Wrecked FR-S Crash Already - Not Mine

[S2kphile]

Dang that sucks. Glad no one was hurt.

[3MI Racing]

Glad to hear you're well and taking all of this rather well despite all of the jackass comments coming in. Everyone has a point of learning. For some it's just a scare, maybe a curbed wheel and folded control arm and in this case, maybe the car.

Speaking of which, when should insurance let you know whether it's totaled or not?

[ZDan]

Originally Posted by Davyator

Don't feel bad. It could have happened to anyone!

This kind of accident doesn't happen to drivers with experience at the limit.

Seat time, at the limit, will give the necessary skills to deal with this kind of situation instinctively. Get thee to autoX's and/or track days!

[Liquidsnake]

Hey forget all the crazy comments here. I am so sorry. You have probably replayed it in your head a thousand times. Don't worry, at least your ok. I know someone who died in a car crash last week, so forget about the car. Insurance will take care of it. Hopefully you have gap insurance.

[MTeator]

Originally Posted by ZDan

This kind of accident doesn't happen to drivers with experience at the limit.

[neutral]

Originally Posted by 3MI Racing

Glad to hear you're well and taking all of this rather well despite all of the jackass comments coming in. Everyone has a point of learning. For some it's just a scare, maybe a curbed wheel and folded control arm and in this case, maybe the car.

Speaking of which, when should insurance let you know whether it's totaled or not?

I was told they should know by Monday. I'll keep you guys posted

[michaelahess]

Originally Posted by jesseps

Sucks that that happened. At least you are fine. This is my first RWD car also and I am never turning off the VSC/TRAC, until I learn how to properly handle the car. One thing, I am dreading is winter, I just hope the SNOW option on the FR-S does work properly.

Um... not real sure you are looking at this from the right angle...

You, not the car, dictate how it will drive on snow. Don't trust vsc/track to save your ass.

[Spaceywilly]

The nice thing about this car is that you can make these mistakes and not feel too bad about it, and now you'll know what not to do when you're driving a $400,000 lambo

[Primo86]

This is also my first manual/RWD car.. wake up call. I am coming from a totaled Celica so i am going to be very cautious. Honestly... the airbags alone are at least 800 each,seatbelts, Rad support, front bumper cover... if the frame rails are bent (which they must be for the air bags to deploy) I would say this is a total...

Don't beat yourself up too much... you are fine, can't go back in time, just learn the lesson which clearly you have.

[R8]

Originally Posted by neutral

I entered the turn at about 20mph, and halfway through it I got on the gas and I honestly can't remember exactly what happened after that. I remember being extremely surprised and then all of a sudden I was careening for a telephone pole, and then bam.

Do you remember anything more of what happened? Did it "fishtail" back and forth, or did it just get sideways in one long drift and slide off the road? How sideways did it get?

Or did it actually just understeer (plow) off the road from too much speed?

Was there any warning? Was it already a little sideways and seemed fine at first, but then slid out too far?

Or was it "snap oversteer" where everything was balanced one second, then suddenly in a spin with no warning?

[neutral]

Originally Posted by R8

Do you remember anything more of what happened? Did it "fishtail" back and forth, or did it just get sideways in one long drift and slide off the road? How sideways did it get?

Or did it actually just understeer (plow) off the road from too much speed?

Was there any warning? Was it already a little sideways and seemed fine at first, but then slid out too far?

Or was it "snap oversteer" where everything was balanced one second, then suddenly in a spin with no warning?

I hit the gas, and the back end immediately swung out. The car oversteered and made an arc over a small curb and into the pole. I don't remember if I lifted off the gas or not, but I'm pretty sure I must've, which then caused the oversteer to hit even harder because of the sudden weight transfer to the front wheels. It was the initial slide that happened a lot faster than I expected it to.

[crazyyankeefan]

From the photos, it looks "repairable" though. What does your insurance company say at this point?

[Scaldy]

Tough news. My jaw just kind of hung open when I saw the pictures.

Auto Cross saves lives and saves cars. I went to a few autocross sessions with my VW GTI. I learned to respect the limits of my car. I'm waiting a few weeks for my FRS but I plan to Auto Cross it a few times as well. I think autocross teaches you to drive defensively by letting you drive offensively... if that makes sense.

[hyper4mance]

First off, I'm sure we all are glad nobody was seriously hurt. It takes a real man to admit his mistakes, so I have much respect for you sharing your story. I'm sure with everyone one the forum everyone will help out where they can, especially with moral support. Yeah it sucks, but its money which can be replaced. Health >> finances!

As for the airbag deployment, I've heard stories where cops ask if everyone was wearing their seatbelt. If they weren't the sensors detect that and tend to blow out faster to compensate for the lack of restraint, causing the windshield to shatter/crack. I'm not sure if this is true in our cars since everything is so low and the windshield may be angled differently, but just be sure if this happens on other cars the cops tend to second guess if you are lying in wearing a seatbelt.

