One of the newest and most exciting safety technologies available on today’s Honda cars is ESC. ESC, which stands for Electronic Stability Control, is a technology that helps to know when you’re experiencing a loss of steering control. ESC then tries to make up for that loss of control by applying individual brakes to steer you in the direction you intend to steer.
ESC works like this: sensors measure the angle at which the river is steering the vehicle. An algorithm helps ESC to decide what direction the driver intends to go. Using other sensors, ESC then determines the actual direction the vehicle is traveling. It measures this using a number of factors, including vehicle rotation, lateral acceleration and individual road wheel speeds. ESC compares the driver’s intended direction against the actual direction of the vehicle and then applies brakes to specific wheels to correct the steering problem.
While there are a number of sensors involved in ESC, there are four that make up the core of the system. The first is a steering wheel angle sensor. This sensor determines where the driver is trying to steer. The next sensor is the yaw rate sensor, which determines the rotation rate of the car. The lateral acceleration sensor tells the system about the lateral acceleration of the vehicle. Finally, the wheel speed sensor measures the wheel speed.
ESC isn’t a way to guarantee accidents won’t happen. ESC can’t push a car past its own natural physical limits, or magically increase a car’s traction. However, ESC does help the driver maintain control utilizing the car’s abilities and traction.
Come check out some of our Honda cars at your Lehigh Valley Honda dealer today to find out more about Honda’s ESC options, including their Vehicle Stability Assist and Electronic Stability Program technologies.