Wrecked: is it me or the car?

[lietuvis91]

HEy Everyone,
this passed weekend i was driving out in the goonies and when i tried to pass someone up my car spun out while shifting to 3rd and ended up in a ditch . I hit a speed limit sign so I got a wreckless ops ticket. It was raining too, so i figured I should have known better? ... ok but today it's raining again, i'm driving like 25mph and as i was making a very light turn and the car spun out AGAIN!!! I hit a tree w/ the same side that i damaged saturday so didn't suffer any ADDITIONAL damage. NOW... i have 245 H rated tires w/ 400 threadwear on all 4s in very good shape, so WTF!!! Why did this car do this. DO ALL you guys experience this or do i need to get some better rubber or what!!! Right now the car seems so unstable , like on ice everytime it rains!!! I've had it for like 2 months now, so I am new to the mustang. I really just wanna know if these cars are really this unstable b/c of the torgue the engine produces or should I just get better tires? If so what's a good tire especiallt for daily driving int he F***** RAIN!!!! I have stock 1995 gt rims, and if i can go wider than 245 i'd like to.
Any comments are appreciated.

 

[mystang94gt]

Was this the first time it rained in a while? Only thing I could think of is there is oil build up on the roads like when it rains for the first time of the year.

I see you do some auto cross so I think its time you learn how to counter stear a RWD car. Go to a parking lot (one without parking blocks) practice getting sideways and correcting. You should learn how to get your car back into shape when she gets squirly on you. I've had times I got so loose I was facing the curb I was supposed to be driving parallel to. Then I just swung it back and straightened it out. Takes some getting used to if you have driven a lot of FWD cars. But its so much fun when you can control it.

 

[wytstang]

I have Perelli P7000 all around 245/50zr-16's they do great in the Florida storms we get. Did you hit a puddle?

 

[gcomfx.com]

Where are you at and what is the temp. there?

I had G-Force KDWs a couple years ago and they would do exactly what you describe when it was cold out. They were SUMMER rated tires and were awesome for traction, even in the rain.... EXCEPT when it was cold. The tires would turn into rocks and it was ice city.... Luckily I wore them out fast... I mean they wore quickly and I got a different type of tire for the winter.

 

[TrueBlue95GT]

Maybe your alignment is off. When you passed this person, did you give it more gas than usual in 3rd gear. I know in my car, when it's raining out, I'll spin 1st to 4th if I'm not careful. Anyways, whenever I start going sideways, I push in the clutch and usually the rear tires grip and send me back in the right direction.

 

[HtownGT]

my car does the same. i have yoks 420. they arent the best but they have been pretty good in teh rain until liek last week. i have to drive so slow when i take a corner or start off. damn torque.

 

[SmithCobra95]

It was prob a combo of both the rain/oil on the roads and your tires. If you get new tires just make sure that they are made for dry/wet roads because it sounds like the ones on your car are not made for rain. That will cost some $$$ though

 

[LR94GT]

the first time i drove my gt in the rain, i spun out while turning in an intersection. the reason for that was because i shifted and applied the gas like it was dry out. learn from it and it will never happen again. be careful!

 

[Dan95-5.0]

i've got 245 Comp T/A's and in the rain at a stop sign, my car would spin the tires and start to go sideways untill i completly let off the gas. and i'm not giving it alot of throttle too. pisses me off.

i really have to baby it and the bad thing is, i barely have any mods!!!!!!!

when i get some 17's, i'll put some Nitto's on and i heared there pretty good in the rain, not sure tho. i barely drive in the rain so its not a serious problem.

 

[wytstang]

Dan95-5.0 clean out your pm box.

 

[Black70Fastback]

Was this the first time it rained in a while? Only thing I could think of is there is oil build up on the roads like when it rains for the first time of the year.

I see you do some auto cross so I think its time you learn how to counter stear a RWD car. Go to a parking lot (one without parking blocks) practice getting sideways and correcting. You should learn how to get your car back into shape when she gets squirly on you. I've had times I got so loose I was facing the curb I was supposed to be driving parallel to. Then I just swung it back and straightened it out. Takes some getting used to if you have driven a lot of FWD cars. But its so much fun when you can control it.

are you any good at correcting like mystang was getting at? there are intersections by where i live that i intentionally gas it and get it to start going sideways if im alone. at times you can ride it like that for almost a block. sorry its really the only way i can get my ext. cab lariet to "wildly" break them loose. sad sad sad. i wish i could drive my car more often.

 

[Joe 5.0]

Its probably a combo of you not knowing the dynamics of a rwd/high tq, front heavy car, not so great tires, and bad road conditions.

It took me at least 6 months to get 100% comfortable in doing powerslides, but when you learn them, you will be a much better driver. I'm not saying to drive like a maniac around turns because you feel you can control it, but when the situation comes about that you need to get your car back on track, it'll be 2nd nature.

