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Difficulty: MediumABS and Electronic Stability

While negotiating a bend on a wet road, your car begins to skid sideways as the rear tyres lose grip. In what way does Electronic Stability Control (ESC) intervene to help you maintain control?

  1. A
    By pulsing hydraulic pressure equally across all four brakes while keeping engine power constant
  2. By automatically applying braking force to individual wheels and reducing engine torque to correct the vehicle's lineAnswer
  3. C
    By taking complete mechanical control of the steering wheel to steer directly into the skid
  4. D
    By locking both rear wheels simultaneously to force the vehicle into a straight-line stop

Answer

By automatically applying braking force to individual wheels and reducing engine torque to correct the vehicle's line
Electronic Stability Control (ESC) constantly monitors vehicle sensors (including wheel speed, steering angle, and yaw rate). When it detects that the car is beginning to slide sideways or rotate out of control, it automatically applies precise braking to specific individual wheels and momentarily reduces engine torque to pull the car back onto the driver's intended course.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the vehicle instability scenario described in the question
The vehicle is experiencing an oversteer skid where the rear tyres lose grip on a bend and swing outwards.
Recognizing whether the vehicle is suffering loss of lateral grip (skidding) or straight-line deceleration issues determines which safety system operates and how it responds.
2
Determine the functional operation of Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
ESC uses yaw and steering sensors to detect deviations from the intended path, selectively braking individual wheels (such as the outer front wheel in an oversteer situation) and reducing engine power.
Selective braking creates an opposing rotational force (corrective yaw moment) that rotates the vehicle back into alignment with the steered path.

Key Concept

Electronic Stability Control (ESC) dynamic intervention via individual wheel braking and engine torque management
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

ABS and Electronic Stability

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