lost control on accord when turning corner

Hello,
I've a 2001 accord LX that I've driven
for several years. Had the tires changed
about 2 years ago and the front pads changed.

Just today when driving towards a parking lot, I
was going 35 mph (road was wet) and when
I applied brakes and turned left, the car didn't
stop and went straight instead. I re-applied brakes
until it stopped, but it took some effort.

Is this a skid ? I guess the roads were wet, but
I had driven that road before.

The brakes not applying and not being able to turn
left has left me puzzled.

Is there anything on the tires/brakes that I should
get checked?

Could a road condition cause this?

Please advise.

Thanks

 

Did you have a very long dry period before the rain - the first few
minutes of rain after a long dry period produces very slick roads till
the oil gets washed off.

Also what kind of tires do you have - had big problems with wet weather
traction with Michelin MXV4 "energy" tires - suckers broke loose and
then it is impossible to get the vehicle under control - something
about the tire design being to optomize mileage at the vast expense of
traction - awful tires. Also how many miles on the tires and are any
underinflated - I run mine at the max recommended on the driver door
tire info plate.

 

I had the tread checked at the dealer and it
was still within limits. The tires are Goodyear Viva
on the front and Goodyear Touring in the back. They are
rated for 60,000 and I usually drive < 10K miles per year.

I also checked the air pressure was 30PSI which is
the specification on the door. The tires do show some
wear at the sidewalls. I did have been them rotated last oil change.

There must be something about that road. They had that road re-painted
a while back and today was the first day of signicant rain.

 

Maybe, but running different tires on the front and back isn't going
to help. It sounds like the front tires don't have as much grip in
wet conditions. The fact that you just rotated them means you went
from one extreme to the other.

 

A classic case of going too fast for conditions. What you did was to lock
the brakes, and when the front axle locked up, the tires slid instead of
taking you around the turn. You can't steer a locked wheel, it tends to
continue in the direction that your momentum is taking it. The other poster
had a valid point about road oils being flushed to the surface, usually
after a period of dry weather. Often you can get a clue about this condition
by watching the road surface right after a vehicle passes; the surface film
appears "soapy" looking from the surface oils being emulsified. Slow down in
the rain, especially if you have only limited experience, which <10K/year
indicates. For the best handling, have the same brand, tread style and tire
size on each corner, unless the car comes with different sizes, front and
rear, from the factory. Slow down to a speed appropriate for the conditions
prevailing, and be glad you had room to recover before you hit a solid
object or left the road surface.

 

Its driving me nuts that no one said the word understeer. Thats all it is.
Hondas do that all the time.
KH

 

If this guy drives <10K/Yr., he wouldn't understand the word "understeer".
He probably wouldn't recognize true hydroplaning either, but here he is
blaming his lack of skills on the tires, even though he doesn't understand
the handling character of his vehicle under marginal weather conditions. If
you lose control as he apparently did, that is too fast for conditions,
whatever you choose to call the ultimate cause.

 

As do all cars. You wouldn't want it any other way. Every corner would
feel unstable, like steering while backing up.

 

If it hasn't happened since, you probably just hit a slippery spot. And
braking in a turn didn't help. Your tire has only so much grip, which
is split between braking and cornering.

 

You know, on this topic, I bought a 05 accord with the tcs or whatever the
traction control thing is. It just rained here for the first time since I
got it. Its kinda wierd this drive by wire thing, but it works. When you get
to heavy on the gas in a corner it limits your wheel speed and keeps the car
going where you want it. Kinda creepy but I can get used to it. Braking of
course is the same as always. I remember the first time I drove a car with
abs. That also took some getting used to.
KH