Pulled over for power slide (not on purpose)
03-21-2011, 07:12 AM
#31
As 3 previous people who've driven the area mentioned, the road will probably catch you off guard. Yes the car was going faster than it would to be safe, however I bet most folks don't realize the slip on that particular road.
The same U-turn can probably be done on many other roads during the same wet conditions without fish tailing. I highly doubt all 3 drivers decided to speed faster than normal just for being on El Camino.
The same U-turn can probably be done on many other roads during the same wet conditions without fish tailing. I highly doubt all 3 drivers decided to speed faster than normal just for being on El Camino.
Ed is NOT wrong, and I'll tell you why. There's something that dictates the way things work, and that's called "Physics". If you take into consideration all the mechanical things, road conditions (driver said nothing about gravel and the cop would know if he did it on purpose, even on accident due to driver error because he saw it happen).
I know the road was slick, but I've had 3 Imprezas, 1 of them being an automatic and I have never "accidentally" done a powerslide with all the 350k miles I have driven in those 3 cars. I drive like a maniac too... Sometimes I TRY to get my car to "powerslide" and I can't, even in the rain with bald tires and 2x the HP the OP has on a manual transmission with all the power set to rear on the DCCD.
Unless there was oil or something insanely slick where you couldn't even walk on it because it's so slick then it was driver error and that's why the cop stopped him. It wasn't black ice, this can't happen just because there is some slick surface (he said stock tires but I assume they weren't bald otherwise he would have mentioned it).
There are more points I could make but I'm tired of typing. lol (for the first time ever! only because Im on an iphone that doesnt belong to me)
BTW: He didn't have to be "on boost", the car has enough torque to do it at lower RPM's if given the right amount of throttle (too much). It's just really hard to believe that someone "accidentally powerslid" with the rear end coming out on an auto wrx without at least some effort.
Speed dictates how your car acts in a turn, if you go to fast you lose traction and the basic fact of the matter is that is was the OP's fault because he obviously was driving too fast for the condition because he lost traction... Even if he didn't try to do it on purpose doesn't mean he's not the one who did it and made it happen. That's just from a logical standpoint with no other facts involved. (All I know is what I read).
I know the road was slick, but I've had 3 Imprezas, 1 of them being an automatic and I have never "accidentally" done a powerslide with all the 350k miles I have driven in those 3 cars. I drive like a maniac too... Sometimes I TRY to get my car to "powerslide" and I can't, even in the rain with bald tires and 2x the HP the OP has on a manual transmission with all the power set to rear on the DCCD.
Unless there was oil or something insanely slick where you couldn't even walk on it because it's so slick then it was driver error and that's why the cop stopped him. It wasn't black ice, this can't happen just because there is some slick surface (he said stock tires but I assume they weren't bald otherwise he would have mentioned it).
There are more points I could make but I'm tired of typing. lol (for the first time ever! only because Im on an iphone that doesnt belong to me)
BTW: He didn't have to be "on boost", the car has enough torque to do it at lower RPM's if given the right amount of throttle (too much). It's just really hard to believe that someone "accidentally powerslid" with the rear end coming out on an auto wrx without at least some effort.
Speed dictates how your car acts in a turn, if you go to fast you lose traction and the basic fact of the matter is that is was the OP's fault because he obviously was driving too fast for the condition because he lost traction... Even if he didn't try to do it on purpose doesn't mean he's not the one who did it and made it happen. That's just from a logical standpoint with no other facts involved. (All I know is what I read).
03-21-2011, 09:01 AM
#32
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Just cuz someone says it happened to them doesn't mean it was the same situation... Similar maybe, but no one "POWERSLIDES" on accident unless you fail at driving so badly that you power slide the friggin car when not trying to. Understeering/sliding is one thing, but "Power sliding" is a completely different thing.
That's like saying I accidentally nailed a e-brake turn to where I whipped my car around a super sharp hairpin perfectly, all unintentional and by sheer accident. Yeah right... You can't power slide unless you're trying to.
Im not saying the OP did anything wrong, just saying that he didn't "power slide". Just the word "Power slide" insinuates that there was power involved in the slide!
That's like saying I accidentally nailed a e-brake turn to where I whipped my car around a super sharp hairpin perfectly, all unintentional and by sheer accident. Yeah right... You can't power slide unless you're trying to.
Im not saying the OP did anything wrong, just saying that he didn't "power slide". Just the word "Power slide" insinuates that there was power involved in the slide!
03-21-2011, 09:18 AM
#33
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I agree a little with BruceLee and Ed. I have tried to get my Sti to slide on a few occasions and could'nt. I don't think he was trying to do it on purpose but he was probably going a little too fast for the conditions in that situation. Also who knows maybe some oil was on the road or his tires were lacking. The only time I have every experienced this was when I got a little too crazy with the armorall..lol.
03-21-2011, 09:31 AM
#34
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I agree a little with BruceLee and Ed. I have tried to get my Sti to slide on a few occasions and could'nt. I don't think he was trying to do it on purpose but he was probably going a little too fast for the conditions in that situation. Also who knows maybe some oil was on the road or his tires were lacking. The only time I have every experienced this was when I got a little too crazy with the armorall..lol.
