mustangs skidding out on slick roads
09-11-2006, 12:15 PM
#11
4th Gear Member
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Nashville, TN
Posts: 1,164
RE: mustangs skidding out on slick roads
I just had a wipe out in the rain not too long ago. It happened the first time I drove in the rain after I bought the car. I would have to say it is something the Mustang is prone to b/c I have never lost traction like that in any other vehicle.
09-11-2006, 12:31 PM
#13
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location:
Posts: 24
RE: mustangs skidding out on slick roads
I have to chime in. I was on an on ramp to the interstate in rainy weather. Didnt spin out or anything. The little saturn behind me spun out. I saw him in the rear view mirror spinning. Heh. He was probably going to fast. Heck I have 10.5 in the rear. Anyways.
09-11-2006, 02:50 PM
#14
Super Moderator
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location:
Posts: 14,917
RE: mustangs skidding out on slick roads
I drove my 02 GT in the rain very often. I slowed down for the conditions and drove responsibly and never once had any issues with traction or 'skidding' out.
The matter of the fact is, if you crash in poor conditions, 90% of the time the conditions CANNOT be blamed and you will be charged depending on the severity and injuries involved in the accident. Driving to Endanger charge sounds like it's deserving and your brother should be lucky it's not vehicular homicide or manslaughter.
Next time, tell him to slow down and drive properly to the conditions, that could mean driving well below the speed limit.
The matter of the fact is, if you crash in poor conditions, 90% of the time the conditions CANNOT be blamed and you will be charged depending on the severity and injuries involved in the accident. Driving to Endanger charge sounds like it's deserving and your brother should be lucky it's not vehicular homicide or manslaughter.
Next time, tell him to slow down and drive properly to the conditions, that could mean driving well below the speed limit.
09-11-2006, 02:57 PM
#15
3rd Gear Member
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location:
Posts: 770
RE: mustangs skidding out on slick roads
rain is just like snow....you have to drive to the conditions. I drive my car yearly...summer time with 295s on the rear...it's not great in the rain...you just have to drive to the conditions. A 45 mph turn might become a 35mph turn, etc.
Good luck with your brother's lawsuit, but you can't blame the car....especially since he wasn't forced to drive it.
Good luck with your brother's lawsuit, but you can't blame the car....especially since he wasn't forced to drive it.
09-11-2006, 03:07 PM
#16
Gentleman's Relish
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: AZ
Posts: 13,090
RE: mustangs skidding out on slick roads
ORIGINAL: ToddWRobbins
Hi,
I have been driving a mustang for last 4 years. Last month my brother got in a car accident in his mustang. He was driving around a turn on a road that had been recently tarred. His car skidded out and he hit a telephone poll on the driver side. My brother was unconcious for 7 days and nearly died. There was also 3 other guys involved in accident and everyone is too traumatized to remember the accident.
He is now being charged with "driving to endanger" and could face time in prison if found guilty. Having driven a mustang myself for over 4 years now, I think this is kind of a bull**** charge. I have had many experiences driving my mustang in wet conditions and have gone into a skid really easily. One time I just barely avoided going into oncoming traffic. Just 2 weeks ago, I went into skid going speed limit around a rotary and jammed my tire into a curb. It seems to me that the cause of my brother's accident was a combination of environment and the vehicle, and not my brother driving to fast or anything like that.
I guess I wanted to ask you mustang enthusiasts if you had any similar experiences in your mustang. Or if you knew of any technical data on the subject. Could help come his court appearance...
Much thanks
Todd
Hi,
I have been driving a mustang for last 4 years. Last month my brother got in a car accident in his mustang. He was driving around a turn on a road that had been recently tarred. His car skidded out and he hit a telephone poll on the driver side. My brother was unconcious for 7 days and nearly died. There was also 3 other guys involved in accident and everyone is too traumatized to remember the accident.
He is now being charged with "driving to endanger" and could face time in prison if found guilty. Having driven a mustang myself for over 4 years now, I think this is kind of a bull**** charge. I have had many experiences driving my mustang in wet conditions and have gone into a skid really easily. One time I just barely avoided going into oncoming traffic. Just 2 weeks ago, I went into skid going speed limit around a rotary and jammed my tire into a curb. It seems to me that the cause of my brother's accident was a combination of environment and the vehicle, and not my brother driving to fast or anything like that.
I guess I wanted to ask you mustang enthusiasts if you had any similar experiences in your mustang. Or if you knew of any technical data on the subject. Could help come his court appearance...
Much thanks
Todd
I can tell you right now though, that trying to "blame the car" is a losing defense. It would be turned around on your or your brother to be'If you have such a difficult time controling the car, then you should purhcase a car that is more compatible with your driving habits.'
