Loss of traction at rear

[ginsambo]

Just as well, not enough power in the old Di engine to drive out of a slide

Got that right! You should try heavy unbraked trailer wobble with an empty dropside chassis cab.
Can't power out of that either! Lack of power just makes things worse. Scary.

When I put an Ali dropside body on my old chassis cab and drove it like it was still a steel tipper, it would drift around every corner when empty without fault! Put the body on to sell that one, all I know is the bloke was involved in an accident less than a month later....

Seen that vid on here with the Mk5 chassis cab going around the roundabout drifting again and again.. ..never get tired of that vid...F@@king hilarious!! Its nailed the perfect comedy timing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXpNrMAm_XM

[cabbage]

mine slides all the time in the wet ......and i love it

I've got a MK5 LWB 190 and when empty it slides in the wet and wheelspins when pulling away too. I just avoid accelerating hard. None of the SWB transits I had before it had the same issue so I just assumed it was peculiar to the LWB due to the lower gearing at the diff' and the stiffer leaf springs in the 190. That and the length of the wheelbase will amplify any slide - (Drive wheels further from the stearing wheels = bigger slides, all to do with leverage & fulcrums). When loaded my van handles really well wet or dry.

Rather than some have suggested that the original posters slide was induced by braking I'm more inclined to think it was due to accelerating. (It doesn't take a heavy foot to make mine slide in the wet when empty). Oh! and changing tyres didn't help but dropping tyre pressure did slightly.

Regards,
Cabbage

[Vee4]

some have suggested that the original posters slide was induced by braking

The handbrake, perhaps ... ?

[sean37]

thanks for all your replys guys.

It wasnt diesel as i had been round there previous on two wheels in the wet.
This was more of a problem which i reckon has been there for a while but reared its ugly head that day i will have to investigate a bit further,as mentioned in previous threads.

General concensious is tyres ok and pressures ok so that strikes that of the list.

I have to say she feels vague when ever i drive her say over 60 you dont get much feel through the steering.
PAssed mot nothing untoward showed up i put it down to big wheels not being an expert in the driving lwb transits.

[Aardvark]

mine slides all the time in the wet ......and i love it

I've got a MK5 LWB 190 and when empty it slides in the wet and wheelspins when pulling away too. I just avoid accelerating hard. None of the SWB transits I had before it had the same issue so I just assumed it was peculiar to the LWB due to the lower gearing at the diff' and the stiffer leaf springs in the 190. That and the length of the wheelbase will amplify any slide - (Drive wheels further from the stearing wheels = bigger slides, all to do with leverage & fulcrums). When loaded my van handles really well wet or dry.

Rather than some have suggested that the original posters slide was induced by braking I'm more inclined to think it was due to accelerating. (It doesn't take a heavy foot to make mine slide in the wet when empty). Oh! and changing tyres didn't help but dropping tyre pressure did slightly.

Regards,
Cabbage

I think cabbage has hit the problem spot on when he mentions the stiffer springs on the 190. It would logically explain why these things are so useless when you are off the tarmac at a meet, or "on site", etc. Where you have slightly uneven terrain coupled with a damp or loose surface you need a little compliance in the suspension to keep all four wheels in more or less even contact with the ground. If one of the driving wheels is slightly "light" it will lose its grip and the diff will take over. I have a lot of trouble getting out of my drive onto the road as the last bit is a bit of a hump. If I hit it at the wrong angle one of the rear tyres lifts off the surface and "Game Over". I have to drop back and take another run at it.
The answer for me would be to fit much softer springs. It wouldn't be a problem 'cause I almost never have any sort of weight in the back.

[ginsambo]

There was a Mk5 chassis cab near me that a few months ago accidently reversed and suspended one back wheel over a hidden grass covered ditch. Looked completely fine like it was perfectly parked - talk about game over - it was there for 4 weeks, had to be towed out, nothing you can do once one wheel looses traction.

Wish they would have done a LSD on th Mk5 6 stud.

