Paul Walker from Fast and Furious died in a wreck...

Does anyone know the Temp of the assphalt that day? Cold tires in a warehouse. 5 minute drive. Not enough time to warm up those tires. Late November.. These are some factors. Maybe he wanted to induce a nice flat drift around that corner and instead of over steering he under steered it into the first poll. Just some speculation but that is the sort of scenario I can see playing out. Maybe 50 mPH is the perfect number for just the right drift around that corner. Just speculation................

 

Carbon fiber cracks instead of melding or folding like metal. A 45mph crash at the right angle could easily cuase more than enough carnage.

 

You also have the force of impact focused on a very narrow point on the car as it came in contact with the concrete street lamp pole - about 10" in diameter at the base.

>8^\
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Cool day, we had rain a day or 2 before, cold, worn tires (most likely 10 years old as the car), and a few bumps in the road. I have been to AE numerous times- the last being in October. I saw the car- in fact they have some collection of Saleen Mustangs, Light weight M3s, non-stripe stradale, and some japanese super cars

 

Watched a story about this mess, and it mentioned James Dean losing his life in a Porsche, and now Paul Walker. The Porsche pr department will be working overtime to put the best spin of this wreck, they can.

 

Adds to the mystique... I bet they get a boost in sales from this... particularly a rise in Carrera GT values.

 

Macabre rise if true.

 

Truely sad!!

 

Rise in Carrera GT insurance rates and or limits....

 

Both.

 

No one has shows the layour of the road. Nicked this one from another site
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You look at that map and it's really not difficult to imagine that car exiting the turn at a moderately high speed which it could normally do without any issue, and probably did not even feel fast to the occupants of the CGT...but with the possibility of cold and worn tires, the reflectors in the road, it just wouldn't take much for that car to break loose.

 

Did the car spin around?

 

If you watch the video from right after the crash where they guy is saying "its going to explode, drive away"... There are some rather big chunks of car in the road including an oil cooler of some sort on the opposite side of the road from the crash. Watch as the car the dudes are in rolls up and you can see all kinds of parts in the road and as the kid jumps out of the car and runs back around it you can see the oil cooler in more detail.

I think this points to more than one impact. It will be interesting to see what the investigation shows.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pf_xo3b9ZSU]MUST SEE: PAUL WALKERS DEAD / CAR ON FIRE FILMED / rest in peace / cell phone footage - YouTube[/ame]

 

alot of cars 2005 06 are still running on orig tires,when i got my 05 430 this year still had the orig tires they were hard as a rock no grip whats so ever.very sad what happened still cant beleive it

 

Too much speculation and presumptions from grainy videos. Sigh~

The tires were fine, we spend a few minutes looking at the tires on the CGT that day. Vehicle only had 3200 miles on it, no signs of dry cracks or abuse. I have detailed photos but I rather not post anything to fan the fire. I know we all want to know why how what, but that won't bring the victims back. I have my own observations but this is not the right time.

RIP.

 

not implying that I know anything about what actually happened but running through that street on google street view he could have run over that manhole cover while accelerating out of that turn and lost grip. then its game on with skill and reaction time. I've lost 1 car that way with similar side impact to a tree. luckily not my life.

but, then again their shop was right around the corner and he's probably driven that stretch a thousand times testing cars out. so he probably would have known the best line to avoid it.

fwiw I've owned a red CGT for 2 years and drive it frequently. here's a bit of my personal opinion:
1: no way would I drive this car at any real speed or in the wet on crappy/shot tires. maybe some donuts in a parking lot just to burn the last shred out of them for kicks (and maybe a video...) on my way to get new ones but if you can afford the car, you can afford the tires.
2: seriously doubt some sort of instantaneous mechanical issue. the car is rock solid and reliable in my experience. and the flaming wreck pics look like a right side impact coming out of a right hand turn. car would have had to turn back to the left or gone all the way around. steering failure doesnt seem the most logical cause to me but we will never know.
3: traction control in this car is somewhat functional but no where near as active as say PSM in a 911 turbo or the aids in a modern Fcar. you can drive right through it if you are not paying attention. you can be spinning the tires so smoothly that its almost hard to tell except the blinking light and change in direction. this car requires a delicate right foot. it can break it loose most gears if you get on it too heavy.
4: gas tank is in the center of the car right behind the seat. designed this way so that weight distribution stays the same as fuel level decreases. thanks to previous poster for posting diagrams. internet trolls been pissing me off saying its in the front and thats why it exploded, etc, etc. the pics look like a direct side hit right where the tank and passenger would have been. tank is also much bigger than 911 series cars. dont remember exact figures but seems like I put over 20 gallons in every time I fill up.

really a tragic accident and sad that these guys didnt get to enjoy it more.

 

the car hit the pole and then the tree it was shown as wrapped around = 2 impacts

tires in question from another site seems to put the bald tire theory to rest
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3775/11197604623_0147cda633_o.jpg

Not sure why people keep harping on PS fluid as that does not mean one loses control since there is a mechanical connection between the wheel and steering rack, PS only assists and if lost only heavies up the steering not prevents it.

 

When these cars were new, I had the chance to see Pobst hot dog one of these around VIR, power sliding all over the place. The occasion was a lunch break during an Audi Club Track weekend. It was an amazing display of car control. He didn't seem to have any problems keeping it on the track.


The owner was a Mr Bauer, a retired older man from Maryland, not a professional driver, who brought the car to many track events. He tracked it hard. He loaned it to Pobst so the rest of us could see how it was really done. At a later event, Mr Bauers son had the car going into the left hand kink entering the uphill esses. He was going too fast, lifted, and spun at high speed. He went through the grass about 75 yards and hit the tire wall. The entry speed to that corner was around 100 mph. He was unhurt, and we all got to see our first glimpse of a wrecked carbon fiber car. It was sent back to Germany for repair and put back into service.

That turn at VIR is tricky, but like most tracks, there is tons of runoff and no curbs, light poles, or trees.

Coincidentally, Pobst was also one of Walkers driving coaches, and is quoted by CNN here:

Porsche Carrera GT: 5 reasons the car Paul Walker died in is different - CNN.com

 

IF those tires were the original tires from 2004 - 2006, then they would not have been fine. That's 7 to 9 years old, and max performance rubber will age harden after 4 or 5 years and dramatically lose grip. They can look just fine, but the hardened rubber is treacherous because of the greatly reduced traction. I won't drive on 5 year old tires on a Miata - no way would I consider driving on 7 year old tires on a CGT, even if no miles on them and they look brand new.

 

Truf!
Most people with Vipers DRIVE their cars and have bowling ball size nuts, most CGT owners are posers who lock their cars away to only see maybe a few miles a year going to a car show who couldnt drive their way out of a paper bag.
One crowd expects it and can handle it, the other whine and cry up a storm if the car doesnt drive itself for them

 

Bingo!!! The mileage on the tires is irrelevant but the life of the tire is very relevant.

 

Paul seemed like a really nice, genuine guy. The overwhelming reaction to his death speaks volumes about his character.

 

Vulcanization.................... Agree.... I wonder what the European TUV standards are. We have much more lax rules here on these things. See people driving on 20 year old tires all the time.... like little old ladies in 95 Buicks...

 

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