well, i was in a bit of a hurry this morning since it was raining pretty heavily in LA. and as many of you know, most Angelinos do not know how to drive in the rain, so traffic was a crawl at 6:45am on the 10W->110N. at the 110N near the 5N junction (before the tunnels), there's a wide turn that i usually take at 65MPH. with the rain and all, people were slowing down to 19MPH. i got impatient and switched to the lane to my right, downshifted to 2nd gear from third. the RPM read ~3.5K, and i was at WOT during the turn when 6K hit and VTEC kicked in. as you can imagine, the rain soaked freeway and the sudden added torque and HP kicked the car's rear end loose. i let go of the throttle, upshifted into 3rd, and stepped on the gas again (just slightly), my baby caught on, and i was fortunate to only have a very very red face (not just from the fever i'm having). lesson learned: don't kick into VTEC at turns when the road is wet.

 

wow.I've had some close calls as well. Glad it turned out ok.

 

Hey Ming,
happened to the best of us, especially if the turn surface has bumps...

 

You are lucky, indeed.
You don't need to go into VTEC to fishtail in the rain.
In fact, you don't even need that turn.
That must be the once a year rain in LA.
It only rained once when I was in LA....for a year.

 

Glad you came out of it unscathed, with no damage to you or your baby. You've probably learnt a valuable lesson, which'll help you avoid a repeat next time, under similar conditions.

 

It's happened to me, too. That's what we get for not being rocket scientists.

 

LOL... you were asking for that one

 

Well Mingster, glad you got out of that one unscathed and you have learned your lesson.

However, I have to say that I am puzzled this situation happened to you (and to others). Not putting on the power in the rain is part of Motoring 101 and surely one of the things you would have learnt long ago - I know I learnt it at 17 when still a learner and as a result I always treat rainy roads carefully.

Is this a general problem with US driving instruction (I deliberately don't say North American because I know the Canadians are pretty good) or California specifically (judging by some of the posts I've seen I'm inclined to say the latter).

I'm sorry to appear so judgemental but frankly I'm stunned.
One thing I will say is that I think all drivers should first be motorcycle riders - after 6 months of riding a bike in the rain I guarantee you'll slow down and learn to apply power judiciously.

 

It's not a problem with instruction as such although that subject sadly lacks quality, it's a problem with those of us who live in a metropolitan area, and the mental strain for those who do not use public transportation.

New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Los Angeles and the like have traffic jams that can grate on someones nerves --- then there will be that day when you get so pissed at everyone slowing to look at a non-existent accident, or a not-dangerous curve; that you snap and want to get away, and can --- unfortunately without regard for the car you are driving.

 

If you're a cycle rider and you get caught in the rain you quickly learn to become a s-m-o-o-t-h and steady rider. Smooth on the throttle, smooth on the shifts, smooth on the brakes, smooth on the turns.

If you don't, you better be wearing full leathers or kevlar reenforced jeans because you will be on your butt before you know it.