Surf's Up!

[pjevo]

Sweet Baby Jesus!
Just surfed down the A3......
Hit standing pools of water at 50mph....
Had a couple of scary moments. I just didn't feel in complete control although other cars were zooming past me (tw*ts!)!
On my third pint of Stella to try to calm my nerves!

[poptosis]

I am getting my first elise in January and it is something that I considered on the way home tonight. Does driving the elise down a motorway three inches deep in water differ from driving a big fat squiggy rep mobile in the same conditions?

[mat glew]

Yes it does....an elise is certainly not in its element on a wet motorway....but it just makes you (normally) slow down to speeds you should be driving in the conditions anyway.....and then all the mercs and beemers go batting past....

[onedsla]

I unexpectedly hit standing water on the near-side only last Sunday and was impressed at how the car stayed straight. I think the thinner front tires on the S2 may help a little, plus loads of tread. Still didn't feel in complete control mind, but luckily was only going 25mph ish.

[dragstar]

i was thrashing the ? out of the "family beema" the other week, when i hit the motorway.

the rain was so hard, that i created a blanket and you couldnt see a thing. the splash from the tyres in front (despite being a safe distance away) was terrible.

the only thing i could think of, was "glad im not in El 'beast"

there is NO way, i could have got through that if i had been, without an accident. of that, im sure

[Gfun]

You are in the bulk of the spray all the time so visability is not good.

On the plus side no problems with cross winds and the acceleration can get you out the way when needed.

However I did boot a bit heavy in the wet on the M6 to M56 junction and ended up in a beeeeutifull long power slide.

My argument is it was under 70 so legal :-)

Just be carful of loose hair care products if your name is dragster.

[dragstar]

[Trunkie]

Gfun said:

On the plus side no problems with cross winds

Are you kidding? I was blowing almost a foot off course all the way up the A26 this morning!

[Bonce]

Yeah ditto, crosswinds are a complete bugger, but not quite as scary as standing water.

[poptosis]

Are both these issues simply caused by the weight of the car then ?

[mat glew]

pretty much. Don't let it put you off getting one though you just have to remember to reign in the speed a bit in the wet....which can sometimes be difficult..

[Gfun]

Think you lot have been driving Elises too long - took two trips over to Liverpool last week when it was very windy one in the Elise the other a Volvo (the shame of it)

The Volvo was like sailing in the tall ships race. The Elise yes you could feel the wind but it was not the all in wrestling match of the Volvo.

Suppose its what your comparing it with...

[fergusd]

Bonce said:

Yeah ditto, crosswinds are a complete bugger, but not quite as scary as standing water.

Funny I've always found my Elise better in strong crosswinds . . . that's compared to 1500Kg of Audi 100 . . . time for a geo ?

Fd

[Bonce]

Nah, my geo is fine. Perhaps as Gfun suggests I've turned soft cos it's so long since I drove a standard car in a crosswind.