[BobDigi5060]

24, too old to be doing Tokyo Drift on the street.

[eindio]

This should be made a sticky as warning to people coming from fwd cars. This probably won't be the first time

[Frost]

It's really sad that happened Neutral - I hope you are okay.

FWD to RWD is always a learning lesson because inherently, FWD is more forgiving (understeer tends to freak people less than oversteer and requires less driver input to correct). When I went from Corolla to MR2, it was just the same except I always snuck out to a deserted parking lot or autocross to learn the limits.

When I went to my IS300, I had already known what snap oversteer was and was well prepared when snow season hit (the MR2 was never driven in snow) and all the associated fishtail movements that can come with stupidity in the snow.

Hopefully others will learn from this.

[R8]

Originally Posted by eindio

This should be made a sticky as warning to people coming from fwd cars. This probably won't be the first time

It's not necessarily a FWD to RWD thing. From what I'm reading, the FR-S suspension was tuned to get sideways easily. I'm guessing that even experienced, but overconfident RWD drivers might be caught by surprise if they're used to more stable RWD cars.

[kanundrum]

At least your Famous now

Jalopnik!!!!

[Giccin]

Who said I was the first one that was going to crash my car because I'm asian (part) AND a female? Pfft.

lol

Well... I don't know what else to say or do.. other than.. /facepalm.

[ChrisH]

Originally Posted by neutral

I hit the gas, and the back end immediately swung out. The car oversteered and made an arc over a small curb and into the pole. I don't remember if I lifted off the gas or not, but I'm pretty sure I must've, which then caused the oversteer to hit even harder because of the sudden weight transfer to the front wheels. It was the initial slide that happened a lot faster than I expected it to.

The pole was placed in the INNER side of the corner, right?

Originally Posted by Frost

It's really sad that happened Neutral - I hope you are okay.

FWD to RWD is always a learning lesson because inherently, FWD is more forgiving (understeer tends to freak people less than oversteer and requires less driver input to correct). When I went from Corolla to MR2, it was just the same except I always snuck out to a deserted parking lot or autocross to learn the limits.

When I went to my IS300, I had already known what snap oversteer was and was well prepared when snow season hit (the MR2 was never driven in snow) and all the associated fishtail movements that can come with stupidity in the snow.

Hopefully others will learn from this.

This is exactly what I tried to say in my former post.
It just needs some action from the driver to stabilize oversteer, while you don't need to do much in understeer (unfortunately understeer leaves you at the same time defenseless: Either the room left on the street is sufficient - or off you go....)

This active compensation of oversteer just needs some learning.
It is like breaking: If you first need to think which pedal to press to slow done the car you are much too slow. It needs to become a reflex action - which just needs some training.

And as mentioned below, oversteer can also hit FWD drivers! See the video below! So everyone should try to learn this countersteer reflex.

Originally Posted by ChrisH

Hi Neutral,

.......

I guess the pole that the car hit was standing at the INNER side of the corner, right? This would be typically for OVERsteer.
The main difference to FWD-understeer is, that you need to compensate it by active steering in the opposite direction.
This is - by the way - helpful, even if you never intend to drift or if you drive a FWD car, as it can happen to any car under certain circumstances.

See this little video from an Audi driver (yes, no RWD-BMW!), who get's surprised by oil on the road: the car oversteers! He reacts right by steering to the left, but he is a little too slow. When the car comes back to track he should quickly reduce the steering back to neutral, but he is a little to slow, too. Therefore the cars end swings over in the other side. Then the same again - until he finally manages to catch the car.


- YouTube

I would highly recommend to take time in next winter and look for a totally empty parking lot covered completely with snow and learn how to react on a rear axle loosing traction. This is at the same time learning how to drift a car - which is so much fun. And managing an oversteering car is absolutely necessary to become a good driver!
Actually I had written a little lecture how to take the first steps on snow - but unfortunately its all in German. (But I guess you don't speak German??)
Well, maybe someone here has something similar in English?

.....
ChrisH

Folks, does anyone maybe already have such as little lecture in English?

I think this would be very helpful for those who start with their first RWD car.

[AshWilliams]

A crash is probably the most obvious way you can learn of the differences in vehicle dynamics between FWD and RWD.

I can't really ascertain if there was a lesson to be learned here, except maybe that inexperienced drivers shouldn't try to turn off the stability control... EVER.

For every one of these wrecked by a kid who doesn't realize a 200hp Subaru isn't a FWD Honda with a wheezy engine, the insurance premiums will be revised.

I figure after a few more kids wrap these around telephone poles, we'll have 20-30% bump in premiums. If not more.