My 951 saved my butt today...
04-30-2002 | 11:01 PM
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My 951 saved my butt today...
...So I'm commuting home on 494 with the regular rush hour crap going on... the bad craziness where it's so crowded, you move with the traffic or you get creamed. I'm in the left lane moving about 55 and the lane next to me is moving about 15. I'm trying to keep following distance between me and the person just ahead.
So of course, an older gent in a minivan suddenly pulls out from the slower lane into mine and I have almost zero time to react.
I hit the brakes hard -- really hard-- the hardest I've ever hit them in this car. I decelerate so quickly the inertia reel on the seatbelt locks up. Even though I'm in emergency reaction mode I notice my car's tires are not skidding: it's just decelerating.
Next thing happens the minivan driver is realizing his error and starts going back where he came from, as I jog left (still in full braking mode), then right around him. But as I'm jogging I can hear the car behind me in full lockup and I'm wondering when he's going to hit me... somehow I find myself in second gear and HAMMER it and the car just leaps forward as I am doing the righthand jog back into the lane, and I am seeing the car behind me come within about a foot of my tail but I'm already pulling away. And suddenly evrything's back to normal, no accident, car just purring along.
Now I noticed several things about all this: the whole 'incident' probably took about 3 seconds of chronological time, but it seemed to go slower. So my adrenal glands and reaction times are still pretty good. Second, the 951 was just amazing, the way it handled braking, zig-zagging, and accelerating, all at the limit, and the tires never broke loose. I've never jammed on the car like that and it didn't lose its composure at all. Not at all. Last, it occurred to me that if I had been in my other cars, my van or my Volvo, I wouldn't have been able to avoid either hitting the car in front, or getting hit from behind.
Lord I love that car.
Thaddeus
So of course, an older gent in a minivan suddenly pulls out from the slower lane into mine and I have almost zero time to react.
I hit the brakes hard -- really hard-- the hardest I've ever hit them in this car. I decelerate so quickly the inertia reel on the seatbelt locks up. Even though I'm in emergency reaction mode I notice my car's tires are not skidding: it's just decelerating.
Next thing happens the minivan driver is realizing his error and starts going back where he came from, as I jog left (still in full braking mode), then right around him. But as I'm jogging I can hear the car behind me in full lockup and I'm wondering when he's going to hit me... somehow I find myself in second gear and HAMMER it and the car just leaps forward as I am doing the righthand jog back into the lane, and I am seeing the car behind me come within about a foot of my tail but I'm already pulling away. And suddenly evrything's back to normal, no accident, car just purring along.
Now I noticed several things about all this: the whole 'incident' probably took about 3 seconds of chronological time, but it seemed to go slower. So my adrenal glands and reaction times are still pretty good. Second, the 951 was just amazing, the way it handled braking, zig-zagging, and accelerating, all at the limit, and the tires never broke loose. I've never jammed on the car like that and it didn't lose its composure at all. Not at all. Last, it occurred to me that if I had been in my other cars, my van or my Volvo, I wouldn't have been able to avoid either hitting the car in front, or getting hit from behind.
Lord I love that car.
Thaddeus
04-30-2002 | 11:04 PM
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One last thing, too: I have to find another route home. I don't like being forced into situations like that, being sandwiched between vehicles that are moving too fast and next to others that are nearly stationary. Need to find a twisty way home...
cheers
Thaddeus
cheers
Thaddeus
04-30-2002 | 11:19 PM
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From: Dayton, Ohio
Perfect example of how a high performance sports car can get you out of trouble. If you were driving a Cavalier or some other crap you would have been toast. Glad you're okay.
Pete
Pete
04-30-2002 | 11:25 PM
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From: Bucks County, PA
What year is your car? Do you have ABS?
My car seems to lock up fairly easy, but the brakes engage very smoothly and pretty quickly. I have not tested it with speed (maybe 40mph or so), but it just seems like it locks up too easily.
I think it might just be the tires. I was able to get them to squeak going around a corner today. However, I'm still getting used to the car and I'll have to take it to the autocross to really understand what it should feel like and what it can do.
Anyway, congrats on the save.. it would've been a shame to have something happen to such a nice car.
One of the nicest things about the car is how much safer I feel with it. The brakes are better, the acceleration is there if I need it and the handling is very very predictable.
