lost control on accord when turning left at 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

ap wrote:
> 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

Sounds like your front tires are shot and you were hydroplaning.

nate

In article .com>,
says...

>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.

completely irrelevant.

>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.

That you have to ask if you skid tells us you need to get more
driver training.

>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?

You need to check the nut behind the wheel. It needs to be sent to
driving training school.
----------------
Alex

In article .com>,
"ap" > wrote:

> 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?

Absolutely. Just think what happens with ice on the road. Ice is not the
only substance that can impede stopping ability. A thin oil slick can
have the same effect, especially on a wet road. Just the same though,
you should have your tired checked and your brakes. You left out
important information such as how many miles are the car's odometer,
what's the mileage rating on your tires and how close to that rating are
you?

"ap" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> 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.

Your tires are shot. Try a set of four Yokohama Aegis from www.tirerack.com

if you can find them in the proper size to fit that Accord. Either that, or
some Goodyear Assurance TripleTred series.

Note that some tires have very ****ty traction, even when brand new. I
suspect the tires currently on your Accord fall into that category, but now
they have lost most of their tread depth anyway. Time to replace them.

You might want to have a 4-wheel alignment done, also (more for the new
tires than the car) -Dave

Actually, 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 40,000 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.

ap wrote:
>
> 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.

Yeah; it's called 'water'. Reduces your available traction by 50%,
regardless of the tires. Remember that.
--
C.R. Krieger
(Been there; drove that)

"ap" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> Actually, 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 40,000 and I usually drive < 10K miles per year.
>

It's your decision, but I wouldn't drive your car with those tires on them.
You've already learned that they are dangerous. It doesn't matter how much
tread is left on them. They have no traction, and that is all you need to
know. If you live in an area with real winter weather, I hope you have full
coverage insurance. -Dave

ap wrote:
> Hello,
><snip>
>
> Could a road condition cause this?
>
> Please advise.
>
> Thanks
>

The cause was you have been let down by your states driver training
system. Thank your lucky stars that you did not get into a skid at
motorway/interstate speeds.

Book yourself into a defensive driver training course where they teach
you how to properly go about regaining control of your car if you get
yourself into an accidental skid. You'll also be taught how to go about
handling other emergency situations that you're more than likely to
encounter at one point or another over the next few decades on the
roads. The knowledge you pick up at a course like this will make you a
better driver, and may well save your life. Why this sort of training
is not yet compulsory for all new drivers everywhere is beyond me.

Also, have a look at your tyre tread. It is also possible that this
incident may have been caused by bald or partly bald tyres.

Give yourself more to stop, and slow down more gradually in the wet next
time.

--
Agranulocyte

ap wrote:

> 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.

Don't brake and ( try to ) turn at the same time ! It's the single
easiest way to have an accident.

You should reduce speed *before* turning the wheel.

Graham