Drove my FR-S today, did not crash...

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by finch1750

A little late, but drove through HWY 4 (basically a glorified windy levee road) the other day at 3am. Visibility was about 10 feet for the last few miles thanks to the tule fog. Didn't crash.

bonus edit: my buddy in the twin behind me didn't either

First off, finch1750, what the heck were you and your buddy doing out in the middle of nowhere at 3AM ?? Duck hunting??

Secondly, heading West on 4 in the Tule fog is no big thing. After the road makes the latitude correction at Orvis Ranch, you just set the GPS for due West and hammer down -


humfrz

[finch1750]

Originally Posted by humfrz

First off, finch1750, what the heck were you and your buddy doing out in the middle of nowhere at 3AM ?? Duck hunting??

Secondly, heading West on 4 in the Tule fog is no big thing. After the road makes the latitude correction at Orvis Ranch, you just set the GPS for due West and hammer down -


humfrz

We were coming home from another buddies house

Don't think we were past that as we did make one small turn, but it didn't lift until 2 blocks before I5. We didn't have that kind of commitment

[mazeroni]

I thought this might be interesting to share. I almost rear-ended a Corolla.

For context, I'm heading home. As I'm entering the interstate, I see that the Corolla is traveling at around 70 (I'm probably doing 55) but I don't notice they start to brake after they pass me. At this point, I'm checking over my shoulder and mirrors as I accelerate.

Once I look straight, I notice the Corolla is slowing. Normally, I would just go past and merge, but I'm feeling a little sick, so I make a defensive play. Also I suspect they want to get into my lane to exit ahead. A few car lengths behind the Corolla is a big GMC 3500 or something, so I just let off the gas and let distance grow between me and the Corolla so I don't piss off the truck. Yes, I am way too close, but we are doing maybe 50 right now and most people are doing 80. So why would we slow down more? It'll be fine, I think.

Okay, so I see brake lights, although I can't actually see past the Corolla. I check my mirrors and signal to merge left. I shift down into 3rd and let the RPMS build to match the gear.

That's when I see the Corolla hard on the brakes. That is where I hesitate. I'm heading towards the Corolla but am lost in my brain trying to think what to do. Realizing that the big GMC is behind me and may not be able to stop if I slam on the brakes, and knowing that the left lane is clear, I swerve.

Probably not the right move, I know. I could have nailed the Red Versa if the backend slid out more. Cold tires and cold road, BTW.

In the moment, it felt like I was going faster and that the swerve was more violent. Watching the video, it really wasn't. ESC saved me. When I swerved, I had my foot pegged to the gas and just counter steered through it. The electronics did the rest.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsG4FfpNFqI[/ame]


My "Jesus" wasn't really emotional. More like commentary. I had no adrenaline after that. I guess I trusted the car to do its thing and it worked out? Also, I was a little aggravated at how much room was there was. Why be on the brakes?

[Tcoat]

My wife is going to get hit someday just by driving like either the Toyota or the red car that was holding up the whole lane for no apparent reason. There was no obvious reason for the Toyota to lay on the brakes there (still your fault if you hit them) since there was loads of room between them and the car ahead even if the red car was slow. Like them she sees brake lights go on a mile ahead of her and she slams on the brakes. I have found it more hazardous to say anything to her than the crash risk though so just hold my breath waiting for the impact.

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by mazeroni

I thought this might be interesting to share. I almost rear-ended a Corolla.

Well, I'm glad you avoided a bad situation.

From what see, nobody did anything wrong. You just happened to get behind two conservative drivers.

Good reflexes!


humfrz

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

My wife is going to get hit someday just by driving like either the Toyota or the red car that was holding up the whole lane for no apparent reason. There was no obvious reason for the Toyota to lay on the brakes there (still your fault if you hit them) since there was loads of room between them and the car ahead even if the red car was slow. Like them she sees brake lights go on a mile ahead of her and she slams on the brakes. I have found it more hazardous to say anything to her than the crash risk though so just hold my breath waiting for the impact.

How many times did it take you to learn that - ??




humfrz

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by mazeroni

I thought this might be interesting to share.

My only critique is for running the wipers on a dry windshield. Should at least spray some fluid.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by humfrz

How many times did it take you to learn that - ??




humfrz

Well after 38 years I can not truly say I have learned it yet.

[accwai]

Originally Posted by humfrz

[...] From what see, nobody did anything wrong. You just happened to get behind two conservative drivers. [...]

In the video, once the brake light on the Corolla was on, the OP started closing in fast. OP's engine sound didn't change much so the Corolla must have jumped on the brake hard. It's still miles from the two braking cars ahead. There's absolutely no reason to hit the brake hard. In a rear end collision, the car at the back is almost always at fault. The Corolla did a very nasty thing if you ask me.

I daily drive 86 and Corolla interchangeably. An FR-S got to be able to stop much faster than a Corolla. But then the OP would likely got hit by the truck from behind. Fortunately there was an escape route on the left.

P.S. This whole thing reminds me: I've been meaning to get a dashcam for a while. Got to do that soon...

[rcm47]

So it’s raining in SoCal and I drove through some water on the road and my traction and stability turned off and wont turn back on. Anyone have experience with this issue?

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by rcm47

So it’s raining in SoCal and I drove through some water on the road and my traction and stability turned off and wont turn back on. Anyone have experience with this issue?

Did you crash?

[rcm47]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

Did you crash?

Thankfully not. It was a tight and twisty mountain road as well.

[mazeroni]

Originally Posted by accwai

In the video, once the brake light on the Corolla was on, the OP started closing in fast. OP's engine sound didn't change much so the Corolla must have jumped on the brake hard. It's still miles from the two braking cars ahead. There's absolutely no reason to hit the brake hard. In a rear end collision, the car at the back is almost always at fault. The Corolla did a very nasty thing if you ask me.

I daily drive 86 and Corolla interchangeably. An FR-S got to be able to stop much faster than a Corolla. But then the OP would likely got hit by the truck from behind. Fortunately there was an escape route on the left.

P.S. This whole thing reminds me: I've been meaning to get a dashcam for a while. Got to do that soon...

I would take 100% blame for the situation, even if the cop said it wasn't my fault. Watching the video again, I'm still not sure what happened. Was I on the brakes too? How long was I looking at the Corolla? Was I really looking over my shoulder that long? Could I have tried out braking them. Was the truck even that close?

It really was all a blur and you can hear in my voice I was out of it because I had almost no reaction.

The lesson here is not to be defensive around Corolla and Camry drivers. They will do things that will shock you. Be aggressive and get out of their way.

Yes, a dashcam is a good idea. What's great about these cars is that you can run the power cord into the gap in the headliner, pull off the A pillar trim and run the wire down into the glove box where no one will ever see it. No need to cannibalize the dome light. I actually do the same thing for my radar detector, I just have a splitter in the glove box that powers both no problem.

Plus that dashcam is like $40, minus the SD card. It's not the best quality though. Next time I might consider getting one of those dual camera models with a rear camera you can affix to the back window for complete coverage.

[MuseChaser]

Hit a patch of black ice a few days ago, out of nowhere. The roads, otherwise, were dry, it wasn't snowing, traction was good. Downshifted, came around a corner and got on the gas as I usually do (more aggressively than most basic drivers would in a standard grocery run, but less aggressively than an "enthusiast" even close to winding out a "performance" sports car) and the back end broke loose VERY suddenly and suprisingly. Equally suddenly and surprisingly, the nannies kicked in and straightened the car out faster than I could have.. and I'm pretty good on bad roads, all humility aside. Quite humbling. In this case, ... here's to nannies!