For example:

I was driving my Mustang on a peaceful sunny afternoon. I was on a twisty road that was about 50mph. Some ******* in a pickup wasnt paying attention and in the middle of a corner veered into my lane, aiming straight at me. I had to throw my car into the shoulder and try to get back on the road before I went into the ditch. Both my right side tires went into some wet grass/gravel and the rear started drifting to the right. I knew this was going to happen, so before it got out of control I already had counter-steered so that I got back onto the road. Once my tires got back on the road I knew if I didnt correct it back to straight it would swing the other way, spinning out. To the 3 other people in the car they said that was the best piece of driving they'd ever seen. To me it was just a reaction. I told them if they wanted to see some driving to go with me to the road course and I'd scare em sh_tless.

In summary, just take it real easy & slow when its wet out. Our cars are very front heavy, meaning that there is no weight over the rear tires. Trying to pass people at WOT when its raining, or giving it gas in the middle of a turn is going to cause accidents, at least until you know what your car is going to do before it happens.

 

[RiceEatin1995GT]

Was this the first time it rained in a while? Only thing I could think of is there is oil build up on the roads like when it rains for the first time of the year.

I see you do some auto cross so I think its time you learn how to counter stear a RWD car. Go to a parking lot (one without parking blocks) practice getting sideways and correcting. You should learn how to get your car back into shape when she gets squirly on you. I've had times I got so loose I was facing the curb I was supposed to be driving parallel to. Then I just swung it back and straightened it out. Takes some getting used to if you have driven a lot of FWD cars. But its so much fun when you can control it.

Hehe I need to mess around with that too. I lost control of my car in a parking lot while it was raining once. I was being a moron, but still, there was nobody around so it's no big deal, but it could accidently happen somewhere else. Definitely is fun though. I'm getting the hang of it.

 

[lietuvis91]

I see...

I got a quote for the body work today, $1500 !!! I just really wanna make sure this doesn't happen again, which is why i think i'll get the nittos, i think someone already mentioned them. i don't care how fast they wear, i just don't wanna wreck again, for a stupid reason like that! My stang, by the way, has an o/r h-pipe and a k&n filter, that's it. So it's basically stock!!! AND i live in NEw ORleans, it's a humid city, and it does rain here every now and then. IT's always hot and humid though. So I need tires for those conditions. i thought that maybe dunlop 4000 or 8000 may be a good choice for me. Anyone have them? And 245 is the widest i can go w/ stock rims, right? As soon as i put this sucker back together I'm taking it to autocross, cuz that's what i should have done in the first place. There you learn your car in like a day, autocross is awesome, even if just for the sole purpose of learning your car. And i have done power slides in dry weather w/ the stang already, and on one other occassion almost wrecked this thing on an offramp on the highway DURING RAIN, countersteering saved me there. But thatnks you guys, seems like i'm not the only one that seems to have stability issues, so it's not just me!

 

[super302]

Take it really, really slow in the rain, i heard nitto's are prone to hydroplaining...just what i've heard

 

[BlackVert]

it sucks, but bodywork and painting is expensive.

my goodyear eagles broke loose really easily in the rain. even when i babied it, if i going uphill, it was way too easy to spin the tires.

my toyo proxes t1-s tires are great in the rain, but i still take it easy.

 

[Dan95-5.0]

Dan95-5.0 clean out your pm box.

done

 

[DFG 5OH]

I've got some Futura touring tires (rated at 80,000 miles) the hard rubber tires are horrible in the rain, i have a stock stang and can break them in third, so i have to baby it in the rain, but its fun in a parking lot with no-one around, i also like to practice controling my car, and have some sence not to drive like i do in the rain, like to do when its dry! By the way, i've only been driving my gt in the rain for 4 days, i've only had it for a month, and we had a drought. Its just common sence not to floor it, at anytime during the rain

 

[xr8d302]

If the macro-texture of the pavement compound is low where you live, you'll have problems. Take a look at the pavement, is it very smooth? Those roads get tricky in the rain much easier, since the oil dispersed through the compound can't be corrected by the granular substance in the asphalt compound. Out in the country, you'll notice paved roads seem much more rough...lots of macro texture, stony aggregate,that retain their shape after laying of the asphalt, and keep your tires in place easier than some city roads. Get some yokohama's in the city, that's what I use, and I don't get messed up at all on the roads. On vancouver Island, after a good rainfall, the roads get slick though, due to the ridonkulously smooth roads...so no matter what make of tire you use, you're gonna slip if the asphalt is smooth enough. Drive carefully, and get used to a rear wheel drive car..that's just my humble opinion though

 

[lietuvis91]

just a word of warning to:
matthiasj

...trust me it has nothing to do w/ wide open throttle!!! I barely tapped the gas and the car spun out, so just be careful when it rains man!!! My friend who has wrecked 2 trans ams already told me i would wreck the stang, and I laughed at him... not so funny now. He told me get better rubber and so did all my other friends that know rwd and high powered cars, i thought i could wing it. I think dunlops are my best bet double-A traction rating, I have them on my SE-R and those things grip unbelievably!!!