chicken george wrote:

you wont live if you get out of your car in Chapeltown Leeds, not from a car smash, more from mugging.

sometimes just not locking the doors is enough never mind getting out of the car At work
At home

"I can't always believe facts I read on the web" - Charles Dickens

winner by default of the tractor vs caravan race

Looks like it has a negative camber there, or is that just the photo? Poor road engineering if it is a neg camber at the change of gradient...

There are so many instances of poor road engineering which contribute to accidents.

It's negative alright, horrible and that was years ago, sounds like they have now fitted a concrete barrier to keep the cars in, I bet that has a few battle scars. There was a similiar horrible bend near the house in Bondi, wasn't designed with cars in mind at all.

Interesting what Dartman the one says, feathering the throttle, or keeping it where it is is best, I once heard that cruise control in very heavy rain was a bad idea, I think it was debated on here too, basically the theory was (or is) that with cruise control on, hitting standing water will slow the car as we know, the cruise control will try and get the speed back up by applying throttle, generally it will do this quite aggressively, as the quick acceleration is more Eco friendly than sauntering back up to speed, thus potentially lighting up the wheels.

Cruise control switches off as soon as you get wheelspin - eg when going slightly too fast over my local hump-backed bridge. Ex AA Series III LWB Safari - Gone
300TDi Disco (bought new - terrible car) sent back after 18 months
Freelander 1 Estate - leased, given back at end of lease
200TDi Disco (bought from a mate with 100,000 on the clock) - Gone
Disco 2 TD5 - sold and exported to France
FR2 TD4 GS - Gone
FR2 SD4 HSE - Now changed for a DS
New model ex-demo Evoque S 180 in white
Unable to order a new DS, so gave up. Now have a Volvo S90 Recharge.

Tend to agree, cruise control, the car tends to slow not the wheels, if the wheels over speed by about 10mph cruise kicks out my PC is slightly to the right of Genghis
2012 HSE SD4 In Orkney Grey now gone, best car ever.

Interesting that bit of road, came down it in the wet and dark in a mini years ago, didn't know the road and lifted at the bend and the rear kicked out, luckily I was half expecting it. my PC is slightly to the right of Genghis
2012 HSE SD4 In Orkney Grey now gone, best car ever.

I would say blame the tires, mine are the grabber uhps and down to 4mm and they are shocking in the damp wet rain of late, locked up on a motorway when I had to brake to a stop, wheels slipped around a bend, yesterday wheels lost grip on a round about, all three times with better tires it would of gripped the stupid thing though is that when I had to pull my dads van out of a wet raining muddy field they worked well

Dan Freelander 57 plate XS Blue Auto

Past master wrote:

Cruise control switches off as soon as you get wheelspin - eg when going slightly too fast over my local hump-backed bridge.

I never knew that, very rarely use it, might have to try it out now, all in the name of science of course, just to make sure it works

About the car slowing and not the wheels? trying to get my head round that one, I suppose the wheels under power try to rotate at the same speed or even accelerate with the loss of grip as they are 'floating' across the water surface?
I'll keep sticking it in GGS, more because its there and I can, it does dull the cars response and in the event of an 'issue' should respond sooner, the technology is there so it gets used.

I always find it worthwhile when I get a new car to explore its limits and power, it gives me an understanding of how the car will respond, the first thing I always do is try an emergency stop, its scary how quickly the car will pull up, I don't mean a half hearted heavy braking, get up to 50 or so and stand on the pedal, it hurts They demonstrated this at Gaydon the other week, 80mph, 7 up in the car, wet road and boy did that thing stop.

Lifting mid bend as most will know does not make for a happy car, it also takes bottle to keep your foot in, one thing that amazes me time after time is the number of people that not only lift but brake as well on bends Fortunately, they are rarely going at a speed that will cause too many issues but the number of bashed walls and trees on the inside of bends is testament that many have come a cropper in that manner. It's a pity that courses designed to provide skills for these scenarios are expensive and not readily available.

Offshore 1987 - tyres that grip well in mud don't necessarily work well on a wet road. Things have improved over the last half century, but you are still asking the tyres to do completely different things and it has to be a compromise. To pull your dad out of a field you ideally need hard tyres with a bar, block or v-pattern tread, but to stop on a wet road you need softer rubber with longitudinal tread and efficient sypes. Ex AA Series III LWB Safari - Gone
300TDi Disco (bought new - terrible car) sent back after 18 months
Freelander 1 Estate - leased, given back at end of lease
200TDi Disco (bought from a mate with 100,000 on the clock) - Gone
Disco 2 TD5 - sold and exported to France
FR2 TD4 GS - Gone
FR2 SD4 HSE - Now changed for a DS
New model ex-demo Evoque S 180 in white
Unable to order a new DS, so gave up. Now have a Volvo S90 Recharge.

My mud tyres on ford ranger are a liability at times they fill with soil and get no braking grip on tarmac. Normally noticed when braking on downward sloped farm lane exit after off roading before leaving farm. They soon clean after some Road speed driving. But sometimes you get no grip just abs chatter, briefly with alarming At work
At home

"I can't always believe facts I read on the web" - Charles Dickens

winner by default of the tractor vs caravan race

So has anyone seen or expect the 'DSC' light to come on when driving through a deep puddle (car slowing, not the wheels) or just the one side of the car affected (being pulled in towards the kerb)
I never have

chicken george wrote:

Sorry to get all scientific but surely weight must play a part in how easy/difficult it is to lose control of a car unless Newton got it wrong? The inertia of a moving object is directly proportional to it's weight. In order to bring something to a stop you apply a force (brakes) which convert the energy into heat. In order to have efficient brakes you require the tyres to grip and convert the energy into heat via friction with the road. Increased tyre depth improves the chance of displacing water (and snow) and allowing the car to grip. Soft tyres improve friction with the road hence remove more energy via heat.

The ABS should not allow the wheels to lock when braking no matter what state the tyres are in or the road. Having read all about the FL2 before I went for a test drive, one of the things I tried was braking on a bend to see the effect, salesman didn't like it but actually there is very little effect, the car tracks very well. Regarding hitting water and unbalanced wheel speeds, yes the DSC light will flicker but you really have to look for it, your reaction will not be to look at the dash so you will miss it  my PC is slightly to the right of Genghis
2012 HSE SD4 In Orkney Grey now gone, best car ever.