[trigger]

LDVs can be a bit tail happy, when i worked for the council i was driving round a sharp bend in my LDV pilot and the back end started to go, i wasn't even going very fast (not that you can do in an LDV lol), i ended up at a 90 degree angle in the road facing the kerb, the road was greasy tho but are LDVs any worse than Transits for drifting?

[MONSTER 0NE]

Mate I very much doubt there is anything wrong with you van, its more like people have said when the van leans over slightly on roundabouts it take some load off the inside rear wheel which if you accelerating will spin the rear wheel up pushing the van round even further, My girlfreind hates it when i drift mine and all my previous vans round wet roundabouts , one other thing to take into account is the camber of the round about as this can catch people out as it can unsettles the van as you come into the roundabout, especialy if its off camber as this can even cause problems in cars as many have found out the hard way on a roundabout just up the road from me, as ive seen no end of cars spin round in the wet if there lucky still on the round if not sitting on the verge with bent axles and if they are really unlucky upside down on the verge

[GBBiker]

LDVs can be a bit tail happy, when i worked for the council i was driving round a sharp bend in my LDV pilot and the back end started to go, i wasn't even going very fast (not that you can do in an LDV lol), i ended up at a 90 degree angle in the road facing the kerb, the road was greasy tho but are LDVs any worse than Transits for drifting?

I can relate to that.


Every LDV Convoy I have had (around six of the fookin things) has been 'tail-happy' when unladen. Srap LSVs that are prone to seizing didn't help much when loaded either

Fooked LSVs also led to bent axles and whistling diffs


All in all, complete shyte vans


No wonder they went bust (again!)

[border-runner]

hi folks, iv had a mk5 transit for 3 months now, and vey impressed with it..
now a few days ago i changed the rear tyres,
the tyres on my van were where big chuncky tyres,which iv been told that they where landrover tyres?
iv since replaced with normal tranny tyres,(and it handles like a asda shopping trolley)..
does anyone know where i can purchase 14inch chunky tyres in the north east (uk) area?
iv looked all over the net and been to a few tyre garages with no luck....
please help

[knighty1981]

your new tyres will take a few hundred miles to take the 'shine' off them before they'll start to grip properly....



roundabouts are often bad because of the way the camber works on them (leaning twards the middle)

so going into them you're going slightly up hill... then it suddenly swaps over and you're going down hill... makes a massive difference !!!

I know a couple of bad roundabouts for this - anyone in the north east might know a roundabout just off the A19 - you come off at testos roundabout (only roundabout on the A19 south of they tyne tunnel I think) head twards boldon... about 100 yards along there's a roundabout just before the BMW garage.... you can spin a tranny out at 30mph easy there



for anyone who does spin out... I did some skid pan training stuff once (was a Christmas present) - once you start to properly spin and have lost control, the only thing you can do is stamp hard on the clutch and break together..... break to stop you as quick as possible, and clutch so you don't stall it.... you need the engine running so you can get out of the way incase you stop and there's cars coming twards you....... it's very easy to forget about the clutch and stall it !

[sidspop]

Just as well, not enough power in the old Di engine to drive out of a slide

Got that right! You should try heavy unbraked trailer wobble with an empty dropside chassis cab.
Can't power out of that either! Lack of power just makes things worse. Scary.

When I put an Ali dropside body on my old chassis cab and drove it like it was still a steel tipper, it would drift around every corner when empty without fault! Put the body on to sell that one, all I know is the bloke was involved in an accident less than a month later....

Seen that vid on here with the Mk5 chassis cab going around the roundabout drifting again and again.. ..never get tired of that vid...F@@king hilarious!! Its nailed the perfect comedy timing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXpNrMAm_XM

This one's good

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDZ7OPZ5 ... re=related

[Damien89]

Has their ever been a LSD diff on a transit?

[MinorMatt]

yes, was definately a factory option for 5 and 6 studders from '91 to 2000

[Trojan]

It may be worth putting some weight on the rear, to assist in traction - but as others have said here, sounds like diesel spillage on the roundabout - probably somone overfilled their tank.