Thread: Scary Situation

Originally Posted by Celtoid

Hi All,


Last weekend saw Brisbane receiving a massive downpour, especially the Saturday.


I was driving on a local motorway with my 15 year old son in the D4. The rain had eased a bit but there was quite a bit of water on the road. I was travelling at 100kph when I hit a sheet of water on the road. It looked no different to anything else I'd driven through that morning and as I was driving virtually straight (slight RH turn) was unconcerned. The road is fairly new and in very good condition.


That feeling of confidence was short lived when the D4 started aquaplaning, drifting sideways and then bit in ..... careening us off towards a concrete wall, whilst still sliding sideways.


Fairly uncool situation :-(


I'm not sure if I did the right thing or not for a car with this level of technology but I opted not to brake and to just steer.


The systems in the car went ballistic as I steered and counter steered (about three times) before getting the D4 under control. You could feel/hear 'stuff' going on in the car and it pretty quickly got things back in control, with each swerve being greatly reduced in aggressiveness.


If somebody had been next to me, I would have hit them for sure, had I been a little less lucky I would have 'kissed' the concrete wall (which we came very close to giving a deflective blow). I was also terrified the car would bite in and roll.


All in all, I was pretty impressed with how well mannered the car stayed but it was a terrifying experience.


On the funny side....my son asks me mid slide...just after I (with car's assistance) had missed the concrete and was now swerving the other way..."if we were going to be alright"......god love him.....LOL!!! I actually managed to stay calm and answer, mid counter steer "yup, I think we're going to be OK"!


I actually felt OK after the first swerve, as I could feel the Disco pulling itself back into line.


I'm running 19" Scorpion ATRs...front are brand new, rears about 50%. I do remember somebody on this forum mention an aquaplane at speed with ATRs on....which does cause me concern....but it's only happened once in three years.


Did I do the right thing regarding not braking?


Anyway...I've driven the road a few times since then and there does appear a bit of discoloration on the road...so maybe there is a little bit of oil there. Hopefully, it won't be repeated.


Cheers,


Kev.

and thats why everyone should be taught how to drive in dumb cars....

theres times when they dont work and you have to rely on either driver skill or luck.. usually when it comes to that you're all out of luck anwyay,

If you are aquaplaning in an all wheel drive vehicle add a little power, if your tyres are reasonable they will bite the water away untill you hit road then get some semblance of grip... (assuming the tyres are good)

of course give it too much (easy to do because you've already lost traction) and you've had it because they wont regain grip on the other side either.

Don't take advice about "flooring it" or "adding a little power" if you are aquaplaning.

Aquaplaning occurs when the tyre tread can't clear the water away quickly enough so a wedge occurs between the tyre and the road.
The only way to clear the wedge is to slow down, allowing the tread (and weight of the vehicle) to work, clearing the water,

Adding speed by adding power will only make things worse (the crash will be bigger).

Originally Posted by AnD3rew

I managed to stop bullbar about and inch shy of an Aston Martini

Shaken but not stirred?

Light throttle pressure, then look at and point the car in the direction you want to go (looking at your exit point makes a massive difference). If you lift off of start to brake, you'll get 'Lift Off Over Steer'.

The width of the tyres probably didn't help but the only action you can really take is to reduce your speed.

M

PS... Was the discolouration on the road or on your seat??

Originally Posted by Marmoset

You did the right thing as far as the systems were concerned, in some instances, such as cornering I they react faster than us, so by the time we input a correction, we're Alonso's undoing the work of the dsc.

One thing I'd note, having had a similar reaction off a car years ago (a ford mondeo) is that the shocks could be worn, resulting in a sudden deviation off course when hitting a puddle.

I think you're right here mate...although everything was in slo-mo, and adrenaline had obviously kicked in, I made a conscious effort to use smooth, moderated steering inputs....basically as Camel Landy said....aimed down the lane (where I wanted to stay, Vs the concrete wall) and tried to pivot around that. The car swung the other way....which was expected I suppose, but it is possible that my steering inputs were adding to the car doing its thing (as in exaggerating).


The car was in for a service not that long ago....and it's still under warranty, so I'm hoping/assuming shockies are not the issue.


Cheers,


Kev.

Originally Posted by camel_landy

Light throttle pressure, then look at and point the car in the direction you want to go (looking at your exit point makes a massive difference). If you lift off of start to brake, you'll get 'Lift Off Over Steer'.

The width of the tyres probably didn't help but the only action you can really take is to reduce your speed.

M

PS... Was the discolouration on the road or on your seat??

Bit of both....Same colour as my ebony leather ;-)