Quote:
Originally Posted by
wallyr25
In adverse conditions the ESP can react a lot faster and with more finesse than you can. It can apply the brakes to one specific wheel if needed, good luck doing that yourself. If you want to spin around a parking lot in snow sure turn it off, but it in everyday driving it can save your life and that of those around you.
More finesse, eh? Maybe it can save
your life, but there is only a moderate level of skill required for a person to be able to outperform the ESP in
any road condition. Sure, in pointless theoretical experiments the ESP can do wonders, but in reality it can't come close to exhibiting the dynamic control that a skilled human can.
You guys are speaking as if what you say is true, and that is certainly not the case; it's just true for you (and, admittedly, also for the majority of drivers).
OP, hitting the ESP button is the first thing I do after starting the car - it's just second nature now. I disable it under
all driving conditions . . . and I live in SK

I'm not sure about the A5, but it is possible to disable the ABS and ESP (not one or the other, though) via VAG-COM on some VAG vehicles. I've also seen some people put a 600-1000µF capacitor into their ESP switch to make the switch default to ESP disabled. If you trial and error with the caps, you can find one that will take approximately the same amount of time to charge as it takes to press your ESP button to switch on/off. When you start the car the cap simulates you pressing the button while the cap charges, and turns off the ESP; press the actual button yourself to turn the ESP back on.