Spun out...damage?
05-20-2008, 12:09 AM
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Spun out...damage?
Driving this evening...lots of rain...stock tires that I now realize don't have enough tread left...
Took a moderate turn at 30 accelerated through the turn just a little but ended up spinning out... first I spun 90 degrees counterclockwise so I was drifting sideways down the road...when I tried to correct it, I did a 180 clockwise so that I was now still drifting sideways but pointing right...at which point I hit the brakes like mad and I ended up halfway over the curb and onto some grass. I think I hit the curb pointing towards it somewhat (definitely not straight on, but at a reasonable angle) because there's no damage to my wheels, so the front of the tires definitely hit the curb first (well, my bumper might have).
It's dark so I can't really tell if there's any damage. The wheels I'm pretty sure were not scraped up, and the bumper looked fine although the bottom felt like it could have been hurt.
--
Any advice as to what I should look for tomorrow in terms of damage? The car drove perfectly straight afterward..does that mean I'm safe from any bent axles, or do I still need to look at that or have it checked out? Any advice would be appreciated!
Bring on the flames... Yeah, I crashed.
Took a moderate turn at 30 accelerated through the turn just a little but ended up spinning out... first I spun 90 degrees counterclockwise so I was drifting sideways down the road...when I tried to correct it, I did a 180 clockwise so that I was now still drifting sideways but pointing right...at which point I hit the brakes like mad and I ended up halfway over the curb and onto some grass. I think I hit the curb pointing towards it somewhat (definitely not straight on, but at a reasonable angle) because there's no damage to my wheels, so the front of the tires definitely hit the curb first (well, my bumper might have).
It's dark so I can't really tell if there's any damage. The wheels I'm pretty sure were not scraped up, and the bumper looked fine although the bottom felt like it could have been hurt.
--
Any advice as to what I should look for tomorrow in terms of damage? The car drove perfectly straight afterward..does that mean I'm safe from any bent axles, or do I still need to look at that or have it checked out? Any advice would be appreciated!
Bring on the flames... Yeah, I crashed.
05-20-2008, 12:13 AM
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Originally Posted by jordanj77
Driving this evening...lots of rain...stock tires that I now realize don't have enough tread left...
Took a moderate turn at 30 accelerated through the turn just a little but ended up spinning out... first I spun 90 degrees counterclockwise so I was drifting sideways down the road...when I tried to correct it, I did a 180 clockwise so that I was now still drifting sideways but pointing right...at which point I hit the brakes like mad and I ended up halfway over the curb and onto some grass. I think I hit the curb pointing towards it somewhat (definitely not straight on, but at a reasonable angle) because there's no damage to my wheels, so the front of the tires definitely hit the curb first (well, my bumper might have).
It's dark so I can't really tell if there's any damage. The wheels I'm pretty sure were not scraped up, and the bumper looked fine although the bottom felt like it could have been hurt.
--
Any advice as to what I should look for tomorrow in terms of damage? The car drove perfectly straight afterward..does that mean I'm safe from any bent axles, or do I still need to look at that or have it checked out? Any advice would be appreciated!
Bring on the flames... Yeah, I crashed.
Took a moderate turn at 30 accelerated through the turn just a little but ended up spinning out... first I spun 90 degrees counterclockwise so I was drifting sideways down the road...when I tried to correct it, I did a 180 clockwise so that I was now still drifting sideways but pointing right...at which point I hit the brakes like mad and I ended up halfway over the curb and onto some grass. I think I hit the curb pointing towards it somewhat (definitely not straight on, but at a reasonable angle) because there's no damage to my wheels, so the front of the tires definitely hit the curb first (well, my bumper might have).
It's dark so I can't really tell if there's any damage. The wheels I'm pretty sure were not scraped up, and the bumper looked fine although the bottom felt like it could have been hurt.
--
Any advice as to what I should look for tomorrow in terms of damage? The car drove perfectly straight afterward..does that mean I'm safe from any bent axles, or do I still need to look at that or have it checked out? Any advice would be appreciated!
Bring on the flames... Yeah, I crashed.
05-20-2008, 12:36 AM
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Don't hit the brakes next time you're sideways... It wont help. Learn to correct a drift and hit the gas ^_^
realistically if you just let off the gas instead of hitting the brakes you might have traveled a shorter distance cause you're locking your brakes up
realistically if you just let off the gas instead of hitting the brakes you might have traveled a shorter distance cause you're locking your brakes up
05-20-2008, 12:40 AM
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Next time it's raining, take your Z to an open lot and get to know how it handles in certain situations. One of the best things I've done, and could possibly save your *** in the future!
