It was a moist morning the roads had a wet slickness to them. I thought on dry road the ESP doesn't do much any way right? So a slightly wet road would give me a better idea of what ESP actually does.

Holly sh--! was I wrong.
Anyway I turn on turn the street where I work no one is around so I turn off the ESP. I am sitting in the middle of the street and floor it.
Yeah my tail end spun out to the right. Now the car is sliding side ways down the street so I over steer to the right. The front end swings to the right and next thing I know I am heading straight towards a huge box truck. So I over steer to the left and my tail end just misses the front of the box truck.

Needless to say if the road wasn't a double wide road but a normal width road I road have eatten the box truck for breakfast. Yep stupid is as stupid does...lol

Second time user.
I tried it again same place but on dry *** road.
I was able to handle her rather nicely this time. She still got away from me a little.


Third time user.
One morning I needed to get onto a busy street going up hill but there were little opportunities to jump right in. So I thought if I had a little more power (ESP off) I could make it.

I turn off ESP and floored it. The car did the same thing as in my First time. This time heading into on come traffic. Fortunately she straighten up and no one got hurt. Duh, I will NEVER do that again.

docutech

Wow...

I guess ESP is there for a reason!

I turned mine off ONE time and ONE time only! I was making a left hand turn in a quiet neigborhood. I decided to turn off the ESP and see "what it do". Switched to sport setting on my transmission and gave it some gas as I made the left turn. Before I could catch the *** end from coming around it was too late. I was facing into oncoming traffic. Needless to say I felt like an *** and since then decided to leave well enough alone

Orpheus1

nice to see the thread is still going strong, my car is still at the workshop it has taken them 6 ****ING WEEKS to fix it, turns out it was a hard knock and more than the control arms were bent. Just wanted to tell you that the reason that it is so hard to control her/all the oversteer everyone has mentioned when you turn ESP off is that it isnt completely off. You need an MB technician to turn it off completely. So when you lose the tail end very hard the ESP kicks in regardless and you thinking there is no ESP you steer to correct, this combined with the ESP's steer correctoin results in oversteer. Thats where the danger is. REgardless its never comming of again, ever.


and as for where to keep your mobile phone, like you dont put it on your left for americans, right for aussies/euros in that little door thing.

John 99CLK430

DLCLK, you sound like me bro, lol, all of what you just said is something I would do hahah, you could be my other lost half.

That sucks Orpheus, 6 weeks without your baby, I feel your pain. I figured I'd give some life into your thread and make this our experience with ESP and talk about our crazy and wild adventures about it, lol.

Well I'm not gonna lie though, when I first got the car I wanted to experiment also, we all do, it's just what happens when your confined in a nice sports coupe and you got power right at your foot...hehe. But see here is the thing about ESP you were talking about Orpheus, is that you are right, the ESP isn't completely turned off when you switch it off because it will still blink and there will still be some traction, but you lose alot of that traction when it's off.

For me, I actually got to experiment more with my car about a week ago in a small industrial area, the road was clear of everything, not smooth pavement but clear of cars. Decided to do some 180s at a dead end and all I gotta say is wow....that 1 180 did it for me for the night, lol that's all I gotta say. The car is a monster when you control it, it's very hard but fun. I like drifting, though I should take classes and do it professionally on a course to learn, I still like going out and having some fun every now and then, so I switched ESP off, it's really not that bad as you think when you get the hang of ESP off, but it is very challenging and hard especially on stock suspension.

I yet need to experience in rain, and it has rained alot out here too, but I was afraid because these cars break loose even with ESP on during the rain, lol.

clkal

the only time I take off the ESP is when I'm at a light, lined up, ready to smoke some fools.... (straight line racing....no turns....hehehe)

jtbeche

Unless there's something I don't know......I hope you don't keep the setting on W all the time. It should always be on S for standard so you start in first gear rather than W for winter starting in second gear. Well, it should be unless you have weather like we just got today (something like 3-6 inches of snow) which of course calls for the W setting.

Then again, maybe you have something different from what I have.

SeNia_CLK

John 99CLK430

Okay, so tonight it was Saturday it was suppose to rain later tonight and it did rain lightly very lightly and I was supposed to go hit up a performaning arts center but we couldnt find the place went to a Jack in the Box then to a hookah bar then on the way back to drop off my friend decided to have a little fun right next the big tempting parking lot next to their house (I had 4 people including me in the car) no harm in doing a quick 360 right?

Hehe, so I took off the ESP slammed the gas and wow did car spin out, I did 3 360s, yes 3 360s all around this car can get loose on wet pavement, then a second time I spun around twice barely tapping the gas, I felt like I was on ice, never will I drive on wet pavement without ESP off unless I'm in a parking lot doing donuts, just warning my fellow CLK430 owners, lol, so that ended my wonderful night, I liked it and my party liked it.