Bmw 4 series spun out of control m25
Discussion
SS2. said:
You were driving too fast for the conditions - something most (if not all) of us have done at some point - but, in your case, it bit you.
Be thankful no one was injured, learn from the experience, move on.
Exactly this. You were a very lucky boy. Recognise that the fault lies mostly with you and not the car, and drive accordingly next time.Be thankful no one was injured, learn from the experience, move on.
Catatafish said:
The speed limit in germany is generally reduced when raining.
Also 50% of the cause for any autobahn accident at over 130km/h is automatically assigned to you.
The Autobahns I've been on have had lower speed limits for night and rain, even on unlimited sections.Also 50% of the cause for any autobahn accident at over 130km/h is automatically assigned to you.
As pretty much everyone has said you were driving too fast for the conditions. If there is enough spray that you have to slow to pass other cars then there's a lot of water on the road.
Aquaplaning is bloody scary but can be mitigated by having good tread on the tyres and not driving so fast that the tyres can't clear the water.
We've all done daft things in cars, you got away with it this time.
It is a simple case of aqua planning where the water is too much for the tyres to cope with.
What tyres are they ? And what model is your 4 series?
In France for instance you have to slow down to 100km (I think) in the rain, at least your ok and have learnt a lesson.
I am no saint and drive at 80 to 90 on motorways but do slow down in the wet weather and will be interesting on how the Uniroyal Rainsports I had put on last week perform in the wet.
Had Michelin PS4 o;before but this is on a AUDI A6 3.0 TDI.
What tyres are they ? And what model is your 4 series?
In France for instance you have to slow down to 100km (I think) in the rain, at least your ok and have learnt a lesson.
I am no saint and drive at 80 to 90 on motorways but do slow down in the wet weather and will be interesting on how the Uniroyal Rainsports I had put on last week perform in the wet.
Had Michelin PS4 o;before but this is on a AUDI A6 3.0 TDI.
OP, I'm glad you made it out of this one with just a dented ego.
Please make sure you tailor your driving to the prevailing conditions in future.
At times we can feel we can do anything in our cars, even in my small car, but as cliché as it sounds, we're pretty fragile beings especially hurtling at 90 mph in a small metal and glass container.
On your previous journey you travelled with your mum, can you imagine if this incident would have happened with her in the car?
Take some courses (maybe), digest the good advice you've been given and drive safely with the conditions next time.
You might not be around to write a post about something like this in the future.
Please make sure you tailor your driving to the prevailing conditions in future.
At times we can feel we can do anything in our cars, even in my small car, but as cliché as it sounds, we're pretty fragile beings especially hurtling at 90 mph in a small metal and glass container.
On your previous journey you travelled with your mum, can you imagine if this incident would have happened with her in the car?
Take some courses (maybe), digest the good advice you've been given and drive safely with the conditions next time.
You might not be around to write a post about something like this in the future.
Edited by RacingGreen0001 on Saturday 11th November 09:15
nickfrog said:
Also you mention the TC / stability light flashing routinely. It shouldn't. Even in the wet, if you rely on it to save you, then as soon as both axles are saturated, there is nothing it can do to help. It can't "draw friction" from one axle to the other any longer, which is what stability systems do.
This was the bit that caught my attention - routinely having the stability light kicking in - which means routinely driving to the limit and then, on this occasion, exceeding it. There's another thread running at the moment about a crash involving a driverless bus and a lorry. Someone posted a link to an article which discusses driver aids (or, in this case, pilot aids) and what can happen if we rely too much on them.Loads of good comments on here, loads of crap from people who haven’t ever made a mistake driving or at least do t want to admit it in public as well. There are times when you need to make mistakes to learn from the experience and become a better driver.
The key word is EXPERIENCE because if you hadn’t had this lucky escape from the spin you wouldnt be able to learn from it.
I’ve buried a black Toyota supra in a ditch and rolled a MK1 Astra GTE in the woods, I’ve learn from both of those mistakes, so chalk it up to experience, learn from it and become a better driver.
