goldingt

Hi all,

Had to put my thoughts on here about a near miss on Sunday. Was driving back from Reigate to Epsom on the A217. It had been drizzling so road was damp but not waterlogged. I was in 6th coming down the hill at about 45mph to the roundabout at Chipstead Lane so dropped into 3rd to go straight over and continue on A217. By this point I guess I was doing about 25-30 on the inside of the roundabout. I gave a tiny bit of gas (but nowhere near VTEC) and the back end just went out like I was on ice. Luckily I managed to catch it before it went right round (due to the low speed rather than my skills) and ended up having to go all the way round the roundabout to get out at my exit. My heart was in my mouth. Now, I realise the S can be a handful in the wet so I steer clear of VTEC unless in a straight line on open roads. That's why my confidence has been dented (though luckily not my car). I thought I was doing the right thing. Tyres look fine so is my experience normal or could I have been unlucky with a patch of oil or greasy leaves? I find it hard to believe that the car should be quite so tail happy. I was out in the ice and snow last February/March and got away with it

What scares me more is that the S is our only car and my girlfriend rarely drives any car but she does take the S when I'm not about and she has been absolutely fine with it as she never goes near VTEC. This makes me wonder just how safe a driver can be with this car in the wet.

Tim

Shopman

Racelogic traction control?

Racelogic Clicky

Bramblecat

Know that roundabout well and it can be a bit dodgy at the best of times. Have seen quite a few diesel puddles there in the past so it may be that.

I had a near miss on the Beare Green R/A on A24 at about 25-30mph I wasn't pushing it. Maked me drive like a big girls blouse in the damp/wet since.

At least you were luckier than poor veehex

Dembo

Let's not start that again.

Another victim of "don't VTEC in the wet"?

CB

Interesting - spun the wheels when accelerating in the wet on a ridged surface on Sunday, at about 5000RPM - thankfully all in a straight line so no problem but reinforced my respect for the conditions. I think road surface has a lot to do with it.

MB

Its not the car, its the conditions and the driver IMO.

A lot of people seem surprised to see the back lock up when dropping down 2 gears in the wet with no rev matching.

And surprised that dabbing the throttle on a tight wet bend will provoke the back out....

Odd.

H!cks

[QUOTE=Bramblecat,Oct 30 2007, 10:25 AM] Know that roundabout well and it can be a bit dodgy at the best of times. Have seen quite a few diesel puddles there in the past so it may be that.

I had a near miss on the Beare Green R/A on A24 at about 25-30mph I wasn't pushing it. Maked me drive like a big girls blouse in the damp/wet since.

At least you were luckier than poor veehex

senninha1994

No matter how much 'talent' we have as drivers, I would defy anybody to keep a car pointing in the right direction on a wet diesel soaked road.

Unless you are hyper aware and able to spot the diesel spill when you approach it you will end up out of shape.

Just put it down to experience, regain your confidence and enjoy the car in all conditions.

JG

I'm still learning, but a couple of track days (incl. Rockingham wet grip) and Walshy's car limits day are starting to sink in.
It's all about balance and smoothness, if you are heavy handed (footed!) on the brakes or the throttle and the wheels aren't straight something "odd" is likely to happen.

I suspect in this case dropping from 6th to 3rd on the entry to the roundabout unsettled the balance of the car and the back stepped up. The actual speed isn't really relevant.

Try going to an empty wet car park and do a turn at low speed and blip the throttle, you'll be surprised how easy it is for the back to go (and how difficult it is to catch it).

There's some footage of the wet grip @ Rockingham and also some from Walshy's car limits day on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/user/jgsquash

Boab01

Can I ask how many miles you have done on this set of tyres and what tyres you use? This is just out of interest for myself really.

The back steps out in intermediate conditions much quicker than you would think.