Spun Out on the Freeway today....Lucky Me....

[jrhone]

On my normal on ramp, not going fast at all...road wasnt particularly wt, just a bit damp maybe...I wasnt going fast, in fact I was going much slower than normal...just as I got to the end of the on ramp and beginning of the freeway, the rear let go and spun about...FAST. I spun completely around and was traveling backwards. I was headed the wrong way towards the embankment. I finally came to a stop after going backwards over the curbing. Lucky to have not hit anything solid, and lucky to not have broken anything. I will look for anything bent...but I gave it a pretty good once over and it drove like normal.

[mtriple]

On my normal on ramp, not going fast at all...road wasnt particularly wt, just a bit damp maybe...I wasnt going fast, in fact I was going much slower than normal...just as I got to the end of the on ramp and beginning of the freeway, the rear let go and spun about...FAST. I spun completely around and was traveling backwards. I was headed the wrong way towards the embankment. I finally came to a stop after going backwards over the curbing. Lucky to have not hit anything solid, and lucky to not have broken anything. I will look for anything bent...but I gave it a pretty good once over and it drove like normal.

I am glad everything is OK with you first and the car. I was in that situation before in my E34 and its not fun at all.

Drive safely everyone!

hamada

[ArdenK]

Yup, Lucky you!

I nearly spun out a few weeks ago on damp pavement, anyone looking at me would have thought I was drifting the 72. I think a lot of the looseness has to do with my tires, sumimoto 50s. The few times I've driven it when the roads are wet I slip and slide all over the place, the 72 is nearly as bad as my T/A.

My fingers are crossed you didn't get any damage!

[golf73]

how cold was it outside? maybe you hit a patch of black ice.

[jrhone]

Wasnt that cold, but man..I sure was examining my rear tires....they may still have tread, but they are sure not that soft...I may go for a new set soon. I have felt that in the dry the back wanted to get a bit sideways more easily than normal.

[Gordon]

Last year (almost a year to the date) I totaled my daughter's 89 E30 325i. I gave it some gas on a semi wet road and the same thing happened to me, back end broke lose. In the blink of an eye, the car went off road and down an embankment through some small trees. I wasn't hurt but the car was totaled. Then I had to call my daughter and tell her that Dad totaled her car. Usually it's the other way around. I call it my Dukes of Hazard off road excursion. The car broke lose under some Eucalyptus trees. I found out later that Eucalyptus oil mixed with water is California's version of black ice. Be careful out there.

G-Man

[JohnP]

Has to be that damn heater box.....

[Grover]

I had a similar incident a couple of years back at a track day/HPDE session at Infineon. It had rained early that morning, and while the track wasn't soaked, it was still damp. We did a couple of warm up laps, and as you come up over turn two (a blind, crested, 90 degree right) the rear end felt a little squirly. On the third lap I got on the gas what felt light a fraction earlier, but in the proverbial blink of an eye, I went from feeling in total control, to utterly out of control as I spun into the muddy grass.

At the end of the session we went to the de-brief and the instructor asked who spun. I raised my hand, as well as a couple of other guys, and we had to go in front of the class and explain why we spun.... and do a twirl while wearing a pink tutu!!!

Experiences like this remind me of how quickly "control" can slip through our fingers, and when in doubt, it's best just to dial it back a notch, especially on public roads.

[dubois]

If you have a limited slip differential, you have to be very careful in the rain. I cannot gas mine on a turn (like I usually do), because I would be doing 360's on each turn. One of the beauties of a LSD, (ie the ability to get traction on the loaded tire) makes for exciting moments in the rain.

[TobyB]

How were your tire pressures?

I've been having fun hanging the butt out on my fantastic

BF Goodrich Advantage rocks. 400 treadwear rating, and no grip whatsoever.

They call it 'traction sensing'...

The Yok Intermediates would do that when they got old...

and yes, driving your car backward at speed CAN be done-

just get the clutch in in a hurry. Then you can back yourself out of harm's way.

t

[Guest Anonymous]

On my normal on ramp, not going fast at all...road wasnt particularly wt, just a bit damp maybe...I wasnt going fast, in fact I was going much slower than normal...just as I got to the end of the on ramp and beginning of the freeway, the rear let go and spun about...FAST. I spun completely around and was traveling backwards. I was headed the wrong way towards the embankment. I finally came to a stop after going backwards over the curbing. Lucky to have not hit anything solid, and lucky to not have broken anything. I will look for anything bent...but I gave it a pretty good once over and it drove like normal.

I don't understand the point of this post or what it has to do with 02's. All cars, even with traction control, are capable of losing traction and spinning directionless. 02's are no more prone to losing control than any other rwd car with or without lsd. That you were on your normal on ramp is particular significant since dampness apparently changed what was normal to abnormal or you were somehow careless in failing to notice and adjust your driving to accommodate the changed conditions.

[Jim_75Sahara]

The age of your tires affects their grip. I had old KumHo's that looked OK, but they had very poor traction. I had little faith in them and kept them too long. Finally, I bought some Yoko Avid T4's which do much better. (though I am sure I could still manage to lose traction and swing the rear end around!)

[JohnW]

...road wasnt particularly wt, just a bit damp maybe....

That can be a slippery situation. A light rain will make any oil or other gunk on the road even more slippery than a heavy or steady rain that will eventually soak it away.

[jrhone]

I don't understand the point of this post or what it has to do with 02's. All cars, even with traction control, are capable of losing traction and spinning directionless. 02's are no more prone to losing control than any other rwd car with or without lsd. That you were on your normal on ramp is particular significant since dampness apparently changed what was normal to abnormal or you were somehow careless in failing to notice and adjust your driving to accommodate the changed conditions.

Umm....well it has relevance here since I was in an 02...and you can say that about ALOT of posts which is just to share 02 experiences...which is what this board is about. You can go down the list of posts that are similar...like someones wife who likes or dislikes the 02...or leaving it outside in the snow....this is what I thought the 02 community was for...sharing stories, pics, and experiences, as well as tips on keeping them running and restoring them. It amazes me when people go out of their way to post negatively....that just makes people NOT want to post...and then when there are not alot of posts...people go away...thus ending a good thing.

[Richard]

Thank you......Tires when they get old lose their grip.The rubber gets hard. Tread doesnt matter. I would bet if you look up their age. Coding on the side of the tire will tell you their age. All manufacturers warn of exceeding 3-4 years depending on climate. Dont overthink... You have old rubbers..... Use new protection..... :0)