What Is the Audi A4 Vehicle Stability Assist?

The Audi A4 vehicle stability assistant feature also is called Electronic Stability Control or Electronic Stability Program. The feature is a computer-controlled program that automatically makes the vehicle easier to control by reducing swerving and giving it directional stability in dangerous steering and braking situations. Electronic Stability Control became standard on Audi A4s in 2000.

Background

Electronic Stability Control is part of the vehicles anti-lock braking system, or ABS, on passenger cars, light-duty pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles. Automakers introduced ABS in the mid 1980s. It helped reduce the loss of control of SUVs because of their high center of gravity as well as the high risk of rollovers during a sideways skid on wet roadways. Electronic stability control, or vehicle stability assist, arrived in 1998. It was standard equipment on less than one-third of all passenger cars and trucks in 2006. By 2010, 85 percent of all passenger cars and 100 percent of SUVs had electronic stability control as standard equipment.

Application

While ABS on Audi passenger cars prevented the wheels from locking up when the driver slammed on the brakes, it didnt prevent the driver from losing control of the vehicle or swerving. The casual, nonprofessional driver, for example, may not understand that steering into the direction the car is swerving straightens its direction. Audis Electronic Stability Control doesnt correct driver mistakes or override the laws of physics, but it may help the vehicle maintain the right direction. The system, like most vehicle stability programs, features a steering sensor to monitor the drivers steering. It includes a lateral acceleration sensor to keep track of deceleration, and a yaw sensor that detects whether the vehicle may spin out of control. For example, the system changes the speed of front wheels if during a turn, the rear end loses its grip and comes around toward the front. By increasing or decreasing the speed of the front wheels, depending on the circumstances, the system maintains the driver's intended direction with the rear end staying in the rear.

2012 Audi A4

The 2011 and 2012 Audi A4 models feature the automakers Electronic Stability Control to maintain the direction of the car when it is close to the limit of complete loss of control. Electronic Stability Control responds to the drivers intended direction in tandem with Audis ABS, Traction Control system, Electronic Brake-Force Distribution system, and the Electronic Differential Lock system. These five programs always are active. However, the system cant prevent accidents if the driver overextends the capabilities of the Audi A4s chassis.

ESP 8.0

For 2012 models, Audi began equipping its A4 and other models with its latest system, the Electronic Stability Program 8.0, or ESP 8.0. The ESP 8.0 features a dry brake program that wipes away water from the brakes discs in wet weather by applying the brake pads at regular intervals. The system reduces the time it takes to stop the car on wet roads.