HAHAH funny

 

what happens when you gradually increase your speed and your car is handling it 105mph and you try 110 and your back end washes out???

what did you learn about control???

Im not trying to **** anyone off I just know at least two kids who applied this theory to driving one wrecked his car and the other put it into a ditch doing exactly this...taking a turn quicker and quicker...his car took at 60 just fine 65 and the tires said **** you...

 

if you want to start out at 100 mph you are just nuts.

 

i dont think he meant that you start out at 100 mph...i think what he's trying to say is just how far do you go? because when you reach the limit/breaking point... well... it's just that, and it's kinda too late to be like "oh yea that's where it is" from the ditch...

 

City streets and mountain roads are actually pretty crappy for performance driving - just from a turning perspective. While it is fun, unless you want to go ***** out and hop the divider the entire time to hit the apex, everything ends up being tight constant-radius turns - might as well just go to an auto-x course.

 

Since there have been a few "I wrecked my FD threads" lately, I thought I would revive this old thread. Maybe it will help someone.

 

Great thread, but with all this emphasis on not driving in the rain, I don't think that rain in itself is the greater problem or tells the entire story. Take it easier, and be aware of your cars limits... Most people don't pay close enough attention to their tires and neither do they adjust their driving habits to properly handle the car in the rain...and its not just the FD, but MANY road going vehicles here in MD. Many cars are fully capable of functioning in rainy conditions, and the FD is no exception- you (the driver) just have to adapt your driving habits to the different weather condition, and drive more defensively. The power potential is greater yes, but you can just as easily break tires loose in the rain with a lesser powered car, as you can with the FD if you don't excercise proper throttle control. As someone said earlier, you have to keep things predictable/smooth.

Now if the ground has ice on it... then I try to stay away from driving period...and not just in the FD. People in AWD vehicles seem to think themselves invincible in the elements simply because they have power to more than 2 wheels. That to me is a greater threat.

 

As far as driving in the rain goes, I haven't had any problems whatsoever. I'm not an expert driver by any means but what I am is a 21 year old kid that has enough common sense to drive like a grandma in the rain, and park the FD for the winter.

I've been driving in the rain with tires that badly need replaced...I just drive slower. Yeah I should get them replaced and am going to when I take the FD out of storage for the winter. Maybe some people just expect the car to drive itself, I dunno.

Steve

 

It's a good thing to be living in LA with an FD, so long as you don't mind the traffic. Weather is much more predictable here than in Pennsylvania where I came from originally.

 

IMO many serious accidents are BLAMED on swerving around an animal ... funny how nobody else ever sees the critter. Which is why cause is different from blame.

Dave

 

Inappropriate vehicle rotation at the point of disappearing talent (to borrow a phrase from a C&D article about the Honda S2000) seems to be a common thread here.

I wonder if part of the problem is that many people learn to drive in front wheel drive cars where hopping on the gas before coming out of a turn is not necessarily a bad thing.

 

this thread makes me think about how many close calls ive had. with my chevelle and rx-7. its not worth risking it, i agree... save it for the track

 

Yes, for snow leave the car inside. But driving in the rain is fine if your tires are up to par. Just turn the boost down and stay out of the boost while in a corner.

The FD takes self control.

FB has been a victim of the animal in the road a few times. After my first wreck dodging a cat, I said I would never swerve for another animal again. I have hit a squirrel and another cat since. The deer however was still a large enough target to try and dodge. I was actually lucky the deer stopped, cuz if he kept running that was the direction I swerved.

The FB has also been a victim of snow driving. I was moving along in a bout 2 inchs of snow at about 30. The road had a slight slant to it and I was under deceleration when the car just went sideways. The damn thing is soo light. No amount of gas or brakes could pull me out. I slid into the curb. Bent my rim, swing arm, and strut.

So I learned some valuable road lesions that I carried over to the FD, which is why the FD has not been wrecked yet.

 

Because it sounded like fun?

 

I haven't wrecked my car yet. But came close by spinning the tires through an intersectiona nd got a bit squirelly and lightly smacked the median with my rear wheel.


