clk_danny

So on Mercedes if you turn off traction control it doesn't completely disable it. How could I do it so when I press the button it completely turns off. Is there a way to change it like that?

Yidney

You can't. The only way to turn it all the way off is to put it in Dyno mode, which also disables ABS.

clk_danny

With my clk320 I'll drift into a corner, mid-corner it ruins all the fun :P

Rudeney

ESP has two ways to control the car. One is by pulsing the brakes (using the ABS controller) and the other is by cutting the the throttle. Used together, they are quite effective at keeping you from doing really dumb things,a s long as you have decent tires. The ESP Off" button on;y disables the the throttle control half of this function. When wheelspin or skidding is detected, you won't lose power, but the braking system will be used to attempt to direct the vehicle. Dyno mode will totally disable all ESP, BAS and ABS functions. If you want to get rid of some rear tires or actually "drift", dyno mode is the way to go. If you want to pull out in traffic without worries of "stalling" then switch ESP off.

Frank Rizzo

Hey Rod

I have a problem with my ESP. I take to So Cal Canyons to work almost daily. Recently (after installing 265 rear tires) the ESP kicks in a lot sooner and much more often when engaging in any sporting cornering (lets say above .4 to .5g). the car never did this before, but it is clearly the ESP because of the warning triangle on the dash blinking and it is also clearly engaging the front brakes because i can feel it thru the wheel.

If what you say is accurate (and it usually is ) - shouldn't the ESP be modulating the throttle, not the brakes?

Im about to take the car in for the 42k service and was going to ask my SA to see what he can find - but any hints from you are appreciated. It's spoiling my ride!

thanks!

Riz

Yidney

Although I understand the two modes as Rodney described, what is not clear to me is what triggers the braking half of the system to kick in. For example, if I drive my car in snow, it's almost comical what happens when I give it gas - 382hp with a top end of about 5mph. But if I turn off the dash button - the engine power half of the system - the car behaves normally. I don't sense any ABS working (unless actually brake). Same with dry pavement. If I punch it, I can barely squeak the tires before the triangle lights up. But if I press the button, I can fishtail the car with no sense that my ABS is trying to save me. So maybe Rodney can elaborate on what triggers the braking part.

Rudeney

FRANK: The system uses several inputs to determine when it needs to intervene. Information from the wheel speed sensors, steering wheel angle sensor and yaw sensor are all examined to determine when something isn't right. In your case, it's getting conflicting inputs from the wheel speed sensors. With a small difference, it intervenes by braking the wheel opposite the one it thinks is losing tracking. It sees your larger sized rear tires rotating at the "wrong" speed, and the additional speed of the outer wheel when going around a curve is just enough to trigger the system. With a slight speed difference, it just brakes the inner front wheel. If there is enough wheel speed difference, or the yaw sensor's input doesn't match what should be happening given the steering angle sensor data, then it will throttle the engine down.

YIDNEY: The same goes for snow. Once the rear wheels slip enough without movement from the fronts, the system knows you aren't going anywhere and thus throttles the engine. If you turn off ESP, it can still use the brakes for traction control and you can actually get around. Of course you have seen that with ESP off, you can cause the care to "fishtail" on a full-throttle takeoff. Try that on a wet road with slick tires and it gets really fun. The problem is, the system cannot overcome the laws of physics. 391lb-ft of torque is not going to be stopped with some gentle pulsing of the brakes.

Frank Rizzo

Bottom line (for me): HUGE mistake going to 265/35's in the rear
Even though my post a few months ago asking if anyone had any problems running 265's and the response was "I'm running 275's with no problem" - that answer was worth what I paid for it.

Well: good excuse to go into dyno mode to "help" wear out the rears prematurely to swap back to the correct side

thanks for your help! I now will avoid the charge from the dealer because I know they can not "fix" it.
.

clk_danny

How do you put the car in dyno mode

Yidney

Put your screen to the screen showing the outside temp. Turn key to position two. Press the reset stalk three times. Now when you scroll through the menus you will have an extra one you have never seen before. It's in there.




I think I got the steps right. If not, do a search, If you search you will see people saying you need to do the presses within three seconds. That part is wrong.

clk_danny

The 2004 clk320 doesn't have that option

Glyn M Ruck

What you need to do is select front tyres with similar rolling circumference to your rears or vice versa. You need to stay withing 2% or the ESP gets cranky.

Tirerack makes it easy for you by stating revs per mile for all tyres.

Glyn M Ruck

Don't do burnouts in Dyno mode anyway. It usually causes power steering failure for reasons that are not plain. See W203 forum for number of incidents & W209 is built on a modified W203 platform.

M-Rods

The traction control has saved my butt in some hairy situations in the snow!!!
But having the option to turn it "off" has been great to get out of being stuck. Sometimes when you're stuck in the snow the only way to get out is to spin till you find pavement again lol.

2MCHCAR

Thanks for the info Rudeney!
Ever since I found out how ESP works, I turn off the ESP everytime I drive the car! I can confirm what Yidney said, I can fishtail like crazy at a stop and I was able to even "drift" some turns (with careful throttle application and a little Opposite Lock)! You just need enough power to overcome the rear brakes.

ctrujillo

I know this thread is ancient, but I had a similar question about ESP and what it does/doesn't do. So, I'm driving down a pretty frosty hill, not snow, not really black ice, moderately steep, maybe 50mph, 32F, winter tires, and the car's rear end starts to slide to the right, correct it, slides to the left, etc. Kind of like me trying to ice skate for the first time, wobbly back and forth, and the ESP light doesn't go on or do anything noticeable. Got off at the next exit and went home to get the 4x. Should I expect ESP to have helped in this situation? Should I drive differently with CLK than with another two wheel drive without traction control?

Rudeney

ESP improves traction during take-off by reducing engine output and selectively braking any spinning wheels. In curves, when it determines that the vehicle direction does not match your steering it will attempt to help by reducing engine speed and selectively braking wheels to help get you back on track. At 50mph, the laws of physics are pretty much beyond what ESP can do to help.

ctrujillo

Ok, so it could have resulted in one of those "speed was a factor " articles. If we take excessive speed out of the equation, if the car was coasting or being braked, which has also happened, it sounds like the ESP wouldn't make a difference there either, y/n? Or is the simple answer that if the car is sliding, regardless of actual speed, that physics has taken over?

Anker

If a wheel is skidding sideways nothing will work until the sideways skid has stopped. In other words, traction control can't do anything to help you in that situation.

ctrujillo

Ok, then, that's pretty clear! Thanks for the explanations.

COOPERDB

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Dyno mode

Not finding it

Either I am not going thru the menu correctly

as Yidney explained above

Or does the 2003 W209 CLK500 not have

the Dyno mode feature


Thank-You
D.B.


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Reanimation

Pre face lift

COOPERDB

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YES - I am liking this ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^


Thank-You
D.B.


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