Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems ABS OPERATORS MANUAL ESP 4/11 - Manual (Page 8)

8
Yaw Control
What Is Yaw Control?
Yaw Control is a feature of the Bendix
® ESP ®
stability system-equipped
vehicles that reduces the risk of jackknifing and other loss of control situations.
If a vehicle’s tires start to slide during a turn, Yaw Control counteracts the
tendency of that vehicle to spin (or “yaw”), thereby reducing the risk of a
jackknife or other loss of control. Many factors, including road conditions, load
distribution and driving behavior, can contribute to the development of a spin.
Spins occur where either: (a) the rear wheels begin to lose their grip on the
road (which could lead to a jackknife when towing a trailer), or (b) the front
wheels begin to lose their grip, reducing a vehicle’s ability to respond to the
driver’s steering inputs.
Yaw Control continually monitors the direction in which you are steering the
vehicle as well as the vehicle’s response to those steering inputs. If the
system detects that the vehicle is beginning to spin, Yaw Control reduces
the engine throttle, uses selective braking at the four corners of the vehicle,
and may also use trailer braking, to help you keep the vehicle under control.
WARNING!
During a Yaw Control system intervention, the vehicle
automatically decelerates.
Yaw Control can slow the vehicle with or without
you applying the brake
, and even when you are applying the throttle.
A Real World Example
Of How Yaw Control
Operates:
Excessive speed exceeds the
threshold, creating a situation
where a vehicle is likely to spin
and jackknife.
The Bendix
®
Yaw Control
system reduces engine
throttle and selectively
applies brakes to reduce
the tendency to jackknife.