| Author | Message | ||
| jeff ryerson (Atheyg)
New member Username: Atheyg Post Number: 29 Registered: 8-2002 |
The owner of a local Porsche repair shop here in Vegas was in his 96 993 Turbo driving a Unlimited Speed (Silver State Challenge)race on a highway near area 51 with his wife at about 180mph and the rear Yokohama tire went which inturn took out the oil lines then caused the car to spin subsequently rolled about 6 times From what I understand this was the second time a Yokohama blew out on him, he has set many records in his POrsche on this race averaging 190+ mph on a public highway for the 200 mile race The car was a smashed up into a ball unrecognizable and flight for life was called, he severely injured his arm and she also had manyinjuries Both are away healing from his repair shop still months later | ||
| Hans E. Hansen (4re_gt4)
Junior Member Username: 4re_gt4 Post Number: 185 Registered: 4-2002 |
So, what did it cost to fix that Gumball 355? I knew a guy that went off the road at 140 in a 1970 LT1 Corvette. Went end-over-end 7 times. Didn't hit anything. Car was wadded up in a ball. He spent a day or two in the hospital. Went home sore, but wiser. | ||
| Mitch Alsup (Mitch_alsup)
Junior Member Username: Mitch_alsup Post Number: 152 Registered: 4-2002 |
I'm with Terry: what we need is driving education, not drivers education. I don't think anyone who can't control a skid should be allowed a license. So why not set up flooded skid pans at the license berueau, have the instructor/examiner throw the car into a spin: YOU have to catch the car to get a license! | ||
| Terry Springer (Tspringer)
Member Username: Tspringer Post Number: 281 Registered: 4-2002 |
Arlie, Under your arguement, we should make the speed limit 10mph. If nobody ever travelled over 10mph there would probably be zero traffic fatalities. Sure, it would mess with folks lives, but isnt saving 50K lives a year worth the inconvenience? I say no. And I believe that highway safty could be drastically improved in the US, with far fewer fatalities and and speed limit eliminated on rural 4 lane highways. Its not the speed that is causing the problems... its the horrible level of average driver skill. The example you give is of a guy driving over his skill level and too fast for road conditions. Speed did not cause this... poor judgement did. In the US anyone who can breath and parelell park can have a drivers license. There is no training or even basic skills requirement. When you think about it, its insane! We will let ANYONE get behind any high powered vehicle to let rip on society without any clue on how to drive. I believe if we had madatory REAL driver training required before obtaining a license, that would solve the greater problem. I would even support different license grades for higher performance cars. I would like different speed limits for different license levels. Also, some strictly enformed lane discipline would be a requirement. Anyhow... it will never happen. | ||
| G.Peters (Wfo_racer)
New member Username: Wfo_racer Post Number: 50 Registered: 5-2002 |
If you guys have read some of my posts you know that I worship at the altar of speed . I cruise around my area on a 228hp sport-bike. 0 to 150 in around 8 seconds for a point of reference. I am also of German descent and feel it is my birthright to speed. I drive the 360 like I want to break it. My point is why own a sports car if you don't drive it as such. We track the car monthly ,in fact we are headed to Nevada to do the Open Road Race in a few hours. But speed itself won't kill you. I have crashed my bike on a freeway at over 110 mph ,it hurt but you deal with it. If you break the car and don't have the resources to repair it you really couldn't afford the car in the first place. A few weeks ago I was dropping off my buddy after our dove hunt and some knucklehead rolled his car in front of us going no faster than 40 mph and he died right in front of us ( head trauma we were later told) he wasn't marked that much and he had his seat belt on. I know it sounds callous but it means one less car I have to pass here in So Cal. Celebrate speed don't shy away from it ,otherwise we would collect Yugos . WFO guys | ||
| William H (Countachxx)
