Saw an ABC news report on El. Stability Control and I don't think the Fit has that system but what does our EBD system control?

I figure it activates diff. wheels brakes but not steering control. Anybody
know for sure?

http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2...13/011105.html

 

I don't know about american U.S. Fit but the Canadian Sport Fit
have the ABS with EBD... Honda.ca, go to the security specs...

Philippe

 

My LX has the EBD, what does it actually do was my question.

 

EBD just varies tha ammount of the braking power to each of the wheels. It is coupled with ABS (so you do not apply the same ammount to the wheel which is locked and to the one which still is moving). It works only when you are braking, on the other hand ESC (stability control) acts even when you are not braking and measures speed and leaning of the whole car, applies brakes to those wheels in need indepentent of the brake pedal.

I believe this is right, someone should correct me, otherwise

 

sounds right to me. i want to add, with ABS and EBD, always steer in the direction you want to go.

ESC is usually activated in slippery conditions in which if the car starts to lose control, the onboard computer applies engine braking and normal brakes to keep the car under control.

 

try it in an empty wet parking lot.. sounds like fun

 

I wish all cars offered ESC as an option... it's why I nearly got a Scion xB instead.

Oh well, ABS+EBD+side airbags+better crash rating wins out

 

Yeah I agree that all cars should come with electronic stability control. Honda calls their version VSA (vehicle stability assist).

It has been consistently shown that stability control does prevent "accidents" and that it is a safety feature. The same cannot be said for ABS.

If Honda really does care about "Safety for Everyone", then they should equip the Civic and Fit with VSA.

 

I'll take the nimble car instead of a boat with ESC.

 

I beg to differ!

ABS has saved my Honda (not my life) two times, both on ice. Both times bikes(!). In Switzerland people ride them in any weather, and once one could not stop comming out of the side street, and the other cyclist fell because of ice. I managed to swing by them and oncoming traffic thanks to ABS only.

I find that ABS is triggered rather to early on damp roads, at least on my example, but they (servisemen) said that that was normal.

 

Well you may have a personal story about ABS, but I am referring to multiple reports with data that has shown that stability control has more of an impact than ABS with respect to the prevention of accidents.

It's not like I am against ABS.

Here is an article:

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/20...-control_x.htm
"New research suggests stability-control systems would save about 10,000 lives a year if they were on all vehicles, making the technology's life-saving potential second only to seat belts."

"The institute estimates that if all vehicles had stability control, the risk of fatal single-vehicle crashes would be reduced by 56% and the overall risk of single-vehicle crashes would be cut by 40%.

The institute's last stability-control study, in 2004, estimated 7,000 fatalities could be prevented if all vehicles had the feature. The new study found stability control is more effective than believed in reducing multivehicle crashes, which could be cut by a third. "

"Tom Baloga, BMW's general manager of safety engineering, says that IIHS was initially skeptical of stability control, in part because anti-lock brakes did not reduce insurance claims from crashes.

But Baloga notes that ABS, which stability control is built upon, requires a driver to stomp on the brakes and steer, while stability control does the work for the driver. "

 

Well, I'd rather have a nimble car with stability control than just a nimble car...

 

EBD distributes more of the brake fluid force to the front wheels during heavy braking. The front wheels do most of the stopping during heavy braking anyway. This reduces rear wheel lockup, which is particularly prevelent with rear wheel drum brakes. The ABS prevents wheel lockup by modulating the brake pressure to the rear wheels and to each of the front wheels. When the wheel is locked, you aren't getting any braking action, instead you get a skid which is uncontrollable. In airplanes, the system is called "anti-skid brakes." They work the same way as ABS. I guess the car companies don't want the liability of people thinking that ABS will prevent all skids.

 

I had ESC on the xB I had before I bought my Fit. In normal driving, you never even noticed it was there and the car was still very manueverable. Still, I'm glad the Fit doesn't have it. The one and only time the ESC kicked in on the xB was when I was drifting it around in a snowy parking lot one night after work. You could really get a lot of angle on it, but the one time I got too much the ESC kicked in so hard to correct it it felt like I hit a curb and was almost going to tip over -- and I was only going maybe 10-15mph. It really took me by surprise and after that I never want it on another car again.

 

But you were skidding on purpose... Imagine if you had been on a snowy road going around a corner and lost control. In that instance it could have saved your car, and maybe your life. You can turn it off on the xB, and I'm all in favor of having the option of turning it off.

I know some folks might have a decent chance of recovering from a skid, but most don't, and technology like ESC would save many lives.

 

I am not against stability control, quite opposite. It was the last sentence which reminded me of the problem. If the driver wants to be a passenger, then he/she should, if the driver wants to drive, then he/she has to learn how to properly do it.
I am not saying that most people do not know how to drive, but if we are facing autopilots for the sake of safety, then we should invent bus-like trains which use normal roads, without a driver and with limited control from passenegers, or go to Prometheus like vehicles, governed by satelites.
I like driving cars, although I am not very skilled, but I know my limits, and I like to have backup (ESP, ABS or whatever) just in case. I can not believe that 56% of the people driving got surprised... ESP does not prevent you form hiting a tree if you fall asleep, just if you loose control... This study is very distressing in a way, if you get me.

 

You right I was doing it on purpose, and the ESC kicking in was so disorienting that I fear what would have happened had I been in a normal skid on a street. It literally surprised me so much it took a second to correct for it, which on the street means it may have set me up for an accident that originally I could have prevented myself. Sorry, for some drivers it may be a godsend, but for me they can keep it.

BTW, you can not turn off ESC on the xB, only traction control.

 

Oops, my mistake. Well, that would be distracting if you're trying to play

 

Yeah, it's funny when it starts beeping -- usually it's not correcting anything, but it still lets you know it's watching. Kinda like Big Brother in a Box.

 

Electronic Stabilty Control is a very complex system that controls the braking and the throttle when a sensor in the car detects that the car is about to skid. It works whether or not you have your foot on the brakes and is incredibly effective in keeping a car going where you are pointing it in very slippery road conditions. Differential braking, which is what the Fit has is only a small portion of an ESC system. The differential braking works when you sense a skid or require braking. Just tromp on the brakes and point the car where you want it to go. The differential braking will automatically apply the brakes selectively to your wheels in such a way that the car will not skid. Think of the Fit system as a poor man's ESC. I have ESC on my Mazda RX-8 and have never had it kick in in any of my wilder twisting on back roads. ESC has proven to be incredibly effective and will likely be either standard or optional on ALL cars in the next few years. On my Mazda the system can be shut off if you are one of those drifter nuts.