range Posted September 13, 2006 Share Posted September 13, 2006 (edited) FORD TO MAKE ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL STANDARD ON ALL CARS AND TRUCKS BY END OF 2009 - Ford Motor Company will build all Ford, Lincoln and Mercury retail cars and trucks with standard electronic stability control by the end of 2009. ESC currently is standard on all Ford mid- and full-size SUVs and will be expanded to small SUVs and all CUVs in 2007. - Ford Motor Company and its global brands have built 4 million vehicles globally with electronic stability control systems. More than one million of those vehicles feature Ford's industry exclusive, AdvanceTrac® with Roll Stability Control, the world's only system with two gyroscopic sensors to actively measures and help control both yaw and roll movements. - Electronic stability control offers additional confidence to drivers in emergency situations by helping them stay on the road and avoid accidents. Edited September 13, 2006 by range Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted September 13, 2006 Share Posted September 13, 2006 I'm going to guess this is coincidental with rollout of new transmissions on the Focus/Escape, and the JV transmission on the Aisin 6-speed equipped CD3s and D3s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
range Posted September 13, 2006 Author Share Posted September 13, 2006 Correct me if I am wrong, but that would mean ABS as standard equipment as well, right? yea, can't have stability control without ABS. I suppose this system will include Ford's patented RSC system too, like the 500 and the SUVs already have available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevenJ Posted September 13, 2006 Share Posted September 13, 2006 I'm happy with ABS but is there going to be a switch to turn ESP off? I really don't need a computer telling me how to drive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goingincirclez Posted September 13, 2006 Share Posted September 13, 2006 Well, if Ford can get it standard on ALL their cars by 2009, that will be something they can crow about. The article didn;t mention other makers going across their lines any sooner... only GM by 2010. OTOH, I had no idea such technology was "standard on all Toyota SUVs since 2004". Dammit. Also OTOH, if this applies to all Ford cars... will the Panthers get it? Or would this be the cost-prohibitive-retrofitting death knell? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevenJ Posted September 13, 2006 Share Posted September 13, 2006 All Crown Victorias and Grand Marquis come standard abs with optional traction control so it wouldn't cost them anything. Most Grand Marquis come ordered with traction control anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goingincirclez Posted September 13, 2006 Share Posted September 13, 2006 All Crown Victorias and Grand Marquis come standard abs with optional traction control so it wouldn't cost them anything. Most Grand Marquis come ordered with traction control anyway. Thanks for setting it straight. I have a CV brochure around here somewhere and I thought it was optional. My bad. Don't sic the Mafia after me... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyb82 Posted September 13, 2006 Share Posted September 13, 2006 What is the difference between stability control and traction control? Does stability control also help in icy conditions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted September 13, 2006 Share Posted September 13, 2006 What is the difference between stability control and traction control? Does stability control also help in icy conditions? From what I understand, stability control can apply the brakes to one wheel and can help keep top heavy vechicles like SUV's from flipping, within reason. It can't defeat the laws of Physics. Traction control works by applying the brakes to the wheels generating power and also pulling timing out of the engine so it doesnt develop as much power to advoid slipping the tires. Stability control should help in icy conditions more so then traction control. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OAC_Sparky Posted September 13, 2006 Share Posted September 13, 2006 Traction control uses the ABS sensors to sense when a wheel loses traction (when one wheel spins more than the other by a percentage). The traction control reacts by applying brakes to the slipping wheel, and detuning the engine. Stability control goes one step furthur by also monitoring the steering angle in conjunction with gyrosopes to actually try to bring the vehicle back under control. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkisler Posted September 13, 2006 Share Posted September 13, 2006 Traction control uses the ABS sensors to sense when a wheel loses traction (when one wheel spins more than the other by a percentage). The traction control reacts by applying brakes to the slipping wheel, and detuning the engine. Stability control goes one step furthur by also monitoring the steering angle in conjunction with gyrosopes to actually try to bring the vehicle back under control. You are correct. You have to have ABS to start with to get stability control; the hardware on ABS is relatively expensive. But once you have ABS, the actual equipment difference to get stability control is not so large -- as you mentioned, stability control adds yaw control and steering angle sensors. In the past, one of the largest costs was the engineering as there was no experience base and limited computer modeling capabilty; cars had to be put through physical tests in cold weather to ensure the stability control came on at the right time. In particular, for a sport sedan like the Lincoln LS which was one of Ford's early adaptions of stability control, keeping the balance between safety and sportiness was critical and that's as much art as science. I am assuming that the modeling capability (versus physical testing) is now well enough advanced to make additional applications a lot easier with just verification testing and fine tuning in cold weather. So, in summary, the cost to Ford is the cost of ABS (where it's not already standard) and additional ESC hardware. The RSC system used in SUV's adds a roll sensor; not sure if it adds any other sensors. Once again, engineering/software development likely was more of a