Damp roads, cheap tyres and fire extinguishers

[lb99]

Be that the case or not. She wasn't going fast enough that she should be having any trouble with grip. If those tyres let go at that speed in those conditions there's something wrong - it might come down to driver competence and suspension, but it is most likely the tyres.

My verdict stands, saving on tyres could be detrimental to your health.

the over correcting wasnt the tyres fault.
although if it was as slow as you say, then something was up for sure.
I stand by my tyres, theyre rubber, and have a good tread depth, and dry the road out as they go along, water is the reccomended lubricant for rubber.
Good on you for stopping to help.

[Motu]

I doubt if it was the tyres - I used to sell Hero tyres and rate them better than budget NZ made tyres like Enduro or Kelly.What was the tread depth - this is far more important.I used to sell Sunny tyres too - they were a really cheap Chinese tyre.They are a great tyre,I still have a set on the Lada,they are hardly worn and grip very well.

Lucky the Honda didn't explode into a fireball after the crash like in the movies eh? I've seen that happen plenty of times.....in the movies.

[Little Miss Trouble]

I have some on the rear of my falcon, they were really cheap $68 wholesale or something, ok they are not the best (cheap, Indian), but heres the thing, I'm not going to toot on about my falcon, its a big heavy six, but you have to try if you want to break it out in the rain, I tend to drive quite fast (not a nutter but briskly) so sometimes I have to brake hard, and I cannot recal locking the rear either, I actually rate these tyres better that the budget firestones I had before, time will tell if they last the distance.

both my ute and my wifes car have fire extinguishers and first aid kits.

Really? I thought them falcons spun up and stepped out pretty easily in the wet Or so I've been told...

[Mikkel]

the over correcting wasnt the tyres fault.
although if it was as slow as you say, then something was up for sure.
I stand by my tyres, theyre rubber, and have a good tread depth, and dry the road out as they go along, water is the reccomended lubricant for rubber.

As I said, she shouldn't have had to correct, much less over-correct, at all given the speed at which she was travelling.

Thread depth was adequate, not all rubbers are equal - otherwise it shouldn't matter who provided the slicks in racing. After all, no-tread is no-tread...

I doubt if it was the tyres - I used to sell Hero tyres and rate them better than budget NZ made tyres like Enduro or Kelly.

I wasn't comparing the Hero's to Enduro or Kelly - I only stated that investing in proper premium (e.g. Bridgestone, Goodyear, Dunlop, Firestone, Michelin, etc.) is not necessarily a waste of your money. (For the record I am running Bridgestone RE001s and I sincerely believe I could have gone through that curve, in those conditions, at twice her speed without being even close to the limit of their grip.)

[u4ea]

Call it a blonde moment .......PIRELLI

[Mikkel]

Call it a blonde moment

Other end of the scale I'm afraid.

[gammaguy]

reminds me of something that happened to me.

my Z has a turbo,and they get hot,specially when im in a hurry to get home.

one day after a quick trip i decided to check the transmission fluid level,as the manual says to check the level with the transmission hot,idling in neutral.

so its the old"dipstick in,dipstick out"routine.trouble is a few drips of fluid went onto the still hot and spinning turbocharger,which for some reason is DIRECTLY below the dipstick hole on the trans.(great design,Nissan-san)

result,very predictable-trans fluid is flammable on hot turbos apparently(id say week old dishwater would be,the temp that they get up to)

anyway,long story short,if i didnt have my extiguisher at hand,the car would have been a pile of ashes in no time.

i would never be without one in the car,sadly i have no space for one on any of my bikes

[Mikkel]

anyway,long story short,if i didnt have my extiguisher at hand,the car would have been a pile of ashes in no time.

A Z300 I suppose?

Exactly how far above the normal oil level were you? I mean, it would have to be a substatial oil drop onto your turbo to ensure a complete melt down of engine and all. As far as I know, a normal dipstick doesn't carry that much gunk upon retraction...

[lb99]

Really? I thought them falcons spun up and stepped out pretty easily in the wet Or so I've been told...

oh, they do, but like any properly driven car, they still have to be provoked, its not random....

[lb99]

lost it completely and spun 180 degrees and was left facing the oncoming traffic.

hahaha I did that in an old rwd sprinter, only on top of that it was night on a dodgy corner, I stalled in the spin and the keys dropped out of the ignition and into the door pocket, took about 30s to get my shit togeather, once I was sorted and pointed in the right direction, a cop came around the bend, :whew:

oh and that car had flash bridgestones on it.

[Okey Dokey]

if you have a fire extinguisher in your car ffs fix it to the floor, its the last thing you want flying around inside if you tip it over (that or your toolbox)

I thought that would be pretty obvious ffs; mine is in a holder bolted to the floor.

[gammaguy]

A Z300 I suppose?

Exactly how far above the normal oil level were you? I mean, it would have to be a substatial oil drop onto your turbo to ensure a complete melt down of engine and all. As far as I know, a normal dipstick doesn't carry that much gunk upon retraction...

the dipstick was full i.e. the level was correct.i doubt if it was more than a teaspoon full that hit the turbo.that was all it took and the flames were licking around the nice plastic and rubber bits of the wiring loom and hoses.she would have burned for sure

yup,its a 1984 Z31 300 ZX

[Motu]

I wasn't comparing the Hero's to Enduro or Kelly - I only stated that investing in proper premium (e.g. Bridgestone, Goodyear, Dunlop, Firestone, Michelin, etc.) is not necessarily a waste of your money.

Investing in premium tyres for an old Civic (year and model please,2004 may be old to some people) would be a total waste of money.Hero's would be a far better tyre than what was fitted to the vehicle when new,and road conditions would most likely be an improvement too.Hero are Federal's budget brand,most likely made in the same factory that makes Federal tyres.

I brake test a dozen cars a day,wet and dry.Sometimes it's hard to get a good reading as the tyres don't grip - but I've never been able to narrow it down to any brands,only to tread depth and suspension.

There were many other factors involved in this crash,to ignore them and focus on tyre brand alone as the cause sounds like a narrow minded vendetta to me.

[lb99]

I thought that would be pretty obvious ffs; mine is in a holder bolted to the floor.

obvious to normal people like you and me for sure, but you would be blown away by the crap some people have rolling around on the floor

[peasea]

I think the EU have made it a requirement to carry a fire extinguisher in a vehicle. I think NZ should too.

Not a dumb idea. I spent a couple of years rebuilding a (IMHO) very cool Fairlane and it never went anywhere without a f/e coz I didn't want it going up in flames after all that work. Dunno why I don't carry one in the current automobiles but that's food for thought. Even if you don't use it to save your own arse you might save somebody else's.

Good call.