[Closed] Driving woes

Which way were you heading? I'd be impressed if you fishtailed heading towards Inners, unless you booted it in a RWD car...

Put your foot down, next time use the Scandinavian flick...Really only to be used on quiet roads...

You need a [img] http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRkU7Bhm4hYhg-Tj7HGdp2zYazooQxo1DZr-lQI4V8NYj16MNwkJw [/img]

I have no idea what that picture is...

Maybe your not awesome enough tree-magnet.

I've opened the image and zoomed right in on the text...its badly pixalated but I think I can make out the words.... Smurf Tat ???

No idea what that means.

Afternoon's tuition on a skid pan should see you right. Helps you understand how different actions affect the motion & momentum of the car.

Is it one of those fabric frisbees you can use in the sea?

Or a pool, I suppose. Pretty much any body of water.

No doubt you were you attending to matters tonsorial in the rear-view mirror of your hairdresser's motor at the time...

Point the front wheels where you want to go and see what happens. Or look further ahead and avoid doing that in the first place.

Turn away from the skid and boot it. You bought a rear wheel drive car for a reason, no? Either stop being a nancy boy and bricking it every time it gets a little tail happy, or buy a nice old classic and tootle around like a 40 year old lawyer...

I see where tree-magnet gets their name from...

*multiple personality lolz*

MB going to Edinburgh.

I lifted off slightly and steered into it, it just kept on catching the other way, a few times, until it slowed enough to let it do its own thing safely.

Thanks Ox that sounds good

"Managed to slow it enough to not do any damage but couldn't get it under control again. Is there a way?"

Yes. But you'd be better off not driving too fast for the conditions.

Very helpful 🙄

As ever, the home of sanctimoney.

Mehh.............yer aw talkin' baws- the only and correct way to drive through a skid or fishtail is to take your hands off the wheel, cover your face with them, and scream like a woman (short, sharp, desperate shrieks, mind- none of this long drawn out howling).

You mean you lost it on the muddy bit where forestry vehicles have been dragging mud onto the road for the past few weeks?

As for what to do, as one of my college lecturers said 'you put your foot to the floor, and pray you don't run out of road'.

If you boot it, steer into the slide, the back end will gradually straighten up at which point you can ease of the throttle.
Easing of the throttle while sliding means the tyres will most likely suddenly grip, flicking the car back the other way, which for most drivers results in far worse things happening.

You are probably giving some opposite lock (steering into the skid) which is the right thing. What you are doing is probably leaving it on too long. What should happen is you back end will go loose you will steer into it to correct. There will then be a sort of pause when the skid stops, its at this point you need to start unwinding the lock. Most people wait for the car to start pointing back in the direction before they start taking the lock off. This is too late and will lead to an over correction.

And also as come people have noted lifting off the gas can make things worse. I would not say give it large but staying on a neutral throttle, ie not accelerating and not slowing. This will mean you are not transferring weight to the front (braking/slowing) or rear (accelerating) so the car should be balanced.

Or I could be talking crap you decide 🙂

Most people wait for the car to start pointing back in the direction before they start taking the lock off. This is too late and will lead to an over correction.

This is probs what I was doing, along with this

And also as come people have noted lifting off the gas can make things worse.

when trying to do this

I would not say give it large but staying on a neutral throttle, ie not accelerating and not slowing.

I've been told hitting the clutch helps too. Might look into a skid pan day.

The mantra is "if you spin both feet in" ie brake and clutch, but thats generally when there is no chance of saving it 🙂 In this case though clutch in is generally to stop killing the engine if you end up going backwards and driving it round the wrong way.

Skid pan courses are good fun but pick a good one as some are a bit pants. That said you need to do it a lot for it to become second nature.

What car are you driving ?

ta - Mk1 MX5. Will probs go back to FWD in the future, may not be worth it.

THE BEST thing anyone can experience is getting a job or pastime that involves driving all sorts of slow/odd vehicles that a) Don't usually belong to them and b) You get to drive off road a lot.

**cracks knuckles**
I can slide a 26 tonne Volvo loading shovel coming down off a stockpile
I can do reverse flicks in an Escort van
I can glide a transit van round a stockpile in a quarry
I can handbrake turn through gates & round corners

8)

All thanks to a misspent youth going fishing and working on building sites and quarries.
What I'm trying to say is that to learn car control, first you have to loose control (Well, break traction at least) repeatedly, until you can learn to get it back again.
Sliding cars on roads holds no fear for me anymore, to the point where I don't bother doing it*, but I can go right up to that point whenever I feel like it.... and know I can get it back again

OK, flame me. 😉

* It's handy in the snow though.