mart360

Do they all think there cars are invincible, or defy the laws of physics?

One bouncing off the kerbs at 1 am this morning ... going too fast into the

corners near to where i live..

And another about an hour ago, barreling down the road and went to turn

right, then the look of panic and fishtailing as the car carry's on going

straight


Hello, if you didn't drive too fast, you wouldn't have the loss of control..


and to think these people passed a driving test.


Mart

hodgy0_2

it is just visual proof of Darwin's theory on natural selection

JTaylor

It's just crazy

is nt it. i've never understood it. Myself.......

Myles

iTrader: (40)

They defy the laws of sh1tness.

chocolate_o_brian

iTrader: (22)

deanb1980

the problem with a saxo and i know from past experience and 27 pieces of glass in my arm and head is lol that the car leads you into a false sence of security as the car is quick for what it is but the rest of it i;e handling and brakes are the worst in production oh and there only insurance group 7 for a vtr so cheap insurance

JTaylor

I think they handle brilliantly; very chuckable little cars.

LG John

Dean, wtf, the handling on a VTR/VTS is exceptional. The problem is the people/chimps at the wheel. Frankly I'm amazed OP saw a saxo hit anything short of a bag of features and not disintegrate. Looking back I'm very grateful that I didn't even have a fender bender in my Saxo.

deanb1980

rolled mine twice then hit a lamp post in mid air and then hit the floor and all i did was go into a bend pressed the brakes as it was now a 30 mph road and the back end popped out i tried to correct this and i ended up upside down and the other three people in the car were outside and i was trapped inside and this happened to another member at work as we worked for citroen uk all he did was go round a bend at 30 and the back end went on him as he hit a dip in the road so the handling both not great and it was standard cars as they were company cars

LG John

You braked.

In a bend.

In a VTR/S.

...no wonder you crashed!!

Fwiw, I have had a lift-off spin out in mines too

The handling on them is very rewarding but, yeah, as you discovered they don't take kindly to provocation. These days there are probably no cars made that handle that way but, IMHO, the way a 205 GTI, Saxo VTS, etc will switch ends if you lift off is the way a hot-hatch should handle. My Puma was far too benign and safe by comparison.

LG John

P.S. Got any pics?*

* I'm assuming nobody seriously hurt otherwise asking for pics of a wreck is bad taste.

GlesgaKiss

Brilliant wee cars. And I was once (and would still be if I had a cheap chuckable car) one of those going round quiet estates in the middle of the night getting it sideways. First cars my mate and I had when we passed our tests were identical 1.2 Clios. No mods except a set of alloys and we had hours of fun pulling the handbrake and sliding round corners in this weather. So easily controllable in those cheap little cars without any electronic aids.

It's some of the most fun I've had on the roads.

I await a slagging... but maybe you're just getting old and miserable?

deanb1980

no sorry mate couldne get any as was rushed to hospital lol but all i can say is when i went to get my cd's out of the drivers pocket i couldnt get my arm through the gap where the window was we were very lucky im not a religous person but someone was watching us that day dont get me wrong if you lower the back of them there probably the best handling around tbh

chocolate_o_brian

iTrader: (22)

Just what I was thinking.

Having owed a 205 GTi as my previous car, I can safely say it's the best handling car I've ever driven. Any hot hatch will twitch or throw you sideways if you lift off mid corner. If, as a driver you can't understand this theory for a small, fast, light car, then you should not be driving it.

chris270181

mine got written off, 30mph slight slight bend bad road camber slowing down to turn right car threw its self left through a fence and a connifer, never did find out how, why, it happened

deanb1980

i understood and understand the theory but when it happens to you its shock and it wasnt my driving that was at fault i just didnt expect that much of a twitch and it happened so quickly i was still holding the steering wheel when the air bag went off and i have had hot hatches since including a 205 gti and never had a problem

hedgecutter

iTrader: (5)

more to the point, why do saxo drivers always want to race Imprezas ? I`m with Hodgy0 on this one.

scoobyvirgin

Because they can win!

deanb1980

i must admit since ive had my impreza ive had a few saxo's up the back end of me trying it on i dont know why but i dont even bother

rapid.STI

iTrader: (5)

+1 ive had 2

Dougmy06wrx

iTrader: (4)

+2. I've had saxo's and a pug 106 tonight in the snow. Will they never learn!!! Hahaha

Ant

My stripped vts was a nightmare for twitching even when braking with the 306gti brakes

Markus

Hmm, pretty sure I did not drive my VTS like a total chimp. Ok perhaps a bit quick on he motorway but didn't loon it on back roads. I put it down to being not that interested in looming at that point

It is one of the few cars I have owned that I genuinely miss. It is probably a good thing that my slightly more foolish driving and modification did not happen with the Saxo as I have a feeling I would be in far worse shape

what would scooby do

Every french sporty fwd/hatch has had lift off over-steer since the 1990's

JTaylor

The lighter the car, the better the brakes, the more pronounced the lift-off oversteer. When you braked the weight would transfer forward, the rear would go light and often, if the inside rear tyre had lost contact, the grip on the remaining rear tyre would be minimal.

I had friends with VTS/Rs and I had a 1.3 106 Rallye. I spun mine a couple of times on quiet, wet roundabouts, learning about the dynamics of the car. Trail-braking late and deep in to a corner, a tiny dab of corrective lock and then back on the power early would see me embarrass much more sophisticated machinery in 'the twisties'. Very satisfying, but one had to understand the car and how it behaved. 1.3 Rallye; the most fun car I've owned.

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

I think Saxos are great; We used to have them as pool cars.

1.1 graduates. The only pool car we've ever got up to 110mph 4-up on the mile flat

Brakes? pah, you should have the driven the Citroen AXs we had before them. Handling? you should have driven the Corsas that we replaced them with.

Typically like most French cars it has the dreaded torsion bar rear suspension. Which generally has far too much travel and behaves like a pogo stick when unloaded; Tip never suddenly stamp on the brakes in a French car- progressive application is the key.

Ant

True but the saxos had a load sensor of some sort on the back to adjust the pressure of braking , the handling did get better once lowered

fpan

iTrader: (11)

It is people not having a clue about LOO (lift of oversteer) or going too fast for the conditions, nothing wrong with the car

fpan

iTrader: (11)

Never brake in a turn or use ****ty tyres, that was the problem. At least you are here to tell the story. The 205's other name was widow maker back in the 80's-90's.
It is the most fun car I have ever had.
As chocolate o brian says if you don't understand the theory that lift-off causes oversteer you should not be driving.
There's nothing better than being able to adjust your lines mid-corner with the use of the throttle

Luminous

iTrader: (3)

I had a pair of 106 GTis and then a pair of 306 XSis (lucky me). Totally fantastic machines, especially the 106 GTi. That was an amazing handling machine IF you wanted to have some fun.

If you just wanted to commute and have a car with a bit of power then it could catch you out. I got caught out once by mine. Was going round a reasonably tight right hander and hit a bump that I had not seen, whilst braking. Next thing I knew I had a very sideways car. Managed to get it back, but had the "oh bugger" moment when I found the lock stop while trying to get MORE opposite lock