Intermediate Member Username: Countachxx Post Number: 1347 Registered: 2-2001 |
Arlie, I think a lot of people get killed cus they have no clue how to drive. DMV gives away liscences like they were candy and doesnt think more driver training is needed. Most people have no idea how to recover from a spin or a slide, they just lock the brakes & close their eyes. We desperately need more driver training, Not a return to the 55 speed limit | ||
| William H (Countachxx)
Intermediate Member Username: Countachxx Post Number: 1346 Registered: 2-2001 |
testing | ||
| Horsefly (Arlie)
Junior Member Username: Arlie Post Number: 241 Registered: 5-2002 |
If that 355 was part of an illegal Gumball type rally, will any insurance company pay for the cars replacement? If so, I guess the insurance rates of slower safer drivers will go up to compensate for the money out of the insurance company's wallet. If the insurance company won't pay, then I guess it must be nice to be so wealthy that you can destroy a beautiful expensive Ferrari and still smile about it. If that were my car, I think I would be sick. | ||
| Frederick Thomas (Fred)
Member Username: Fred Post Number: 619 Registered: 2-2001 |
If a guy pulls out in front of you and you hit him at 35mph your car is bent. If you are doing 125mph you went past the spot he was pulling out of before he was there to be hit. Speed saved your life.  | ||
| Andrew Menasce (Amenasce)
Junior Member Username: Amenasce Post Number: 239 Registered: 10-2001 |
Pics of the Gumball 355 !    | ||
| Horsefly (Arlie)
Junior Member Username: Arlie Post Number: 240 Registered: 5-2002 |
I am well aware of the physics terminology involved, but I think folks are missing my point. I am saying that if people would just SLOW DOWN, then maybe so many people wouldn't get killed. Why is that such a radical thought? Don't people tell their children, "Don't ride your bicycle so fast or you will have a wreck"? Or "Don't run in the house, you'll fall and hurt yourself"? The faster one travels, the smaller the time available for observation and reaction. That's nothing new. OF COURSE actual speed itself isn't harmful. Otherwise how could astronauts escape the earth's gravity at 17,000 MPH.? But drive faster, your reaction time "window" is lessened, and you will be riding in the Cadillac to the graveyard FASTER that other drivers. | ||
| Kevin Johnson (Jammy)
Junior Member Username: Jammy Post Number: 68 Registered: 3-2002 |
To the best of my knowledge the car SHOULD disintegrate in a high speed accident since it serves to dissipate the energy of the impact which would otherwise go through you and your soft bits. And I'm not sure that a 130mph would kill you. There was a white 355 on a Gumball across Europe (licence plate was 'LOOONY') that left the road at high speed (easily >100mph), travelled several hundred yards then hit the deck. Car was in tiny bitty pieces; driver was unhurt and passenger had concussion and a cut ear. | ||
| William H (Countachxx)
Intermediate Member Username: Countachxx Post Number: 1345 Registered: 2-2001 |
Arlie, if a guy is doing 130 or 500 mph he wont die unless he has a heart attack. WHen u hit something you are no longer doing 130 mph, you have decelerated, probably very rapidly & encountered huge negative Gloading that rips apart internal tissue & or can turn your organs into soup or jelly. THats called Rapid Deceleration. Its not called speeding & when you speed in a straight line you suffer low G forces. A human can take around 15 postive Gs but only 9 negative Gs before the body starts to come apart. like I said before, no one ever died from speeding, Its the deceleration that gets you | ||
| arthur chambers (Art355)
Member Username: Art355 Post Number: 671 Registered: 6-2001 |
Sometimes you don't even need a car around you to survive a high speed crash: In 89, at Daytona, in the kink, just after the international horseshoe, a 5th gear corner, on a bike geared for 167 - 169 (not at red line), the front tire washed, on the last lap (I was getting lapped by the leaders, and got stupid), I slide for what seemed at least a mile, but probably less than a football field, got up and walked away. It's the sudden stop that gets you hurt, not the speed. Bike was totally destroyed, even needed new engine cases. I've got pics of that peice of work somewhere. | ||
