Apparently Not My Day to Die
#1
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Apparently Not My Day to Die
I very nearly wadded my '89 GT today.
During rush hour, I made a late decision to exit I-10 and flicked right to the exit at freeway speed. I somehow wound up yawing clockwise (toward the guardrail) then overcorrecting (onto the grass between the exit and the freeway) and rotating counterclockwise as I went down the slope so that I wound up in the far right lane of the freeway…except that, to me, it was the far left lane…with the engine stalled.
Fortunately, nobody hit me.
I pushed the car onto the shoulder. She started right back up. I saw no body damage and no fluid leaks and heard no unpleasant sounds. The steering still tracks straight.
This was in dry weather, with several-year-old Fuzion tires with plenty of tread. The car is well maintained.
Any hypotheses for what I did (or what went) wrong?
p.s. A hundred yards up the exit ramp from the freeway, a lady had stuck her Japanese sedan in the grass on the left shoulder. That happened before my mishap. Maybe a strange coincidence, maybe a data point. I didn't see her until after I had my off-road excursion. I saw no sign of oil, ice, or anything else extremely slippery on the road.
During rush hour, I made a late decision to exit I-10 and flicked right to the exit at freeway speed. I somehow wound up yawing clockwise (toward the guardrail) then overcorrecting (onto the grass between the exit and the freeway) and rotating counterclockwise as I went down the slope so that I wound up in the far right lane of the freeway…except that, to me, it was the far left lane…with the engine stalled.
Fortunately, nobody hit me.
I pushed the car onto the shoulder. She started right back up. I saw no body damage and no fluid leaks and heard no unpleasant sounds. The steering still tracks straight.
This was in dry weather, with several-year-old Fuzion tires with plenty of tread. The car is well maintained.
Any hypotheses for what I did (or what went) wrong?
p.s. A hundred yards up the exit ramp from the freeway, a lady had stuck her Japanese sedan in the grass on the left shoulder. That happened before my mishap. Maybe a strange coincidence, maybe a data point. I didn't see her until after I had my off-road excursion. I saw no sign of oil, ice, or anything else extremely slippery on the road.
#2
Three Wheelin'
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It may have been something on the roadway previous to the offramp. (Since another car had trouble in the same area.)
I'd check your alignment, suspension components and tires for abnormal wear. Also check your sway bar linkages for breaks or bent parts.
Were you on the gas when the yaw occurred?
Glad you escaped unscathed.
Ever see that movie Chronicle?
I'd check your alignment, suspension components and tires for abnormal wear. Also check your sway bar linkages for breaks or bent parts.
Were you on the gas when the yaw occurred?
Glad you escaped unscathed.
Ever see that movie Chronicle?
#3
Race Car
First off-glad you are okay. Second my thoughts say some petroleum based liquid or melting asphalt-although not sure how hot it was today in Houston.
Which exit? My wife's from Houston and most of the family is there-
Which exit? My wife's from Houston and most of the family is there-
I very nearly wadded my '89 GT today.
During rush hour, I made a late decision to exit I-10 and flicked right to the exit at freeway speed. I somehow wound up yawing clockwise (toward the guardrail) then overcorrecting (onto the grass between the exit and the freeway) and rotating counterclockwise as I went down the slope so that I wound up in the far right lane of the freeway…except that, to me, it was the far left lane…with the engine stalled.
Fortunately, nobody hit me.
I pushed the car onto the shoulder. She started right back up. I saw no body damage and no fluid leaks and heard no unpleasant sounds. The steering still tracks straight.
This was in dry weather, with several-year-old Fuzion tires with plenty of tread. The car is well maintained.
Any hypotheses for what I did (or what went) wrong?
p.s. A hundred yards up the exit ramp from the freeway, a lady had stuck her Japanese sedan in the grass on the left shoulder. That happened before my mishap. Maybe a strange coincidence, maybe a data point. I didn't see her until after I had my off-road excursion. I saw no sign of oil, ice, or anything else extremely slippery on the road.
During rush hour, I made a late decision to exit I-10 and flicked right to the exit at freeway speed. I somehow wound up yawing clockwise (toward the guardrail) then overcorrecting (onto the grass between the exit and the freeway) and rotating counterclockwise as I went down the slope so that I wound up in the far right lane of the freeway…except that, to me, it was the far left lane…with the engine stalled.
Fortunately, nobody hit me.
I pushed the car onto the shoulder. She started right back up. I saw no body damage and no fluid leaks and heard no unpleasant sounds. The steering still tracks straight.
This was in dry weather, with several-year-old Fuzion tires with plenty of tread. The car is well maintained.
Any hypotheses for what I did (or what went) wrong?
p.s. A hundred yards up the exit ramp from the freeway, a lady had stuck her Japanese sedan in the grass on the left shoulder. That happened before my mishap. Maybe a strange coincidence, maybe a data point. I didn't see her until after I had my off-road excursion. I saw no sign of oil, ice, or anything else extremely slippery on the road.
#4
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You yanked the wheel and lifted.
Track days with instructors will exorcise these subconscious bad habits from your brain..so critical actions like this in the future happen more..predictably. You simply violated traction and weight distribution physics.
There's no blaming tires, alignment..it was user error.
VERY glad you..and the car, are ok.
Track days with instructors will exorcise these subconscious bad habits from your brain..so critical actions like this in the future happen more..predictably. You simply violated traction and weight distribution physics.
There's no blaming tires, alignment..it was user error.
VERY glad you..and the car, are ok.
#5
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You yanked the wheel and lifted.
Track days with instructors will exorcise these subconscious bad habits from your brain..so critical actions like this in the future happen more..predictably. You simply violated traction and weight distribution physics.
There's no blaming tires, alignment..it was user error.
VERY glad you..and the car, are ok.
Track days with instructors will exorcise these subconscious bad habits from your brain..so critical actions like this in the future happen more..predictably. You simply violated traction and weight distribution physics.
There's no blaming tires, alignment..it was user error.
VERY glad you..and the car, are ok.
#6
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User error.
Ive heard _every_ excuse picking up cars off racetracks for 15yrs.
Its ok to say "I did that wrong, didnt I?" and learn from it.
A _really_ loose shock bolt maybe, REALLY loose. But ive driven a 928 where you had about 1/4" of random gas on/off rear toe from that problem, and it wasnt _that_ bad.
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#11
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Agreed driver error is the #1 factor here.
However, people need to realize....... "several-year-old Fuzion tires with plenty of tread".......tires have a shelf life.
The old school "check the tread with a penny" doesn't apply to performance tires.
Age is the #1 factor, 5-6 years they are gone, regardless of tread depth.
However, people need to realize....... "several-year-old Fuzion tires with plenty of tread".......tires have a shelf life.
The old school "check the tread with a penny" doesn't apply to performance tires.
Age is the #1 factor, 5-6 years they are gone, regardless of tread depth.
#12
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#13
Administrator - "Tyson"
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That's hardly the topic at hand here. If you drive your car, the tires are outside, in the sun, heat, and O2 aging them.......
Just tyring to make a point that people need to look beyond tread depth. Especialy with soft performance tires.
#15
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Not exactly. Tires that are in a cool dark place do not age. It is the sun, heat with O2 that ages and distroys rubber. 5-6 yrs outside, agreed... In a storage facility... No issue.
Seems funny to me that few members here would agree that a six year old timing belt is fine but are absolutely ok with tires that are that old or older.