dpb

Almost embarrassed myself totally today, my excuse heavy showers and brightsunshine, cheap tyres.
Nipped across a roundabout ( ahead of a car making its way round ) passing a car on outside lane. So first exit, but not really straight ahead quite

On turning into exit front end (front wheel drive) went and I spent a couple frantic seconds wrestling it to get back straight, using most of the road, very fortunately didn't touch the curb

Women on outside, slower lane gave us teh necessary full blast of the horn

LSherratt

iTrader: (1)

Are you sure that's not just an example of your poor driving skills?

I do love a good blast round a roundabout on damp roads though.

dpb

Could be carrying slightly too much speed, really thought I was going to end up sideways on to the oncoming traffic, but managed to carry straight on. slightly sheepishly

Turbohot

Could be your bald tyres?

Like winter tyres, you need to buy some rain tyres, dpb. I'm sure someone must make them to suit our usual non 4b4s.

I drove like a snail this morning to work. It was lashing down here like everyone's business.

dpb

Definitely nowhere near bald, they don't look same tread pattern though Swati

ditchmyster

iTrader: (7)

I'd have thought you'd know better than to have an odd set of ditch finders, let alone acting like a boy racer, smacky bottom.

Just kidding, it happens to the best of us, the asphalt out here in Croatia can be like glass especially when it's just a little damp, it needs a good down poor to wash it clean and even then you have to know where the dodgy bits are to avoid finding yourself parked in a field, the clay type soil doesn't help either.

Next time use avoidance breaking, foot on brake, turn steering wheel to where you want to go and take your foot off brake, the car will go where you pointed it.

Edit to add; it only works on front wheel drive.

DYK

Think it could also to do with when we have a dry spell of sunshine,and then rain.the crap from the road,oil,grease,etc comes to the surface.

JGlanzaV

iTrader: (3)

Yes I wouldnt try it on anything else, it might make a bigger mess in your boxers than you already had

dpb

Don't know if I'd have had time to do that? Was fish tailing the front end one way then the other till it was straight


Just noticed every tyre on the car is a different make, not had it long, bit of a stopgap really. ( xsara vts )

richs2891

Was going to say was it a patch of diesel on the round about, but the 4 different makes certainly wont help

Richard

john banks

Was there any lift off oversteer, given the circumstances and the genealogy of the car?

ESP is a good investment on a road car, I feel the cost pays for itself. Plus good tyres of course.

dpb

Ha,iv read its possible - for me it would have happened by mistake , possibly

Fat Boy

Cheap mismatched tyres - obviously

dpb

Hey one of them on the front's a Michelin sx gt..!

Turbohot

Budget tyre buying?

As long as your wheels caps aren't one Citroen, one Nova, one Fiat and one Corsa, your car should look fine.

trails

iTrader: (41)

easy to get into in the kind of situation you have described; car out of control or feels out of control, go for brake pedal instinctively and you find yourself in even more of a pickle which leads to big steering inputs and the fishtail you described.

Wrote my first car off that way; bye-bye mkI xr2 hello brick wall

trails

iTrader: (41)

what size tyres are they David...I got some 195x50 15s Michelin Exalto 2s for £55 a corner

ditchmyster

iTrader: (7)

Yep especially if it's rwd it'll get very sloppy.

JGlanzaV

iTrader: (3)

Ewwwwww.....

Had a couple of brown trouser moments myself.

Esp when my mate decided to brake mid corner at 75mph in his evo and the back end rapidly over took the front... He didn't see what he did wrong lol

john banks

Need to keep toe in with an Evo, or be prepared to deal with much worse if you lift in extremis. Some very big accidents with people doing this, they seem easy to drive until you go over your own limit.

dpb

Don't think I touched brakes

trails

iTrader: (41)

Think that's true with most if not all cars...Evo just means you have a faster accident

trails

iTrader: (41)

not even actually braking, it's just lifting off the throttle that does it...it's instinct to go for the brake when things go wrong, I had to have the habit beaten out of me.

ditchmyster

iTrader: (7)

It's the same with the Type r, lift off oversteer is probably the most common reason they get written off.

So many people think they know how to drive because of very well set up fwd chassis but stick them in something that has either rwd or rwd characteristics and they soon bin it. Being of a certain age and growing up with rwd definitely helps with car control.

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

You know when you hot a patch of oil/diesel on a bend...first the front drifts wide, then the back end.

Royally shat my pants....I driving a 200bhp Transit flatbed at the time

Fat Boy

dpb

I'm not sure whether the rear wheel steer this car could of added to the problem