03-21-2011, 10:04 AM
#35
I've gotten my auto to powerslide on wet surfaces making left turns. Sometimes it was a four wheel slide, but most times it was the back leading out. It's fairly easy to do in the auto, at least it seemed like it to me. Used to do it all the time on empty roads. But I was also running a 24mm sway bar in the back to help the back end snap out.
03-21-2011, 11:49 AM
#36
It's certainly possible that that particular piece of road is very slick or happened to have some oil on it, or maybe the OP's tires were too worn to drive in those conditions. I don't know the road or his car personally. The fact is, however, you should be adjusting your driving for the conditions. If it's raining heavily and you're making a tight turn, you simply don't apply as much power coming out of the turn and you should have no issues. What likely happened is there were some other cars coming up while the OP made the U-turn, so he was trying to speed up to get into the flow of traffic. The application of power caused the rear to kick out due to the slippery conditions. I'm sure he didn't do it on purpose, but ultimately it was his action that caused the power slide. If it was an understeer situation, it's a bit different.
-- Ed
-- Ed
03-21-2011, 02:04 PM
#37
I'm guessing the OP anticipated the light turning yellow, so he sped up goin straight up to the light and hit the brakes just before starting his u-turn.
Because of that, there was:
Too much speed entering the turn
+ late hard braking before turn shifted weight to front
+ too much gas during the turn
+ lots of rubber already on the road (el camino is a busy street)
+ rain
______________
= rear will come out.
AWD can't kick in since it's always on. OP has a WRX not an STI, so that means viscous rear LSD, open front. Because of this, the car is more likely to 4WD drift sideways after traction is lost, instead of the op doing a 180 fishtail spin.
Solution?
1) Don't try to beat red lights in the rain.
2) Slow down more smoothly, especially when turning
3) Don't buy sways, coilovers, & star specs to fix this problem. Go to a rainy HPDE instead.
Because of that, there was:
Too much speed entering the turn
+ late hard braking before turn shifted weight to front
+ too much gas during the turn
+ lots of rubber already on the road (el camino is a busy street)
+ rain
______________
= rear will come out.
AWD can't kick in since it's always on. OP has a WRX not an STI, so that means viscous rear LSD, open front. Because of this, the car is more likely to 4WD drift sideways after traction is lost, instead of the op doing a 180 fishtail spin.
Solution?
1) Don't try to beat red lights in the rain.
2) Slow down more smoothly, especially when turning
3) Don't buy sways, coilovers, & star specs to fix this problem. Go to a rainy HPDE instead.
Last edited by LGT Mark; 03-21-2011 at 02:17 PM.
03-21-2011, 02:06 PM
#38
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Well you proved my point. I mean you probably could have avoided having to use your brakes at all if you were traveling at the proper speed with proper following distance 
Can any of you kiddies tell me what a safe following distance is if you are traveling 70 mph? Speeding and Tailgating are major causes of accidents, but people think that they have hella quick reactions and their super cars can make up for the lack of time to react.
FYI I am glad you take 2 days a year of RISK MANAGEMENT. Everyone should have such a class. It is unfortunately that people need to be taught how to be aware, but that is the world we live in.
Not trying to start a pissing contest, but my job consist of constant risk management as well as emergency vehicle driving.
You are right. I do live in my own world, and it is one where I have zero accidents on my driving record. The only way that will change is if I am caught unaware. You are also helping make my point: You always have to account for your fellow idiots on the road. The difference between an accident and a narrow miss is in HOW you account for them.
I am done with this thread. Everyone drive safe and SLOW DOWN. It is pissing rain today.
Can any of you kiddies tell me what a safe following distance is if you are traveling 70 mph? Speeding and Tailgating are major causes of accidents, but people think that they have hella quick reactions and their super cars can make up for the lack of time to react.
FYI I am glad you take 2 days a year of RISK MANAGEMENT. Everyone should have such a class. It is unfortunately that people need to be taught how to be aware, but that is the world we live in.
Not trying to start a pissing contest, but my job consist of constant risk management as well as emergency vehicle driving.
You are right. I do live in my own world, and it is one where I have zero accidents on my driving record. The only way that will change is if I am caught unaware. You are also helping make my point: You always have to account for your fellow idiots on the road. The difference between an accident and a narrow miss is in HOW you account for them.
I am done with this thread. Everyone drive safe and SLOW DOWN. It is pissing rain today.
I do appreciate how you're encouraging everyone to slow down and to be more aware of their surroundings when they drive, but you really shouldn't ascribe your good luck to sheer ability, because many things in this world are outside of your control. Or perhaps it's more than just good luck; it could be because you live in rural Humoboldt County instead of a major metropolitan area -- population density and corresponding factors play a major impact in the statistical likelihood of accidents.
I'm also proud to say that my record is free of any accidents where I was at fault, but boy have I been knocked around by other motorists.
Last edited by Choku Dori; 03-21-2011 at 02:09 PM.
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