There is such a thing called a 'Basic Speed Law' it says 'A driver shall drive no faster than environmental conditions reasonably permit' In other words, if it's snowing and you're doing 55-65 on an interstate and you get into an accident, you can be blamed for the accident. Who drives the speed limit on teh freeway in the snow? Just like a construction zone. Posted is 45, construction zone is 25 you do 25 in a 45.
09-29-2021, 09:34 AM
#18
Join Date: Sep 2021
Location: ny
Posts: 1
Dangerous Vehicle
So I arrived in Texas on a business trip and the rental guy convinced me to take their brand new 2021 Mustang convertible. It has maybe 200 miles on it. At home in New York I drive a Mini Cooper convertible. I have to say this mustang is one of the worst vehicles I have ever driven. The day I arrived it was slightly raining. On curves that that my mini could handle like straight road, the Mustang’s rear tires skidded out every single time - and I was not going fast. Looking more carefully at the car, it appears that the engine weight is heavily loaded up front and Insufficiently balanced in the rear - flat out bad design.
For all of you “drive responsibly” folks. I get it, with foresight, one could modify their driving style to make this a perfectly safe car. But, when you go from one ordinary commercially available car to another, basic handling should be largely interchangeable. That’s what safety regulation and standardization is supposed to accomplish.
For all of you “drive responsibly” folks. I get it, with foresight, one could modify their driving style to make this a perfectly safe car. But, when you go from one ordinary commercially available car to another, basic handling should be largely interchangeable. That’s what safety regulation and standardization is supposed to accomplish.
09-30-2021, 12:49 PM
#19
Gentleman's Relish
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: AZ
Posts: 13,090
So I arrived in Texas on a business trip and the rental guy convinced me to take their brand new 2021 Mustang convertible. It has maybe 200 miles on it. At home in New York I drive a Mini Cooper convertible. I have to say this mustang is one of the worst vehicles I have ever driven. The day I arrived it was slightly raining. On curves that that my mini could handle like straight road, the Mustang’s rear tires skidded out every single time - and I was not going fast. Looking more carefully at the car, it appears that the engine weight is heavily loaded up front and Insufficiently balanced in the rear - flat out bad design.
For all of you “drive responsibly” folks. I get it, with foresight, one could modify their driving style to make this a perfectly safe car. But, when you go from one ordinary commercially available car to another, basic handling should be largely interchangeable. That’s what safety regulation and standardization is supposed to accomplish.
For all of you “drive responsibly” folks. I get it, with foresight, one could modify their driving style to make this a perfectly safe car. But, when you go from one ordinary commercially available car to another, basic handling should be largely interchangeable. That’s what safety regulation and standardization is supposed to accomplish.
Huge differences between a 200 hp front wheel drive Mini and a 460 hp rear wheel drive vehicle (5.0L) or even a 300 hp (2.3 ecoboost) . They are a different class of vehicle. If you had rented another FWD front engine vehicle, you could have some expectations of similarity. This is what people fail to understand when they get into any front engine RWD vehicle vs whatever front engine FWD vehicle they are used to driving.
Front engine, rear wheel drive vehicles have a better balance of weight distribution than most other configuration. They are typically biased in their weight distribution with a higher % of the weight being distributed to the front, where the engine is. Still 53/47 front/rear on a 5.0L and 52/48 front rear on the Ecoboost is near perfect. For this layout you'll typically get oversteer (rear kicks out) because there is less weight over the drive wheels (the rear in this case).
A Mini with a front wheel drive/front engine layout is heavily biased to the front wheels. 62/38 that can cause massive understeer. Understeer is when you try to turn the steering wheel to change direction but the car plows ahead without changing direction. This i just as dangerous in wet/dry weather. When I rent a vehicle and it's front wheel drive, I've run into issues sometimes with the understeer (especially in wet or slippery surfaces) because I am so used to driving mustangs and other front engine RWD vehicles. I have to turn in much earlier and slower or the car will simply plow ahead. Forget about using any throttle for corrections once you lose grip on those front tires. Steering with the throttle is a no brainer on a RWD but has little to no effect on a FWD.
Throttle steering is what screws people up on RWD vehicles. In a RWD, you sometimes have to modulate the throttle mid-turn to maintain grip and speed. FWD people are used to maintaining the same position on the throttle throughout the turn once you're in it. That's also what screws me up. I'm used to going into turns pretty fast , turning the wheel quickly and then using the throttle to keep the rear going in the direction I want. When I do that in a FWD, I end up going in too fast and the car won't turn when and where I want it to, instead, it keeps plowing in the direction of momentum, straight ahead. On dry roads, no problem, easy to correct. On wet/slick roads, forget it.
09-30-2021, 01:28 PM
#20
Moderator
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Michigan again!
Posts: 8,579
So I arrived in Texas on a business trip and the rental guy convinced me to take their brand new 2021 Mustang convertible. It has maybe 200 miles on it. At home in New York I drive a Mini Cooper convertible. I have to say this mustang is one of the worst vehicles I have ever driven. The day I arrived it was slightly raining. On curves that that my mini could handle like straight road, the Mustang’s rear tires skidded out every single time - and I was not going fast. Looking more carefully at the car, it appears that the engine weight is heavily loaded up front and Insufficiently balanced in the rear - flat out bad design.
