Vehicle dynamics: optimization of Electronic Stability Programfor sports cars

Abstract: This thesis was performed during the spring of 2008 at the Bosch testfacility in Arjeplog. The thesis describes how to optimize the interventionof an ESP system for a sports car. The problem with ESP today is that it is very often defensively programmed and affects the feel when the car is driven. What to be researched in this thesis is if an optimization of the program can be done that allows greater body slip without affecting the vehicle dynamics and stability in a negative way. The thesis describes programming and simulation of ESP, the code for ABS, TCS and ESP has been written and then tested in the simulation environment where after the parameters and code have been changed in attempt to achieve a ESP that allows greater body slip without compromising the stability. The ESP has been created with several setups depending on wanted behaviourand intervention. The results from the simulations shows that greater bodyslip is possible without affecting stability, the feel when driving is moreor less similar as without ESP and TCS. The measurements prove that the laptimes are faster with ESP in race mode compared to only ABS and TCS. Worth to be mentioned is that a simulation is a reproduction of a real measurement, results and feel can differ from the reality when testing a vehicle.