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Spun car and hit curb, UPDATE Pictures added

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Old Feb 21, 2009 | 01:18 AM
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Default Spun car and hit curb, UPDATE Pictures added

Well, after owning my s2000 my03 for a little over a year and babying the hell out of it (which included washing and waxing it this morning), i crashed it. I was stopped at a red light waiting to make a left turn. Light turned green and I started to drive, shifted into second and suddenly lost control, did a 180 and slammed directly into the curb. I feel that there must have been loose gravel on the street after all the rain southern california has been getting. but who knows...






I would like to know if there is enough damage for the car to be totaled. I looked and from what I can see, the frame looks a little twisted, but i am not sure. The rotor cracked in half, the front rim is bent, the rear rim is destroyed. the control arm is cracked in half. Something is leaking out black fluid. The subframe (I think thats what its called) is smashed in and the door doesnt align now with the subframe. The front bumper was scraped, and then again scraped to hell when the flatbed truck tried to tow it. And now the muffler and exhaust are scraped to hell when they unloaded the car for the second time.

Sigh. What am I looking at here?

I would like to take the car to the best possible repair shop. Hopefully someone who has experience with the s2000. Any place like this in Southern california? Orange County area.
Old Feb 21, 2009 | 01:45 AM
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Did you floor the gas pedal during the turn?? I don't believe that lose gravel can cause you to lose control suddenly when driving 10-15mph.
Old Feb 21, 2009 | 05:09 AM
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Originally Posted by rtilbury,Feb 21 2009, 05:18 AM
Well, after owning my s2000 my03 for a little over a year and babying the hell out of it (which included washing and waxing it this morning), i crashed it. I was stopped at a red light waiting to make a left turn. Light turned green and I started to drive, shifted into second and suddenly lost control, did a 180 and slammed directly into the curb. I feel that there must have been loose gravel on the street after all the rain southern california has been getting. but who knows...

This picture is somewhat simillar to what my rear wheel looks like. This is not my car, this picture was posted by vtec9, so please let me know if you want it taken down.



I would like to know if there is enough damage for the car to be totaled. I looked and from what I can see, the frame looks a little twisted, but i am not sure. The rotor cracked in half, the front rim is bent, the rear rim is destroyed. the control arm is cracked in half. Something is leaking out black fluid. The subframe (I think thats what its called) is smashed in and the door doesnt align now with the subframe. The front bumper was scraped, and then again scraped to hell when the flatbed truck tried to tow it. And now the muffler and exhaust are scraped to hell when they unloaded the car for the second time.

Sigh. What am I looking at here?
How the hell did you do that much damage by loosing control midway through a left hand turn from a stop at a stop light? 10-15mph MAX maybe?
Old Feb 21, 2009 | 05:14 AM
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That sucks. Can you get a picture of YOUR car for a better assessment
Old Feb 21, 2009 | 07:14 AM
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rear hub, control arm, rim, maybe tire, maybe axle
Old Feb 21, 2009 | 07:16 AM
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I'll bet you shifted mid-turn.

You'd have to post pictures for us to see if it's totalled. If your door doesn't close, then maybe. You'll have to make ~$12k in repairs.
Old Feb 21, 2009 | 07:41 AM
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your right, i did shift into second during the turn, because it was a huge 5 lane intersection. believe me, i was not going fast at all. I was on a relaxing drive home. It was probably the shifting into second that messed things up, but also my right shock has 65k miles on it and is dead. It has been clunky and bouncy lately. Do you think this could have played any part?
Old Feb 21, 2009 | 07:47 AM
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my car use to jerk while i shifted during a turn. i later got new rear tires and it hasnt happened, even though my previous rear tires had about 40% left. hows your tires?
Old Feb 21, 2009 | 07:54 AM
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Originally Posted by rtilbury,Feb 21 2009, 08:41 AM
your right, i did shift into second during the turn, because it was a huge 5 lane intersection. believe me, i was not going fast at all. I was on a relaxing drive home. It was probably the shifting into second that messed things up, but also my right shock has 65k miles on it and is dead. It has been clunky and bouncy lately. Do you think this could have played any part?
Being a huge 5-lane intersection has nothing to do with it. You can still shift early in the turn, before you have too much angular / rotational momentum. You were the one previously posting about downshifting mid-turn before... right?

The shock probably contributed, but the inciting event was poor manual driving technique.

We see a lot of posts here like this:
1. Inexperienced / young manual driver
2. Male
3. "Spirited start" from a stoplight turning left
4. Doesn't plan his shift... just shifts when nears redline
5. That puts the car ~30mph and ~3 seconds into the turn... past the mid-way mark.
6. Since he's already past the midway mark and pointed towards the far kitty-corner curb, that's where the car hits when he tries "chirping" the tires mid-turn.
7. Add in the usual off-camber slope of the sides of roads... BANG.

Better options:
1. Shift to second early. Like at 5k rpms (~20mph). It'll be earlier in the turn and won't have the torque to break the rear loose.

2. Stay in first longer and shift (SMOOTHLY) past the apex when you're unwinding the wheel.

All the movies and TV shows all glorify "banging shifts" and "chirping tires." That's a perfect way to lose traction.
Old Feb 21, 2009 | 07:54 AM
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I'm not in any way trying to thread jack but can someone tell me how exactly so much traction can be lost just by shifting mid turn in this car? Is it simply the change of force on the rear wheels when the throttle is let off during gear change? I can understand losing traction if the throttle is jabbed or the upshift is jerky but if it was a smooth and controlled process how was there such a dramatic consequence?



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