Rear iris clenching moment

D

Donkmeister

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On Saturday around lunchtime I was driving round the M25 anticlockwise near Heathrow. Just after it goes from 6 lanes down to 3 or 4, I came around a right-hand curve and there was a Citroen C1 parked in the OUTSIDE lane with a blown tyre. EEK!!! :eek:

Luckily for me, I was only going 60 and I was able to safely pull left with distance to spare, although it was one of those moments when you it was bad because you didn't even have time to swear. :LOL: My OH rang 999 to let them know about the C1 (they didn't!!!) and there was no accident reported later so the police must have got to them pretty sharpish and presumably it all worked out well.

It made me wonder - modern suspension, wheels and tyres are designed in such a way that you get enough time to make your way back across to the hard shoulder. My OH did it when one of her front tyres blew at 70mph in the outside lane of a very busy rush hour A1(M), and she said there was no drama and she felt like she was in control of the car the whole time.

So, was the C1 driver a life-endangering moron who should have his licence burned, or are blow-outs usually more dramatic than I am giving credit for? :confused: :mad: :mad:
 
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Iv'e seen this loads of times on the M25 over the years.........
Can be bloody frightening approaching at speed !
Sometimes with the driver sitting in the car, sometimes standing inside the central reservation next to it. :eek: Only on one occasion (as i went past) did i see someone getting the spare wheel out of the boot.........I kid you not :eek:

Good question though Donkmeister.......would it be more hazardous to try crossing three lanes from stationary........????????????????????
Thats a tough call.....
 
dont stop then.

ive had this happen a lot. if a tyre goes at speed its usually goosed, no point in trying to save it, just drive on and find a safe place to stop.

i once drove a half mile with a flat as i didnt fancy stopping to change it where i was. id rather replace a wheel than be dead.
 
Had a blowout a few years back doing about 60mph on the M5. luckily there wasn't a lot of traffic around and I was able to get on to the hard shoulder and change it.
The thing is, if you just have a puncture you feel the car behaving oddly so common sense tells you to get to the left and then pull off on to the hard shoulder.

Before my blow out I had been feeling vibrations in the steering column so knew something was amiss. Slowing down they dissappeared, speeding up they started again so I pulled over to check things out. Couldn't see/feel anything wrong so decided to take it steady to the next exit and pull off. About a mile before the exit I had started to increase my speed and then it started to wobble again. Before I could decellerate enough there was an almighty bang and my front offside dipped down. Because of the 'warnings' I was able to pull on to the hard shoulder and replace the wheel.

My whole point is that if you have something wrong with your tyres you will feel it before it blows. The exception to this is if you drive over something such as a nail or sharp object when it can happen instantly, however if you are concentrating you should still be able to get across the carriageway on a flat tyre if you stay focused on your driving.

Glad to hear you are ok DM.
 
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I've seen them on those american cop shows doing 60 on the freeway on the rims... sparke flying everywhere.... so stopping in the "fast lane" shouldn't be an issue.. just drive on the rims..

they ought to make advanced driving skills mandatory.. everyone made to do at least 4 lessons on a skid pan track to learn how to drive in adverse conditions and circumstances..

on a side note, the "fast lane" shouldn't be used unless for overtaking anyway.. your journey at 70 should be conducted mainly in the first lane, only pulling out to overtake slower moving vehicles, and pulling back in as soon as it is safe to do so..
 
Jack, I was overtaking at the time even though I wasn't going 70. It was one of those rare moments when the M25 is actually clear enough to be a pleasant place to drive, but I had been overtaking someone who was overtaking someone else... Glad I wasn't doing 90 with a mobile clamped to my ear... and a coffee in my left hand. :LOL: :LOL:

Wouldn't have been as bad at rush hour as you can never get above 20 on that stretch anyway! :LOL:
 
theres only one lane your allowed to drive in thats the left lane.
the other lanes are for over taking,

thats why anybody north of watford is in danger from southern muppets, apparently allowed access the the roads. :evil:
 
WDIK";p="1481557 said:
theres only one lane your allowed to drive in thats the left lane.
the other lanes are for over taking,
And there was me thinking that lane 2 of the M25 was built specially for black cabs, doing 50MPH showing only sidelights in the dark :evil: :evil:
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Sorry, got the quotes wrong :oops:
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If you drive any distance on a flat tyre, the first thing that is likely to happen is that the tyre will become so damaged that it will come off the rim completely. Then the rim may well become deformed and damaged. I know 'cos it happened to me sometime ago, driving to the next exit rather than wanting to change it in the dark on the hard shoulder.

But, hey, I'd rather sacrifice the rim than myself.

No, it wasn't me on those TV shows running from the cops.
 
it may well shred the tyre, but if it's blown it's irreparable anyway..
as for damaging the rim.. a wheel is easy to replace, and relatively cheap compared to having the vehichle totaled by a BMW smashing into the back of it in the fast lane..
 
Try a front tyre going down on a motorbike at 70mph. Now that is scary there is absolutely nothing you can do except get ready for the pain.
 
namsag said:
Try a front tyre going down on a motorbike at 70mph. Now that is scary there is absolutely nothing you can do except get ready for the pain.
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Frightening! :eek:

BTW, how come you were going so slow? :LOL: :LOL:
 
WDIK said:
thats why anybody north of watford is in danger from southern muppets, apparently allowed access the the roads. :evil:
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We just get so surprised at the complete lack of traffic once you enter the area of the map labelled "Ye be warned, here live barbarians and beasties" :p

Plus we get a bit dazed because the air's so thin up there.

But seriously, I have wondered - is there some conspiracy about the M62? So many times I've been driving on empty roads in Lancashire, then I get to the M62 and it's solid. Then I get off the M62 in Yorkshire and it's empty again. Beautiful untouched roads, no locals seem to know they're there. :confused:

Do you get paid by the hour for driving on the M62 or something? Or is it just a very long-running game of sardines for car-owners?
 
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