Cerbera in the wet - ooouch
Discussion
Just seen an R-reg Cerbera (too dark and too quick to see much) near the M56/A56 roundabout at Altrincham, facing the wrong way on a dual carriageway with rear damage and a bemused policeman in attendance.
Looked like driver lost it big style on the bend exiting the roundabout in the wet - oooucchh. Anyone here?
Hope all is ok, and this kind of questioned my own abilities in the wet - I'm just about to take the plunge and buy a cerbera (finally!).
Question is -
1. How tricky are they in the wet?
2. Are the really viable winter/rough weather cars? (its going to be used all year and sat outside)
3. How can I persuade my other half (who also witnessed this incident), that I wont do the same with her and bambino in the car????
Cheers in advance,
Tommo
Looked like driver lost it big style on the bend exiting the roundabout in the wet - oooucchh. Anyone here?
Hope all is ok, and this kind of questioned my own abilities in the wet - I'm just about to take the plunge and buy a cerbera (finally!).
Question is -
1. How tricky are they in the wet?
2. Are the really viable winter/rough weather cars? (its going to be used all year and sat outside)
3. How can I persuade my other half (who also witnessed this incident), that I wont do the same with her and bambino in the car????
Cheers in advance,
Tommo
I'm sure you could do the same in a 316 if you overstep the mark 
, well thats what I'd tell her anyway 
.
Any car needs to be driven within its and your own capability for the conditions.
As has been said on countles threads on here before the first upgrade you should consider, is the nut behind the wheel i.e. driver training/education.
Harry
P.S. None of the above is meant to pre-judge the ability of the person having the spin, sh*t does happen some times, just incase they DO post on here
, well thats what I'd tell her anyway . Any car needs to be driven within its and your own capability for the conditions.
As has been said on countles threads on here before the first upgrade you should consider, is the nut behind the wheel i.e. driver training/education.
Harry
P.S. None of the above is meant to pre-judge the ability of the person having the spin, sh*t does happen some times, just incase they DO post on here
Tommo,
I've only had mine for about 3 months, so far most of it has been dry weather running.
Having said that it was raining on the test drive, and it absolutely chucked it down shortly after I got the car. I didn't find it a problem - just need to be smoother and not as aggressive. As Harry said you can lose any car if you overstep the mark (wet or dry).
This is also my only car, and will be outside all year round. I previously had a Chimaera, which I also used all year round, and think this will be a better option than the Chimaera for winter. However, I may be proved wrong.
I don't know how you can persuade the other half.
Neil
I've only had mine for about 3 months, so far most of it has been dry weather running.
Having said that it was raining on the test drive, and it absolutely chucked it down shortly after I got the car. I didn't find it a problem - just need to be smoother and not as aggressive. As Harry said you can lose any car if you overstep the mark (wet or dry).
This is also my only car, and will be outside all year round. I previously had a Chimaera, which I also used all year round, and think this will be a better option than the Chimaera for winter. However, I may be proved wrong.
I don't know how you can persuade the other half.
Neil
They are great fun in the wet! It's not tricky, just common sense. It's a light car on wide tyres with loads of power - a quick prod in the wet is obviously going to cause wheelspin. It's all down to the driver in the end - the engine doesn't have huge torque below 3k and should be plenty tractable, so there's no excuse for stacking it. Well, no blame on the car anyway, just driver excess enthusiasm to skill ratio 
It's worth being very aware of road surfaces too, just like a motorcyclist, i.e. over banding, changes in tarmac, oil patches etc. If you're not prepared to concentrate hard, then drive slowly and delicately.
What's probably more important is practising braking distances in the wet. The lack of ABS means that you will need to instinctively cadence brake, and this is impossible to do without some practice if you've never done it before. In an emergency situation the brain will just be screaming "press harder!" unless you have.
Get some skid pan training arranged with Don Palmer (driving developments) at some point, and you'll be looking forward to the rain! And as Harry said, remind her that the same thing is just as easy to do in any old BMW 320!
danny
It's worth being very aware of road surfaces too, just like a motorcyclist, i.e. over banding, changes in tarmac, oil patches etc. If you're not prepared to concentrate hard, then drive slowly and delicately.
What's probably more important is practising braking distances in the wet. The lack of ABS means that you will need to instinctively cadence brake, and this is impossible to do without some practice if you've never done it before. In an emergency situation the brain will just be screaming "press harder!" unless you have.
Get some skid pan training arranged with Don Palmer (driving developments) at some point, and you'll be looking forward to the rain! And as Harry said, remind her that the same thing is just as easy to do in any old BMW 320!
danny
I haven't had an accident since I started driving about 9 years ago and have owned some quite quick cars....but sometimes, through no fault of your own, a car can decide to go in a completely different direction to the one you want it to go in!
I was out in the Cerbera on a dark/damp morning taking the girlfriend home and was about to enter onto a large rounderbout. Being that the girlfriend gets a bit nervous about my driving sometimes I was taking it very easy as it was a little wet on the roads.
I must have tootled onto the rounderbout at about 15mph and the thing just started to spin
Caught the spin (whilst looking through the passenger window at a bemused Fiat driver with his heart in his mouth) and then proceeded to spin all the way round the other way !!
Ended up facing the wrong way in the road with a nasty bump to the rear wheel (from the curb that stopped my spin).
Point being, there was no excuse as to why the car decided to spin. The only thing I can think of was that there must have been a hoard of pixies that came out during the night who polished the road surface before smoothering it in baby oil.
... girlfriend wasn't impressed by the way, nor did she believe my explaination.
