True but if you lift to stab the brakes (a common reaction) your foot isn't in a position to respond quickly enough or with finesse if you need to get back on the gas (you will). If you try backing off the throttle a tiny bit and find it's not working, you're in a much better position with your foot on the pedal and partly depressed to apply throttle and counter steering. If you're entering a turn too fast and you've exceeded traction limits finesse and quick responses may not be enough. That's where VSA can do things that no driver can do. The VSA system can control each brake independently and do it faster than a human could. It may be able to help if you haven't grossly challenged the laws of physics.

 

Great advice here. Thanks. Could you please elaborate further on the left-foot braking part?

 

No, if you're already floating with the rear tires you won't change the weight balance by gently backing off the throttle. You have to have grip to transfer it (and weight).

If you're in the situation where the rears are exceeding the available grip either by accelerating or heavy engine braking, you want to have a situation where they can regain grip. Usually at a point just below where you lost grip. So in this example, if you lost grip at "5" you'll have to coast down in speed until you can regain it at "4.8." You're holding, waiting and hoping that you don't wreck before it can grip.

If you did this on an uphill, sidehill ramp... good luck.

 

Don't do it unless you're very comfortable with it.

 

Left foot braking:[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMEqOGejlrw [/media]

 

Just to reiterate and point out that all the discussion here is to educate the OP who didn't realize that driver error was a huge part in the accident.

 

Thanks for all of the support guys. Still not many of my questions have been answered in the OP.

From what you guys have all been saying (I slightly already knew most of it, just never really had the chance to apply it)... but anytime your back end starts to break away, expectedly or non, it's good practice to stay on the throttle, and gently counter steer.

This sort of thing is definitely a lot easier said then done. When your back end starts to float and it catches you by surprise, you have <1 second to start adjusting or you're going for a ride.

 

ouch! sorry to hear what happen, atleast ur ok.

 

Sorry to hear about your accident.

But truthfully, it is much easier to blame the tires than to admit recklessness and lack of driving skills. In addition to buying new tires, you must also reflect on your driving habit and improve upon it.

 

based on what happened to you in your situation with your vehicle at whatever speed you were driving I'll hazard a guess that no person might have saved that vehicle. You were likely at the mercy of physics. Perhaps if you had some decent tires and the rear end started to push out on you then I could see someone having a chance at saving it through some driving techniques. What happened to you sounds like us hitting black ice up here, when you hit black ice you are along for the ride, no corrections or vsa will save you in most instances. Sometimes you won't benefit from over-analyzing the situation because you couldn't change things if you were given a second chance, outside of the tire decision.