it was raining and i was driving into a curve, and i'm not quite sure how fast or SLOW i was going probably say 30, anyways as i was driving that curve my fing car skidded luckily i avoided the car that was coming towards me and then did a full 180 spin and stopped, i didn't hit anything but damn it got to me. i had to park the car and stop for a couple of minutes. ANYWAYS i was wondering why the hell would my car skid like that?? is it cause of my wheels? my TCS is messed up? damn now i'm not as interested in the car as i used to be. any input? thanks

 

Tires is my first thought. What about suspension. I have been very impressed with my 98GXE. I don't have a TCS but I have yet to get loose in a turn.

 

raining is my first thought

 

tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiires

 

Yep...

slow down in the rain....

 

What is a TCS??????

and the tires are probably crap...

 

Traction Control System

 

TIRES!!! I got into 2 accidents because of my tires and of course the driver but getting new ones on wed. One was on snow and the other on heavy rain. Anyway, I learned to control my maxima and since I'm getting new tires I had lots of fun doing 180's, 360's, burnouts etc lately but I'm slowing down don't want to hurt the ebrake too much.

 

What was the first thing you did when you realized you were in trouble? How exactly did you avoid the other car? I assume when you braked that started the 180 spin.

Also, how long had it been raining?

 

SInce you did a 180, you must have braked real hard, lifting your rear tires. The grip got so loose that they just let go and you spun. Result: lift throttle oversteer. Maximas, and most FWD cars, are prone to that. What would provoke this kind of oversteer even further is placing worn out tires on the rear wheels. That, and the combination of wet weather, and the sudden braking can make the oversteer really nasty. That's why tire people always recommend that you put a new pair of tires on the rear wheels. With worn out tires on the front, you bring on understeer early. Understeer is easier to handle becasue all you do is let go of the accelerator and brake cautiously, what you would instinctively do anyway. The onyl way to recover from oversteer is to actually accelerate and go faster. I'm not talking floor the accelerator, more like gently nudge it along, that'll put your rear end in check.


DW

 

I first of all have **** tires. Two nights ago i was driving my max racing a GS-R and a Civic underneath a highway downtown toronto. I smoked them and kept going 100MPH down under the briges and then a ****ing crazy turn came up. Hmm cant make that so i downsift like nuts and brake like crazy. The road ahead is closed with a huge generator blocking two lanes of traffic. I had skidded control of the car and sent the front bumper into two pilons beside the generator.

I got lucky and got out with my life, never injured anyone, and my car wasn't even scratched. Just a note to people about racing where they dont know the area. Dont do it without scouting out first. Or unless you have a coilover suspension with good rubber and brakes
Just a story i had to get off my chest.

 

Or don't go 100 on city streets

 

It was a long underpass under a highway
almost like highway just contruction zones.

But yea its stupid to do that stuff. Oh well

 

when i realized i was in trouble i let go of my pedals and just maneuvered the car by turning the wheel left and right. and what's "oversteering" and "understeering"? thanks

 

Did You brake really hard, and do you have abs? Personally I have a perfect feel for my car including my crappy after-market front brake pads(get way too hot way too soon, and too much ****ing brake dust). I am guessing it was the rain if you were driving hard( I always take it easy in inclimate wheather). FWd cars are easy to control(as well as Rwd cars depending on experiance) I drive my car hard through turns alot and if I feel the front end starting to plow I just let off a little(5spd though) and gas it when I have control. I never drive hard on wet roads though(mostimes) I have never caused an accident.

 

They make a world of difference. ABS and TCS don't help much with what happened to you. You lost lateral traction. A good set of tires (M&S rated) would give you better traction in rain than those crappy Toyos that are OE with Maximas.

 

Understeer = when you feel your car plowing. You're turning left but the car is not going as much left as it should be going. Understeer is when your front tires loose grip. To fix it, you either let go of the accelerator or brake cautiously.

Oversteer = when you feel your car going much more left than you are actually turning. You're in a hard left turn and you feel your car about to come about, or do a 180. Oversteer is when your rear tires loose grip. To fix it, accelerate. Don't floor it, just push forward, so to speak.

Of the two, understerer or oversteer, understeer is easier to handle, because if you panic, your firt impulse is to jam the brakes, and that fixes understeer. If you jam the brakes while oversteering, you oversteer more, much much more. That 180 flip out is pretty much happening then.

DW