Well, the Z is in the hospital now, in stable condition. On my way to work this morning I was driving up Mercer and the Z decided to do a 180. I slid across the street and slammed into a curb pretty violently. I barely missed a street sign(The car stopped about 5 inches from hitting it). There were no other cars involved and the funny thing is I was going the speed limit...or close to it, about 30mph.

So now for the damage:
Broke the passenger tie-rod and the axle.
Smashed up the passenger side rocker panel.
Broke 2 wheels(Yes, I just bought them) but they will be replaced.
Need new passenger tires.

I'll need a bunch of suspension work. The scary part is that I MAY have some slight frame damage, I'll find out when the estimate is complete. Good news is that the Z won't be totalled and my wheels will be replaced, oh, and I wasn't injured. My friend took a bunch of pictures when he and my wife showed up so I'll post some tomorrow. I'm assuming the Z will be out of commission for about a month or so.

 

The car decided to do a 180? I am a little confused about that. I have done a 540 in one of my Rx-7's before, so I am not trying to call you out on being irresponsible (we've all been there) but I am just trying to figure out what *really* happend at 30mph.

Glad to hear you are okay though. A busted Z is never a good thing though, hope the frame is okay.

 

You lost control while making a u turn?

It's good to hear that you were safe though.

 

damn, sorry to hear man. I am getting a bit more paranoid with the Z and will try to keep her away from the rain

 

What happened? Car's never decide to do anything... unless you're driving K.I.T.

 

my guess is that it was raining, which caused his Z to slide out of control guys

 

Hmmm, well, it happened when I got on the throttle, but I wasn't even driving "spirited". There was even a car directly in front of me. There was no room for me do anything dumb. The traction control was even on, and I usually drive with it off. I sure I made some sort of mistake because cars don't have a mind of their own, but whatever I did I wasn't being intentionally careless. Still waiting for my friend to send me pics.....And I'll get my Z back some day!!!!

 

BTW, KIT is awesome!!!

 

Weird. Was it wet and uneven pavement? Post those pics when you get them.

 

Well, KITT was awesome, I have no idea who this "KIT" is...

+1 on the car not "just spinning." I'm no expert, but I'll bet that you went to pass the other car and got on the throttle a bit (!) too hard.

It sucks, your punishment is that you're grounded from driving your Z for a few weeks.

 

Sucks to hear. Hope the damage isn't too serious i.e. frame damage like you mentioned. If it's just body/paint/suspension that's not too big of a deal, since insurance is covering it anyways. Most of all, you're alright.

BFG KDW2 = Not that great in the rain...

 

Yes, speed was low, but throttle control was not appropriate for road conditions.
ie, going slow, floored it, lost traction and bought it.

 

i drive 10mph under speed limit now in the rain...one night i was going 55 on the highway in the rain being very careful, traction control on, and the car literally just did a 180 infront of an 18 wheeler....ended up taking out a couple of those white plastic reflectors and a lot of grass in the wheels/brakes and a tiny scratch under the passenger door...shook me up a bit but im glad i learned my lesson with no damage...learn from my mistake...honestly its not happening to me again...

 

I'd be pissed if they didnt total out my car. Just wont be the same if there is damage to ur frame. Besides, they SHOULD total it out if there is frame damage.

 

The colder weather lately is starting to have an effect on summer tire traction, so be careful out there guys. I opened up the G today, and the normal 1/2 shift chirp with my 285's and VDC off turned into LSD induced wheel spin that almost put me sideways. Very easy to get yourself into trouble through lowspeed turns now. If you don't have a dedicated winter tire/wheel setup, it might be a good time to look into it, I'll be putting mine back on in the next week or two.

 

My condolensces on your Z. Hopefully the insurance company will do whatever it can to put things back to the way it was before.

I'm guessing it's at an impound yard waiting for a decision from your adjuster. I don't know if you've started this discussion yet, but in the event its totaled and you'd like to reclaim the aftermarket parts from it, it'd be best to talk to the impound yard & or you adjuster about it now while you're waiting for a decision.

 

that is my worst fear.... I hate driving in the rain as it is, now in the Z i feel less confortable. Hope my RE090's can take the NW rain.

 

the Z feels pretty 'nervous' when it rains heavily... esp up north on I5 near Bellingham-to-Burlington...

 

I've never had an issue driving in the rain (never had any close calls or anything)

As long as you're being cautious & not flooring it etc, you should be able to manage. When cruising on the freeway, just keep it in 6th @ 60 or a little below and you should manage fine.

Snow/Ice is another story, though. I will probably be getting a set of winter wheels/tires for the wife because she commutes into Seattle daily.

PS: That really sucks about your car, man. At least you're not hurt, thats the most important part.

 

u guys thing driving a z is uncomforable in the rain, try driving a civic, even better, try driving a civic with out abs. i have no trouble driving in the rain and hard rain on my z with my near bald rear tires. when the car was new, i didn't have any trouble going 90-100 on the highway