Driving quite steadily round a large roundabout in the rain yesterday and suddenly the back of the car shot sideways ....taking me straight towards some very big road signs :eek:...managed to get it back and it shot the other way ....and carried on fishtailing up the road for about 50 metres before I got it on line again, I can only think there was some oil on the roundabout as I have never had the rear of this car slide before (I have tried) and it was so sudden as well.

anyone else's Octavia think it's a rear wheel drive car or is it just mine

It's happened to me also on a roundabout except I did a complete pirouette. I imagine it must have been diesel also. When the lorries' tanks are full, often the roundabouts make the contents slop over, apparently.

I've had the back end on the Octy II slip out a bit, again on a roundabout, but it was a wide roundabout and so caught.

At the time I had the bridgestones on the rear and I'll admit it wasn't the best.

What tyres you got on yours Rob? I'm just wondering if this combined with your lack of braking is pointing at tyres that are just too damn hard or lacking grip.

I've got goodyear eagle f1 on the front and the rear wheels came with a new set of "event" tyres which I put on the back, and to be honest have been great up till now .....when I get a cofidence back I'll push them a bit at the next roundabout and see what happens......but I am 99% certain it was fuel or oil on the road.

Forgot to say ...wasn't braking at the time just gently driving round to come off at the next exit

and it was Beckhampton roundabout just in case you are heading that way Nick

Locally the buses used to fuel up 1st thing in the morning and then set off.

Unfortunately there was a roundabout they immediately went onto - and one of the slip roads had a very acute bend.

I came across this one early morning - put car sideways and just manged to get it straight. I stopped opposite a copper , sat grinning in his car.

"Yup, it caught me out too," he said.

"Have sent for Highways dept to clear it up. It's the buses."

But - just possible it's the tyres on the rear not affording as much grip as the fronts (esp in the wet). e.g. I used to run studded snow tyres in the winter. One year the rears were too worn so I just put the fronts on. The 1st night I rounded a tricky sharp bend and the car went sideways :eek: and I came to a halt just inches from a house. The next day I went and got 2 snow tyres for the rears

If it was diesel, there's be a good chance you'd smell it, rather than just skid on it. Been there, done that (but mine was a 4-wheel drift; nothing to do but hold constant throttle, and hope I ran out of skid before I ran out of road width).

I'd put the even tyres on the front and the eagles on the rear and try doing the same. Even if the "event" tyres have 6mm grip and the others only 3-4mm, the eagles are probably a much stickier compound.

You can usually see the rainbow if there is a lot of derv down, but I've seen it and not smelt it.

DIESEL - worse than ice.

I thought all that had stopped now with modern venting designs on tanks. When I was motorcycling in the '70s, it was a classic on roundabouts. usually buses overfill the tank and the surplus would slop out if they took the curve too sprightly.

I well remember it happening quite regularly when motorcycling. It was either that or badly seated manhole covers. On one occasion, I slide on my b*m across both main carriageways at Swakeleys roundabout on the A40 at Uxbridge, after an involunatry de-mount following an encounter with only a smear of diesel on the road surface - never been the same since !

Nick,

27/05/08

I'm guessing a bit, but it happened to me (qv) about 10 years ago (estimate based on the car I was driving).

I've got goodyear eagle f1 on the front and the rear wheels came with a new set of "event" tyres which I put on the back, and to be honest have been great up till now .....when I get a cofidence back I'll push them a bit at the next roundabout and see what happens......but I am 99% certain it was fuel or oil on the road.

Forgot to say ...wasn't braking at the time just gently driving round to come off at the next exit

and it was Beckhampton roundabout just in case you are heading that way Nick

There was some Oil/Petrol there... That would be due to the accident that happend on Thursday last week.

Both me and Vard have had some 'Issues' with getting grip from both the Civic and Vitesse while heading out towards Calne.

Just take it steady.

Had the same problem a couple of years ago with a landrover and trailer, whole lot, all 8 wheels, just sliding sideways no control at all until the diesel ran out. I've slid the 4x4 round a couple of roundabouts for the same reason. Always comes as a surprise!

Isn't ESP supposed to stop all this happening regardless of the cause? :confused:

Isn't ESP supposed to stop all this happening regardless of the cause? :confused:

ESP can't get past physics.

If there is no grip on the road surface then there is no way anything can do anything about it.

I'd put the even tyres on the front and the eagles on the rear and try doing the same. Even if the "event" tyres have 6mm grip and the others only 3-4mm, the eagles are probably a much stickier compound.

You can usually see the rainbow if there is a lot of derv down, but I've seen it and not smelt it.

All the tyres are brand new and have full tread on them.....it's a good job I had the eagles on the front as if not I would have hit the signs head on........I'm old school and love rear wheel drive cars and am used to the back of the car coming out ....it's just that this time it was so sudden ....no warning at all

I did a pirouette in my old octy on a straight bit of road! I put it down to the new Chinese tyres I'd just put on it that day though. twas rather scary, road surface was damp, but no rain.

Bloody hell sounds like some brown trouser moments!!!!

It also sounds like it was very nearly Octygone into a sign post. (sorry it was the frist thing I thought of)

ESP can't get past physics.

If there is no grip on the road surface then there is no way anything can do anything about it.

:iagree: - which is why I don't like the concept of ESP. At least traction control systems normally have a warning for when you set them off!

The rain after such a hot spell is so dangerous, glad you managed to keep control mate.

I'm old school and love rear wheel drive cars and am used to the back of the car coming out.

I agree, and have found it quite handy experience whenever I've had a front-wheel drive car lose the back-end due to diesel spills on corners.

Tyre Safety : New Tyres Should Go On The Rear

Cheesy video, but kinda on topic in that putting the better tyres on the rear is generally the thing to do.

Ttfn,

MPM

Cool I just put mine on the front

All the tyres are brand new and have full tread on them.....it's a good job I had the eagles on the front as if not I would have hit the signs head on........I'm old school and love rear wheel drive cars and am used to the back of the car coming out ....it's just that this time it was so sudden ....no warning at all

That's fair enough and totally up to you, I tended to put new tyres on the axle needed too. I just meant one very grippy tyre vs one unknown tyre.

Tyre Safety : New Tyres Should Go On The Rear

Cheesy video, but kinda on topic in that putting the better tyres on the rear is generally the thing to do.

Ttfn,

MPM

This is complete nonsense in any circumstance except hard braking on a wet turn.

It is particular nonsense in the context of a diesel spill, which is like ice, and where tread depth has no bearing on "lack of) grip.

No but I was suggesting maybe it was just the lack of grip when the rear tyres are holding the back in line (roundabout) that had caused it rather then the seeming derv/black ice/etc

Cheesy video, but kinda on topic in that putting the better tyres on the rear is generally the thing to do.

- video wasn't meant to be related to ice/diesel, just what i thought was an interesting premise.

Sorry for speaking nonsense oh greater one. More nonsense follows - don't read.

cheezemonkhai has the right idea. Generally, if the grip available is better at the front, it will be easier to induce oversteer - it's basic physics.

MPM