I have read that a a good advanced driving course will definitly add tons to the enjoyment of my car. Besides, I still have to learn the limits of my car. With that being said, I've registered for a Skip Barber High Perf. driving course at Infineon Raceway.

 

When I first Bought my FD last year... I spun out once doing a 720 in heavy-rain negotiating a 35mph left turn... and almost curb checked/wrapped myself around a pole because I hit a puddle that I didn't see going about 45mph, partial-boost negotiating a slight right turn...

It's amazing how powerful these cars really are and they should be drivin' with the utmost respect... In the wise words of my Father... "Respect the car and it will respect you... Take care of the car and it will take care of you..." so ever since those dayz I've been trying to drive my FD ever so carefully... God forbid anything ever happens to me or anyone else while driving this thing. I know when I get it back from the shop it will be rainy season so I'll have to be extemely careful...

My tip: Understand the full potential of your car; understand it's greatest strengths and weaknesses before driving it and know what you're getting into. "Respect the car and it will respect you."

 

Never wrecked any RX7 I've owned. I've spun a few times at auto-xes. I don't push it as hard as it'll go on the street, there just isn't any runoff room if you make a mistake.

To put numbers to it...

100mph = 147 feet/sec. That means when your going 100 miles per hour you'll travel a football field in just over 2 seconds. Stopping under most conditions on PAVEMENT, including reaction time, will easily take longer than a football field.

 

this is the sadest thread i have ever read.......

 

Rain sucks. I was going strait, just getting up to speed slowly, in 3rd at 3k and gave it just enough gas to kick the boost on. Back end tried to come around twice before I got it sorted out. Then I shifted into 4th. This was right after I fixed my twins for the first time, and when I bought the car in Dallas it had just rained. Yet back then the turbos didn't work for ****. Haven't wrecked it, but I do go to the local auto cross pad when everything is running right to get a better feel for her. I need to do this once or twice when its raining, cause I've never had it understeer when wet. So I need to work on my aboslute loss of traction in the rear to recontroled methods. I'll stfu now...

 

LOL...good point Dave. I bet there's quite a bit of variation between what actually happens, and what ppl sometimes claim. But nonetheless, by trying to dodge an animal at close range, you're very likely to induce the car into an uncontrolled state, rather than just running over the poor thing, possibly suffering some damage, feeling real bad, but saving the rest of your car. I would NOT, however, advise not dodging a deer. Those things have strong bones, and WILL total the average car.

I REALLY like that quote hehe. Makes it sound like there was a technical difficulty that induced the crash haha

I'll tell you, that's one thing that I learned VERY quickly in my FD, and I thank God that it scared the hell outta me while sparing the FD from disaster. I took a real sharp turn, almost a hairpin turn, and tried accelerating out of it, as I normally do in every other front wheel drive car. Thankfully, no one was coming in the opposite direction, and I ended up drifting right thru the turn haha...right across both lanes, sideways. Since then (2 yrs ago), I've been very cautious of watching that boost gauge while taking turns...

You know what that reminds me of? An old friend of mine used to always rag on guys, saying that 95% of all injuries to males began w/ the phrase, "Hey! Watch this!" LOL

 

I don't own a 7 yet, but all through high school i drove a '92 ranger with a 3.0 liter V6 and a 5-speed. It was my parent's car, and the one thing that they told me about deer was "don't swerve, we won't be mad if you hit it, just don't hit a tree". Ya, a deer is gonna **** your car up, but what would you rather hit? A 250 pound moveable hunk of flesh, bone, and skin or a 1 ton+ immobile tree? If you swerve to miss a deer, you'll get a ticket for not being in control of your vehicle, your insurance will go up, and you may not be get reimbursed. My advice on the whole hittin the critter idea, is to HIT THE ******* THING, and make sure you have comprehensive insurance (for running objects) so that your deductable will be small and your insurance won't go up.

As for learning how to drive your car, personally i think kids that buy the car themselves as their first car are quite dumb, and if their parents bought it for them then the parents are IDIOTS, since they have very little expierence with underpowered cars, they jump into a beast of a car and think they can let it all hang out like Carlos Sainz or the other stars of WRC. My advice: buy yourself a low-power, light weight rear drive car with a manual in it, and learn the limits of that and how to catch slides on country roads, where all you'll hit is a ditch or maybe a tree, but who cares? it's better to distroy some POS that you bought for 1,000 than a FD that cost you 10+k.

