Tell Us About Your Close Calls

[zzmac]

I'm a relatively new owner of a 5oo HP cobra and I read all the time on the forums about people warning other people about how your cobra will kill you, they're dangerous etc.... Other than doing something stupid, like punching it to the floor and going sideways on the highway at 60 or something, what makes these so dangerous? In your exuberance to maybe test your car's limits the more you got comfortable with it, what exactly have you done that caused (or almost caused) you to crash? And also how easy are these cars to flip over? Sharing your experiences might help out a fellow owner. :-)

[mpanten]

Once while passing another car my hat started to blow off. I took one hand off the wheel to save my hat. The tires caught a grove and quickly pulled me off the road. I saved it but only beacuse there were no mail boxes or other obstructions. Lesson learned, two hands on the wheel!!

[wtm442]

Originally Posted by zzmac

what makes these so dangerous?

HP to weight ratio similar to most race cars, and the lack of driving experience. Always engage brain b/4 depressing gas pedal. I've got over 17K miles on my tame Cobra (about 425 HP at flywheel) and I sometimes get in situations which are not conductive to a long life.

[zzmac]

It's exactly these "situations" I'd like to hear about!

[RedBarchetta]

The closest calls that I've had is from gawkers trying to catch up to me for a closer look. Almost got rear-ended at night because of this. I have also created two rear-enders from rubber neckers that rubber-necked a tad too long...oops! I can chuckle about it because both were low speed bumper benders and nothing more.

Someone once told me (on this forum) that a Cobra is like a custom Harley, but on four wheels instead of two...you have to be alert all the time for people around you. Truer words were never spoken.

-Dean

[Rick Parker]

At the first WSCB myself and 2 other cars were traveling back on Sunday afternoon near Grass Valley on Highway 80. I was in the lead followed by John Peterson , and Cindy. We we doing about 60-65, just cruising. I had been checking my mirrors regularly as we were winding through the fabulous Sierra Nevadas back to the valley. I went around a big sweeper and looked in my mirror after a couple of seconds and neither John's nor Cindy's cars followed in what seemed like a sufficient amount of time. I had the oppotunity to pull to the left shouder (road construction had an unopend lane that I was able to pull down onto) and I waited for another minute or so. I then got out and walked back the 4-500 yards to see around the corner where they were. To my horror Johns car was off to the right of the roadway partially up an enbankment, he was out of the car and appeared ok. The fresh transmissiion (first trip out) that John had purchased from an advertiser on this forum had locked up in 4th gear at 60 mph sending his car into a 360 degree spin. Fortunately for John there was no other cars nearby except for Cindy who was following far enough back. Cindy said Johns car spun in front of her and then heade off the road missing any potential obsticals. Had there been cars nearby or and trees etc this could have had an entirely different outcome. Later after investigation it was determine that the front seal had failed and the majority of the gear oil was lost out of the Toploader. The forces involved when it locked up stripped some of the teeth off of the mainshaft and other gears, the gearbox had less that 2-300 miles before the trip. A real mess and a bad day for John.

[cdog]

Originally Posted by zzmac

I'm a relatively new owner of a 5oo HP cobra and I read all the time on the forums about people warning other people about how your cobra will kill you, they're dangerous etc.... Other than doing something stupid, like punching it to the floor and going sideways on the highway at 60 or something, what makes these so dangerous? In your exuberance to maybe test your car's limits the more you got comfortable with it, what exactly have you done that caused (or almost caused) you to crash? And also how easy are these cars to flip over? Sharing your experiences might help out a fellow owner. :-)

They AREN'T dangeous. What causes crashes is the fact that often they are bought by people that don't have a lot of 'fast car' experience, they are trying to impress their buddy, and boom! both dead.

If you haven't had a fast car since your Corvette in 1978, take some time to learn the car. If you just stepped out of a Viper, you'll be fine.

The only time I've been close to wrecking is when another Cobra driver almost slammed into me on cruise. And that's in 20,000 miles.

Mine won't go sideways at 60 unless there is rain...

[ROUSHAC]

Always, I repeat ALWAYS, maintain concentration. If you don't, she will bite you VERY quickly.

A picture may be worth a thousand words, but a video???

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fi_uKSyjXW4

[PANAVIA]

Car is so low and small , I look over and staring into a key hole on the car next to you.

--and if yours is Dark coloured with no stripes, you are "Just a hole in the water".

Almost been merged into twice as I fit under a blind spot.

The other one was just after a rain and was a interesting recreation of the Gumball Rally LA river scene on El Camino Real.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fnl4Y-nYdJE


--Steve

[JTD]

Originally Posted by zzmac

It's exactly these "situations" I'd like to hear about!

You sound like an Attorney gathering facts?

[zzmac]

Originally Posted by JTD

You sound like an Attorney gathering facts?

lol - I'm not in the law profession (transportation), I just find this interesting as I'm sure many others do too. If you want to share an experience feel free to start it with: "A friend of mine was driving his cobra last year and...." :-)

[Bill Bess]

No close calls while driving, except I almost wet my pants because of drinking too much coffee and couldn't find a place to stop and ....Goooooooooo!
Finally, a big bale of hay alongside of the road was good enough..Whew!

Close CallBill

[Ron61]

ZZMAC,

A couple of spin outs on the track, and one near wreck by a rubbernecker that was beside me and kept coming closer and closer until I finally got his attention and he jerked his car back into his lane. I was on a bridge and had no place to get off the road as he came into my lane. Also these cars will not drive like any other car you have driven. I have always said I think all people who haven't driven one should take a drivers course if they are close enough to a race track to do so. And as stated above a couple of times. you must keep your attention on what you are doing and what is going on around you at ALL times. Take it easy for the first hundred miles or so and take the car out to a deserted area if you have one where you can ease into how it handles and everything as they all have their little quirks.I am fortunate that I have several miles of paved road out across some low mountains and desert that hardly ever see a car so I use that for every new car I get.

Ron

[JWilly]

The closest call I have had was on a cruise (a car stopped on a curve in front of us, a lot of squealing of tires but no damage). I have heard a number of stories about mishaps on cruises, usually nothing with injuries but with some body (glass) damage. I tend to avoid the hell-for -leather group cruises now. I agree with Ron61 that one should, at least, have a few hundred miles of non-stressful driving driving time to get to know the car before getting too crazy.

[greg schroeder]

I've had a couple squirrelly runs through the gears and a couple times the car has slid a bit sideways from stopping. The main thing seems to be to have the car going straight when you start or stop with spirited driving. Drag radials are a huge help for the rear tires.

[SPF2245]

I did a 180 coming down an off ramp, classic too much speed (dumb), quick downshift going from 5th to 3rd with no match of revs (really dumb), and the rear tires locked up for about a second...which was enough to spin me (thus making me look dumb). I stayed on the road and the only damage was to my pants. Lesson learned.