I was out in the Cerbera on a dark/damp morning taking the girlfriend home and was about to enter onto a large rounderbout. Being that the girlfriend gets a bit nervous about my driving sometimes I was taking it very easy as it was a little wet on the roads.
I must have tootled onto the rounderbout at about 15mph and the thing just started to spin
Caught the spin (whilst looking through the passenger window at a bemused Fiat driver with his heart in his mouth) and then proceeded to spin all the way round the other way !!
Ended up facing the wrong way in the road with a nasty bump to the rear wheel (from the curb that stopped my spin).
Point being, there was no excuse as to why the car decided to spin. The only thing I can think of was that there must have been a hoard of pixies that came out during the night who polished the road surface before smoothering it in baby oil.
... girlfriend wasn't impressed by the way, nor did she believe my explaination.
Cheers for the replies.
Anyone recommend a good advanced driving/skid pad course for a new cerbera owner, preferably close to the North West? I've owned performance cars before, but nothing as inspiring as a TVR.
Jonny tvr - cheers for the kind offer. I live in Hale - spending this week looking at possible cerberas to buy. I'll mail you to arrange a meeting.
Anyone recommend a good advanced driving/skid pad course for a new cerbera owner, preferably close to the North West? I've owned performance cars before, but nothing as inspiring as a TVR.
Jonny tvr - cheers for the kind offer. I live in Hale - spending this week looking at possible cerberas to buy. I'll mail you to arrange a meeting.
Point being, there was no excuse as to why the car decided to spin. The only thing I can think of was that there must have been a hoard of pixies that came out during the night who polished the road surface before smoothering it in baby oil.
Appreciate it's not so practical with your girlfriend in the car at the time, but I'd CERTAINLY want to go back and check out the surface! Sounds like it could have been a slight diesel slick - these are especially slippery with first bit of rain after a dry spell - the rain bring it out of the tarmac. After a few days continuous rain the road gets much grippier again as it cleans up.
There's always has to be a reason for the car losing grip, just might not be quite so obvious!
bandit said: I must have tootled onto the rounderbout at about 15mph and the thing just started to spin
Caught the spin (whilst looking through the passenger window at a bemused Fiat driver with his heart in his mouth) and then proceeded to spin all the way round the other way !!
Ended up facing the wrong way in the road with a nasty bump to the rear wheel (from the curb that stopped my spin).
Point being, there was no excuse as to why the car decided to spin. The only thing I can think of was that there must have been a hoard of pixies that came out during the night who polished the road surface before smoothering it in baby oil.
...
I put in uprated springs as sold by Joolz (www.joospeed.net) and the car lets go much later, and is much, much easier to catch now.
Highly recommend you change your springs, and if you have a high mileage car, possibly the dampers too. It's very cheap as well, if you go through Joolz.
Rgds,
Faisal.
theboymoon,
it was indeed Glenshee. It was a few years back, the first day the roads opened after being closed for a week or so with snowdrifts. Everyone was just waiting for the road to re-open as the hill hadn't been skied for days. Roads had just been ploughed, so still a fair covering of snow, with ice inderneath...but the Cerbie got through!
WB
it was indeed Glenshee. It was a few years back, the first day the roads opened after being closed for a week or so with snowdrifts. Everyone was just waiting for the road to re-open as the hill hadn't been skied for days. Roads had just been ploughed, so still a fair covering of snow, with ice inderneath...but the Cerbie got through!
WB
WB 
I've driven the road to Glenshee many times and seen plenty of people slither and slide all over the place in their plain old Euro-boxes - let alone something like a cerb!
It's always the same, as soon as there is enough snow on the hills for a half decent skite about, there's too much snow on the roads and no-one can get to the slopes!
Moonie
I've driven the road to Glenshee many times and seen plenty of people slither and slide all over the place in their plain old Euro-boxes - let alone something like a cerb!
It's always the same, as soon as there is enough snow on the hills for a half decent skite about, there's too much snow on the roads and no-one can get to the slopes!
Moonie
didn't have the pinkiecento then. Hows about this though, I wanted to borrow the wife's Jeep that day as when I left the roads were only 'predicted' to open, but she'd have none of it. So she ended up going 5 miles to work on dry roads in her 4x4, while I headed to the snowy wastes in the Cerbera! Keen to ski or what.
Also recall getting passed by a few Scoobies on the way, who seemed to think 4x4s and electronic gizmos can defy the laws of physics and make ice sticky. Hey Craig, you wouldn't happen to know anyone with one of these Scooby thingies?
I do have to admit taking the pinkycento to cairngorm and nevis range last year though. Made surprising progress and it sure was cheap on petrol.
WB
Also recall getting passed by a few Scoobies on the way, who seemed to think 4x4s and electronic gizmos can defy the laws of physics and make ice sticky. Hey Craig, you wouldn't happen to know anyone with one of these Scooby thingies?
I do have to admit taking the pinkycento to cairngorm and nevis range last year though. Made surprising progress and it sure was cheap on petrol.
WB
Congratulations on driving in the snow. I use my Chimaera all year round and Sheffield being one of the more hillier Cities thought i could get around the city no problem. I meen the Z3 wasn't too bad in the snow when i had that. But the z3 had some sort of traction thingy. Anyway, the main roads were reasonable only light snow because of the grit lorry. I got too cocky and i must have thought i was in a Hummer to attempt the hilly back roads thick with snow. After a slight gradient i was stuck and had to abandon ship! It stays in the garage when it snows heavy now and i borrow a Range Rover. S3TAY
>> Edited by john yates on Monday 28th October 19:41
>> Edited by john yates on Monday 28th October 19:41
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