What a day to be driving!

[Murox]

................. but most public roads just have far too much traffic these days. I'd far rather go to a race track if I want to play. For day-to-day commuting or just grinding out miles self-driving cars just seem such a sensible idea.

You are lucky, most public roads here have more potholes than flat road, I wonder how a self driving vehicle would avoid them all. There has been a big increase in broken wheels, suspension parts and burst tyres all over.

 

[JamezF]

You are lucky, most public roads here have more potholes than flat road, I wonder how a self driving vehicle would avoid them all. There has been a big increase in broken wheels, suspension parts and burst tyres all over.

It's not that much different here to be honest.

I have a Fiesta that left the factory with low profile tyres. At a recent service it was pointed out that two wheels were damaged to the point where it may not be possible to balance them next time the tyres were changed. The most likely cause suggested was from hitting potholes, and searching online revealed that similar damage was a not uncommon problem on a number of Ford vehicles with low profile tyres. I ended up waiting until the tyres were close to the wear limit and then at the garage's recommendation replacing all the wheels with used ones from a lower spec model (smaller wheels and higher profile tyres to match). It was cheaper than buying two new replacements for the existing wheels that would probably get damaged again. As a bonus, the tyres don't cost as much, insurance costs less and they give a much more comfortable ride on our country roads. Oh, and if I want I can buy another wheel to have as a "real" spare, because they're slightly narrower than the originals and actually fit properly in the spare wheel well.

James

 

[Garry R]

It's not that much different here to be honest.

I have a Fiesta that left the factory with low profile tyres. At a recent service it was pointed out that two wheels were damaged to the point where it may not be possible to balance them next time the tyres were changed. The most likely cause suggested was from hitting potholes, and searching online revealed that similar damage was a not uncommon problem on a number of Ford vehicles with low profile tyres. I ended up waiting until the tyres were close to the wear limit and then at the garage's recommendation replacing all the wheels with used ones from a lower spec model (smaller wheels and higher profile tyres to match). It was cheaper than buying two new replacements for the existing wheels that would probably get damaged again. As a bonus, the tyres don't cost as much, insurance costs less and they give a much more comfortable ride on our country roads. Oh, and if I want I can buy another wheel to have as a "real" spare, because they're slightly narrower than the originals and actually fit properly in the spare wheel well.

James

Did you know that NEXEN tyres are replaced if you damage the tyres to the point where they are condemned you will only pay for the tread you have used. Pot holes damage etc are covered. After the hedge cutting (twice) I was punctured on the side wall and the tyre condemned, Only cost me £20 for a new tyre balanced and fitted.

 

[Garry R]

It's not that much different here to be honest.

I have a Fiesta that left the factory with low profile tyres. At a recent service it was pointed out that two wheels were damaged to the point where it may not be possible to balance them next time the tyres were changed. The most likely cause suggested was from hitting potholes, and searching online revealed that similar damage was a not uncommon problem on a number of Ford vehicles with low profile tyres. I ended up waiting until the tyres were close to the wear limit and then at the garage's recommendation replacing all the wheels with used ones from a lower spec model (smaller wheels and higher profile tyres to match). It was cheaper than buying two new replacements for the existing wheels that would probably get damaged again. As a bonus, the tyres don't cost as much, insurance costs less and they give a much more comfortable ride on our country roads. Oh, and if I want I can buy another wheel to have as a "real" spare, because they're slightly narrower than the originals and actually fit properly in the spare wheel well.

James

JamezF - Are you going to the SBKA lecture day in Bridgewater next month?

 

[JamezF]

JamezF - Are you going to the SBKA lecture day in Bridgewater next month?

Not sure at the moment. I'll probably leave it until nearer the time to decide. I'm getting a bit behind with stuff that really needs to be done at the moment. Currently making pickled onions because it's the first chance I've had since they were harvested and the ground is still too sodden to do anything unless I fancy inventing mud-skiing.

James

 

[JohnRB]

Cars and other vehicles can certainly be fun to drive in a "spirited" fashion, but most public roads just have far too much traffic these days. I'd far rather go to a race track if I want to play. For day-to-day commuting or just grinding out miles self-driving cars just seem such a sensible idea. And if done properly they'd get you where you wanted to go faster and more safely.

Or we just need to invent a teleporter and have done with all the messing about.

James

Also, having hit 60 this year, I need them to get it sorted in the next 10-15 years!

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I have a Fiesta that left the factory with low profile tyres.

I've never seen the point in those, the whole point of tyres is to get a smoother ride. Maybe if people feel that insecure they could save money by shoving a pair of socks in their undercrackers.
You even see four wheel drive vehicles now with low profile shoes.

 

[Blunt Spike]

I took my son back up to Lancaster today, a round trip of about 540 miles now he's not on campus. I wasn't expecting it to be a great trip given the forecast. We managed to escape most of the rain on the way up by setting off early though the cloud was clearly gathering behind us. On the way home however I spent most of the trip driving in hideously wet conditions, and as a result of two large tailbacks on the M5 due to what appeared to be multiple accidents around Worcester and Gloucester the last half of the drive back was in dark, hideously wet conditions which I'd really hoped to avoid.

To be honest though, I'm surprised there were so few accidents (I did see the aftermath of another in fact, on the M5 roundabout in Taunton). The standard of driving was in some cases shockingly bad. A lot of cars were barely a couple of car lengths apart despite the conditions and where some had left much larger gaps other drivers who presumably needed to be somewhere in a real hurry (the local morgue?) were weaving between lanes and overtaking on both the left and right. I even saw one driver overtake another car on the inside, pull out in front of it and then immediately "brake test" the overtaken vehicle, in the dark, in heavy rain. I'm at a loss to understand what goes through the mind of someone like that. Presumably there's very little capacity for anything at all. Never mind the fact that they're putting other people at risk; there's a fair chance that if the following driver fails the "test" then their own car could be bounced into one of other lanes and get ploughed into by a large lorry, for instance. Absolutely crazy. At one point I was seriously considering just stopping at a service station and having a snooze for a couple of hours whilst the volume of traffic reduced a bit.

In some senses it's an easy journey because it's all motorway but for a total of about twenty miles either end each time, but on days like today I hate it. If there was a cheaper practical way to do it I think we would, but a one-way train ticket is all but twice the cost of the fuel

James

Probably a lot safer though by the sounds of it.

 

[JamezF]

I've never seen the point in those, the whole point of tyres is to get a smoother ride. Maybe if people feel that insecure they could save money by shoving a pair of socks in their undercrackers.
You even see four wheel drive vehicles now with low profile shoes.

I'm sure tyres are useful in other ways too But yes, I suspect that for most people in most conditions low profile tyres are of negligible, if any, benefit to the performance of the car.

James