Lucky escape!

[tommysb]

Manages to spin the 340 TWICE today, in the wet. At the same roundabout. Once on the way out, and then, on the way back. Needless to say I was driving extra cautiously on the way back, after my earlier incident!

No real harm done, I do need a new bit of plastic to cover my indicator though, as I took that out on the central barrier of the dual carriageway! At least I'm fine, and I didn't hit anyone else!The car's just got a smashed indicator, (bulb still intact), 'bumped' bumper, and slight bend in the rear panel. Live and learn I guess!

The embarrassing thing, is that I both incidents occurred on my mission to procure top secret car performance enhancing parts. Which will clearly make me spin the car probably 4 or 5 times in a day, at least!

[volvosneverdie]

Like the police said to micheal Jackson man:

'dude! Twice though?'

Glad you got away with it pretty much ok man.
(thats you, not micheal jackson)

[jtbo]

Those English roads are a killer in wet

Maybe oil comes to surface when it rains? In here I can floor accelerator and still barely any wheelspin will occur, dump the clutch and tiny bit of wheelspin, that is on wet. There is very small difference in grip when it is wet or dry, must be different kind of tarmac what we have in here, no roundabout fun possible
That is of course solved here by slapping turbo in

[tommysb]

Wish it really was the fault of the road, and not me for misjudging it! I wouldn't feel so bad then!

[jtbo]

Wish it really was the fault of the road, and not me for misjudging it! I wouldn't feel so bad then!

But your roads are just terrible in wet weather, many have spun in a roundabout in UK I have found, there is something wrong with tarmac.

For example, I can go about 30kph around roundabout in here in monsoon rain, that is perfectly impossible thing to do in UK, I would wreck my car while trying that

[kaos]

i do find a lot of the uk roundabouts are greasy in surface content, heck. i can get the van i drive to step out because of it!

[jtbo]

i do find a lot of the uk roundabouts are greasy in surface content, heck. i can get the van i drive to step out because of it!

I have not been in UK to test roads, but perhaps roundabout are from different type of tarmac or then cars drop fuel or oil that covers them and causes this exceptional slippery condition your roundabouts are having, surely there are hundreds times more cars going around your roundabouts compared to our amount of traffic so surely there are also more that drop some liquid too.

Winter with studded tyres and you get as nice and grippy surface to roads as we have (just remember to wear hearing protection on these roads!):
-click image to see road properly-

[Chris_C]

I'm pretty certain it's because UK drivers really don't give a monkeys what tyres are on their car, a tyres a tyre. The things I have on Jet are lethal compared to what I run on Fake, theres a good 30-40 mph difference between loosing traction.

[jtbo]

I'm pretty certain it's because UK drivers really don't give a monkeys what tyres are on their car, a tyres a tyre. The things I have on Jet are lethal compared to what I run on Fake, theres a good 30-40 mph difference between loosing traction.

That is quite huge difference, I don't think that I have had that huge difference with my tires even some has been really really bad noname refurbished ones

It would be really interesting to measure difference in roughness from average roundabouts here and there, I still believe that would explain part of difference between tires too as bad tires are even worse with smoother and thus more slippery surface

[nomashedswede]

I have not been in UK to test roads, but perhaps roundabout are from different type of tarmac or then cars drop fuel or oil that covers them and causes this exceptional slippery condition your roundabouts are having, surely there are hundreds times more cars going around your roundabouts compared to our amount of traffic so surely there are also more that drop some liquid too.



As a motorcyclist and 340 driver, I agree that our roundabouts are definately a hazard, but I think a lot of this is down to traffic volumes and non existent enforcement of diesel spillage regulations ! Don`t underestimate the effect of our climate too - dry spells when rubber, dirt and fuel spills build up, then mix that with a shower or two, to provide a surface akin to sheet ice ! When rainfall is more regular, or prone to proper down pours, the surface gets the debris washed off more consistantly.

[pistonpen paultje]

Get yourself some descent tires. With my old tires, my 360 was a real driftmachine...Could get it sideways every corner. But with my new tires (Bridgestone turanza's) its not even driftable in the wet, on bad tarmac and cold tires

Well, I like oversteer...a lot, but I guessed, its not a good idea on the daily car, wich I drove about 60.000km in last year..

[tommysb]

Will do,

have some alloys+tyres from a 480 turbo to go on, at the end of the month! Bit wider, should be a bit grippier! The standard wheels are about 5cm wide!

[Chris_C]

Good to hear that Paul, I was tempted to get Turenzas when I couldn't get Poteznas last time. Bridgestone do seem to make ace tyres.

[SteveP]

Good to hear that Paul, I was tempted to get Turenzas when I couldn't get Poteznas last time. Bridgestone do seem to make ace tyres.

Turenzas and Poteznas... are these new products in the Bridgestone range

[Chris_C]

If they gave them sensible names in the first place.... I still wouldn't be able to spell them