Difference between driving in the wet and dry
SteveWallace - 4/12/14 at 12:29 PM
I've been doing a few minor modifications to the Viento over the last couple of days - getting the self cancelling mechanism on the indicators to
work and wrapping the exhaust manifolds - so I decided to have a quick run out to make sure everything worked as it should.
It wasn't raining, but the road was damp and it was the first time that I've driven the car on a wet road. Its no doubt obvious to those of
you that are more experienced at driving these things than me (only got on the road this summer), but what a difference it makes!
I was driving through a 30 zone and when I got to a 60 zone, I floored the accelerator. Next thing I know I was snaking like the F1 cars do when they
do a burn out to heat the tires on the formation lap. I managed to catch it and keep going and there were no other cars around, but its the first
time that I've properly lost traction in the kit.
Just shows what all that torque from a 2.8l straight 6 can do in a light weight car and a good lesson learnt without a big incident.
I have to admit, it was kind of fun once I knew I was going to save it from the nearest ditch 
loggyboy - 4/12/14 at 12:31 PM
Out of interest, what tyres?
SteveWallace - 4/12/14 at 12:44 PM
Nothing exotic, Avon ZZ3's. However, I've never even spun them up from a standing start in the dry, so probably not trying hard enough!
I need to get it to a track so I can get a feel for how progressive loss of traction is. Even though I'm cornering faster than I can in the tin
top, I don't really know where the limit is or how recoverable its going to be once I've past it.
pewe - 4/12/14 at 12:48 PM
Most important lesson to learn is that if the back end does start to go don't do as you would in a front wheel drive and lift off the
accelerator.
That only encourages the back end to catch up with the front - ask me how I know......
You need to keep your right foot exactly where it was to ensure the rears don't try to slow you down.
If you can access a skid-pan it can be very useful in helping develop that technique because it not intuitive to keep your throttle foot on the
gas.
HTH.
Cheers, Pewe10 
PS alternatively persuade nearest and dearest to fund a half day at the Porsche Experience at Silverstone. You get to drive their cars and amongst
other things they have a kick-plate at the entry to the skid-pan which at 40mph randomly kicks the back end out by 50cms.
At first it's quite disconcerting - I managed four complete spins first time by lifting off (against instruction!) but you soon earn to keep your
foot in.
loggyboy - 4/12/14 at 12:58 PM
Something softer for the winter might suit. If you dont plan on going out in torrential rain, then road legal track tyres would still give better grip
in damp conditions.
Camber Dave - 4/12/14 at 01:14 PM
Steve
You could also try softening the dampers and (for the winter) reduce the spring rates.
This will give a bit more traction and give you more time to catch the slide
proretro - 4/12/14 at 01:38 PM
SNAP!! I did exactly the same Sunday night. I was doing 30ish just touched the throttle and caught me completely by surprise. good fun tho
make's me wonder has anyone drove their kits in snow or ice ???
steve m - 4/12/14 at 02:15 PM
My 7 is dreadful in the wet, slides around every where and that's in the summer, when the roads are possibly warmer
max speed in the wet is around 60
a539 on the front at 16 psi and champinos on the back at 18psi
I probably would not take the car out in the cold winter, and not at all if it was winter and wet
steve
pekwah1 - 4/12/14 at 02:29 PM
Same here, i'm running R888s which give unbelievable grip in the dry, but once wet it is all too easy to lose the grip.
I guess it's all down to the fact we have hardly any weight on the car, so the aquaplaning effect is magnified quite dramatically!
David Jenkins - 4/12/14 at 03:21 PM
Scared the life out of me the first time I went out in drizzly miserable weather - after a few snaky moments I ended up driving like a grandma!
That's with just a mildly warm 1600cc x-flow...
Grimsdale - 4/12/14 at 03:26 PM
I've just changed from pirelli p6000s where dry grip was ok, and wet grip was non-existant. I not run vredestein sportrac5 and i've not
found the dry grip limit yet, but the wet grip is easily double that of the pirellis, and i've barely managed to get it to break away at all, i
keep running out of bottle!
myke pocock - 4/12/14 at 03:35 PM
700 miles on the clock, uphill 30 degree right and damp road. Not too fast but spun it and ended up back end in a ditch, cracked nose cone, bent alloy
and bent wing stay. Had to get two lads who were passing to push me out. And that was only a lowly 1300 x flow.
SteveWallace - 4/12/14 at 04:30 PM
quote:
Originally posted by proretro
SNAP!! I did exactly the same Sunday night. I was doing 30ish just touched the throttle and caught me completely by surprise. good fun tho
make's me wonder has anyone drove their kits in snow or ice ???
Not a chance of going anywhere in the snow or ice. I have a 3 series BMW tin top and I cannot even get up the very small gradient on our drive if its
been snowing.
ken555 - 4/12/14 at 06:09 PM
quote:
Originally posted by proretro
make's me wonder has anyone drove their kits in snow or ice ???
sebastiaan - 4/12/14 at 06:18 PM
quote:
Originally posted by proretro
SNAP!! I did exactly the same Sunday night. I was doing 30ish just touched the throttle and caught me completely by surprise. good fun tho
make's me wonder has anyone drove their kits in snow or ice ???
I did, quite a bit a few years ago. Didn't end too wel, but had a great time. More info
here:http://locostbuilders.co.uk/viewthread.php?tid=176133
ceebmoj - 4/12/14 at 06:53 PM
quote:
Originally posted by proretro
make's me wonder has anyone drove their kits in snow or ice ???
