long wheel base drifting in wet weather help

[martynmcqueenie]

Hi i was wondering if anyone can help.

1st of all I love my fronty

shes big blue and drives through all poo lol

I own a long wheel base mettalic blue p registration as far as faults they are mainly cosmetic on her she passed mot with flying colours only wiper blades needed .
The problem I have is in moderate to heavy rain when cornering on roundabouts she tends to drift quite a bit .
All the tyres are like new and pressures are checked weekly.
Should I be driving in moderate to heavy rain with the 4wd high engaged or is it more caution when driving in 2wd that is required.
I know what everyones immediate response is going to be slow down and I accept that as an answer although I am a drivers driver and think myself that it is a little light at the front end when road conditions are wet .

Any response is welcomed and appreciated on this matter .

[BoxCleva]

They are a little tail happy , especially in the wet. I managed to power slide mine at 50mph! Not something I ever want to repeat I can tell you

You mention that the tyres are correctly inflated, but what type are they ? Muddies/AT's/Road ?

[martynmcqueenie]

As far as i am aware they are road tyres .
Is there anything else other than tyres that can be done to the fronty to achieve more stability and grip on the road lol i know that question just opened the floodgates but nevermind lol .
I bought this to tow my jet ski does the job no problem.
just my missus doesnt like it in the wet i think she might be driving it too hard like the car needs to educate in the ways of 4wd but i do think that it is very light at the front end.

Cheers for the fast response matey.

Is there any harm in the rain driving in 4wd high mode and if not what are the restrictions if any to driving regarding mph in 4wd mode again any response advice welcomed.

[andysd1]

yes you will damage the 4wd system, it is only to be used on wet grass mud and generally slippery stuff,

[andysd1]

you must understand you are driving a rear wheel drive motor, and they tend to step out in rain, especially if you still have the power on,

the 4wd system is part time only, using it on tarmac and grippy stuff, will lock it up and if im not mistaken, you will blow the front diff

[martynmcqueenie]

Absoloutly thank you again you saved me from breaking my loved new toy and winter project just need to adopt a new driving style

thanks again keep trukin

[Drift]

What pressures do you have in the tyres?

Also as mentioned do not use 4wd on wet tarmac, see this link for more info.

http://www.fronteraowners.co.uk/wiki/in ... _FAQ/Guide

[Frenchfarmer]

[martynmcqueenie]

cheers for that matey
shocks were cheked on mot three weeks ago were new 4000 miles ago mechanic said reciepts were trustworthy that came with the car

i think like you said just more an alternative driving style required

my car is a 2.5 v6 jaguar lowered and sports tuned so i need to remember what im driving and that the fronty for get me home from anywhere and the jag get me there really quick lol

thanks again

[-=BOOM=-]

Also if you got standard springs you will have more body role, causing the inner rear spring to go light and the outer to get overloaded which coupled with a bit of lateral G and the added rain around you go.

[Lee_R]

Martyn

Just reading this thread through quickly I was about to agree wholly with what had been said and say yep - typical of a rear wheel drive motor.

Then I noticed what you normally drive (assuming the jag's a rwd, so shouldn't be anything new to you there), and the phrase "light on the front end" a couple of times. Can I just confirm that when you say "drifting" you mean the back is stepping out on you (over-steering) and not that it's pushing through corners in a straight line (understeering) which is what cars that feel light on the front will often tend to do?

If it's understeer that's the problem, it's probably got something to do with trying to turn 2 tonnes of metal off a straight line rather faster than the tyres can cope with... Simple solution - slower entry speed into corners

Might be way off base - if so I'll get my coat...

[martynmcqueenie]

hi lee youre bang on i know need to slow down i just tried driving like the missus and front end light back end pushing front end all over the place
just tried it to se if missus was talkin rubbish she wasnt
ive told her it aint the jag so slow down problem will hopefully dissappear lol
as for the jag constant 4wd thats where her confidence comes from its also sitting 2 inch lower on 18 inch rims corners like its glued to the ground lol


thanks again mate

[huggy]

the 2.5 has alot of low end grunt,very easy to step the back end out coming off roundabouts,when i first got mine me and the wife put it sideways a few times at the time it had miss matched tyres,two where nexus but cant remember what the others where,changed these crappy tyres for a new set of goodyear wrangler ht's and there very good on the road,can still step it out but i have to try,not like before when it went sideways for no reason

[bigdazz]

mines the same mate steps out in the wet just get use to driving her big heavy beast lol

and as above you will damage 4x4 system remember to reverse when taking it out off 4x4

[jammywagonwheel]

Hiya - And Welcome to FOG-dom..

Mines a little 2.0 sport (SWB) and its very tail happy in the wet... But I do drive it like I stole it. Its a weekend toy (rebuilding a 2.2 RS as well), normal - boring Eurobox cars during the week

Anyhoooo - back on subject...

Understeer / Oversteer can be caused by 1 million and 1 different things from tyre pressures - too high, will slip, too low - tyre sidewall will distort and the tread wont remain fully in contact, tyre type - mine is on Muddies.. 80/20 bias - 80% off road, 20% on road - which means there isnt really F1 grip levels.., also there have been mentions in a few threads on here Re Tyre types about AT (All Terrains) losing their effectiveness even with 3-4mm of tread left. My 2.2 RS is on AT's with barely more than 2-3 mm left on it, and its like driving on marbles - so as soon as its better - new tyres..

An old addage about Rear wheel drive regarding corners.. Slow in - Fast out.. Brake in a straight line (ish), get the car lined up and then apply the loud pedal progressively.. erm.. thats the theory.. not - brake, into second, gun it...

Also, the tracking was out on Martha (2.0 Sport) - Cant think how.. I 'may' have lovingly caressed a tree / rock / ditch etc playing in the woods - This affected fuel consumption and the handling was p!ss poor on road, used to 'track' in overbanding, or in the lorry ruts on the inside lane of the motorway. took it in for a 4 wheel alignment (£30 per adjustment, normally 2 needed) and she is now as sweet as a nut - runs straight and true, Until this coming Sunday - (next SE picnic in the woods.. )

As has been mentioned by the people that know with LWB's.. it is a 2 ton car, with a higher centre of gravity and a fair lump of body roll. Slowing down in the corners will certainly help, Tracking checks can be done for free, and double check tyre pressures...

but a fistful of Opposite lock off a roundabout (when safe to do so).. kind of puts a grin on your face..

John

[dave21478]

Just slow down.
A frontera handles like a burst couch compared to most cars, and comparing it to a 4wd performance saloon is silly - its road holding will not even be close.

[king of the kitchen]

yea mines a swb with no roof,,,and its a bitch in the wet,,have to be very careful its so light on the rear end had it side ways many a time,,,,,but i am a fruit cake,,,,,,,,,,,,