| Rob Lay (Rob328gts)
Board Administrator Username: Rob328gts Post Number: 2170 Registered: 12-2000 |
I'll post several videos of me going off and spinning in TWS 1/2 at 110 mph in the RX7. It's really not a big deal if there's nothing to hit. The only thing we worry about is when wet your car can dig in and flip. The only race car I've lost so far was just a typical "off", but this time there was a 5k tow truck within the tire barriers. It didn't give very much. | ||
| Ric Rainbolt (Ricrain)
Junior Member Username: Ricrain Post Number: 249 Registered: 2-2002 |
I personally lost control of my Euro 308 GTB at about 110 MPH... on the track, coming out of a high speed turn and under acceleration. A full 720 degrees and managed to cross the pavement twice. Yea man, it was scary. The car was dirty, but unharmed. The passenger and myself may have been soiled in more ways than one. After some check out on the car, and de-soiling of the occupants, we proceeded to race the rest of the day. That filled my year-long quota for lateral G-force inversions, so I don't even get close to that kind of behavior on the street. I would speculate that if you lost it on the street at those speeds, the chance of walking away would be significantly lower, just due to the fact that there's probably more things to hit. | ||
| Mitch Alsup (Mitch_alsup)
Junior Member Username: Mitch_alsup Post Number: 151 Registered: 4-2002 |
One little way statistics are used to prove SPEED is the issue is: Consider an accident where a car going too slow is hit from behind by a car going the speed limit; This accident is attibuted to speed. Not too much speed, but too little speed. But the database only has an entry for speed. So later when some fool dials up the info and sees x number of accidents caused by speed, he can't discriminate between those that were from too much, and those that were from too little. But for the case in point: I would say that driver error killed the idiot--driving beyond his ability to see--that's why the turn arrived while he was going to fast to make the turn. But we live in such a blameless society that blaming the dead guy is nonPC. I would really like to send this one into the suicide catagory but that catagory is not available as a cause of the accident. | ||
| Andrew Menasce (Amenasce)
Junior Member Username: Amenasce Post Number: 238 Registered: 10-2001 |
Speed is a worsening factor . | ||
| Horsefly (Arlie)
Junior Member Username: Arlie Post Number: 239 Registered: 5-2002 |
But I'm still curious about something that has happened thousands of times in the history of automobile driving. Some guy is driving down the road at a rapid speed. Suddenly he notices that the road makes a sharp turn; or at the least a turn that is too sharp for him to make at the speed he is traveling. Therefore, he flys through the turn, crosses the oncoming lane and either hits another car head on, or wraps himself around a telephone pole at the side of the road. How can anyone say that excessive SPEED did NOT kill that driver? Are we suppose to say that "insufficient braking" was the cause? That's really splitting hairs. What if you're simply driving fast down a highway and somebody pulls out of a side road or driveway unexpectedly? If you're doing 35 MPH....CRASH, you're car is bent. If you're doing 125 MPH...CRASH, you're dead. How can anyone say that SPEED was NOT the cause? | ||
| William H (Countachxx)
Intermediate Member Username: Countachxx Post Number: 1343 Registered: 2-2001 |
Arlie, that would b much more accurate, We need to educate people that speed never killed anyone regardless what the govt propaganda would like us to believe & by the way that sudden stop at the bottom IS rapid deceleration | ||
| Martin (Miami348ts)
Advanced Member Username: Miami348ts Post Number: 2827 Registered: 5-2001 |
Knew somebody that had an accident in a Testarossa a feww years back. Went of the Autobahn at about 140-150 Mph (notKmh)and survived. Took a few weeks in the hospital but was okay. We had a chatter that had an accident at less speed and then rolled down an embankment and the car was totally toast but he and his passenger were okay not much but cuts. I think it all depends on the accident. When I was going 190 Mph on the Autobahn with the TR all I remember thinking was: "If one tire blows I am history" | ||