My car seems to lock up fairly easy, but the brakes engage very smoothly and pretty quickly. I have not tested it with speed (maybe 40mph or so), but it just seems like it locks up too easily.
I think it might just be the tires. I was able to get them to squeak going around a corner today. However, I'm still getting used to the car and I'll have to take it to the autocross to really understand what it should feel like and what it can do.
Anyway, congrats on the save.. it would've been a shame to have something happen to such a nice car.
One of the nicest things about the car is how much safer I feel with it. The brakes are better, the acceleration is there if I need it and the handling is very very predictable.
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04-30-2002 | 11:53 PM
#9
Nordschleife Master
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 5,454
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From: Minneapolis MN
[quote]Originally posted by Thaddeus:
No ABS, stock turbo brakes. Dunlop tires. 1987 951.
The adrenaline has worn off. A shame really...
<img src="graemlins/jumper.gif" border="0" alt="[jumper]" />
Thaddeus<hr></blockquote>
if those Dunlops are D40 M2's, I would recommend switching to a softer compound tire on a non abs car. (especially for an Open Diff) I hated my D40's! (swapped them for S02 PP's which I also hate)
I think I might try A032r's next
No ABS, stock turbo brakes. Dunlop tires. 1987 951.
The adrenaline has worn off. A shame really...
<img src="graemlins/jumper.gif" border="0" alt="[jumper]" />
Thaddeus<hr></blockquote>
if those Dunlops are D40 M2's, I would recommend switching to a softer compound tire on a non abs car. (especially for an Open Diff) I hated my D40's! (swapped them for S02 PP's which I also hate)
I think I might try A032r's next
05-01-2002 | 12:13 AM
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From: San Diego, Ca
about 2 hours ago as i was comming home from downtown SD, i am on a one way street and there is a cute girl next to me in a jetta. she is in the left lane and i am in the middle. i see her slowing down and i think its because shes turning left. next thing i look up and the light is red and i am about 5 feet from the intersection. i SLAM the brakes and skid halfway into the intersection, put it in reverse, and the SECOND that i am in gear again the light turns green, she looks at me and shakes her head, and drives off.
MY BRAKES SUCK!
SHAUN
MY BRAKES SUCK!
SHAUN
05-01-2002 | 12:48 AM
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From: Sydney
I got myself into a situation where accelerating helped avoid an accident too.
The start of the incident was plain strange. After driving about 500 metres from work a guy beeps when I'm almost stopped at some lights. I look around, check everything and then think it's for someone else, as there were around 15 cars nearby in 4 lanes. I scoot off and come to stop about 2 kms away when the same horn starts going off and is held down for 5 seconds from right behind me.
I start to panic about what my lovely car is doing now. My theory is my rear lights (it was dark and I had my headlights on) weren't showing until I brake or something like that so I dart off into a turning lane. My attention is everywhere but the road so I start to turn onto another street without looking for oncoming traffic. A car was right there, and I slammed the accelerator to get out of his way and into the farthest lane. If I had have hit the brakes he would have hit me, or if I'd been too slow he would have hit me. He/she didn't even brake in the end so it would have been goodbye 944 either way.
After this I stopped to check out why the guy was beeping, but I found nothing. Everything was working, no smoke, no smell, no more noise. I felt very lost at the point as to why the guy was beeping.
Sam.
The start of the incident was plain strange. After driving about 500 metres from work a guy beeps when I'm almost stopped at some lights. I look around, check everything and then think it's for someone else, as there were around 15 cars nearby in 4 lanes. I scoot off and come to stop about 2 kms away when the same horn starts going off and is held down for 5 seconds from right behind me.
I start to panic about what my lovely car is doing now. My theory is my rear lights (it was dark and I had my headlights on) weren't showing until I brake or something like that so I dart off into a turning lane. My attention is everywhere but the road so I start to turn onto another street without looking for oncoming traffic. A car was right there, and I slammed the accelerator to get out of his way and into the farthest lane. If I had have hit the brakes he would have hit me, or if I'd been too slow he would have hit me. He/she didn't even brake in the end so it would have been goodbye 944 either way.
After this I stopped to check out why the guy was beeping, but I found nothing. Everything was working, no smoke, no smell, no more noise. I felt very lost at the point as to why the guy was beeping.
Sam.