Steering and braking stability program

Abstract

A vehicle having a steering mechanism and a vehicle control system which cooperate to improve the performance of the vehicle and the vehicle control system. The vehicle also includes an input device adapted to produce a steering signal indicative of a manual steering input received from a vehicle operator. The steering mechanism has an input member operable for receiving a steering input and output member moveable in response to the steering input. The output member is positionable to control the direction in which the vehicle travels. The vehicle control system is operable for controlling a performance characteristic of the vehicle, and may include an anti-lock brake system, a traction control system or a stability system. The vehicle control system receives the steering signal and tailors its operation in response thereto. Preferably, the vehicle control system includes a control unit for selectively calculating a steering angle offset which is operable for causing the steering mechanism to reposition the vehicle wheels to further improve the performance of the vehicle control system and the vehicle. A method for controlling a vehicle is also provided.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.