Close Call

[supafly]

I was driving home from college going round a roundabout. A bloke in an oldish Mazda 626 Estate was going to pull out infront of me but had to brake hard.

So i carried on and he pulled out behind and was driving really close. I put my foot down and he kept up at about 60. Then I came to a bend and usually my Yaris can handle most bends. I went round it and the back skidded out, tires screeching I turned the other way. The car did a 180 turn and stopped in the middle of the road just missing some railings. Then he went past. Nobody else was around so nobody else saw it.

I was wondering how did he make that turn in an estate?

I noticed that one of my rear tires were slightly flat. Could this have been the problem?

Thank you for reading my story B)

[Chappers]

The distance from fron to rear wheels makes it harder for an Estate to get it's ***** out........

Imagine trying to slide a limo. The short wheelbase of say old mini's made them ideal for ****** about in, dohnuts, handbrake slides etc.

And yes, a soft wheel can make u slide, just as an overpumped tyre will too!

Damn Estate drivers..........wasnt a Volvo by ne chance?!

[s0cks]

Its scary as **** wen you do that ain't it?

I wasn't so lucky - my car got a battering. Lucikly no other cars around. I went round a corner at 60 in my 1992 Fiesta Lets just say, that my mates sports car only just grip at about 50. Anyway, hit the bank, spun and did a 180 around the corner. Then the car skidded sideways into the opposite bank. If it wasn't for the trees the car would have been on its roof too. My front axle, and left side wheel/springs/shocks/brushes, etc.. all got ******. The bodywork got a battering too. Had to get a new door.

The left hand side of my car is still a reck. Dents on the wing, scratches on the rear door. And a slightly off colour front door.

About your situation - I have no idea how well oldish Mazda estates handle, but I do know that Mazda's have great handling these days. Also - take a look at the old BMW 3series estates. They had 50/50 wait distrubution and thats a 12+ year old car.

Plus, I doubt in your moment of brown pants, you would have noticed him slowing for the corner? Perhaps the second he saw you skid he dabbed the brakes which slowed him enuff to go past safely.

[jaxx]

thats how a crashed my car by loosing the back end. the yaris can be very inecisive at times

[Viper_7]

A yaris losing the rear...I never would have thought it. I've always found they under steer.. The front virtually always loses grip way before the back end does.

It would be hard to correct though...weith the short wheel base, the rear has already overtaken you before you know it. LArger cars, you can feel it step out much earlier.

At least all was well in the end.

vipes

[gerard]

Yeah, when I practice handbrake turns, the rear can step out pretty quick!

[Envy Performance Ltd]

I had a similar experience in a Clio Williams many years ago. The car normaly handled like it was on rails, but one morning I took a turnoff at roundabout and nearly lost the car into the central reservation of a dual carridgeway. I just managed to control the car and managed to avoid the crash, but it was a close thing and I really got a fright.

I could not understand it as I was driving quite sensibley at the time and had previously took the same bend a lot harder on several occasions with no signs of the back end stepping out. I pulled into the next garage and checked my tires pressures and found out I had a slow puncture in one of the rear tyres and the tire was roughly 10 PSI down on the other three tyres. I had the punctured repaired ASAP and the car was back to its usual self.

It certainly pays to keep an eye on your tyres presures particularly if you push the car HARD as a few PSI can certainly make a difference!

Kevin

[vmail]

how much psi is ment to be in the wheels?

[alanbradley]

If you're still on stock tyre sizes then it tells you on the inside of the lower glovebox. I had my last Yaris for 2 years and just found the sticker when I was clearing it out to take it to the garage!

I've found that the right tyre pressures make quite a difference to the mpg too! (Tight Scot alert!)

[Yarisboy]

I lost the back end of the yaris in a horriffic fashion.

came off a round about, fairly fast but within what I felt the limits of the car were and i could feel the back end thrown out before i knew anything about it :(

i've never been so scared in a car, the backend of the yaris was tailing all over my side of the road and almost overtaking me!

Through a miracle I managed to keep the thing on my side of the road, by which time i was considerably scared as oncoming traffic was heading my way and I was swerving towards it one way... then towards the kerb... back to traffic... back to the kerb.... back to traffic again.... etc etc

When the back end was snapping back in it was so violent, was bouncing around inside the car thinking "i'm never going to hold onto this" :(

I don't know how, but 50 yards later it came under control and I slowed down to a humble stop in a layby to check my tires... the pressure was very low at the back, very very close call though! One that would have killed me or had me in prison with one minor error

lucky boy :hokus-pokus:

[SuperRetard]

After my Spax-slad Cinquecento, the Yaris feels quite touchy! Not spun it yet, but it's never very far away... Not noticed any real understeer yet at all...

It'll soon be even better, handed over some major wedge today to Kevin at Envy... full set of Koni dampers and springs are heading my way... he beat EVERYBODY's price! Top Geez!