rtrdpenguin
04-14-2008, 06:19 PM
Pictures on page 3, I know that's why you're here.
And through a tree and about five bushes. :aigo:
Engine was running afterwards perfectly fine, the intercooler and all the piping even survived. I stepped out without a scratch, wondering if I had really just flown off of the road. :dunno:
I was going around a pretty sharp and long bend at about 40 mph at night, and this was one of those roads where there are no street lamps or anything, and it was really narrow with no curb, just forest beside it and a few neighborhoods. I was going to blockbuster to get a movie to see with some friends and actually was firm that I wouldn't be the one driving to get it since I hate that road and hate driving in the dark, especially in the Supra where SUV headlights are right at eye level! But we drew straws and I ended up going. :dunce:
So of course as I'm going around the bend (turning left) my steering wheel suddenly jerks a bit and I feel the car move off towards the right and the front right wheel slips onto the grass, which was still wet from the rain the night before. At this point I'm still somewhat in control and I kind of think I might have been able to save the car if I weren't so concerned with keeping the rear tires on the pavement and just steered left more, but I tried to just let off the throttle and straighten the car back out. It did, but the right rear wheel went onto the grass and then I just lost all control. :icon_eek:
My glasses flew off at this point but my friend in the passenger seat says he saw us go sideways on 2 wheels between a telephone pole and a brick wall (neighborhood signs around here always seem to be brick... I've seen about 4 smashed recently by cars), scraping both the fenders and somehow not knocking off my side mirrors. Then we bounce up on a log sort of thing, ram down a small tree and some bushes, and come to a stop.
We both kind of sat there for a second and debated whether or not we had crashed, decided we were both still alive, and got out of the car. My left wheel was at a 90 degree angle to the body, half shattered, and my lower control arm was bent like crazy, my balljoints for the upper arm and sway bar came off, and my steering rack was bent. So the car wasn't moving. :icon_sad: I had heard glass shattering and assumed it was my windshield, but a quick glance (after my friend retrieved my glasses) told me that wasn't it. Side windows, nope. Quarter windows, nope. Rear glass, nope. Headlights? Nah....
So then I walked down the street a bit back to where we came off the road... and found a bunch of glass from what used to be (at least) one shattered beer bottle! :eek: Pieces of my sawblade were actually stuck into pieces of glass and pieces of glass were stuck in my sawblade chunks! I couldn't believe what happened and when I told the police they took pity (I think one of them laughed a bit off to the side), asked me how much I had to drink (I don't drink at all, once again I think they thought it was a pretty funny way to fly off the road) and didn't even give me a warning. I know 40 mph was probably too fast for that road, it was one of those 25 mph turn roads, but they know everyone goes faster than that there and the stupid bottle was very likely the cause of it all.
So yeah, after about 3 weeks of having my Supra finished and registered it's gone. :icon_sad: I've spent the past few days replaying it all in my head and thinking about ways I could have maybe saved it. I just couldn't straighten it after it jerked... a more experienced driver might not have run off the road. But what's done is done. I think I'm going to go take that BMW advanced driving course in spartanburg ASAP to learn how to save cars from spins and such.
I know this thread is useless without pictures but it's raining again outside and I kind of want to go take pictures of the crash site to put up along with the car. Never have I seen a car this beastly: knocking down a tree failed to make the bumper even cave in even a bit; it only has minor scratches! And it protected my friend and I very well, we both walked out without so much as a sore neck. I was pretty lucky I didn't hit the wall or pole too. Maybe this is the Supra's way of paying me back for enduring hell to bring it back to life. :icon_lol: I guess I'll chalk this one up to experience and move on. The entire drivetrain is still 100% perfect so all I need is a new shell. And more work...
P.S.
If anyone has a shell for sale near Charlotte, NC I'd be happy to take it off your hands by the way =)
And through a tree and about five bushes. :aigo:
Engine was running afterwards perfectly fine, the intercooler and all the piping even survived. I stepped out without a scratch, wondering if I had really just flown off of the road. :dunno:
I was going around a pretty sharp and long bend at about 40 mph at night, and this was one of those roads where there are no street lamps or anything, and it was really narrow with no curb, just forest beside it and a few neighborhoods. I was going to blockbuster to get a movie to see with some friends and actually was firm that I wouldn't be the one driving to get it since I hate that road and hate driving in the dark, especially in the Supra where SUV headlights are right at eye level! But we drew straws and I ended up going. :dunce:
So of course as I'm going around the bend (turning left) my steering wheel suddenly jerks a bit and I feel the car move off towards the right and the front right wheel slips onto the grass, which was still wet from the rain the night before. At this point I'm still somewhat in control and I kind of think I might have been able to save the car if I weren't so concerned with keeping the rear tires on the pavement and just steered left more, but I tried to just let off the throttle and straighten the car back out. It did, but the right rear wheel went onto the grass and then I just lost all control. :icon_eek:
My glasses flew off at this point but my friend in the passenger seat says he saw us go sideways on 2 wheels between a telephone pole and a brick wall (neighborhood signs around here always seem to be brick... I've seen about 4 smashed recently by cars), scraping both the fenders and somehow not knocking off my side mirrors. Then we bounce up on a log sort of thing, ram down a small tree and some bushes, and come to a stop.
We both kind of sat there for a second and debated whether or not we had crashed, decided we were both still alive, and got out of the car. My left wheel was at a 90 degree angle to the body, half shattered, and my lower control arm was bent like crazy, my balljoints for the upper arm and sway bar came off, and my steering rack was bent. So the car wasn't moving. :icon_sad: I had heard glass shattering and assumed it was my windshield, but a quick glance (after my friend retrieved my glasses) told me that wasn't it. Side windows, nope. Quarter windows, nope. Rear glass, nope. Headlights? Nah....
So then I walked down the street a bit back to where we came off the road... and found a bunch of glass from what used to be (at least) one shattered beer bottle! :eek: Pieces of my sawblade were actually stuck into pieces of glass and pieces of glass were stuck in my sawblade chunks! I couldn't believe what happened and when I told the police they took pity (I think one of them laughed a bit off to the side), asked me how much I had to drink (I don't drink at all, once again I think they thought it was a pretty funny way to fly off the road) and didn't even give me a warning. I know 40 mph was probably too fast for that road, it was one of those 25 mph turn roads, but they know everyone goes faster than that there and the stupid bottle was very likely the cause of it all.
So yeah, after about 3 weeks of having my Supra finished and registered it's gone. :icon_sad: I've spent the past few days replaying it all in my head and thinking about ways I could have maybe saved it. I just couldn't straighten it after it jerked... a more experienced driver might not have run off the road. But what's done is done. I think I'm going to go take that BMW advanced driving course in spartanburg ASAP to learn how to save cars from spins and such.
I know this thread is useless without pictures but it's raining again outside and I kind of want to go take pictures of the crash site to put up along with the car. Never have I seen a car this beastly: knocking down a tree failed to make the bumper even cave in even a bit; it only has minor scratches! And it protected my friend and I very well, we both walked out without so much as a sore neck. I was pretty lucky I didn't hit the wall or pole too. Maybe this is the Supra's way of paying me back for enduring hell to bring it back to life. :icon_lol: I guess I'll chalk this one up to experience and move on. The entire drivetrain is still 100% perfect so all I need is a new shell. And more work...
P.S.
If anyone has a shell for sale near Charlotte, NC I'd be happy to take it off your hands by the way =)