Almost crashed!

buddyg · #1 (**permalink**) 09-05-2016, 05:51 PM

So I was taking a friend for a ride turning left and didn't see the car in the inside lane coming. Car was not straight yet and I stomped on it to get out of the way. Slide sideways turned into the slide then it snapped the other direction. I seriously thought we were toast. Managed to get control and somehow didn't crap my pants.

I have done amateur and professional racing with lots of car control training. I firmly believe that is the only thing that saved my bacon.

My whole point of all of this is to say be careful out there! These cars with big horsepower and short wheelbase will snap very quickly. Get some track time under you belt or find an empty parking lot and learn how to handle the car.

Hope you all had a safe and happy Labor Day.

vatdevil · #2 (**permalink**) 09-05-2016, 06:02 PM

Autocross is a great way to learn your cars limits. Ive experienced numerous snap spins autocrossing. It happens so quick you can't think, so it helps to have the instinct to react.

patrickt · #3 (**permalink**) 09-05-2016, 06:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by buddyg

So I was taking a friend for a ride turning left and didn't see the car in the inside lane coming. Car was not straight yet and I stomped on it to get out of the way. Slide sideways turned into the slide then it snapped the other direction. I seriously thought we were toast. Managed to get control and somehow didn't crap my pants.
.

I'll bet the guy in the oncoming car was asking himself "now just WTF is that guy trying to do?"

wkooiman · #4 (**permalink**) 09-05-2016, 07:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by buddyg

So I was taking a friend for a ride turning left and didn't see the car in the inside lane coming. Car was not straight yet and I stomped on it to get out of the way. Slide sideways turned into the slide then it snapped the other direction. I seriously thought we were toast. Managed to get control and somehow didn't crap my pants.

I have done amateur and professional racing with lots of car control training. I firmly believe that is the only thing that saved my bacon.

My whole point of all of this is to say be careful out there! These cars with big horsepower and short wheelbase will snap very quickly. Get some track time under you belt or find an empty parking lot and learn how to handle the car.

Hope you all had a safe and happy Labor Day.

I had a similar situation in my 2001 Viper GTS ACR several years ago. I was pulling out, turning left, and I didn't realize how fast the oncoming cars were going. I gave it gas and hit some sand/gravel in the median. It slid, I turned into the turn, and let up until it straightened out.

All those years sliding around on ice in parking lots as a teenager paid off.

Ron61 · #5 (**permalink**) 09-06-2016, 02:42 AM

Buddy,

I am glad that everything turned out Ok. I never take anyone for a ride in any of my cars until I have spent a lot of time with them and I went to several driving schools at our track back when I was racing. Even for an experienced driver, these cars can snap around in a hurry once in a while. I had mine turn sideways across the street once when the posi unit broke and I almost peed my pants as I was right in the center of a blind curve.

Ron

Tommy · #6 (**permalink**) 09-06-2016, 04:04 AM

Full throttle is almost never the answer to solving a traffic problem in these cars.

YerDugliness · #7 (**permalink**) 09-06-2016, 06:36 AM

I had a similar experience...was making a right hand turn into a corner I had drifted successfully many times and must have given it a bit too much "encouragement" with the right foot, because all of a sudden I was sliding backwards in the grass alongside the road and headed for a deep washout that paralleled the road. I never thought I'd be happy to impact anything, but I was a bit relieved when a road sign "jumped" in the path of my backwards-sliding car and stopped me before the tail end of the car ended up in the washout with the front end of the car pointing skywards.

In the end it cost me $100 for a new rear bumper, but it could have gone MUCH worse if it weren't for "good (???) luck".

We keep telling the noobs how easy it is to get sideways in these things...funny (???) how things have a way of popping up to remind us to pay attention, too.

Cheers!

Dugly

keezling · #8 (**permalink**) 09-06-2016, 09:59 AM

So what car show were you leaving? Just kidding lol. Glad you're OK.

DanEC · #9 (**permalink**) 09-06-2016, 10:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wkooiman

All those years sliding around on ice in parking lots as a teenager paid off.

Not so much for me. All I did was manage to roll two tires off the rims of my Mom's 60 Ford Fairlane on a newly snow-covered parking lot after a movie.

Funny, my Dad came to get us and help change the tires, and I don't remember him saying a word about it.

Luke427 · #10 (**permalink**) 09-11-2016, 10:55 PM

Reflex is kicking in when you've built 'muscle' memory, and that's what saved your butt there

For less experienced drivers, car control clinic programs are great for this! I know BMW and Porsche clubs run a few of these, and I'm sure others do. Strongly recommended!

Luke

Luke427 · #11 (**permalink**) 09-11-2016, 10:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DanEC

Not so much for me. All I did was manage to roll two tires off the rims of my Mom's 60 Ford Fairlane on a newly snow-covered parking lot after a movie.

Funny, my Dad came to get us and help change the tires, and I don't remember him saying a word about it.

Haha - I've had a similar experience. My father had also been surprisingly understanding

fordracing65 · #12 (**permalink**) 09-12-2016, 08:22 PM

I went to a big empty parking lot and thrashed on the car for about 3 hours to learn the limits and still loose control every now and then when autocrossing.

Cobranut · #13 (**permalink**) 09-13-2016, 09:12 PM

So what do you guys tell the cops when they answer the complaint of a loud car doing donuts in a parking lot? ;-)

Luke427 · #14 (**permalink**) 09-13-2016, 11:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cobranut

So what do you guys tell the cops when they answer the complaint of a loud car doing donuts in a parking lot? ;-)

Not much.
Honestly I've been pulled over 3 times in less than a year with the Cobra, while only twice for the past 10 years driving all kinds of (fast) cars. Not a single ticket, they're just curious, give me a warning about the speed and excessive engine noise, wish me good and let me go.

Cobras are awesome

YerDugliness · #15 (**permalink**) 09-14-2016, 08:54 AM

I was pulled over once by an LEO because he thought my car insurance had expired. I showed him the renewal and expected him to send me on my way, but he would have none of that. He wanted to talk cars! I told him about the Cobra, he told me about his GM racing activities, and eventually he released me...but that discussion was an hour long, as discussions between us car guys can be. I was on the way to show the car in a car show...he was just curious, I guess...in TX the police use "license plate scanner" technology in their cars and the state data base on insurance just wasn't up to date on my info, so he was right to stop me...I thought I'd never make it to the car show, he was so talkative!

We get use to people wanting to talk about our cars when they see us out and about, and anyone who doesn't want to be approached about the car they are driving should reconsider driving a Cobra...they command attention at EVERY gas stop, every meal at a restaurant, etc.

Cheers!

Dugly