[Mungogrubb]

Chaps I have just had the scariest commute and can't work out why? Very light rain and 2.5 degrees and the car is all over the place! No traction out of corners at all even on very light throttle, traction control flashing constantly had to resort to Ecopro mode just to make progress- any body else had similar issues?

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by Mungogrubb

Chaps I have just had the scariest commute and can't work out why? Very light rain and 2.5 degrees and the car is all over the place! No traction out of corners at all even on very light throttle, traction control flashing constantly had to resort to Ecopro mode just to make progress- any body else had similar issues?

Assuming your tyres have plenty of tread... summer tyres being cold and rubber compound hard on a damp road? Greasy surfaces, combined with the cold tyres. Tyre pressures not ideal to give a perfect contact patch, can show in conditions you were driving. All possibilities if you are simply not getting enough grip.

HighlandPete

[davyk31]

Or just icy conditions that haven't yet cleared ?? Summer tyres shouldn't be that bad unless its very cold or snowy.

[TonyS]

Yes, I've had this once in a while in the past, to the extent that on one occasion I stopped and checked my tyre pressures. The last time was on roads that I travelled every day and it was just this one day that it felt like I was almost driving on ice (I wasn't, as the temperatures were low but had been a few degrees above freezing for a few days).

I can only assume it's a specific combination of greasy roads and weather conditions.

Someone did suggest to me that it might be due to the chemicals in the gritting that they spread when there's likely to be ice, but I've no idea if that's the case. It would seem a bit stupid to make the roads slippery when you're trying to make them safer.

[Mungogrubb]

Originally Posted by TonyS

Yes, I've had this once in a while in the past, to the extent that on one occasion I stopped and checked my tyre pressures. The last time was on roads that I travelled every day and it was just this one day that it felt like I was almost driving on ice (I wasn't, as the temperatures were low but had been a few degrees above freezing for a few days).

I can only assume it's a specific combination of greasy roads and weather conditions.

Someone did suggest to me that it might be due to the chemicals in the gritting that they spread when there's likely to be ice, but I've no idea if that's the case. It would seem a bit stupid to make the roads slippery when you're trying to make them safer.

Pretty much the same situation I have driven these roads everyday for 10 years and in all weather however today was something special- no front end or rear grip at all and a queue of traffic behind me because I just couldn't make any progress. What concerned me is it seemed to only be my car seriously getting traction control flashing at 40'ish mph on a straight where I would normally be doing 80!
Hopefully it's just a combination of cold, rain, country roads and summer tyres

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by davyk31

Or just icy conditions that haven't yet cleared ?? Summer tyres shouldn't be that bad unless its very cold or snowy.

Ice conditions 'underneath' the rain could be a possibility, that is a lethal combination.

Up here where we get changes of seasons as we drive, tyre performance can change in seconds. I remember one of my first encounters with RFTs when the temperature suddenly dropped mid journey, from something like 8C to 1C, in a couple of miles. It started raining (snow in the rain) the tyres chilled and the ride and handling just fell apart. Was like a completely different car to drive, nervous and twitchy, even when dropping off the speed. My passenger could feel the ride had changed in just a mile or so. Quite enlightening, got me experimenting in the wet and at low temperatures and realised RFTs are inclined to run stone cold, don't get up to working temperatures or pressure, hard as rocks. Will drop 0.25 - 0.3 bar from normal during cold temperature running, or fail to heat the same (0.25 - 0.3 bar) pressure over distance, on cold and wet roads.

Nothing like a conventional tyre in the same conditions. One of the reasons I moved to winter tyres, as summer RFTS couldn't be trusted, even without snow and ice. Winter RFTs still run cold, but at least the rubber compound and tread design give a better chance of holding suitable running characteristics.

HighlandPete

[JOHNBMWM5]

Winter tyres are required really in low temps, I can fly round corners in mine and it sticks like glue.

[Mungogrubb]

Thanks for the replies - definitely winters for me next year. First experience of run flats your comments Pete make a lot if sense!