Motoring Discussion > Twelve wheel sports car ? Miscellaneous
Thread Author: Ted Replies: 5

 Twelve wheel sports car ? - Ted

Not really.. Two axles on the back with 8 wheels. Two steering axles on the front, 4 wheels.
Heavy ' demolition ' tippers !
Why, when they are unladen, do they always seem to be driven like sports cars ?
Is it because they must have a tremendous power to rate ratio ? Or a lot of rubber on the road ?
I was tailgated by one of these today on the A6 between manchester and Stockport. I was in a car with an LCD speedo which, I assume, is fairly accurate and I was registering about 33 MPH. It was obvious he wanted to get past, he was out on my offside rear most of the time. It's a single carriageway, urban and busy.
When it widened and there was nothing coming towards us he whipped out and was away !
I suspect these guys are paid by the load, which may make for a bit of recklessness.

I once followed two of these on my bike. They were obviously playing a sort of keep up game in a 30 zone. I could see what was going to happen and sure enough, the front one went round a bend and was confronted by a red ped crossing. His follower couldn't stop as he was so close, having to swerve to the left, over a grass verge, pavement and through the fence of the primary school that the crossing served.
No kids out, thank God....could have been a tragedy !

Ted
 Twelve wheel sports car ? - Alastairw
These guys are paid by the ton delivered so it is in their interest to go as fast as poss when empty (and when full, thinking about it). My mother had a very nasty crash with one one of these drivers years ago when he turned left, across ,my mums car, from the right hand lane at traffic lights.
 Twelve wheel sports car ? - -
Can't defend some of the hairy driving seen in tippers, anyone see the old film 'Hell Drivers'?

Trouble is until you've driven one you have no idea just how well they stick to the road in all conditions, no roll and very predictable with superb brakes, coupled with the all seeing visibility a really sporting truck.
 Twelve wheel sports car ? - Pat
Like GB, I can't defend them either.
They are paid by the ton and that's the root of the problem.
They tend to be driven a lot by the boy racers of the HGV world too during that inbetween stage of getting a Class 2 ( rigid) licence and before learning to drive a Class 1 ( artic).
Some learn that you can't do this sort of thing in a artic..................some never do.

Pat
 Twelve wheel sports car ? - Manatee
I followed an empty 8 wheel tipper from Hawes to Leyburn on the winding A684 last summer, and it's only a slight exaggeration to say I was struggling to keep up.

Had he been behind rather than in front I would certainly have let him by, and I wasn't dawdling.
 Twelve wheel sports car ? - Pat
It pains me to admit this but to be fair I have to say that most of them are pretty skilled at handling the vehicle.
The off road work they do means they get to experience the limits far more than the average driver does, and it's probably a very good grounding for a new driver.

( If you can ever get them out of the habits later)!

Pat
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