For all of you “drive responsibly” folks. I get it, with foresight, one could modify their driving style to make this a perfectly safe car. But, when you go from one ordinary commercially available car to another, basic handling should be largely interchangeable. That’s what safety regulation and standardization is supposed to accomplish.
For all of you “drive responsibly” folks. I get it, with foresight, one could modify their driving style to make this a perfectly safe car. But, when you go from one ordinary commercially available car to another, basic handling should be largely interchangeable. That’s what safety regulation and standardization is supposed to accomplish.
For reference, the automotive industry ideal for weight distribution and a balanced car is 50/50 (50% of the weight over the front and 50% of the weight over the rear).
Huge differences between a 200 hp front wheel drive Mini and a 460 hp rear wheel drive vehicle (5.0L) or even a 300 hp (2.3 ecoboost) . They are a different class of vehicle. If you had rented another FWD front engine vehicle, you could have some expectations of similarity. This is what people fail to understand when they get into any front engine RWD vehicle vs whatever front engine FWD vehicle they are used to driving.
Front engine, rear wheel drive vehicles have a better balance of weight distribution than most other configuration. They are typically biased in their weight distribution with a higher % of the weight being distributed to the front, where the engine is. Still 53/47 front/rear on a 5.0L and 52/48 front rear on the Ecoboost is near perfect. For this layout you'll typically get oversteer (rear kicks out) because there is less weight over the drive wheels (the rear in this case).
A Mini with a front wheel drive/front engine layout is heavily biased to the front wheels. 62/38 that can cause massive understeer. Understeer is when you try to turn the steering wheel to change direction but the car plows ahead without changing direction. This i just as dangerous in wet/dry weather. When I rent a vehicle and it's front wheel drive, I've run into issues sometimes with the understeer (especially in wet or slippery surfaces) because I am so used to driving mustangs and other front engine RWD vehicles. I have to turn in much earlier and slower or the car will simply plow ahead. Forget about using any throttle for corrections once you lose grip on those front tires. Steering with the throttle is a no brainer on a RWD but has little to no effect on a FWD.
Throttle steering is what screws people up on RWD vehicles. In a RWD, you sometimes have to modulate the throttle mid-turn to maintain grip and speed. FWD people are used to maintaining the same position on the throttle throughout the turn once you're in it. That's also what screws me up. I'm used to going into turns pretty fast , turning the wheel quickly and then using the throttle to keep the rear going in the direction I want. When I do that in a FWD, I end up going in too fast and the car won't turn when and where I want it to, instead, it keeps plowing in the direction of momentum, straight ahead. On dry roads, no problem, easy to correct. On wet/slick roads, forget it.
Huge differences between a 200 hp front wheel drive Mini and a 460 hp rear wheel drive vehicle (5.0L) or even a 300 hp (2.3 ecoboost) . They are a different class of vehicle. If you had rented another FWD front engine vehicle, you could have some expectations of similarity. This is what people fail to understand when they get into any front engine RWD vehicle vs whatever front engine FWD vehicle they are used to driving.
Front engine, rear wheel drive vehicles have a better balance of weight distribution than most other configuration. They are typically biased in their weight distribution with a higher % of the weight being distributed to the front, where the engine is. Still 53/47 front/rear on a 5.0L and 52/48 front rear on the Ecoboost is near perfect. For this layout you'll typically get oversteer (rear kicks out) because there is less weight over the drive wheels (the rear in this case).
A Mini with a front wheel drive/front engine layout is heavily biased to the front wheels. 62/38 that can cause massive understeer. Understeer is when you try to turn the steering wheel to change direction but the car plows ahead without changing direction. This i just as dangerous in wet/dry weather. When I rent a vehicle and it's front wheel drive, I've run into issues sometimes with the understeer (especially in wet or slippery surfaces) because I am so used to driving mustangs and other front engine RWD vehicles. I have to turn in much earlier and slower or the car will simply plow ahead. Forget about using any throttle for corrections once you lose grip on those front tires. Steering with the throttle is a no brainer on a RWD but has little to no effect on a FWD.
Throttle steering is what screws people up on RWD vehicles. In a RWD, you sometimes have to modulate the throttle mid-turn to maintain grip and speed. FWD people are used to maintaining the same position on the throttle throughout the turn once you're in it. That's also what screws me up. I'm used to going into turns pretty fast , turning the wheel quickly and then using the throttle to keep the rear going in the direction I want. When I do that in a FWD, I end up going in too fast and the car won't turn when and where I want it to, instead, it keeps plowing in the direction of momentum, straight ahead. On dry roads, no problem, easy to correct. On wet/slick roads, forget it.