Dude, take a chill pill. There are things that driver skill can help, and this may not have been one of them. You don't know, I don't know, and obvioulsy mrfd3s doesn't know. Don't pass judgement.

If posts like these bother you, ignore them.

Bassem

 

Why don't you bring it to me, I'll check it out and let you know what it's gonna cost if you don't mind paying dealership price. I've fixed quite a few curbed s2000's so this is nothing new to me. You've got PM.

 

The simple fact of the matter is that you cannot anticipate every danger, and it's not the things that you anticipate that get you. The things that get us are the things we never expect. Experience is the best teacher, but we can also learn from the experiences of others, and in general, that is the preferred method. I appreciate it when other S2000 owners share their experiences, but find it hard to respect some of the childish responses we always see. Boasting is almost always a sign of inexperience, so just ignore all the "expert drivers" who know this kind of thing could never happen to them. They'll learn the hard way, just like so many others.

In the end it almost always does come down to driver error, if only because when we drive we have to accept responsibility for whatever happens. In 41 years of driving, averaging over 30,000 miles per year (well over a million miles), I'm managed to "curb" two vehicles. I've been involved in other accidents as well, but the two "curbings" are the only "at fault" accidents I've been involved in. The two "curbings" were separated by 40 years, but both happened in cars that oversteer. Both involved an unexpected slippery surface. In the most recent, there were also other factors, but in both cases I know that I am the one who was driving the car too briskly for the "prevailing conditions." Arguing that I could not see the slippery surfaces simply says that I was going too fast for conditions, specifically visibility, so it really all comes down to driver error, in every case. Oil and water, wet leaves, or a patch of ice, can be impossible to see or anticipate, and can cause a complete loss of traction even at modest speeds. Either we drive around like we're afraid of a spin every time we touch the controls, or we accept the fact that there will be times when something unseen and unexpected causes us grief.

Driver skill only goes so far. When something unexpected happens, a good driver knows not to induce more oversteer by totally lifting off the throttle, and an experienced driver might even react properly when the time comes, but most people instinctively let off the throttle when things start to get scary. Every racer knows the old adage, "When in doubt, both feet out; in a spin, both feet in." Practice it all you like, but when you hit a pile of wet leaves at the crest of a hill that brakes to the right (on a hot summer day) you're still going to have to deal with a slide and near zero traction. If you're carrying a little speed, all the "skills" in the world won't overcome the laws of physics, and inertia will be in control.

The important thing in incidents like this isn't to make ourselves feel superior by bashing someone who's had an accident; the important thing is to learn as much as we can from the incident. Obviously, "skilled drivers" who already know it all, don't need to be taking part in the conversation, unless they have something worthwhile to contribute. Inflated ego's need not apply.

Anyway, ignoring the noise is probably best, so let's get back on topic ...

I couldn't rest after my curbings until I fully understood most or all of the contributing factors. In your case, the road was damp, but it had stopped raining, so there was no standing water. Your tires have good tread, and are the OEM S02's. You were not cornering anywhere near the limit of the tires and the damp road.

Is that all correct?

I can think of a number of possibilities. What was the posted speed on the ramp? How fast were you going? Any number of things could have caused the back end to step out a little, and if that caused you to instinctively lift off the throttle ... lifting while cornering near the limit is a good way to induce a spin. Are you *sure* your tires have tread all the way across? It's hard to see wear on the inside of the tires because the car sits so low, and the tires wear faster on the inside. If your tires have little or no tread on the inside that might well have been a factor. Were the tires cold? Was the road and outside temperature cold? Either or both tend to reduce traction with the S02's. When did you last check your tire's air pressure? Low pressure in the back tires can be bad news, and the low profile tires don't look underinflated until they're *really* low. Someone else mentioned spring spacers, and since as far as we know the previous owner drove like Driving Ms. Daisy without ever having noticed the spacers, that certainly *could* be a factor (though it's unlikely, it's certainly not impossible). It could also be that you have no driving skills or common sense, and that you hit V-TEC while flying down a wet offramp on bald tires, but unlike some here, I also consider that to be highly unlikely.

Anyway, it would be nice to know what factors contributed to the mishap, in the hope that your experience might help others avoid a similar fate.

Thanks for sharing.

 

early on when i first got the car i did a power slide that ended into a curb. i had inspected for spring spacers, but after this got really aggressive and found one that the dealer and i had missed before!
anyway, it was an excuse to replace the wheels and tires- which took me to the alignment shop (darin at west end not that far from you). i had been driving for awhile at that point and all seemed well. darin pointed out to me damage at the "knuckle" which was a result of the curb slam.
not that hard to fix and a good alignment shop, like westend, can fix it for you.
i say take your car to darin to have it checked out:

Darin Nishimura
18008 S. Vermont Ave.
Gardena, California 90248

(310) 808-9233

 

Make sure you have everything checked carefully. I hit my rear passanger wheel at a bit faster than 30 mph and did over $5,000 in damage to the suspension, wheel and exhaust.

 

Thanks for all the insight. Wow I'm hoping that I didn't do anywhere near $5k in damage. I don't really think it is that bad because the car still drives fine except for the fact I have to hold the steering wheel crooked just to go straight. I think another factor that contributed was that the ramp was a giant circle and the end the curve (where it begins to straighten out) comes faster than it looks, I hope you guys can understand what I just said.

 

Just hope your axle is ok.

 

Let's hope its okay... mine wasn't driveable...

 

Wow mines doesnt look like that at all lol... You can't really tell from looking at it but if I look very closely it seems like its toeing out, but I'm not positive, it is very hard to tell