Today i was waiting to join a large roundabout when an audi 80 came zooming around it,i thought "bloody hell they are giving it some" as i pulled out after it had zoomed past just in time to see the car run out of grip,go into a mad uncontrolled sideways skid,spin 90 degrees and mount the front wheels onto the grass on the roundabout

The woman driving looked shocked as she was blocking two lanes of the three lane roundabout

So me and the rest of the traffic made an impromptu roadblock as she pointed the car back in the direction she was origionally aiming for and so she could continue her journey.

Which got me thinking

What is the best way to stop it all going tits up if you find yourself on a sharp corner/roundabout and the car is on the edge of losing its grip

1. don't panic

2. GENTLY and SMOOTHLY ease off the throttle which should lose some speed and get the car back under full control.

If you cut the throttle sharply you could induce lift-off oversteer, which is probably what the woman did.

It is of course always best to avoid that situation developing at all.

yeah,I think your right about the woman and her stunt driving display

Good advice from you(re: dont take your foot off the power in one big lump) but its hard not to start flapping at the point when you realise things are going awol

yeah,I think your right about the woman and her stunt driving display

Good advice from you(re: dont take your foot off the power in one big lump) but its hard not to start flapping at the point when you realise things are going awol

hit the nail on the head there,the only way to recover it is to get used to being on the limit and beyond,ie skid pans and track days,as without being used to being sideways the driver will allways panic and spin,unless very lucky:D

You will panic, and the car will flap about all over the place, did just that recently on a roundabout with oil/diesel all over it.....but years of rear wheel drive cars gave me enough experience to steer out of it....it was close! ...as said try not to put yourself in the position in the first place (oil or ice can catch you out at very slow speeds) and some skid pan experience will help an awful lot ....you wont know what it's like untill you get in that situation and to be honest the more room you have around you the better

best way to deal with it, is buy a car with ESP ....I''ve tried to make my car do that on a million roundabouts and failed lol..... if you're comming to the camping meet, you can have a try and see, I know a nice big (generally empty) roundabout you can play on .... it will let you get about 2 inces before interviening, and bringing the speed right down, while simultanousley keeping the car exactly where you are steering it...

but seriously,assuming you don't have ESP, as previously stated, taking your foot off the gas in one sharp movement will induce lift-off oversteer, a "good" car will let you know through the front wheels when the grip is reaching its limits, you will feel through the steeringwheel, the front tyres begining to slide, and gently backing off should sort it

assuming the car is front wheel drive, if you do induce lift off oversteer like the woman in the OP did, you need to steer INTO the skid and get on the gas...... so the front wheels pull you out, this will take some nerve though, so only place to really play with that is on the track.....

best way to deal with it, is buy a car with ESP ....I''ve tried to make my car do that on a million roundabouts and failed lol..... if you're comming to the camping meet, you can have a try and see, I know a nice big (generally empty) roundabout you can play on .... it will let you get about 2 inces before interviening, and bringing the speed right down, while simultanousley keeping the car exactly where you are steering it...

but seriously,assuming you don't have ESP, as previously stated, taking your foot off the gas in one sharp movement will induce lift-off oversteer, a "good" car will let you know through the front wheels when the grip is reaching its limits, you will feel through the steeringwheel, the front tyres begining to slide, and gently backing off should sort it

assuming the car is front wheel drive, if you do induce lift off oversteer like the woman in the OP did, you need to steer INTO the skid and get on the gas...... so the front wheels pull you out, this will take some nerve though, so only place to really play with that is on the track.....

a good way to practice in my car is take the car to the limits of the front wheels,when you induce understeer lift off and prepare for the back end to snap out,keep steering towards the apex and mash the throttle to the floor,wait a split second and feel the diff lock up,go through the corner at daft speeds,but remember with the diff locked the wheels won't self centre you have to wrestle them back straight:D

a good way to practice in my car is take the car to the limits of the front wheels,when you induce understeer lift off and prepare for the back end to snap out,keep steering towards the apex and mash the throttle to the floor,wait a split second and feel the diff lock up,go through the corner at daft speeds,but remember with the diff locked the wheels won't self centre you have to wrestle them back straight:D

lol... learning the new diff well then I see

isn't the "no self centre" a character of these locked diffs, abit like the old RS focus?

Stamp the brake pedal, yank the handbrake and let go of the steering wheel, much more fun.

:

isn't the "no self centre" a character of these locked diffs, abit like the old RS focus?

Yes, nature of the beast. Modern gear diffs like the Quaife ATB are a lot kinder that old school plate or viscous diffs but you still have to be on the ball.

lol... learning the new diff well then I see

isn't the "no self centre" a character of these locked diffs, abit like the old RS focus?

"discliamer" i am an expierienced idiot,who allways practices his idiotic antics in a controlled environment,i never drive on the public highway in an unsafe or impolite manor,except for following skudmissile one day when i didn't know where i was,andyes i'm learning it well,its still catches me out ocasionaly,as Ross says you have to be on the ball and aware of it all the time:D

find a very large car park or a deserted industrial estate or failing that a private road with no other vehicles in vacinity.

Carry spare underpants in the glove box

Thanks all:thumbup:

I think i might have a look into some advanced driving courses with a bit of skidpan action included

If i start practicing on my own i will probably end up on my roof with soiled undercrackers

"discliamer" i am an expierienced idiot,who allways practices his idiotic antics in a controlled environment,i never drive on the public highway in an unsafe or impolite manor,except for following skudmissile one day when i didn't know where i was,andyes i'm learning it well,its still catches me out ocasionaly,as Ross says you have to be on the ball and aware of it all the time:D

Dont bring me into this :P When was that?? I dont remember

Id do what Ross suggested, Handbrake on, hands off the wheel and hope for the best.