challenge than the physical hardware. It's hard enough to try to anticipate and control this type of situation, but when the driver is adding additional input during the event (some of it incorrect!) the task becomes more difficult. Ford could add RSC to cars, but it doesn't look like it's part of the plan at this point. You are also correct on traction control. There are various systems. The least sophisticated uses the ABS brakes to clamp down on driving wheels if they start to spin (which can cause overheating). More sophisticated systems include brake-spark-fuel that control both engine and brakes. From the looks of it, the government is going to mandate stability control, so it's good that Ford is getting this announcement on the books now for some PR benefit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANTAUS Posted September 13, 2006 Share Posted September 13, 2006 NHTSA supposedly is looking to mandate stability control standard in all vehicles by 2009-2010, so this obviously was expected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-150 Posted September 13, 2006 Share Posted September 13, 2006 some PR BS. They will make this standard, but side airbags are not? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZanatWork Posted September 13, 2006 Share Posted September 13, 2006 some PR BS.They will make this standard, but side airbags are not? Side bags are standard this fall on the CD3 and D3 cars, plus anything that already had 'em..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
igor Posted September 13, 2006 Share Posted September 13, 2006 Side bags are standard this fall on the CD3 and D3 cars, plus anything that already had 'em..... Expedition/Navi Explorer/Mount FiveHundred/Montego/Freestyle Fusion/Milan/MKZ Edge/MKX unsure: Escape/Mariner All have Side Air Bags and Side Head curtain air bags stanard in 2007. Also all SUV's have Roll-Stability Control Standard. (Again not sure about Escape - because it is so old-tech and due for replacement in the spring) so what is left? Focus, Ranger, CV, F150, SuperDuty. Neither can offers curtain bags right now, and side air bags are optional. (maybe not on Ranger) Igor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kool_ZX3 Posted September 13, 2006 Share Posted September 13, 2006 So basically every new launch/refresh from now forward comes standard with ESC.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
igor Posted September 13, 2006 Share Posted September 13, 2006 So basically every new launch/refresh from now forward comes standard with ESC.... I expect that. Focus might be an exception as it is a redesign, and an all new will likely debut BEFORE the end of 2009 calendar year ... Igor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkisler Posted September 13, 2006 Share Posted September 13, 2006 some PR BS.They will make this standard, but side airbags are not? NHTSA has proposed increased side impact protection with a phase in plan as follows: . 20 percent of each manufacturer’s light vehicles manufactured during the production year beginning (four years after publication of a final rule; for illustration purposes, September 1, 2009); . 50 percent of each manufacturer’s light vehicles manufactured during the production year beginning September 1, 2010; . All vehicles manufactured on or after September 1, 2011 The most likely way to meet the standard is side impact airbags. The upcoming standards, combined with the pressure from highly-publicized IIHS tests is leading to further standard application of SAB before the rule takes effect. I don't know whether the new NHTSA standards require actions over and above SAB. New platforms will accomodate side airbags from the get-go. Other platforms (like Panther) are likely to be much more difficult and expensive if they require a tearup of the pillars and roof. I suspect this might be one of the reasons why some of the discussion on end of Panther hovers around the 2012 time period... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waymondospiff Posted September 13, 2006 Share Posted September 13, 2006 A roadblock to ESC systems has been the cost of 4-channel ABS systems. Many FWD cars use a 3-channel system where the rear wheels use a single ABS channel, without the ability to individually read rear-wheel speeds. ESC systems need 4-channel ABS for data collection to separate each rear wheel's information. For more on the difference between TC & ESC, try going here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stability_control With a massive ad push, this can be a real asset for Ford. Much like airbags became a selling point in the 1988-1992 timeframe, stability control can be a vital selling asset for Ford vs. competitors. But, ESC is a complex system to describe (although easy to comprehend once described) and it will be up to Ford to explain the system to the consumers IF they want to use it as a selling feature. I'm happy with ABS but is there going to be a switch to turn ESP off? I really don't need a computer telling me how to drive. StevenJ, ESC systems generally have either a complete system defeat (on/off switch) or have a "higher limit" setting available to the driver which raises the threshold of system intervention. The good thing about ESC, much like ABS, is that it doesn't engage unless it is needed. And in everyday driving the ESC threshold is well above what you're likely to ever experience. Pretty much the only time ESC will hinder your driving will be on the track. Otherwise, if the ESC engages, you'll probably be happy that it did! Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted September 13, 2006 Share Posted September 13, 2006 I expect that. Focus might be an exception as it is a redesign, and an all new will likely debut BEFORE the end of 2009 calendar year ... Igor Nah. Focus'll get RSC. Ford's working on curtain airbags for the panthers. The tricky part is dealing with the partitions fitted to CVPIs and the "taxi" CVs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANTAUS Posted September 14, 2006 Share Posted September 14, 2006 The 2008 Escape and Mariner will have AdvanceTrac with Rolls Stability Control standard, while the 2008 Freestyle gets ESC (without RSC that is) standard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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