Traction Control & ESP availability?

I had a scary moment last Wednesday on a snowy stretch of the A140.
Although doing only about 35 mph in a well-spread convoy, I suddenly
lost control of my 1996 BMW 328SE Auto. Skidded wildly for a few
seconds, when I reckon I was at one stage almost broadside on to
oncoming traffic, but happily recovered.

Chatting with my two nephews later, one a Mercedes dealer manager, the
other a Lotus engineer, they said I wouldn't have had the problem in
any modern car, as "even the cheapest have traction control, and the
high end models have the more feature, ESP."

Is that true please? Although I'm not really ready to change cars (and
had no other skids on the other 364 days of 2005), I'm curious to know
if these features are indeed commonplace? I see my wife's Corsa has
Traction Control, but my son tells me his newish Ford Focus Estate
doesn't.

BTW, I'm guessing that the initial skid was because I must have
accelerated slightly, after seeing the leading car move ahead a
little. Coupled with the fact that I'd not taken the precaution of
switching to the 'Snow' setting, plus a potential 192 bhp at the rear
wheels, on 'standard' tyres, that was enough to do it. Needless to
say, I used Snow mode from that point, and drove even more slowly!

--
Terry, West Sussex, UK
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Bailout - Not off topic
    ... to the ex for the holidays and was coming home in the rain in the car. ... I put my foot down expecting to power into the ... but the traction control kicked in and launched me in the ... I don't know if it's hydroplaning or just the ...
    (rec.motorcycles)
  • Re: Bailout - Not off topic
    ... The traction control was awesome for powering out of the corners, but passing a ute I left it a bit late for the next corner, a tight right hander. ... I put my foot down expecting to power into the slide, but the traction control kicked in and launched me in the direction of the front of the car!! ... It's been a few years since I had a car with power and never had one with traction control before. ... I don't know if it's hydroplaning or just the car thinking it might be? ...
    (rec.motorcycles)
  • Re: my car is the best because...
    ... My E36 328 Coupe is the best car here because... ... it's got plenty of poke and handles good when i don't wanna just cruise. ... it's RWD and you can turn the traction control fully on and off. ... It confuses scallies when they see a "Lexus" with Toyota badges and a ...
    (uk.rec.cars.modifications)
  • Re: Class Act
    ... I was thinking of a few years back, when traction control ... prohibited systems detecting when the red start lights go out. ... They could have set a rule like, "car may not ... generate more than 600kg of downforce at 100mph". ...
    (rec.autos.sport.f1)
  • Re: How to enable a clutch in NFS Porsche Unleashed to prevent skidding?
    ... If you try to drift the hairpin even with a decently powered car you magically regain traction before completely spinning out or making the turn. ... Rear wheel drive car - all the braking is applied to the rear wheels. ... Racing class limited slip differentials - Grand Prix Legends is a good example ... racing class "traction control" - traction control in racing cars are designed ...
    (rec.autos.simulators)