| Horsefly (Arlie)
Junior Member Username: Arlie Post Number: 236 Registered: 5-2002 |
I guess we should also say that falling off a high building doesn't kill you, it's the sudden stop at the bottom that does you in. | ||
| William H (Countachxx)
Intermediate Member Username: Countachxx Post Number: 1342 Registered: 2-2001 |
Arlie, Speed never killed any1, Rapid deceleration & centrifugal forces kill If u really think u will see more than 130mph repeatedly why dont u just get a 355 Challenge ? they have a built in cage & r pretty cheap these days, heard of 1 for $65k | ||
| Ron Thomas (Ronsupercar)
Member Username: Ronsupercar Post Number: 316 Registered: 5-2002 |
The chances of surviving and accident at 130 mph will be very slim, but like Fred said, it depends what happens when you loose control.. The car will have some major damage but it will no decentigrate. | ||
| Horsefly (Arlie)
Junior Member Username: Arlie Post Number: 235 Registered: 5-2002 |
Remember some of those old Daytona 500 stock car race films? Many times those cars would get sideways at high speed without actually hitting anything, like from swerving to avoid another car. Now going sideways above 150 MPH, all the tires have to hit is a slight bump and the car starts rolling. Centrifugal force will usually rip the car apart. And if the car in question wasn't a fully reinforced race car with a roll cage, bye bye world. I remember seeing a film of the 1973 Indy 500 wreck that killed Salt Walther. (I think that was the guy). His car went out of control at high speed and started rolling and tumbling. As it flew by the camera, all that was recognizable was an engine and part of the drivers compartment. Everything else; wheels, body panels, assorted major parts, had simply ripped off and spun away. Speed kills. | ||
| Fred (Iluv4res)
Junior Member Username: Iluv4res Post Number: 105 Registered: 8-2002 |
I think 129 MPH is the cutoff point. | ||
| arthur chambers (Art355)
Member Username: Art355 Post Number: 668 Registered: 6-2001 |
Smack into anything at 130, and you're probably dead and the car is history. Don't hit anything, and probably just need an alignment. Make sure that if you're going 130 that there is nothing to hit. | ||
| Mitch Alsup (Mitch_alsup)
Junior Member Username: Mitch_alsup Post Number: 148 Registered: 4-2002 |
disintegrate? integrate--as in: held together as a whole dis--as in: opposite of Opposite of being held together is........... decentigrate? cente--as in: round/center grate--as in: measure de--as in: under Yep--more than one thing on the car would no longer be round after leaving the road at 130 MPH--perhaps you are right--decentigrate. | ||
| david handa (Davehanda)
Junior Member Username: Davehanda Post Number: 213 Registered: 5-2001 |
Depends on a lot of factors, like is the car going into a spin, does it hit something, does it roll....there is no pat answer. Assume the driver and passenger will probably be killed, but the car may or may not be in one (recognizable) piece. There are websites that have pictures of cars after horrendous accidents. Very gruesome. There is one from Brazil or something of a 355 that crashed...the car was definitely cut in half by something....as were the occupants... | ||
| Mitchell L. Davidson (Jussumfastgi)
Junior Member Username: Jussumfastgi Post Number: 221 Registered: 4-2002 |
Sure enough, tis true | ||
| Fred (Iluv4res)
Junior Member Username: Iluv4res Post Number: 103 Registered: 8-2002 |
It depends what happens when you loose control. If you just spin off into a grassy area, and don't flip, you will probably be ok. If you hit a brick wall, you'd pretty much be f**ked no matter what you were in. | ||
| Amir H. (355spiderman)
New member Username: 355spiderman Post Number: 22 Registered: 5-2002 |
When I went for a test drive of the 355 Spyder I asked the dealer what would happen to the car if you were to (godforsake) lose control of your car at 130MPH+ Speeds. He said the car would completly decentigrate. I can't imgaine anything like this but is it true? |