New Tires now have flat spots...

[3930dave]

Check with your dealer about a hazard warranty. I believe Michelin has one.

Good point, and worth a shot.

Many years ago I got a brand new Pirelli replaced no charge - I backed into a parking spot at night, right over a glass beer bottle. The tread was badly cut, but not punctured.

Rgds, D.

 

[3930dave]

It's been a few days now and the skid marks are still clear as day...

We're talking about the road here, right ?

Rgds, D.

 

[ultrarunner]

Yes... the road bed still has them... see them every time I drive the tunnel...

I turned down the super duper road hazard insurance plan because I have yet to ever collect on a warranty...

Even the tire life flat repair turned out to be a joke... I simply put a tube in my trailer tire and headed on down the road with that one.

I will read my warranty from Michelin... it's only been a couple of weeks.

 

[GManBart]

But how slow is slow? I just finished hauling my trailer to and from Mississippi, about 1,800 miles. Numerous times I'd be in the middle lane of a three lane wide stretch having just passed an even slower vehicle and have to wait for a stream of people zipping by on my right before I could get back over to the slow lane. And usually I'd be doing about 5 mph below the speed limit at most.

Here in the DC area I'll often be doing 5 mph ABOVE the posted limit and have people going by me on the right at 20 mph above the speed limit. I'll watch people weaving in and out on the two rightmost lanes of a 4 or 5 lane wide road just to get there faster.

When I'm driving my dually on three lane and wider roads with frequent exit/entrance ramps I usually travel one lane over (at the speed limit) from the slow lane so I'm not constantly slowing for those entering and exiting.

You're pointing out a number of things I find annoying, are often illegal, sometimes dangerous, and usually rude! I don't put a speed number on it, I put a common sense meter on it. If a guy pulling a trailer moves to the middle lane to pass someone going even slower in the right lane, be decent, and let him get back over to the right lane after the pass rather than swooping around on the right...that's just an easy way to cause an accident.

If people would simply pass on the left, and move out of the passing lane when they aren't actually passing someone, a lot of these stupid scenarios would go away.

Then again, years ago my father said "If you're going to get mad at the way people drive, you're going to get mad a lot." Truer words have never been spoken....

 

[joshuabardwell]

Careful what you wish for..... you probably stopped faster without ABS.

Hard to understand how that's possible. I thought any time the tires locked up, your stop distance increased. Can you elaborate?

 

[GManBart]

Hard to understand how that's possible. I thought any time the tires locked up, your stop distance increased. Can you elaborate?

This is a topic that can cause as much internet debate as Deere Vs Kubota.

 

[3930dave]

Hard to understand how that's possible. I thought any time the tires locked up, your stop distance increased. Can you elaborate?

Lots of debate on that issue, for sure. IMO, on a high traction surface, locking up a new tire dissipates a lot of energy in a hurry.

In a case like URs (he had no other space to maneuver into), as long as the driver can tolerate a bit of vehicle rotation, you'll continue more or less in a straight line, as you burn rubber.

Hard to keyboard quarterback many of these situations......... probably what most people need to understand is that ABS was firstly designed (automotive applications that is) so that people could retain steering control.

So while ABS dumbed down what people had to do with a brake pedal (just stand on it !), it actually requires more skill in terms of accident avoidance (ie. don't target fixate) for people to get the most out of it. IMO anyway.

Not what UR had, but the consensus seems to be that on loose surfaces, ABS increases braking distances. Audi used to provide a dash switch to turn Off ABS, for this reason - but that switch likely got lawyered out of N. American cars by now....

"ABS generally offers improved vehicle control and decreases stopping distances on dry and slippery surfaces for many drivers; however, on loose surfaces like gravel or snow-covered pavement, ABS can significantly increase braking distance, although still improving vehicle control."

Anti-lock braking system - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Locking up non-ABS wheels, some people will freak out about the sound (and/or vehicle rotation) and back off the pedal. The same issue happened with early noisy ABS systems - people would back off the pedal if they got noise or vibration. UR is olde school enough to ride out the lock-up, to a non-contact finish - not every driver would, so ABS may be a better choice for many, today.

I'd prefer (for their own sake) if people thought of ABS as a steering enhancement, as it definitely doesn't always improve braking performance.

Rgds, D.

 

[rsallen]

No no no.
The shortest possible stopping distant is at the point JUST BEFORE the tire loses traction, ie. skidding. That is why you can maintain handling because the tires never get to the point of losing traction, BUT the point of abs is and has always been shorter stopping distances.

 

[ultrarunner]

My only thought is ABS would have minimized tire damage.

As it turned out... there was really no margin for error.

It was that close and at one point... I was just along for the ride.

Still amazed the old girl was able to put down straight line skid marks... no pull to either side... kind of surreal moment.

The new bore of the tunnel has been open a few months and in my direction of travel is downhill which I'm sure factored.

The Caldecott Tunnel Fourth Bore Project - Home

 

[chad22]

We're talking about the road here, right ?

Rgds, D.

LOL. Yeah I think I'd have skid marks in my undies too after an event like this.

Glad everyone came out okay in this event.

Chad