Aquaplaning?

I just came very close to my first crash.

Driving home and it was absolutely pi$$ing down. Turning right off a small roundabout, and when turning to leave it the car seemed to have a mind of its own! The wheel seemed to be fighting me.

I front wheel went up on the small island for pedestrians, and if there had been anyone on there, I'm pretty sure I'd have either hit them or at least gave them a heart attack.

Does this sound like aquaplaning? I'd have thought when that happens the car would just drift, but this was more like the wheel was fighting me.

Quite shook up.

Bleh!

 

Sounds like understeer like on a skid pan, I'd always associated aquaplaning with higher speed on a motorway. Glad you are okay Mo.

I hoofed my 944 up a wet hill once and all hell broke loose, just took my foot off the gas and it popped into line, but the steering went apeshit!

 

Understeer on a skid pan?

I've just looked up aquaplaning and although the description sound about right (car seeming to have a mind of its own/possessed), it suggests it occurs at higher speeds. This was on 30 roads, and I'd have been well below that on a small roundabout.

The steering wheel really did feel like it was fighting me.

 

if you recall when I crashed my pug some years back - same things kinda happened - I was going round a slight bend (just left a 30 mph zone) and building up speed...however the car just went straight ahead...I always go really slow around there now...

 

Sounds like understeer to me as well.

I used to deliberately provoke it in my old mk1 astra years ago; boot the gas around a wet round about and wind on extra lock as required.

Aquaplaning is a bit different.....I well rememeber my Dad saying his auidi coupe use to aquaplane beautifully at 8* mph. Like you say the steeing goes very light as the tyres ride on a layer of water. Not something you want happening for anylength of time!

Understeer (like oversteer is is normally (afiir) a power-on pheomeneon.

Could have ben either i guess.

If you are really wondering about it, might i suggest its just soemthing to observe whist driving......really wet conds....

 

If it was aquaplaning, the wheel would have gone very light, with no feedback - definitely doesn't sound like what you're describing.

Without knowing what you drive, my best guess would be a front wheel drive, understeering under too much power (not enough traction) on the exit from the roundabout.

It's a rush though isn't it

 

Oh yes.

 

tread depth?

 

...and tracking actually.

It aas perpetually out on my astra wich didnt help matters.

 

The speed at which aquaplaning becomes possible varies only with square root of tyre pressure, IIRC, and it's a risk at depressingly low speeds (40mph ish for most light cars with moderate tyre pressures).

Since most FWD cars use a lot of negative offset to reign-in the play between drive and steering reactions, one thing that can happen is if one front wheel hits deeper water than the other you get a distinct fight because the drive reaction is unbalanced side-to-side and suddenly the steering tugs over the other way - pulling you into the deeper side. Not a lot of fun.

[my old 260hp saab OTOH, was, in the wet ]

 

I agree with lbr.

It's an fwd car. If you're giving it some throttle through a corner with marginal traction then you're going to get exactly the fighting you describe through the wheel. It is particularly so if there are some bumps or drain covers or something.

I've even had it in the dry - just after I got the Accord, I was driving it home and the tyres that were on it were right on the legal limit. Tight, bumpy right hander just out of a roundabout into a 50 limit, with two drain covers. That was.... interesting.

Also had it one time really bad in my green galant... I went too fast out of a roundabout onto a dual carriageway slip road in the wet, and was into quite significant understeer. Hit a drain cover which upset the balance of the car, then all of a sudden the car got front end grip back, and lurched to the left (direction it was steered). I slowed down a little after that one...

Mind you, one time I had a Fiat Bravo T-jet 150 as a hire car. Turbocharged 1.4 putting out 150bhp through an awful chassis... I only drove it in the dry and it fought me every time I accelerated.

 

My new tyres are superb in the wet - Toyo Proxes (the latest version.. T1-S ?). They grip really well.

Apparently the tread pattern is design to push the water out to the sides, which I would imagine helps prevent aquaplaning. I don't usually buy into this marketing BS, but they havent let me down thus far...

 

Get a BMW.

 

Perhaps ever so slightly out of my price bracket and requirement

My current car (which is my first), is a seat ibiza. 98 1.4SXE.

It seems bob may have got it right! I'd given the tyre's a quick check and thought they seemed fine. I've not had it long and it came with a brand new MOT, so would have thought they'd be ok....

Having given them a proper look though today, it appears they're quite worn, but only on the front tyres and on the inside. The rest of the tyre has plenty of tred left.

Bleh.

 

If they're only worn on the inside edge that suggests camber issues which could lead to a lack of front-end grip.

 

OK, then take it to Quikfit & have all the tyres & wheel alignment checked on their jig thingy, and go easy in the wet. Good luck & stay safe.

 

If I may say so......keeping your speed down [in the wet}as a newbie is not at all a bad policy.

Its just SO easily done......

+ you don't half get that sinking feeling.

 

erm...no - don't goto qwik-scum as they will find a million faults and charge the earth to get them sorted - find a good independent one

 

which could lead to £££???

 

Booked it in for tyres and tracking. A good friend of mine rents the flat above the garage and gets on well with the owner so should be ok. I've explained it doesn't seem like just general wear as there's plenty of tred on the rest of the tyres, just the inside edge that's bald. Don't want to just stick aother set on for the same thing to happen.

I had the brake pads and discs changed last week. Could something done then have caused this?