Ok so ones not a kit. But driving in less than ideal conditions has taught me an awful lot about car control, and that the controls are not binary
devices. In the BEC I found getting down shift just right really important.
Description
Description
[Edited on 4/12/14 by ceebmoj]
chrisj - 4/12/14 at 09:16 PM
Wheel spin at 70 in fourth when air temp was about 7 degrees. Soft Kumho's but not enough temp from lateral movement. Lucky I've got a LSD.
Grimsdale - 5/12/14 at 09:03 AM
quote:
Originally posted by proretromake's me wonder has anyone drove their kits in snow or ice ???
Time to repost this photo methinks:
proretro - 5/12/14 at 10:05 AM
Love to see other drivers reactions after seeing a little 7/kits driving in the snow lol
Jon Ison - 5/12/14 at 10:45 AM
should be a like button, great photo.
ashg - 5/12/14 at 11:50 AM
There was a Facebook like button at one point but Chris removed it as it was causing people problems viewing from work because Web filters were
detecting Facebook links.
I drove my kit from the UK up to north Norway this year with toyo r1r tyres. Apparently toyo say they are not good in low temps but I had no issues.
Dick and Nash did the same with r1r's. They also drove from Kent to Applecross in the snow last year. Again no issues.
adithorp - 5/12/14 at 01:05 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Grimsdale
quote:
Originally posted by proretromake's me wonder has anyone drove their kits in snow or ice ???
Time to repost this photo methinks:
Is that the topof the Snake? Not sure I'd have parked on that bend for the photo.
mcerd1 - 5/12/14 at 01:07 PM
quote:
Originally posted by SteveWallace
quote:
Originally posted by proretro
SNAP!! I did exactly the same Sunday night. I was doing 30ish just touched the throttle and caught me completely by surprise. good fun tho
make's me wonder has anyone drove their kits in snow or ice ???
Not a chance of going anywhere in the snow or ice. I have a 3 series BMW tin top and I cannot even get up the very small gradient on our drive if its
been snowing.
^^ sounds like you need to get yourself some proper winter tyres for the tin-top then 
I've had a few different Avon tyres on various cars and I'm yet to try any that I actually like and none of them gripped well in the wet /
cold weather 
I've got a pair of ZV5's on the front of the tin-top at the moment (came with the car)
while they aren't the worst I've ever had they just don't grip nearly as well as the new goodyear's or even my old vredestein
sportrac3's, also they just feel horrible like your not connected to the road
and according to there website that's the current 'premium tyre'....
Irony - 5/12/14 at 03:10 PM
quote:
Not a chance of going anywhere in the snow or ice. I have a 3 series BMW tin top and I cannot even get up the very small gradient on our drive if its
been snowing.
Sounds like mine will be a similar handful when it gets on the road. I do however agree that BMW 3 series in the snow are just useless. Every
morning my former next-door neighbour got stuck on his own driveway when it smelled of snow. Only to be passed by his missus who happily drove out
past him in her corsa.
[Edited on 5/12/14 by Irony]
mcerd1 - 5/12/14 at 03:37 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Irony
I do however agree that BMW 3 series in the snow are just useless. Every morning my former next-door neighbour got stuck on his own driveway when it
smelled of snow. Only to be passed by his missus who happily drove out past him in her corsa.
was that one with the stupidly wide / low profile wheels like the M sport wheels that they all seem to have these days ?↲↲
if so BMW recommend much narrower high profile winter tyres and wheels (ie. The ones they use in countries that require them by law in winter)
[Edited on 5/12/2014 by mcerd1]
Irony - 5/12/14 at 04:45 PM
quote:
Originally posted by mcerd1
quote:
Originally posted by Irony
I do however agree that BMW 3 series in the snow are just useless. Every morning my former next-door neighbour got stuck on his own driveway when it
smelled of snow. Only to be passed by his missus who happily drove out past him in her corsa.
was that one with the stupidly wide / low profile wheels like the M sport wheels that they all seem to have these days ?↲↲
if so BMW recommend much narrower high profile winter tyres and wheels (ie. The ones they use in countries that require them by law in winter)
[Edited on 5/12/2014 by mcerd1]
I don't know what they were but I know it was a company car so they were probably standard BMW issue. For all its poor winter weather
performance (on standard tyres) he loved it. After he lost it due to a job change he bought another.
Davey D - 5/12/14 at 07:22 PM
I went to an AK kitcar open day a year or so ago. It was a bit damp but not overly cold. One of their drivers took me out in their demo car which was
around 500bhp supercharged chevy ls3. He was taking it steady entering into a dual carriageway. The car started snaking and we ended up hitting a car
that we was overtaking. Me being in the passenger seat was on the side that took the smack! Really me me jump :-o
Grimsdale - 5/12/14 at 08:11 PM
quote:
Originally posted by adithorpIs that the topof the Snake? Not sure I'd have parked on that bend for the photo.
I don't know if this makes it better or worse, but it was closed at the time. This was taken on the sheffield side of the highest point, and I
had not seen another car (other than abandoned ones in ditches) since glossop.
spiderman - 6/12/14 at 05:48 PM
Here.
http://www.cloudy.ec/v/3cc8b7ed2a086
Not me by the way.
[Edited on 6/12/14 by spiderman]
sebastiaan - 8/12/14 at 09:12 AM
quote:
Originally posted by Grimsdale
quote:
Originally posted by proretromake's me wonder has anyone drove their kits in snow or ice ???
Time to repost this photo methinks:
That goes well with this:
