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What do I do???

I was driving I was going the UNDER speedlimit and I had to make a left at the next intersection and as I pressed on the brakes my whole car started to slide and the ABS was trying to kick in. I didn't know what to do because the car would not stop. As the light turned yellow I was still skidding and had no choice but to turn on red and it scared the crap out of me because the whole car kept fish tailing on me.

WINTER CONDITIONS ^^^ HONDA CIVIC^^^

So is their any way to prevent or to help me stop from something like this???

I also have this another problem with the van I drive its got no anti lock brakes or ABS one time I slammed the brakes hard and the the wheels locked up and I was skidding pretty da.mn far(shitty,skinny no traction tires). I could of rear ended someone but the guy was a safe distance from me. But someone could of easily changed into my lane. As I was skidding I thought the car wouldn't stop I was just staring at the car in front of me getting ready to hit him but luckly I didn't

So drivers with skills can you help me out here


SUMMER CONDITIONS^^^ 87 Chevrolet Van^^^

Should of made things more clear

 
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it is all about driving defensive in bad conditions leave extra room between u and the other drivers and keep your eyes out for other peoples f**k ups. and once u are sliding not a whole heck of alot u can do no traction = no control best thing u can do is prevent a slide in the first place with cautious driving inbad weather[IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/IMG]

 
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the speed limit is the MAXIMUM speed for GOOD conditions. That was your biggest mistake.

Get better tires.

 
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On the ice, unforuntaly there isn't much you could've done at the time. Tires only have so much traction, luckily with ABS you were able to make the turn. What you should've done to prevent that was to drive slower. The speed limit is only a suggestion, you need to adjust your speed to the conditions.
WIth no ABS, slammin on the breaks suddenly will lock up your wheels. What you need to do is learn to modulate the breaks so the wheels are just a the point just before they lock up, this will provide the shortest stopping distance, and if you need to steer away at the same time, don't use as much breaking so you have enough traction to mainain steering control.

 
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Opps haha got to change that

SpeedLimit was 50 but I know for a fact I was not driving 50 inches of now+speedlimit=not too good

and as for the tires I don't think I will go out and buy tires for a beater van its a 87 and I don't want to spend doe on rubbers when I can be buying better rubbers for my civy

 
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correct me if i'm wrong, but if a car doesnt have ABS...arent you supposed to pump the breaks?

 
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you have an 1987 van with anti lock brakes? WTF?

 
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I thought he said his civic has anti lock breaks and his van doesnt have it

 
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What kind of tires do you have? That could be a big part of your problem. I had studded snow tires on my first Civic, but I never really got to test them. From what I hear they work really well on ice. Bad thing about them is that they tend to chew up the roads and kick up alot of debris into your car. I have Bridgestone Blizzaks on my current Civic. They are supposed to be just as good as studded snow tires, but again I havent had a chance to really test them. You should look into some studded snow tires for your car. Check out Cooper tires. Depending on where you live, they are only allowed to be used during certain months,while I think in some states they are illegal anytime. So give a check. While these tires should help you a great deal, they are not full proof and like everyone has said, use caution when driving in bad conditions.

 
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"I have Bridgestone Blizzaks on my current Civic."

YES. best snow tires (non studed) evAr.

 
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if you start slipping on ice, let go of your brakes, its the only way to get the wheels rotating again and gives you a slight chance of regaining some control, if you start tailing, turn your wheels the direction that the car is going so it does not gain momentum. as far as your van with no abs, dont keep your foot hammered to the floor board, press the brakes hard, but try not locking up your wheels. its hard to do, but your stop time is a lot shorter. remember, brakes just transfer the energy that your car is using to move into heat, and a rotor and pad do a much better job than your tires and the pavement.

 
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Hey man. Well I drive for a living, beat up old Postal trucks, and they trained us for sh*t like that before they let us drive. The trucks have no ABS either, so this is what they told us to do:
1- Put vehicle in neutral (even with the brakes on, in an auto tranny vehicle, there is still some power going to the drive wheels. If it's in neutral, no power. No power, it's easier to stop.)
2- Quickly pump the brakes. If you do this, it's like a really slow ABS. It still allows the wheels to turn and give you a little control, but it also slows the vehicle.
3- And most importantly, DOUBLE or TRIPLE your standard following distance. This is for two things, one, if you do start to slide, you have more room to regain control and come to a stop. And two, always remember, there is someone out there driving like he's wearing his *** for a hat and thinks it's like 20 above and the road is clean and dry.

I use those rules all the time. I'm on the road for about 7 hours each day, and have been for the last 3 years, and no accidents yet . Of course now that I say that, I'll take out a phone poll or a pedestrian in the next week.

In my civic, I have ABS, so pumping the brakes isn't neccesary, but mine is an auto, so I do pop it into neutral, that does help in stopping. And rule 3 seems to apply no matter what you drive.

Hope that helps.

 
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I always thought taking the vehicle out of gear is something you dont want to do in a skid. By leaving the car in gear you can use the engine's compression and the gears to help slow you down.

 
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Let me start by saying this is my first post on this forum. What I have to say is worth your reading if you want an answer to your question.

I am a performance driving instructor for Master Drive of Denver. It is my job to answer the very question you have asked. At Master Drive we teach drivers on a variety of courses; slalom, braking and handling techniques and on a skid pad. I have taught over 300 drivers how to consistently recover from a skid. I have initiated over 2700 skids since I started. Now with my credentials out of the way. Forget every other post above mine. They are full of common misconceptions and incorrect procedure.

1. Emergency Braking:

When engaging in an emergency brake most drivers tend to slam on the brakes. You don't want to do that. Some people say if you don't have Anti-Lock Brakes you should pump the brake, also, wrong. What you want to use is a technique called THRESHOLD BRAKING. Basically you want to SQUEZE the brakes ASSERTIVLY AND PROGRESIVLY. You want to squeeze the brakes until you are at the point right before the ABS engages or the brakes lock up (the threshold) and hold it there until the car is slowed sufficiently or stopped. If you squeeze too hard and the ABS engages or the wheels lock, then you only want to release a miniscule amount until the ABS turns off or the wheels begin to roll. This allows for maximum braking potential.

2. Skid Correction:

Everyone has heard the old line for skid correction. "Turn into the skid” Lets say the back end of the car is skidding to the left and the front end of the car is skidding to the right. Which direction is "into the skid"? Well, if you have to think about it, you've already crashed. We teach 4 steps to correct a skid. All you need to remember.

1) Look the way you want to go. (look at your solution)
2) Steer the wheel in that direction.
3) No gas
4) No brakes

Once the car begins to turn towards the way you want to go, begin to steer the wheel back to neutral steering. If not, you will fishtail down the road.

3. Tires:

If you live in a state with only a few weeks total time of snow coverage per year, or less. Do not buy studded snow tires. Look for a multi-cellular tire for the winter and a good rain tire for the no snowy months. If you live in a state that doesn't get much snow, find a good rain tire. Do not buy an all-season tire. They perform poorly in all conditions

Obviously, like others have stated, when poor road conditions exists (snow, rain, gravel, ect.) maintain at least 3-5 seconds of distance between the car in front of you.

I hope you find this helpful. Go find a snowy parking lot and practice these techniques if possible. Because if you don’t practice this before you get into an emergency situation, it will do you no good.

 
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so get a rain tire for all monthes that are not a snowy month? i live in pa. should i buy a rain tire even though it might not rain. wouldn't that wear the tire tread out. And should i get a pair of snow tires for the winter months and a rain tire or a high performance tire for the spring and summer monthes?

 
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Pull e-brake works for me

 
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In regards to black03rice's questions. My tire recomendations are focused on saftey and saving money. Basicly, if you live in a state where it snows a good amount, you want two sets of tires. A winter set and another set. Performance tires are fine for your second set. Most performance tires are grooved so that they channel water properly. Just realize each type of these tires has something it does well, and sacrafices performance in another type of driving condition. If you don't care about performance on dry, wet or snowy roads. Than buy a cheap set of all seasons. But know that it will perform only marginally in any type of situation. If you have the money to buy three sets of tires, by all means do that. But it is not nessicary.