1st anniversary of my scary experience

[hamann18]

hi,

had the same scary experience 2 years back but with the merc c200. Driving uphill at bukit mantin in seremban at 70 - 80 km/h when suddenly my tail going wild. Being unexperience driver with this kind of situations, i'll hit the brake and the car skid before it hit the tree on the right side of the road. Luckily, i was saved by the streering airbags but my left femur broke. The car was totalled lost.

Now, after 2 years, i still have stainless steel in my leg.

 

[VNP]

Yes, upgrade the driver before upgrading the car...

Tail coming out.. hehe.. something i would like to do in the rain, at low speed. Do it often enuf and you'll know how to anticipate and control it...

Sometimes it's not how fast you drive in the wet, running water on the road can cause havoc too unless u are really going SLOW. So best is to be equipped with the proper skills, then you can save yourself from unwanted scary experiences last this....


pssstt: for a moment, I thot you're telling us it's your 1st wedding anniversary....

Can any sifus tell how one should handle the car if one were to encounter the same situation as Josh ( the back going out of control ). Thanks.

 

[berserkdroid]

Firstly, don't panic.

Steer your front wheels smoothly into the direction of the skid or "fishtail" and ease up from the gas pedal. This causes the rear wheels to slow their rotation enough to regain their grip, allowing you to regain control.

However its best if you go for professional training in order to fully master this technique.

 

[pussy]

hahaa..... in the rain... when the car skids.. pray that you get out alive....

all the best tires, electronic gizmos won't save you...

that's what i said last time in another thread...

 

[astroboy]

Controlling skid is a very advance technique known best only to drifters. They use the car seat to transmit the tail movement into the driver's spine and react accordingly. They do it often and they know exactly how it felt and what to expect.

How often we did that? That's why track days help! The first time I experienced that on the public road was also a total loss experience.. Those who frequent throw there rear knows the limit of their car better than u and me.. Have to do it sometimes in the rain..

 

[fabianyee]

When the tail steps out, it's called oversteer. To correct an oversteer, u have to countersteer. Like what Berserkdroid said, u have to steer to the direct of the skid. If the tail went to the right, then steer to the right..

Applying the brakes is a tricky affair during a skid. It can lock up all the 4 wheels and the whole car end up spinning like a block of ice on an ice rink. So the first line of defence is always to countersteer to attempt to try regain control of the car. only when I feel that i can't counter fast enough, then only I'll brake. By then, the car will slide in 1 direction instead of going merry go round.

I forgot to mention that the most important is not to panic when the car oversteered. My initial training ground for car control was on the go-kart track. u can breach the limit at a lower speed and it is relatively safer. Then I started going for track days to further hone my skills.

For structured track days, there's the HPC track days. There's also the BMW Advanced Driver's Training organised by BMW Malaysia.

 

[Jules]

fabian,

thanks for input.....just to add, even when counter steering.....please be gentle even when you are lifting off the throttle.......do it too fast, the rear will rotate!.....

If you brake, your survival of coming off this one untouched.....at best - minimal.

best is to drive according to conditions & ur car set-up. ( wide tyres look coool in dry but in wet....even kancil can overtake u ) When not familiar with wet roads.....best to follow someone from a distance and see his splashes.........and corrections. When he brakes....be alert!

come to HPC....imagine doing sepang in pouring rain and aquaplane just before Turn 9....but all in safe and controlled conditios.

 

[berserkdroid]

Remember also that the ability of the human body to control a skid in the wet rapidly diminishes with each increase per kilometer of speed.

So to control a skid at 60km/h would be fairly okay, but at 240km/h corrections will have to be done in milliseconds bearing in mind the road conditions, proximity of surrounding vehicles etc, an effort that requires superhuman reflexes. More so if there is a truck approaching head on...

 

[VNP]

Thanks to all the sifus that have given their inputs and hopefully I won't need
to apply the said counter measures while on the road. Go slow and be extra careful when raining.

 

[python_dev]

P.S. even if you drive 20km/h all the time, it's still better to do an advanced driver training course..
you'll be amazed at what you'll learn..
Plus, you can always pass on that knowledge to the ones around you later

 

[k3nny]

I think that essentially any car has its limits and tolerances with regards to handling and driving in the wet.

There are drivers which have been driving for 30 years or so with no advance driver training at any level and still going fine and strong and thats not to say that they are conservative or slow drivers.

I think its a matter of communicating with your car and knowing your car's limits and your own personal driving limits as well that will save you. Knowing how to recover from a loss of control but not knowing your limits will likely minimize your damage but not save you entirely as opposed to knowing your limits.

To be honest, i actually prefer driving in the rain than in the wet..

No hot sun on your lap, the rythmic sounds of the raindrops..

And fair enough, its easier to aquaplane on wider tires than thinner tires.. But the weight of the car also play's a big role here.. And we're in BMW's..

Loss of control is fun for those who know it and fearful for those who dont know it. Get to know it!