What just happened ?

Anything F-Type related......
Duvetday
Posts: 238
Joined: Fri Apr 23, 2021 8:54 am

Post by Duvetday »

I was on a country road, not raining but road wet and perhaps a bit greasy. Saw a opportunity to put my foot down from a 40 zone up to the national speed limit. As I put my foot down the back end completely went off to the left and it was all I could do for the next second or two to keep it on the road. I really suddenly felt the weight of the car and was wresting with it until it stopped snaking.

I was in dynmamic mode. I can't recall if I manually dropped a gear or two before I accelerated.

V6 auto. Rear wheel drive. Good set of tyres. All pressures around 37 psi. No safety features turned off. 15 degrees C.

Fairly new FType owner. But happily drove a Z4 for many years (so front engine real wheel drive) with no such issue.

Happy to take this as driver error and a shot across the bows but no idea what I did and will now be on edge whenever the road surface is wet.

What do I learn from this ?

Avoid dynamic mode on a wet surface ?
Avoid manually downshifting gears on a wet surface ?
Accelerate very cautiously on a wet surface ?
Don't trust traction control/stability aids etc ?
All of the above ?

simpleR
Posts: 2449
Joined: Tue Oct 31, 2017 11:56 am

Post by simpleR »

Dynamic mode allows quite a bit of wheel spin and sideways angle before it intervenes. It will let the car move about quite a bit.

Add some fresh rain after a dry spell, grease coming up through road surface, gears kicking down, off chamber country roads, maybe some spillage/man hole covers etc. Plus 380ps and stab of throttle (waiting for the anti-pirelli followers to chime in).

You'll be amazed how sideways it will go before it spins round. It was actually quite difficult on the Fen End Skid pan to lose it even with everything off.

I'd put it down to experience (change underwear if required) and move on. (It's one of the reasons I actually chose AWD, just because as a daily driver it's out in all weather).
400 Sport AWD - MY18 - Black, pano roof and thats about it 8-)
Duvetday
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Joined: Fri Apr 23, 2021 8:54 am

Post by Duvetday »

OK. I decided about 3 milliseconds after the event that my next vehicle will be all wheel drive.

Maybe a visit to a skid pan will be required to help me explore the limits and get my confidence back.

The irony is that I am probably the only FType owner in the country who regularly uses the speed limiter. Mr Cautious.

OK, so not more dynamic mode in the wet I think.
simpleR
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Joined: Tue Oct 31, 2017 11:56 am

Post by simpleR »

After doing some advanced driving and Skid Pan at Fen End I would recommend it to anyone. Especially Skid pan. I think it should be part of learning to drive to be honest.

Why not book in for an hours session. Loads of places do them.
https://thruxtonracing.co.uk/experiences/skid-own-car
400 Sport AWD - MY18 - Black, pano roof and thats about it 8-)
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scm
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Location: Southampton, UK

Post by scm »

You have to learn to be cautious with that right foot in dynamic mode in the wet. I find I don't actually need much throttle to get the car moving "briskly" and avoid spinning up the back wheels. I came to my F-Type from a 5.0 XKR which was RWD and that really was a handul in the wet - the F-Type is pretty tame by comparison (in some respects!).
MY18 F-Type V8 R AWD in Glacier White
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Duvetday
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Post by Duvetday »

scm wrote: Fri Jun 18, 2021 9:08 pm You have to learn to be cautious with that right foot in dynamic mode in the wet. I find I don't actually need much throttle to get the car moving "briskly" and avoid spinning up the back wheels. I came to my F-Type from a 5.0 XKR which was RWD and that really was a handul in the wet - the F-Type is pretty tame by comparison (in some respects!).
I had no idea. Every other car I have had has kept me on the straight and narrow with its various safety features, including an M140i which are renowned for being overpowered for the chasis of the car.

So would it be significantly safer to keep out of dynamic mode in the wet do you think ?
Duvetday
Posts: 238
Joined: Fri Apr 23, 2021 8:54 am

Post by Duvetday »

Duvetday wrote: Fri Jun 18, 2021 8:49 pm OK. I decided about 3 milliseconds after the event that my next vehicle will be all wheel drive.

Maybe a visit to a skid pan will be required to help me explore the limits and get my confidence back.

The irony is that I am probably the only FType owner in the country who regularly uses the speed limiter. Mr Cautious.

OK, so no more dynamic mode in the wet I think.
BruceTheQuail
Posts: 53
Joined: Tue Apr 27, 2021 10:29 pm

Post by BruceTheQuail »

I agree with scm, also had an XKR and that was mental in the wet. Dont stress it, the f type gives you controllable traction loss and once you get used to it you will really enjoy it. You can squeeze it on and steer by the back wheels coming out of roundabouts, pushing out your back end to get the angle you want. I'm getting that with the Michelins as well, though it was much moreso with the P Zeros (which I disliked more for their hard ride than the grip issues, I thought they steered fine).

The stepping out that the F type is prone to is one of the fun parts, IMO, if you dont overcorrect it usually tidies itself up.
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Duvetday
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Post by Duvetday »

BruceTheQuail wrote: Fri Jun 18, 2021 10:44 pm I agree with scm, also had an XKR and that was mental in the wet. Dont stress it, the f type gives you controllable traction loss and once you get used to it you will really enjoy it. You can squeeze it on and steer by the back wheels coming out of roundabouts, pushing out your back end to get the angle you want. I'm getting that with the Michelins as well, though it was much moreso with the P Zeros (which I disliked more for their hard ride than the grip issues, I thought they steered fine).

The stepping out that the F type is prone to is one of the fun parts, IMO, if you dont overcorrect it usually tidies itself up.
Right...but this wasn't 'stepping out' ...this me careering into the side of the road followed by careering into the right hand lane. If anybody had been coming the other way you wouldn't be reading this.

Dynamic mode is now off !
BruceTheQuail
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Joined: Tue Apr 27, 2021 10:29 pm

Post by BruceTheQuail »

If the front end went out on you I'd be thinking there was something on the road. I've never had that happen to me in a RWD, though I have in a few high powered FWD's. But I've seen on the US forum people having similar issues on icy roads.
2016.5 V6s in IRR with lotsa wrap
VAP Quad exhaust, pulley and tune, 21 inch Vorsteiners
2019 Mustang V8 manual in subtle orange with tasteful stripes
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