Luckiest Person Alive Right now....
10-14-2009, 12:44 AM
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Luckiest Person Alive Right now....
So, I am still in shock right now. I just dropped off some spring compressors at Felipes, and as I was driving back towards Kaneohe it had started to sprinkle a little bit. I am entering the H3 Tunnel and there are no cars around me. Of course I think I want to accelerate a little bit and enjoy the music of my engine echoing off the tunnel walls......
I even waited about 500 yards so it would be a little drier........that was not good enough.
As soon as I put it in third and started to accelerate my car took about a 60 degree left turn towards the left wall ( I was in the right lane). Of course I immediately counter steered to the right, and at about 70 mph this immediately put the car into just enough snap oversteer that I knew it was going to go completely around. I keep trying to think back to what I was doing to try to save my car but somehow I was putting the right steering input in and the car ended up going around clockwise two times (it felt like my bumpers were both less than a foot from hitting the wall both times) and then started to regain control as I was finishing my second full spin........the car then started to recover and slide towards the wall again and I ended up gaining full traction and got it turning back to the right inches before my left front bumper smacked the wall.........
I never even touched the brake and was probably still doing about 15 mph. It took me a second to realize that I in fact had not made contact with anything solid, put it in second gear, and drove the rest of the way home........
I am sure I gave a pretty good show to the pickup that was about a quarter mile behind me and passed me as I was driving 10 mph under the speed limit the rest of my trip......
Other than that I have no witnesses haha. It almost feels like a dream as I am thinking back to it, and I can't believe how I calmy just started to react with my steering as it was happening. I even had time to think about how I was going to be one of those idiots who slammed his s2k into the wall of a tunnel while being retarded, while I was still spinning.
I accept my slap in the face for being dumb, and also the fact that I do not deserve to have my car in one piece, without even a scratch.
I know it was probably 95% luck that I happened to be in the right lane (because I definitely would have smacked the left wall right off the bat if I was in the left) but I have to believe that my calm reactions and the fact the I controlled my car as much as I did to avoid the wall is from years of autocrossing and track days. Get out to the stadium people and intentionally over drive your car so you can feel it out of control!!! This is the first time it has saved me in the s2k but I had a couple of emergency swerves in the Integra GSR I had before that I would not have pulled off if I hadn't felt the car past its limits so many times before........
Ok, I think my nerves are calming down a bit. Drive safe all!! I just had my smack in the face eye opener so maybe you guys can just learn from that......
I even waited about 500 yards so it would be a little drier........that was not good enough.
As soon as I put it in third and started to accelerate my car took about a 60 degree left turn towards the left wall ( I was in the right lane). Of course I immediately counter steered to the right, and at about 70 mph this immediately put the car into just enough snap oversteer that I knew it was going to go completely around. I keep trying to think back to what I was doing to try to save my car but somehow I was putting the right steering input in and the car ended up going around clockwise two times (it felt like my bumpers were both less than a foot from hitting the wall both times) and then started to regain control as I was finishing my second full spin........the car then started to recover and slide towards the wall again and I ended up gaining full traction and got it turning back to the right inches before my left front bumper smacked the wall.........
I never even touched the brake and was probably still doing about 15 mph. It took me a second to realize that I in fact had not made contact with anything solid, put it in second gear, and drove the rest of the way home........
I am sure I gave a pretty good show to the pickup that was about a quarter mile behind me and passed me as I was driving 10 mph under the speed limit the rest of my trip......
Other than that I have no witnesses haha. It almost feels like a dream as I am thinking back to it, and I can't believe how I calmy just started to react with my steering as it was happening. I even had time to think about how I was going to be one of those idiots who slammed his s2k into the wall of a tunnel while being retarded, while I was still spinning.
I accept my slap in the face for being dumb, and also the fact that I do not deserve to have my car in one piece, without even a scratch.
I know it was probably 95% luck that I happened to be in the right lane (because I definitely would have smacked the left wall right off the bat if I was in the left) but I have to believe that my calm reactions and the fact the I controlled my car as much as I did to avoid the wall is from years of autocrossing and track days. Get out to the stadium people and intentionally over drive your car so you can feel it out of control!!! This is the first time it has saved me in the s2k but I had a couple of emergency swerves in the Integra GSR I had before that I would not have pulled off if I hadn't felt the car past its limits so many times before........
Ok, I think my nerves are calming down a bit. Drive safe all!! I just had my smack in the face eye opener so maybe you guys can just learn from that......
10-14-2009, 07:40 AM
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nah, i think just because of the wet, my left tire spun and then right one was gripping when I accelerated (better lsd would prevent this). Tires have plenty of tread left and usually don't have problem in rain, its just how slippery the surface in the tunnel gets when cars track some water in....
10-14-2009, 10:28 AM
#7
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the exact same thing happened to me while driving to kbay.
glad your okay.. i wasn't going as fast as you were.
i too also waited to enter the tunnel a little bit for the roads to dry but nope it wasn't. thats why i dont open up my car anymore when its slick on the honolulu side going to kaneohe.
