270 Degree spin in a W124 on a public road

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Philirv

Active Member
Joined
Aug 20, 2003
Messages
100
Location
Oxford
Car
Mercedes Benz W124 E280 Auto
I had an interesting experience coming of an A5 roundabout in Milton Keynes the other evening.

It was the first rain we've had in about 2 weeks and the road was quite slick and as I accelerated around the corner away from the roundabout, the back wheels started spinning......

CACK PANTS !

The back end went out right, and I manager to correc it left, but at this point I lost it and the car went fully around 270 and ended up in the grass to the left of the road - no damage, no injuries.

The moral of the story, is don't drive on bald tyres (I've just replace all 4 on my E280).
 
Originally posted by Philirv
The moral of the story, is don't drive on bald tyres (I've just replace all 4 on my E280).

Glad you are here to tell us mate.

In your profile you descibe yourself as Mad Irish so watch those bends mate.:D :D
 
Brian.

In your profile it say your birthday is 30th September 1903, well you looked pretty spritely at the Kettering GTG for a 99 year old!!
 
Aha - A fellow Irishman
drink.gif


same car model, same age, birthdays not too far apart at all
beer.gif
 
oh - and shagged tyres too!:mad:

And cack pants.

Just gets spookier! :eek:
 
Originally posted by Dave Elcome
Brian.

In your profile it say your birthday is 30th September 1903, well you looked pretty spritely at the Kettering GTG for a 99 year old!!

My little joke you were not suppose to notice- Trust a Copper to spot the small print.:devil: :devil:

How are you Dave how's the Pug???:D :D
 
Yes it's true, I'm from the Emerald Isle (same colour as my E280).

However, unlike you, I changed my cack pants before I changed the tyres ! :bannana:
 
You know, I did almost exactly the same in my 124 on a roundabout in the wet.

Took a fairly sharp right turn over a mini roundabout and decided to spin the car round in the process. I was drifting towards a wire mesh fence, and decided the only option was to bury the throttle and hope for the best.

Fortunately, when all the weight shifted around, the car gained traction once again, and I nervously commenced the journey.

I was lucky, as it was 8 in the evening and nobody else around. If it was rush hour, it could have been a nasty accident.

All I can say is - if you have a rear wheel drive car, pay attention in the wet.

--
Antony
 
Yeh put your mercedes safely away when it comes to the icy winters. You do not want to risk the damage...Especially if you have an older one like mine that doesnt have ASR, ABS etc etc...
 
Yeah, Shude will tell you how good his car is in the winter conditions and how he gets fed up because people slow down just looking at snow ploughed at the side of the road and the road is now clear.

Not his fault he fell of the road and landed on the roof at all :p :p
 
lol Graham,

but as Shude quite rightly said to me, the car gave its life for its owner, as Shude brushed himself off and walked away from it unscathed.

I suspect a lot of other cars would have compacted like a tin can.

--
Antony
 
Originally posted by bloodmoon
lol Graham,

but as Shude quite rightly said to me, the car gave its life for its owner, as Shude brushed himself off and walked away from it unscathed.

I suspect a lot of other cars would have compacted like a tin can.

--
Antony


Indeed, I was very pleased at the outcome of Nick's testing.
 
Originally posted by GrahamC230K
Indeed, I was very pleased at the outcome of Nick's testing.

I agree Graham, but we do not want a second trial carried out do we, eh.:D :D :D LOL
 
Originally posted by Brian WH

How are you Dave how's the Pug???:D :D

I'm fine thanks Brian, but i'm a bit concerned over the Pug.

I've done 1500 miles since i came home from France in July, and i've only just got to go to the fuel station for the second time, do you think the car is frightened of them??

I'll be getting a letter from the fuel station soon asking if they have upset me:D
 
Interesting first post as my wife in a W124 had the same thing happen just before the summer. This, coupled with the fact that we have 2 small children has prompted me to get her a car with all the electronics that one can get (she wants a small car - any suggestions?). She (and I) will also go on an advanced driving course to hopefully get better trained.

Any recommended ones anyone? I looked into the Don Palmer one, but I am not sure that is what we are looking for.

I think even good drivers can be caught by surprise when the road gets slippery. I am however not convinced that new tyres would have solved the problem in our case. It seems to me that the car (now done 125k miles) is quite violent/jerky off the mark. Not sure if this can be adjusted, but in my opinion contributed to the spin.

Frightening, but again miraculously nothing happened despite the fact that it was in peak traffic! Not a scratch - I was really relieved...

Take care as the winter approaches.

DB1
 
Amen to that. My car is going into hibernation at the first sign of snow and ice. Span it in the wet and scared the b'jeezus out of me :p

I, too, have thought about advanced driving, but have come to the conclusion that a day at a skid pan for some training would be more beneficial (and more fun).

--
Antony
 
Originally posted by db1
Interesting first post as my wife in a W124 had the same thing happen just before the summer. This, coupled with the fact that we have 2 small children has prompted me to get her a car with all the electronics that one can get (she wants a small car - any suggestions?).

Get your other half an A class. Its the safest feeling small car ive ever been in and its excellent in the snow. ITs sooo stable its unreal and has bags of space and all the electronics you can get :)
 
A-Class for sure...

May appear a little pricey at first but the safety is top notch and it all comes as standard no matter which trim level you buy.

Been out in the snow a fair bit in the Baby Benz. Switch the auto box to Winter, ESP comes alive, full-time traction control, but it goes where you point it !

Andrew
 
Originally posted by db1
She (and I) will also go on an advanced driving course to hopefully get better trained.

Any recommended ones anyone? I looked into the Don Palmer one, but I am not sure that is what we are looking for.

For an adv driving course I'd recommend either RoSPA or IAM. They are charities and after paying a joining fee (~£20) you'll be trained for **free**. The disadvantage is that you may have to wait a while. You'll also have to pay for the test. The RoSPA course is considered harder than the IAM one and with RoSPA you have to retake your test every 3 years, IAM is a one off. The RoSPA course should take ~12 weeks and there's theory too! I am an observer for our local RoSPA Adv Drivers group.

These courses aren't about skid control and J-turns etc. It's about mind-set, observation, position, correct use of gears (for those manual folk :p) and speed, etc. The idea being you don't get in the skid in the first place. I found it vastly improved my driving. I fact, considering how i used to drive, it's probably saved my life.

For skid specific stuff I'd recommend a skid pan course too. As previously mentioned they are great fun as well as educational. The one i did recently (at Knockhill) gave you a shot in both a front wheel drive car and a rear wheel drive car with a bit of a competition at the end.
 
Guys,

With regard to spinning in the wet, a couple of bits of old wisdom spring to mind.

Anon: "the only way to find your limits is to exceed them"

John Surtees ( the only person to be World champion on 2 and 4 wheels): " the throttle goes both ways"

Additional training is a great idea............
 

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