Low speed wobble, any ideas?

[BarcelonaLewis]

I've been driving a manual 996 C2 for about 3 years now and have done 15k miles, in all weathers and mostly fairly spirited driving on the fantastic roads in the Highlands. I'd have said I was fairly comfortable with how it handles.

However... bizarre thing happened today, I was driving slowly around a roundabout and completely lost control of the back end. It was 5 degrees or so outside, quite wet and I had Dunlop wintersport tyres on. No acceleration or braking, and I was doing perhaps doing 15/20 mph. It shook me a bit, especially having my 1 year old riding shotgun and not understanding why it happened, and could it happened at speed with oncoming traffic?

Video link below, doesn't seem dramatic at all in the vid but did in person! Any advice would be much appreciated.

https://youtu.be/jwO2Dp43GjY

[darrenheysham]

Oil or diesel on the roundabout would be my suspicion.

[gsewell]

Agreed about oil or diesel. Possibly mud?
Either way, well caught 😀

[BarcelonaLewis]

Thanks guys, oil had occurred to me afterwards but I'd thought I'd have seen it, especially as the road was wet. Unfortunately I didn't go back to check.

Drove the next 100 miles down to Glasgow a lot more cautiously than the 50 before!

[Paynewright]

I’m like you when something happens - I like to understand and learn.

My money is on a spillage, however, I’d check your tyre pressures just in case. Some of these low profiles have such rigid side walls its not obvious.

Ian

[Olivera]

I'm going with just a greasy winter roundabout after some rainfall.

Some good practice though, imo anyone driving a real wheel drive sports car should be able to pick up and collect low speed oversteer with relative ease.

[BarcelonaLewis]

Thanks both - I did pull over just after and check the tyres and they're ok.

Regarding correcting it with ease, that's the issue here and why I posted. I've been a keen driver for 15 years now, started in an mx5, then some heavier and more powerful German cars before the 911, and I've always tried to find the limit and you know more or less when you'll begin to lose the rear now and how to deal with it. On the trip up (without child in the front) it was pouring down and there were 2 or 3 times on the road up to Mallaig where rear would start to move out and I'd correct it, but that was taking long corners at speed (same tyres and conditions). This was totally different, it doesn't show it in the video well but the rear felt like it was swept away, at the sort of speed you'd be doing in a carpark.

Something like oil seems the most likely explanation, lucky I wasn't on a bike!