--ESP OFF-- is trouble
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 469
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From: Santa Clara, CA
2016 CLS63S AMG, 2017 GMC Sierra Denali Ultimate, 2019 KTM 1290 Super Adventure R
I shut off ESP every time I start the car, I can't stand the thing. Only time I leave it on is if there's any moisture whatsoever. Do NOT drive in the rain with ESP off as others mentioned.
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From: Chicago
03 E55 AMG, 06 Harley Road King Custom 06 Ram 2500 Cummins, 97 Firebird Race Car, 88 Cutlass Supreme
Wavetrac has a lifetime warranty against breakage. Or it did when it came out, haven't looked into them for a while. They were taking some big abuse from purpose built drag cars on slicks and getting great reviews at the time. From what I have heard of quaiffes they are great quality, but don't think they could handle the abuse like a wavetrac could.
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Joined: Oct 2011
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From: Chicago
03 E55 AMG, 06 Harley Road King Custom 06 Ram 2500 Cummins, 97 Firebird Race Car, 88 Cutlass Supreme
Sounds like years ago when a kid in the neighborhood was taught to slide around turns with the parking brake handle in his cavalier I think it was? Found his car on the side of the road and the front end was half ripped off at the A pillar from an oncoming GMC Jimmy. You can guess what caused that accident.
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From: Jacksonville, FL
05 White Pano E55, Cadillac CTS-V
I have a Quaife diff and my esp definitely still gives me all kinds of hell, so find it interesting how a few say you wont have a problem with esp.
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05 E55
This is what I'm afraid of. My car seems especially ESP-handicapped. Can you get a decent burnout now with ESP off, or is it no different for you? Obviously any increased traction on launch and throttling out of corners is welcomed but I am also looking for a fix for burnouts when I am at the strip. Sick 1 second of spin then literal closing of throttle.
Who did your install? I know this has an affect on performance.
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From: Jacksonville, FL
05 White Pano E55, Cadillac CTS-V
Adding a diff isn't going to change how the computer intervenes to slippage, that is still an electronic thing so adding a mechanical change with the diff will not affect that. The car will still do the same 1 second burnout then throttle cut for your power brake burnouts.
I have never went to the track with drag radials to where I need to get a real good long burnout to heat them up. On my street tires though I just turn esp off, do the power brake and as soon as I feel the car start to cut power I let off the brake and stay in the throttle burning them up toward the line with the car in M1 then hit the brakes at the last second.
This is what I do
The diff was installed near Atlanta, GA at a shop called Malones Performance.
I have never went to the track with drag radials to where I need to get a real good long burnout to heat them up. On my street tires though I just turn esp off, do the power brake and as soon as I feel the car start to cut power I let off the brake and stay in the throttle burning them up toward the line with the car in M1 then hit the brakes at the last second.
This is what I do
The diff was installed near Atlanta, GA at a shop called Malones Performance.
Last edited by urbamworm; May 13, 2012 at 12:03 PM.
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MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Sep 2002
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From: West
2005 E55 Wagon
I have had my quaife for about 5 years now. Esp is still cutting in. What I do notice is the quife keeping me straighter when I do lose traction or have traction issues. Knowing what I know now, I still believe the quife sholud be in the top 3 first mods to do or in conjuntion with other mods.
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Joined: Aug 2007
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From: Jacksonville, FL
05 White Pano E55, Cadillac CTS-V
Yeah a open diff will want to sling the car to one side with that "one tire fire" action so having both wheels spin it is more controllable. Use "controllable" loosely though because with ESP off all hell can break loose when you mash the throttle from a stop or low speeds lol 
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Joined: Apr 2012
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2007 E63
[QUOTE]+10000%. The Quaife is a direct drop in whereas the Wavetrac has to be shimmed.[QUOTE]
i thought it only needed shims if the backlash was out of spec,and if that was the any unit you buy would need to be shimmed?
just trying to understand.
i thought it only needed shims if the backlash was out of spec,and if that was the any unit you buy would need to be shimmed?
just trying to understand.
Junior Member
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 56
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From: Vancouver, BC
Obsidian Black E55
With ESP off i can come out of the hole so much harder..It allows my tires to spin but enough to still catapult me forward vs ESP on it still lets you accelerate with like half the power you should.
Dyno mode is scary..this is coming from someone who use to spend 6 hours every friday/saturday at the track drag racing and also went thru a drifting/powersliding phase. This car needs a LSD more than any other car ive been in.
I still dont understand why it was never given a LSD...516tq and 265 tires...just doesnt add up haha.
Dyno mode is scary..this is coming from someone who use to spend 6 hours every friday/saturday at the track drag racing and also went thru a drifting/powersliding phase. This car needs a LSD more than any other car ive been in.
I still dont understand why it was never given a LSD...516tq and 265 tires...just doesnt add up haha.
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From: Long Island, NY
Whatever we're tuning!
Adding a diff isn't going to change how the computer intervenes to slippage, that is still an electronic thing so adding a mechanical change with the diff will not affect that. The car will still do the same 1 second burnout then throttle cut for your power brake burnouts.
100% incorrect. Maybe if you understood how the system worked instead of thinking you do, your posts would actually help the form instead of confusing it. Try posting that on the other forum that all of you newbie guys went to before you realized that it was a forum for FOOLS!!
Here is how it works David: The ESP system monitors wheel speed through sensors in the hub so when you install a LSD the wheels will be more likely to stay within the percentage of wheel speed difference that is increased when you "shut it off." All that does is increase the amount of wheel speed difference allowable before the ESP kick in.
This is how you do a burnout and this car has a Quaife ATB LSD installed by TTM. Try watching it and learning from it. This car has Hoosiers too and I didn't have a problem doing a burnout!
Former Vendor of MBWorld
Joined: Oct 2008
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From: Long Island, NY
Whatever we're tuning!
[quote=masonh66;5193567][QUOTE]+10000%. The Quaife is a direct drop in whereas the Wavetrac has to be shimmed.
i thought it only needed shims if the backlash was out of spec,and if that was the any unit you buy would need to be shimmed?
just trying to understand.
Actually with the Wavetrac you have to buy a 20 c-clip kit since they move to set it up by changing the thickness of the c-clips. I have installed over 50 Quaife LSD's in Mercedes Benz's and they are all a direct drop in and no type of adjustments is necessary.
i thought it only needed shims if the backlash was out of spec,and if that was the any unit you buy would need to be shimmed?
just trying to understand.
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Joined: Aug 2007
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From: Jacksonville, FL
05 White Pano E55, Cadillac CTS-V
100% incorrect. Maybe if you understood how the system worked instead of thinking you do, your posts would actually help the form instead of confusing it. Try posting that on the other forum that all of you newbie guys went to before you realized that it was a forum for FOOLS!!
Here is how it works David: The ESP system monitors wheel speed through sensors in the hub so when you install a LSD the wheels will be more likely to stay within the percentage of wheel speed difference that is increased when you "shut it off." All that does is increase the amount of wheel speed difference allowable before the ESP kick in.
This is how you do a burnout and this car has a Quaife ATB LSD installed by TTM. Try watching it and learning from it. This car has Hoosiers too and I didn't have a problem doing a burnout!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eu3XUwqzKF4
Here is how it works David: The ESP system monitors wheel speed through sensors in the hub so when you install a LSD the wheels will be more likely to stay within the percentage of wheel speed difference that is increased when you "shut it off." All that does is increase the amount of wheel speed difference allowable before the ESP kick in.
This is how you do a burnout and this car has a Quaife ATB LSD installed by TTM. Try watching it and learning from it. This car has Hoosiers too and I didn't have a problem doing a burnout!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eu3XUwqzKF4
The car will instantly activate ESP if you push the throttle halfway down from a stop must less all the way down. The car will instantly activate ESP if you run 40mph and mash the throttle causing a downshift. A LSD will not come even close to remedying the computer cutting power. Again, I don't know what you drive but I drive an E55 with a Quaife LSD EVERYDAY (when not working out of town) and know exactly what the car does lmao 
While you may know a thing or two don't try and belittle me like I am some idiot, I have been around a while and have been modding cars for long enough not to be a "newbie guy." And when I say modding cars, I mean with my own two hands tearing down/building an engine or what have you, not writing checks.
Congratulations, you drove some guys car you worked on doing a burnout in either dyno mode or it is one of the ones that will allow you to do a burnout not being in dyno mode. That is a widely known fact that some E55s can do this while others can't. But you are giving this credit to a LSD, really?
My car with a Quaife LSD, see the two tracks?
And see the ESP light go to town. Hell it was flashing all the way to 80mph on the last run in the video and no I didn't have bald tires either, those street tires were able to do a 1.82 60ft. So much for that magical LSD ha?
I must have a defective one? Last edited by urbamworm; May 13, 2012 at 06:58 PM.
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Joined: Dec 2009
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From: SOCAL
2004 E55
100% incorrect. Maybe if you understood how the system worked instead of thinking you do, your posts would actually help the form instead of confusing it. Try posting that on the other forum that all of you newbie guys went to before you realized that it was a forum for FOOLS!!
Here is how it works David: The ESP system monitors wheel speed through sensors in the hub so when you install a LSD the wheels will be more likely to stay within the percentage of wheel speed difference that is increased when you "shut it off." All that does is increase the amount of wheel speed difference allowable before the ESP kick in.
Here is how it works David: The ESP system monitors wheel speed through sensors in the hub so when you install a LSD the wheels will be more likely to stay within the percentage of wheel speed difference that is increased when you "shut it off." All that does is increase the amount of wheel speed difference allowable before the ESP kick in.
ESP doesn't just compare wheel speeds across the axle (That part you were correct on) BUT it also looks at the Delta of Front vs Rear wheel speeds AND it looks at the accelerometers in the car to see if the car is in a turn which it also correlates with the steering angle sensor. If there is any lateral G on the car that transitions the ESP computer to another lookup table.
Dyno mode ignores those inputs which is why it's popular for drag racing
Member
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 115
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2007 E63
Wavetrac has a lifetime warranty against breakage. Or it did when it came out, haven't looked into them for a while. They were taking some big abuse from purpose built drag cars on slicks and getting great reviews at the time. From what I have heard of quaiffes they are great quality, but don't think they could handle the abuse like a wavetrac could.
looks like the Quaife's have come way down in price too,i've seen them as low as $900,where the Wavetrac seems to be $1095 everyhwere.
Junior Member
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 29
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From: San Diego, CA
2018 GLE AMG 63
just got my car finally after rebuilding a salvage c300, everything looks great except the part where i try to drive and when turning, my steering wheel want to return back to center every time i turn left or right. it jerk back to center position no matter what. Alignment place thinks car needs to be cleared of codes since esc was on before brought to them. Has anyone ever heard of anything similar??? i doubt the 2010 c300 has auto pilot...LoL
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From: on my way
2012 CLS63
100% incorrect. Maybe if you understood how the system worked instead of thinking you do, your posts would actually help the form instead of confusing it. Try posting that on the other forum that all of you newbie guys went to before you realized that it was a forum for FOOLS!!
Here is how it works David: The ESP system monitors wheel speed through sensors in the hub so when you install a LSD the wheels will be more likely to stay within the percentage of wheel speed difference that is increased when you "shut it off." All that does is increase the amount of wheel speed difference allowable before the ESP kick in.
This is how you do a burnout and this car has a Quaife ATB LSD installed by TTM. Try watching it and learning from it. This car has Hoosiers too and I didn't have a problem doing a burnout!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eu3XUwqzKF4
Here is how it works David: The ESP system monitors wheel speed through sensors in the hub so when you install a LSD the wheels will be more likely to stay within the percentage of wheel speed difference that is increased when you "shut it off." All that does is increase the amount of wheel speed difference allowable before the ESP kick in.
This is how you do a burnout and this car has a Quaife ATB LSD installed by TTM. Try watching it and learning from it. This car has Hoosiers too and I didn't have a problem doing a burnout!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eu3XUwqzKF4
you're a real piece of work.......
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Joined: Jul 2005
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From: London, UK
No longer stock '06 E55, A3 3.2 Quattro, GLE 400d, R107 280SL, Golf Polo
I tried ESP off on Mercedes advanced driving day on skid pans and what ever else they had going ... there is no way you can keep the car under control without ESP on a wet 100m diameter skidpan.
I tried launching without ESP at the recent VMAX day and got the car almost doing a 180 in no time. The quaife can be tricky as the progression from 0 - 100% lock is not that smooth as some clamp / spring type LSD's are .. progression much harder to "feel".
Anyhow I would be much more carefull lauching / driving the car without ESP... and never really have until this one time - basically from the experience I got at the skid pan. In the wet there is zero advantage. YMMV in the dry ... I for one won't use it again unless the conditions are ideal.
I tried launching without ESP at the recent VMAX day and got the car almost doing a 180 in no time. The quaife can be tricky as the progression from 0 - 100% lock is not that smooth as some clamp / spring type LSD's are .. progression much harder to "feel".
Anyhow I would be much more carefull lauching / driving the car without ESP... and never really have until this one time - basically from the experience I got at the skid pan. In the wet there is zero advantage. YMMV in the dry ... I for one won't use it again unless the conditions are ideal.
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 328
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From: Huntington Beach / CA
2005 E55 (FST N OC)
hey so just wanted to share my little experience i had earlier, i never mess with it, its always ON so i thought id hit that little button and see whats up... Let me just say that this thing OFF is dangerous if your not in an open road with nothing around, i swear i hit the gas not even half way and i was tossed around lmao scariest thing today for me for sure, almost did a 360... i was left speechless and with a heart rate of 180 i bet it was lol i'll tell you i thought i unleashed a monster.. my car is fast but with the ESP OFF i thought it was about to FLY... anyways long story short, it was a crazy scary experience for me, deff wont try it again on narrow roads or with cars around 
