A&Q about Lotus
Q:
Originally Posted by nas213
These pics aren't how I wanted to start my morning.
Sorry
BTW, the driver walked away
A:
Okay, I guess it's time I fess up. This is or "was" my car. I wrecked it on track at Watkins Glen on July 5, while attending a Trackmasters driving school. Neither the instructor or I were seriously injured. We both suffered bumps and bruises. I didn't post pictures initially for several reasons (sadness, embarassment, disappointment etc). The main reason for the the delay however was that I didn't want to do anything to jeopardize my insurace claim. I am over the trauma now (3 months later) but I still haven't replaced the car. Maybe in the Spring. Anyway, I figured it was about time I shared with you all. The car is toast but I am thankfull that neither of us were seriously hurt.
A:
Glad you guys are okay. S**t Happens! You're no the first nor will be the last to total a car at the track. You just have enough Balls to admit it.
So did you lift on a turn? Toe link failure? What Happened?
Also, I think the Mods should remove the picture with the Vin Number on it!
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pilot....be careful when posting carfax reports. Carfax will suspend your account for posting a report on a public forum.
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That car hasn't been in an accident, it just looks like it's been parked in Salford overnight.
For those who don't understand, Salford is currently twinned with Basra (although there is slighlt more gun crime over here than Basra).
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LSS Wheels for sale? I remember one person has 3 good wheels. Maybe one of those wheels still good! He could have a complete set! LoL.
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Even if your claim has already been paid out, should you be posting it publically that you were at the track? Unless you told your insurance company you were.
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Originally Posted by Rachel
Even if your claim has already been paid out, should you be posting it publically that you were at the track? Unless you told your insurance company you were.
I'm not hiding anything from the insurance company. They are well aware of what happened and where.
A:
Originally Posted by scottyb
Glad you guys are okay. S**t Happens! You're no the first nor will be the last to total a car at the track. You just have enough Balls to admit it.
So did you lift on a turn? Toe link failure? What Happened?
It's a long story but yes I did lift in a turn causing a spin. I take full responsibility for that. There were some extenuating circumstanses though. My female instructor (not that it should make any difference) felt that I should concentrate on the flag stations around the track and initially just wanted me to point them out to her. I had no problem with that. Then she decided during the fourth and final session that that wasn't good enough. Now she wanted me to actually describe to her the body posture of each flag person as I went by. I wasn't too comfortable with that but did it anyway, as instructed. While making a left turn I was looking across the track to the right at the flag person. When I looked back to where I should have been looking in the first place I realized I was going slightly off track. This is where I F'd up and panicked and lifted on the throttle. The car came around so quickly I had no time to react. Be careful out there when this car bites it bites hard.
A:
Originally Posted by cpforyou
LSS Wheels for sale? I remember one person has 3 good wheels. Maybe one of those wheels still good! He could have a complete set! LoL.
Some A'hole stole the wheels off the car as it sat at the track for two weeks while they were figuring out what to do with it. Hmmmmm. I know it had at least 2, probobly 3 good wheels. I wonder.
A:
Originally Posted by jermat
Some A'hole stole the wheels off the car as it sat at the track for two weeks while they were figuring out what to do with it. Hmmmmm. I know it had at least 2, probobly 3 good wheels. I wonder.
I remember some one posting here about selling 3 LSS wheels after that date.
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Originally Posted by zen garage
pilot....be careful when posting carfax reports. Carfax will suspend your account for posting a report on a public forum.
Thanks for the heads-up on that. I didn't have an account set-up with them, I just pulled down what was publically available. Basically, all that info came from the net for free. But, I will keep that in mind if I activate an account.
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So, just how does an insurance company deal with such issues. This question is open to all with experience in such matters.
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Originally Posted by pilot
So, just how does an insurance company deal with such issues. This question is open to all with experience in such matters.
They say you are covered...and then when you make a claim they look to wiggle out of paying.
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As jermat says "time to fess up".. The Saffron Yellow Elise in the above thead was mine. Athough at my hands it was probably the most "pure" accident I have ever had. I was not racing, driving hard, or doing unreasonable things. I had just detailed the car, checked all tires for presasure and 'tread' (048s). Technically the tread bars were legal but the compound was getting hard. I was being carefull (mostly)
I had driven about 450 non-stop miles, (save,soda and inspection). In the neighborhood of Springfeild Vermont I saw rain up north comming down fast and dark. I stopped and put up the top. It had been extreamly hot to that point and I had to put shoes on to touch the peadles. I pulled back onto RT 91 North as it began to go from light sprinkles to steady, moderate rain. I put on wipers to medium, airconditioner to recirculate on the windshield to keep it clear.
As I rounded a long slow rigthhand corner the road straightened out and began a slight incline. At this point the road was striaght and the sky had opened up. I had already slowed to 50-55 mph and had my hazzards on. I was in the travel lane and the car felt as if it was being buffeted by wind bursts. Immediately upon hitting the incline the car got "TWICHY"and the steering wheel had not repsonse. I decided to try to get the rear wheels to pavement ASAP by gently easing off the power. At this point the right rear twiched to the right and then spun to the left (approximatel 45=/- mph). Without lockable brakes I could not lock to let forward momentum carry me straight(ER) in the direction of travel. I had , 1 second and had full left correction in. This may have exaserbated the problem as when the car got some traction on the shoulder it darted in the direction of the gaurdrail. (the shoulder was quite narrow at this point). Impact was immenent. I suspect the time between the 'WALL OF WATER" and impact was 2-3 seconds max. Roadway was dead straight.
Had I turned into (right) the spin would it have spun more violently but stayed in the lanes?? A day late and a dollar short.
POST MORTUM:
First, the roadway in that are has 'channels' in the travel lanes that have been compressed into the road through years of commercial traffic. When there is an incline these channels fill with water and cause the water to run down the incline in rivulets where you would normally place your tires if you are drining properly. Water in these ruts was somewhere in the range of 3/4 to 11/4 " deep). Under these conditions this car is up on plane faster than a flying Dutchmen in a gale.
Lack of "normal brakes" keeps drives from the option of 4 wheel lock-up to gaurantee direction of travel.
Car did it's job. Car was destroyed and driver walked with minor bumps from hitting side rail and window.
CAUTION:
The car hit the gaurde rail at 40-45 mph or so in a clockwise spin. The right front suspention was removed, the crash box chrushed, windshield broken and all 4 corners damaged. The point of heaveist impact, I think, was the right front as the right front suspension was ripped off. The car hit a gaurd rail verticle support post. There was no/little damage to the horizontal component of the gaurdrail. You might want to take from this that the Elise may very well slip under some gaurd rails. Be carefull!!
GREATFUL:
No passengers, no secondary vehicles and no serious injuries.
john
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Not to change the subject, but I wanted to lighten it up. The picture of Spicoli has full frontal female nudity in it. The mod didn't catch that LOL.
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Originally Posted by 67veloce
First, the roadway in that are has 'channels' in the travel lanes that have been compressed into the road through years of commercial traffic. When there is an incline these channels fill with water and cause the water to run down the incline in rivulets where you would normally place your tires if you are drining properly.
Ugh. There's a road like that near me that's gotten so bad they finally put down concrete -- though only at the worst spots where the trucks sit while waiting at a light. Even in the dry, I can feel the road surface pulling the Elise left and right if I'm not exactly in the grooves. In a previous vehicle I was on that road one night in the rain and had a wheel bearing give out and start randomly locking up. I managed to survive the trip but it was very, very unpleasant.
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what happened to the wheels?