I salute the continued high quality of these responses.

The tires had 6200 miles on them.

I hope it's totalled, and I will be happy to post photos after I take them on Monday at the repair shop. I appreciate any other advice regarding mods on repair if that's the course it takes, or alternative places for repair. What bothered me about Honda service's response is that they fix the cosmetic things first (exterior) and then shift it to Honda for suspension repairs.

Incidentally, I've driven the same road since '59, about five times a month, lots of them during heavy rain. The last couple of years it has been in my 500 SL.

What's the scoop on this car in heavy wind?

I'll start a new thread on repair from wipeout when I have news to report. If I can get the fault accident reduced or stricken by shifting any part of the blame, I'll let the board know as well and anticipate the condemnation.

Qtip

 

QTip, glad you're ok & best of luck with the outcome.

Check the Rain Tyres thread following Ronald doing pretty much the same thing in Holland.

My Girlfriend's Civic VTi now picks up its fronts at about 110-120 in the wet, but they are nearly down to the tread wear indicators.

That car is much softer and as it's FWD. I would not attempt such antics in my MX-5, or my S2K which arrives shortly. At least the MX-5 gives plenty of warning even at relatively low speeds when it gets nervous.

I think that there may be a possible design fault, in that people have had these spins without warning that the car is getting pissed.

 

I am glad you are unhurt but I am sad you refuse to take personal resoponsibility for your actions. The fact that you didn't read the tire information that comes with the car is not Honda's fault. I look forward to additional warning labels and higher insurance that I will be paying due to your litigation.

 

Bad luck QTIP, but glad you're not harmed after heading into the airbags. I hope this accident (like mine 2 weeks ago) will help others to prevent it. Having read this thread I'm seriously contemplating ditching the S02's completely when this summer is over and drive permanently on different tyres like Barry does. Maybe S03's will do great for the summer and for winter either Vredestein Sportrac or Continental ContiSportContact2 (but the latter is not available in the same sizes). I hope that the car is totalled like mine, it's a better to drive a brand new car than a fixed-up car.
Maybe we should make a register with crashed VIN's so people can be aware when they buy a 2nd hand? It seems that a lot of people find this site before they buy an S2K.

 

In slippery situations, highest gear is best. And of course, keeping the inputs on the throttle VERY smooth.

I have to agree though, 70mph is far too fast to be going when the conditions are wet like that. I hear you though, it feels like a very stable car right up to that point! This serves as a warning for the rest of us, and for that I thank you a BUNCH!

Once again, glad you made it out OK, and good luck.

 

This is from the Manual:
"DRIVING IN BAD WEATHER
Rain, fog and snow conditions require a different driving technique because of reduced traction and visibility......
"Always drive slower than you would in dry weather. It takes your car longer to react, even in conditions that may seem just barely damp...
"Exercise extra caution when driving in rain after a long dry spell...
"Watch road conditions carefully, they can change from moment to moment. Wet leaves can be as slippery as ice...
"Be careful when downshifting. If traction is low, you can lock up the drive wheels for a moment and cause a skid."

If you read your manual, I don't think you can't blame Honda for not warning you. Or do you also want a label "Read your manual before driving"??

I am happy that you walked away from such a crash, but I don't believe that trying to share the responsability of your accident with the Authorities and Honda is fair at all. I believe that you are 100% responsable for the following reasons:
1) You did not read your manual (or at least did not pay carefull attention to what it said, or did not believe it). Remember they write these overcautious warnings due to people like you (that take them to court to try blame the responsability on the Manufacturers).
2) You drove well beyond the speed limit, in dangerous conditions.
3) You wanted to "test" your car in wet conditions...and well, you found its limits, the hard way. Is that Hondas' or the Authorities' fault? I think it was nobody's but yours.
4) The fact that you drove those roads back and forth in similar conditions in your Benz does not mean that can be done with every other car. In that case, I would sue Honda if I run out of the road in a turn at 70mph with my Civic, because I could take that corner easily in my Porsche 911 Turbo.

Unfortunately, here where we live, it is way too easy to take anybody we want to court and walk away as nothing happened if we don't win the case. If we had countersuits that strip your pants off and leave you without a penny, in case you loose (for alleged "damages"), everybody would think at least twice before taking matters to court.
Sorry guys, but I think our legal system sucks.

Please qtip, this is only my opinion on the matter. Don't take it personally. I did not mean to be rude at all.

Hope your car gets on the road soon, and please, drive safely .

 

It's never nice to hear about someone having such an unpleasant experience. Let's be grateful to Honda for making such a safe car.

I don't understand all this criticism of S02s as rain tyres (please excuse English spelling ). I have had S02s on a previous car and their wet weather performance is nothing short of astonishing. On a polished concrete skidpan with 5cm (2") of water I could not get them to aquaplane. I had to have the wipers going on full (it was not raining)! I also remember seeing a track test where a BMW M5 was fitted with various tyres and tested on the same track in wet and dry. The S02s had the second best dry time by about 0.2 seconds, but amazingly lost only 0.5 seconds in the wet. None of the other tyres came close. Check Bridgestone's (Japanese) website and they make a great deal of the water dispersion capabilities of the S02.

Now some of you will point out that this applies to S02 "Pole Position" tyres, and that the S2000 tyres are a different compound. That may be true, but I can't imagine it's THAT different. The tread pattern is also very similar, so their water dispersion must be pretty close. Since I don't drive my S2000 in the rain I'll have to respect the opinions of those who do, but it's unreasonable to expect any tyre, especially a wide one, to disperse water to infinity. Go too fast over water and you'll aquaplane, no matter what you've got on your rims. I have to agree with other posters that there is only one person to blame for that and it's the driver.

 

Remember that the SO2s require several minutes to warm up and are even slick on dry roads if they are cold. The Pole Positions have much wider gaps between the tread to throw off water and do handle the wet better. However, SO2s under 6K properly warmed up provide excellent traction on wet roads.

 

Glad you're O.K.
Thanks for the heads up. It definitly food for thought...
Paul

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Y2K++S2K
[B]I am glad you are unhurt but I am sad you refuse to take personal resoponsibility for your actions.