I've almost put that truck into the ditch numerous times, but i've learned how to counteract the vast majority of all slides that i encounter because i have 3 years of dicking around with it and sliding (most of the time intentionally, few untentional slides)

 

Never underestimate how quickly the FD gets to 100+ mph, before you are jumping on the brakes hard to hit that 90 degree corner. I spun 180 degrees just of the road and only managed to dent my muffler real bad. Good tires would have saved me there. The car came with some brand new Hankook Ventus...I burned the rears in 3k miles and have switched to falken GRB FK-451. Toyo T-1S is a great tire also...excellent wear, dry grip AND wet grip.

Knowing when the car is going to get a boost surge in the corner always helps a ton. I usually loosen up on the wheel a little and let the car correct (countersteer) itself at it's own rate. Do not lift off the throttle during this...the FD can come back inline under throttle very well, and quick I might add. Race car engineering for you! The 50/50 weight balance makes the car easy to steer under Wide Open Throttle, and to keep it under control. Just apply your throttle cautiously.

I usually take all my rear drive cars to an open warehouse parking lot late at night and get a feel for the car by trying to get it out of control a little and bring it back....or better, go to auto-x events...MAJOR FUN! and only $25-$35 dollars. there is bound to be one within 2hrs driving. just check the web, SCCA or local city auto cross search it.


My friend who owned a 93' TKT basic (w/ a few add-ons) did not have much luck at all with his FD. Bought it and spun through an intersection lefty 3 hours later....mildy wedging the RF corner under a guardrail.

Then, spun it up onto a sidewalk in 3rd gear, while pissed at his girlfriend.

Then, AST blew on the highway and he sped to the exit ramp. $3800 later he was on the road again.

Out ran the cops (4am) at 160+ and exited the highway, slide 180 degrees over the median while trying to make the right hand corner onto the exit road, but made it home LOL.

Spun off the road, down the hill, over the crest, got air born, through the link fence, over the pool cover and hanging over the edge of the pool on the opposite side. i think a little good luck was thrown in along the way =) hehe


He must have dodged the cops about 4 times while owning that car. Whoo...the good ol late teen days. haha

 

You are limited to TRACTION! Wether it be: 100% braking traction 100% acceleration traction or 100% cornering traction.

You should brake before the turn and accelerate after the turn (while car is straight). Get a feel of a car before you run the **** out of it! You know when your taking a clover leaf exit and all four of your tires are sqealing?? losing traction can be your worst nightmare!

 

Actually, trail braking into the corner and starting to accelerate through the apex and out is the way pro racecar drivers turn fast laps (tire wear may be accelerated though). It should only be done on racetracks, and by someone who has alot of experiance at the limits of adhesion. You want 100% of your slip angle factor all the way through a corner to be the fastest. Your slip angle is the angle at witch you can turn your front wheels before they slide relating directly to directional force...whether it be braking/turning, turning alone, or turning/accelerating. Trail braking comes into play during corner entry to keep the front tires loaded and the rear light. This enables a fast corner entry and easy pivot direction (light rearend)...then you can accelerate and load the rear tires sooner. Trail braking is a "High Skill" level compared to regular driving technique. It is usually one of the last steps in performance driving.

You know you got the full feel of driving when you can brake, downshift, rev-match, and trail brake into the corner. The rest is easy. Corner entry is an art.....

 

I have read all the thread and found it very interesting especially because it is only from May this year that I own my FD.

Here the roads and especially the traffic do not permit high speed but there are many other dangers on the roads so here is my humble opinion.

Be always aware of the road conditions which is a must here where you can find from perfect asphalt to none at all. There is no need for a day to be rainy for one to be aware of how he is driving. Many powerful cars have been racked here for a small pool of water 3 days after it had rained. Worst still a small pool of oil left carelessly from a previous accident or an ill kept car.

So my 5 cents is always be on the look out especially when speeding and cornering. You never know where danger can be and lets say it and FD can increase the ratio by much.