Oops what the heck happened here?

[AV8]

Quinny said:

I wasn't having a dig........

From my own experience, I've found its ok to lose traction, when YOU provoke it, and you sort of expect what's going to happen....
The problems seem to occur, when traction is lost, and you didn't expect it..... Then it seems it can go wrong very very quickly..... I also think that each car will react differently, be it down to tyres, diff wear and tear suspension set up, and driver input or lack of input....

In other words it's easy to look from the outside, and say the driver should have done this or that.... But it's a totally different story when it happens to you or I...

Here endeth the lesson...

I think Quinny makes a very good point here.

There is nothing like the satisfaction you get when provoking the tail out from a tight bend in second gear and holding the slide on the power, but losing the back end on a damp road when you're not expecting it, and you have a fag in one hand and your iPhone in the other is a different proposition altogether.

[Dr Mike Oxgreen]

spend said:

I don't think Bob said 'boot it through', just made the point that a total lift is likely to be FAR WORSE than the momentary situation...

And who said anything about a total lift?

[Quinny]

AV8 said:

I think Quinny makes a very good point here.

There is nothing like the satisfaction you get when provoking the tail out from a tight bend in second gear and holding the slide on the power, but losing the back end on a damp road when you're not expecting it, and you have a fag in one hand and your iPhone in the other is a different proposition altogether.

Yes.... Steering with your knees can get tricky when the tail slides out..... The last time it happened I almost spilt my mocha choca latte...:

Edited by Quinny on Monday 8th December 18:13

[chrisb0]

Some interesting comments here, however I was in the camera car in this instance and there are a couple of things to note.
The TVR driver was pushing too hard for the conditions, as someone said on here the throttle is not a binary instrument.
The car lost traction at the rear and started to step out, at this stage it looks like he lifted too much and the car reacted by snapping back, as it was very slippery this induced over steer in the opposite direction.

As the throttle was now effectively closed the only inputs available are steering or breaking or add more throttle.

Adding more throttle would make things worse
Its a little late for steering
Now hitting the breaks could actually help but again by the time they are applied it would be too late, and to be effective in this situation you need ABS.
If you think this bit about breaks sounds crazy, your not alone but I did an ice driving course last year and that's what you do when you lose the back end, sounds crazy but it works.

Any way the only real way this would have been avoided (apart from not losing it in the first place) was to lift just a little and balance the car on the throttle with just a little steering input

Edited by chrisb0 on Monday 8th December 19:24

[BarnFind]

chrisb0 said:

Any way the only real way this would have been avoided (apart from not losing it in the first place) was to lift just a little and balance the car on the throttle with just a little steering input

Edited by chrisb0 on Monday 8th December 19:24

Thats pretty much what i did but thought it was wrong to have lifted the throttle..

[chrisb0]

Its all about balance, a car will react to inputs, the more violent the input the more violent the reaction.

Its a real skill to catch a car that steps out unexpectedly and although I know the theory its not something I can say I have truly mastered.

[ianwayne]

I think it's something that can become instinctive. I'm no racer but being an old git was brought up on RWD. My first 3 cars starting in 1984 were a Hillman Avenger, a 1.8 Morris Marina Coupé and a 1.6 Mk I Vauxhall Cavalier. All with poor rear grip (the Cavalier was acceptable in the dry), and very poor in the wet. Catching slides become commonplace in wet weather, particularly in the Marina which was so bad I put 2 paving slabs in the boot in a vain attempt to hold the back down on roundabouts.

I find that my Chimaera if it loses traction one rear wheel, can be controlled by just lifting slightly but a total rear-end snap like happened to the OP is something I hope doesn't happen to me!

[davelittlewood]

I managed to get a 'tank slapper' going round the one street in my local town one morning.

Kicked out one way and then when I put in some opposite lock is snapped back the other way.

I kept the throttle on, just a little, to stop the rear from locking up under engine braking.

I was lucky as I was in the middle lane of three with cars either side but managed to avoid all the other cars.

The only damage done was that I managed to bang my wife's head agains the side window.