What an sassy title for the day. Many of you known these letters, but clearly some of us are mixing stuff around like a mix-and-match kinda. So lets cut the ass and get to where we should. Before scrolling down, I am only sharing my knowledge and maybe a couple of experiences for better understanding. So , please do not kecam me.
ESC- Electronic Stability Control
Also know as dynamic-stability-control (DSC), vehicle-dynamic-control (VDC) and many more, depends on your carmaker’s usage of words. In general, this system always stay active in monitoring your car’s dynamics, be it the speed or direction. ESC is responsible to send signal to other sub-systems such as the EBD, ABS or even reduce your engine power, operate transmission in order to reduce speed (in most cases). Some advanced ESC is capable of automatically slow down your car in case you were tailing someone. So if you see the following image on your instrument cluster, don’t worry, it’s just the ESC kicked in!
EBD- Electronic Brakeforce Distribution
Basically, as the name suggests, cars equipped with this system will utilize inputs from ESC that determines your car’s direction, speed, steering turning an concludes which brake (front or rear, left or right, or mixed) to be applied more force or maintain force or reduce force in order for the car to stick to ground and maintain as close as possible within its lane.
AEB-Autonomous Emergency Braking
Nothing special here. AEB applies brake when the radar/sensors in the car detects approaching-to objects/vehicles automatically, without human intervention. Duhh. However, some car’s AEB could only work with a preset parameters for example operating speed range which varies among manufacturers and some may fail for instance when going downhill, the sensor/radar may fail to detect an object in front prior to moving downhill. THEREFORE, do not rely entirely on these. Be safe.
TCS- Traction Control System
Works together with the ABS, TCS helps in reducing wheel-spins during a launch from stop. Wheel-spins could be dangerous if too much torque is passed to the wheels and you’re unable to steer it well. You may end up crashing into a pole. TCS helps reducing wheel-spin in wet conditions while increases traction in performance cars with out wheel-spin. Generally wheel-spins are bad, they are pure sign of energy losses.
However TCS is not helpful when you’re stuck in mud. It needs to be shut off so that no controlled power are applied to wheels for you to get out of it. Or else, you may do some kinda doughnut or may never get out of there.
All these advances in active safety technologies are for aiding drivers in case of undesired incidents on the road. Those letters does not guarantee anything, but are to reduce the so called large impact that could have happened. Utilize them wisely, and how I wished my Kancil had one of these features.
DV-Drives 