fishtail

[cmmb1987]

today i was out in the middle of an intersection trying to make a left turn and the light turned red so i had to move fast, well i gased it and there just so happened to be a little oil on the ground and it rained the night before, i quickly realized my x wasn't moving and then my x slid to the right really quickly without my front moving and i ended up doing a 360, im lucky i didn't hit neone and that there wasn't a cop watching but it scared the $#!T out of me none the less, and it wasn't exactly a small intersection either, so i had quite a number of wide eyed people

 

[410Fortune]

check the tire pressures all around.

After driving a BII for 7 years you learn real fast they can get sideways with LITTLE effort.....


There are MANY things you can do to help, first is make sure you have all 4 tires at the same pressure (or at least front and rear) new sway bar bushings are a cheap and easy way to ensure you get a stable ride.
new shocks really help too......

if you feel a tire spin, let off the gas!

 

[Crankcase]

How fast were you going?

 

[Alec]

Almost how I did $6500 damage to the front of Splat in 1998

Was stock.

 

[cmmb1987]

i was stopped and then started to move and the back wheels i take it were spinning and i did let off the gas as soon as i noticed the back fishtail which was prolly 45 degrees at most and it kept going which is what scared me, i thought about brakes but i was afriad of rolling it over

 

[cmmb1987]

my x is stock, i have plenty of tread on all of my tires and they are inflated properly

 

[410Fortune]

Sorry I saw that its a 2000 after I hit post.

Well this falls into the category, if you look at the back of your sunvisor you will read all about how your Explorer is a truck and handles differently then a car, etc etc.....

So thats it, its the nature of the beast. If you have a limited slip rear axle that could make things worse, but basically just know that your truck will do this, and use caution.

It may not be a bad idea to spend some time in a vacant lot getting to know the handling of your truck in different situations.....

Heck my truck will actually lift a front tire if I turn fast and hard enough...... I have gotten the BII sideways a hudred times, three times were not on purpose, two of those on ice. Once the rear kicks out, it doesnt take much to get it all the way around. Now my BII is ALOT different from your 2000, but anything with a higher center of gravity (read SUV) and a shorter wheelbase will handle like this.

Best thing you can do is just be familiar with the handling characteristics of your truck, even if it means practicing in a vacant lot, so you will be better prepared to react in the future.

Nothing is scarier then losing control of the vehicle, I did a 360 ALMOST into oncoming traffic at about 40 MPH in my lifted BII on ICE. I was able to stop in the center divider lane facing the wrong way and not go into oncoming traffic......only because I had been sidways before in my truck, and I have learned how to feather the gas and brakes to bring it back into control.

 

[cmmb1987]

one word for that story, wow, did u end up breaking anything at all?

 

[cmmb1987]

im actually pretty use to driving a suv/truck, i learned how to drive on a suburban, but that thing is in a class of its own, but its just so frightening when u sit there and think u know what your vehicle's capabilites and then b4 you know it u have almost no control of it so what ever

 

[KPT]

Should have got 4x4. If the roads are wet and I know I'll have to get on it I just kick it to 4 Auto and no problems.

I'm guessing you also have an auto tranny. Thats another reason I love manuals, soon as I feel wheel slip I put the clutch in and shift to the next gear.

 

[Fish Man]

hey man same thing happened to me too! im in marietta too so maybe you know the spot. i did it at johnson ferry and post oak tritt...turning onto post oak tritt. where did this happen for you?