05-20-2008, 12:52 AM
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VDC is great, i would suggest using it.
05-20-2008, 01:05 AM
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Thanks for all the comments.
Definitely a good idea.
I'm typically pretty good at controlling the car through drifts and such...but I've never let the card slide unintentionally so my practice thus far is really limited.
Well I certainly didn't turn it off when I saw the rain...?
Originally Posted by insomniaxvi
Next time it's raining, take your Z to an open lot and get to know how it handles in certain situations. One of the best things I've done, and could possibly save your *** in the future!
I'm typically pretty good at controlling the car through drifts and such...but I've never let the card slide unintentionally so my practice thus far is really limited.
Originally Posted by terrasmak
VDC is great, i would suggest using it.
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05-20-2008, 01:12 AM
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Originally Posted by calin
taking a 90 degree turn on a dry road at 30 is already going too fast, why would you do it on a wet road?
I was on one road the entire time -- the road was just curved. Definitely nowhere near 90 degrees.
On a dry day the road is easily driven at 45.
05-20-2008, 01:18 AM
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Originally Posted by jordanj77
Sorry, should have been more clear. It wasn't a turn as in from one city street to another.
I was on one road the entire time -- the road was just curved. Definitely nowhere near 90 degrees.
On a dry day the road is easily driven at 45.
I was on one road the entire time -- the road was just curved. Definitely nowhere near 90 degrees.
On a dry day the road is easily driven at 45.
05-20-2008, 01:24 AM
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Wow, a lot of grief for your misfortune...
VDC isn't the hand of god to save people from everything, the tires need to find some grip for it to work.
As far as damage, check to see if the front bumper is cracked on the bottom or pushed up over the headlight (don't ask why I know this). Should be fine if your tires took the hit and the car doesn't pull. Of course, it doesn't hurt to have the alignment checked anyway.
VDC isn't the hand of god to save people from everything, the tires need to find some grip for it to work.
As far as damage, check to see if the front bumper is cracked on the bottom or pushed up over the headlight (don't ask why I know this). Should be fine if your tires took the hit and the car doesn't pull. Of course, it doesn't hurt to have the alignment checked anyway.
05-20-2008, 04:03 AM
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Originally Posted by insomniaxvi
Next time it's raining, take your Z to an open lot and get to know how it handles in certain situations. One of the best things I've done, and could possibly save your *** in the future!
05-20-2008, 04:59 AM
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This is like a terrible accident I once had in my MR2 where I decided to take a U-turn hard and the back end came out on me and I got nothing but curb 
Lesson learned: take it easy in the rain with a rear-wheel drive car.
I should have learned that the FIRST time I "lost" control of the car and I was able to correct it without damage. I guess I just got ballsy...
Hope your car is okay though.. if you drove away from it I'm sure the damage is relatively minor.. like some one mentioned you might have some control arm or suspension work to do.. but I hope that is not the case.
Lesson learned: take it easy in the rain with a rear-wheel drive car.
I should have learned that the FIRST time I "lost" control of the car and I was able to correct it without damage. I guess I just got ballsy...
Hope your car is okay though.. if you drove away from it I'm sure the damage is relatively minor.. like some one mentioned you might have some control arm or suspension work to do.. but I hope that is not the case.
05-20-2008, 05:15 AM
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Confuscious says: When you start to lose control, DO NOT HIT YOUR BRAKES!!!!
Hope your Z is ok though, I'd get it checked out just to be sure. Better safe than sorry.
Hope your Z is ok though, I'd get it checked out just to be sure. Better safe than sorry.
05-20-2008, 05:18 AM
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Agree with all above but wonder why you have to wait on a spin out, like last time, to check tire wear. Even the best tires made will not keep you on the road, much less so called stock tires, if they are worn out. You own and drive a sports cars, one of the most important and critical saftey factors in driving any car is where the tire meets the road. Get some tire with tread on them.
05-20-2008, 10:04 AM
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Originally Posted by angelzhope720
Don't hit the brakes next time you're sideways... It wont help. Learn to correct a drift and hit the gas ^_^
realistically if you just let off the gas instead of hitting the brakes you might have traveled a shorter distance cause you're locking your brakes up
realistically if you just let off the gas instead of hitting the brakes you might have traveled a shorter distance cause you're locking your brakes up
05-20-2008, 12:01 PM
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Yep, spinning out in a simple turn indicated that I needed new rears too. Luckily the light was red for the oncoming traffic, otherwise my Z would have been totaled.
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