If you do find yourself still speeding in the rain, do as much as you can to help improve your chances, undertake a wet driving course, skid pan, etc... get winter tyres for this time of year and maybe a quattro or x-drive if you are a BMW fan. It won’t solve the root problem of going too fast when you shouldn’t be but it’ll help your chances and give you more control.
Half the problem I see with accidents at this time of year isn’t bad condition tyres, it’s the wrong tyres for the conditions...
The key word is EXPERIENCE because if you hadn’t had this lucky escape from the spin you wouldnt be able to learn from it.
I’ve buried a black Toyota supra in a ditch and rolled a MK1 Astra GTE in the woods, I’ve learn from both of those mistakes, so chalk it up to experience, learn from it and become a better driver.
If you do find yourself still speeding in the rain, do as much as you can to help improve your chances, undertake a wet driving course, skid pan, etc... get winter tyres for this time of year and maybe a quattro or x-drive if you are a BMW fan. It won’t solve the root problem of going too fast when you shouldn’t be but it’ll help your chances and give you more control.
Half the problem I see with accidents at this time of year isn’t bad condition tyres, it’s the wrong tyres for the conditions...
OP - Take it on the Chin as experience.
The problem sounds like you trusted the car too much hence was driving too fast for the conditions. The Corsa you mentioned would most likely be safer car in those conditions being FWD and dissipating the water quicker.
I've had a 430d M sport and they are not stable cars in the wet as they are too twitchy with poor suspension. Another problem is 450ft/lb torque to the rear wheels at low RPM and in the wet this trouble!
The problem sounds like you trusted the car too much hence was driving too fast for the conditions. The Corsa you mentioned would most likely be safer car in those conditions being FWD and dissipating the water quicker.
I've had a 430d M sport and they are not stable cars in the wet as they are too twitchy with poor suspension. Another problem is 450ft/lb torque to the rear wheels at low RPM and in the wet this trouble!
Edited by Big GT on Saturday 11th November 08:32
Speed limit not target.
Just because your speed is legal (in Germany ffs!) does not mean it is automatically safe.
On a soaking motorway sometimes I've felt that 40mph was my max, safe speed so that what I stuck to.
Drive to the prevailing conditions - you simply asked more from your tyres than they could deliver. Be grateful it was early hours and empty roads, it'd be a different thread if you done that at 9am!
Just because your speed is legal (in Germany ffs!) does not mean it is automatically safe.
On a soaking motorway sometimes I've felt that 40mph was my max, safe speed so that what I stuck to.
Drive to the prevailing conditions - you simply asked more from your tyres than they could deliver. Be grateful it was early hours and empty roads, it'd be a different thread if you done that at 9am!
What width are the tyres? How much tread depth? Come to that, what brand, and how much of the tread is block, and how much is groove?
When a tyre hits a large volume of water on the surface, it tries to "squeegee" the water out. It can only go via the grooves in the tread. The more width, the more water to dispose of. The more block-to-groove, the less space to dispose of it. The lower the tread depth, the less space to dispose of it.
Wide tyres are notoriously prone to aquaplaning. The last thing you want to do when aquaplaning is hit the brakes. No wonder you went pirouetting.
When a tyre hits a large volume of water on the surface, it tries to "squeegee" the water out. It can only go via the grooves in the tread. The more width, the more water to dispose of. The more block-to-groove, the less space to dispose of it. The lower the tread depth, the less space to dispose of it.
Wide tyres are notoriously prone to aquaplaning. The last thing you want to do when aquaplaning is hit the brakes. No wonder you went pirouetting.
Chestrockwell said:
...all tyres are legal...
Riiight. And that's the best you can say about them? Below 3mm tread, the water-dispersing ability nose-dives. Legal minimum is just over half that.Chestrockwell said:
Modern cars can handle 90 mph, especially mine, maybe a 08 plate corsa on 185 section tyres can’t handle 90 mph in the rain but a 2015 430d m sport can, well...should.
The Corsa would have been less prone to aquaplaning, because the tyres fitted are a much more suitable size, rather than being dry-traction and cosmetic-led. Also, the driver would have been less likely to be doing an unsuitable speed for the conditions. He would also have been far less likely to have drawn parallels with Clarkson, ffs...Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff