Just completely lost control of my car

Shock

Shock

Shock

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Earlier, I went for a quick drive before bed, down some unknown twisty road going through the countryside. Went around this one downhill bend and realised it got a lot sharper. :eek:

Must have been doing about 40 when I saw it get sharper - knew this was too fast so decided to let the car stray over onto the other side a bit (road was clear) to avoid any sharp steering, and then it went:

The back end came round and I went sideways down the middle of this road, tyres screeching and me thinking oh ****. Really thought I was about to right the car off. After a few seconds of this sideways action I managed to stop the car and ended up doing a 180, facing where I'd just came from.

How the hell I stayed on the road I’ll never know because I was sliding sideways, at speed for a good few seconds. Luckily there were no other road users about.

That’s the first time I’ve completely, unintentionally lost control in over a year and what a trouser filler it was too.

I don’t know what sent the car spinning - didn’t break, steer aggressively or take my foot of the gas quickly. Must have been me going to fast and the skinny tyres not wanting to grip.

Found out how accidents happen tonight, and been very lucky not to go over a kerb and through a bush or hit another car.
 
Think of it as a valuable lesson, I doubt you'll do it again in a hurry.

I think at some point, as new drivers, most of us took a bend at a speed beyond the capabilities of the car and/or ourselves. Sometimes it ends badly, sometimes whichever deity you worship is smiling down on you.

Glad you're ok :).
 
Oversteer in a FWD car is always a nasty shock, you'd have to be Fangio himself to control that one by the sounds of it. What kind of curve was it, downhill I presume ? Camber counts for a lot too.

Its nasty how cars give their most power when the tyres are least able to handle it :/


Ive been sideways round a roundabout at just 25 or so, I was facing fully inwards almost towards the chevrons sign but managed to counter steer out of it and didnt brake or fully come off the accelerator which helps I think. I have to guess why but I think it was additional weight in the back (ie passengers :o) and bad timing on my braking which meant the backend went light at the wrong time alltogether - opps.
 
As said before problem with FWD car is if your pushing it into and corner on the edge of grip with some slight understeer and you decide to let of the accelerator the back end will simply break away.
When you feel the back of the car starting to break away you need to catch it with the accerator to get the front tyres pulling again and then steer in the direction required (depends on how much oversteer has happened which way to turn).

I most likely didn't make much sense but an easy way to test and learn how to tell when its about to happen and control it is to go around a decent size round about at speed and when you feel the front starting to lose grip, let of the accelerator abit you should be able to feel the pitch of the car changing and the backend starting to slide and break away.
 
Netphreak said:
As said before problem with FWD car is if your pushing it into and corner on the edge of grip with some slight understeer and you decide to let of the accelerator the back end will simply break away.
When you feel the back of the car starting to break away you need to catch it with the accerator to get the front tyres pulling again and then steer in the direction required (depends on how much oversteer has happened which way to turn).

I most likely didn't make much sense but an easy way to test and learn how to tell when its about to happen and control it is to go around a decent size round about at speed and when you feel the front starting to lose grip, let of the accelerator abit you should be able to feel the pitch of the car changing and the backend starting to slide and break away.
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U made perfect sence to me :)
It might save me if i ever get into a situation like that now
 
Malt_Vinegar said:
what car? Has 306 written all over it :p
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Thats what I was thinking as well...

Were the road conditions poor, i.e. they could have caused a loss in grip?

It happens to most people, I've spun a car on an NSL A road once, luckily it was late at night driving home from university and I'd gone a few hours without seeing other cars. In my case I went through a patch of water at speed.
 
This is one thing that worrys me about starting to drive in a FWD car.
Usually the first time you lose it is the first time you crash. You have been very lucky in my opinion. FWD's go quick and its hard to catch them if not expecting it and very hard to recover even if you are.
Old Gits like me learnt to drive in RWD cars and the back ends would step out a lot. You would get used to it so much you would kick the back out on purpose creating a nice big sideways drift with a little snake at the end for Effect.
I wouldn't say this has made me a better driver but what i will say is i am used to a car kicking out and not quite as surprised by the feeling of going sideways and using a bit of opposite lock to control it.

What car is it by the way. I would personally check the tyres for any wear and check the Air pressures. The cold has an effect on pressurres and they may be a bit low. Also grab hold of the wheel at 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock and try to physically move the wheel listening for any knocking. You may have a Loose wheel bearing on that corner or a weak shock.
Of course it could just be down to a bit of spilt Diesel so dont stress to much just thank your lucky stars you got away with it without hurting yourself or someone else.
 
I've only had a go of a RWD car once, and it it pretty much felt it was easier to feel going wrong, but harder to correct. For oversteer in a RWD car you need to remove the drive from the wheels (off the accelerator and even dip the clutch) and also apply counter steering. Quickly. Whereas in a FWD car, it felt like understeer was more subtle, less apparent but once it was there often just coming off the accelerator would allow the tyres to regain grip.

This was on a skid pan...I imagine a turbo charged RWD car on wet roads could be different :D

Edit: I've had it drummed into me that tyre pressures (especially in this weather) are very important...something easy to check and rectify as well.
 
there are ways of getting back an oversteering FWD car, lift off oversteer (LOO) is easily induced when you know how to do it, but can be difficult to get back depending on speed... it is actually necessary to keep your foot on the gas to pull it thru.


or not drive to fast for the conditions in the first place.
 
Cheers for the advice. It was a left turn going down a hill. I'm not sure if the car understeered slightly onto the other side the road, then I may have let of a bit to correct it sending the back out. But I'm pretty sure I didn't let off at all because I wasn't worried until the arse came round.

The road conditions were fine, might have been slightly damp but that's about it.

I'm not sure if this could have been a problem, but I'm one of my suspension arms (trailing arm?) has gone on the back, which I'm waiting to get fixed. Apart from making a noise over bumps I wasn't aware it too serious?

Will also check tyre pressures.
 
Good to hear you're OK, that's the main thing.
Did something similar when I was 19. Unlike yourself a tree stopped my progress down the road in question. Luckily just me around and no injuries, car was a bit unwell though.

Some interesting comments about oversteer and rwd cars. If you deliberately induce oversteer by giving the loud pedal a good push, it is fairly straightforward to correct.
If you induce oversteer by backing off, then a rwd car is far more dangerous than a fwd car, as you don't have the option of stomping on the accelerator to let the front wheels pull you back from oversteer.
I'd like to suggest that a fwd car is easier to deal with with oversteer from backing off mid corner.
 
Just to say i wasn't arguing which was easier to control. My comments relate to the shock factor the first time you lose it.
In a RWD you are expecting it all the time, you get it so then learn to deal with it.
In FWD its rare as Understeer is the more common reaction so when you get oversteer Bang you are round the other way before you know it.
 
Aye, I found on a skid pan (with mega inflated tyres, oil slick/water surface) which will facilitate loss of traction even at low speeds RWD was much more difficult to correct than FWD. However I haven't driven RWD in real world road situations.
 
Malt_Vinegar said:
what car? Has 306 written all over it :p
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Call me biased, fanboy or whatever but I think the snap oversteer of the 306 gets slightly exagerated on these forums.

Just sounds like a simple case of speed exceeding grip, nothing more.

I done it within 2 months of passing my test, exactly the same kind of incident. Off camber bend taken too fast on slippy roads, back end lost grip and I slid sideways to a halt.

The only time you find the true limits of a car is when you exceed them.
 
Shock said:
That’s the first time I’ve completely, unintentionally lost control in over a year and what a trouser filler it was too.
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No-one else notice that?

More driving lessons needed I think! Lucky you got away with it though, and even better without any damage done.
 
Lowe said:
No-one else notice that?

More driving lessons needed I think! Lucky you got away with it though, and even better without any damage done.
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Birthday:
27th May 1987

He's only 18 - so hasn't been driving for much longer than a year anyway. Most people have a trouser-soiling moment at some stage - he's lucky that it happened where it caused no damage to himself or anyone else.
 
I had a trouser soiler a few weeks after passing when I span the micra on a slip road joining a dual carriageway at about 50, took the slip road a little wide and lots traction on all the stones and crap which is on the edge. Bumped up a 4inch kurb and span round on some grass.

Somehow missed a lampost and also NO DAMAGE to the car at all! I must have hit the kurb square on and at a much slower speed.

The parent's still don't know, :)
 
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