trev

Pine Needles+experienced driver+traction control=Disaster

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best pics i got right now are...

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yeah so I hit the left hand turn at about 35mph, +/- 5 mph
this next part all happens in about 5 seconds start to finish...
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i don't know how, but i hit a patch of pine needles bthick enough in one spot and the back gets loose towards the outside of the road.
so I turn into it to correct the turn like I'M supposed to. car straightens out and continue driving
AND THEN orange light starts blinking super crazy the brakes LOCK UP because of the pine needles
the back end swings out the OTHER way towards the inside of the lane
the passenger side nose of the car just goes thru three trees at about a 6 inch diameter.
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the messed up part is, i could have gotten out of that situation if I didn't have traction control.
i'm really angry about this actually.
because i really liked the traction control.
i though it was good, not the best. but really good. and then that had to go and happen.

it was like as soon as the orange light turned on i felt like i was on ice and the car sped up!
and since the tires locked on the pine needles I had NO control

funny too because when the cops came and the convo goes something like this
cop "so how fast were you going"
me: "honestly no more than 10 miles an hour over the limit. probably not even that fast."
cop: "that'a srt8?"
me: "yeah"
cop: "and you weren't going fast?"
me: "yeah its fg b-st."
cop pulls out the meter to measure the tire skids
"we'll see about that"
cop comes back 5 minutes later talks to the other cop...
"there's no tire marks, sooo..."

and that's pretty much it.

epegasus

GLAD YOU ARE OK!! Sorry about the car, man, but you know it can be replaced.
Not to kick you while you're down, but it is stories like your's that made me give up on automatic trannies years ago.

In those situations I simply clutch, coast/brake and steer out of it. When I do drive cars with autos I coast over slick spots if I see them coming. Good luck with your car.

Paladin06

Automatic cars have a neutral gear that works just fine, I"ve used it in an icy situation when I didn't know better then to live where it's cold enough to ice up. Sorry about your car partner but most important you're ok. The car can be fixed or replaced. Now your broken heart is another story.

lear4406

Man that makes me sick to my stomach. So sorry about the bad luck. I'm just glad no one was hurt.

rtfromnc

trev I am sorry to read what happened but I thank god you are OK!

trev

thanks everyone who was worried about my safety.
just went and looked at the car. the engine and trani look salvageable.

maybe i might put them into an old chally?

epegasus

Well, now that you have mentioned it...

If they total it, let me know if you plan to buy the salvage. I'd be interested in the drive line for my RAM 1500. Where you located?

trev

Monterey, CA

epegasus

Oooohhf, I'll have to check with a friend and see if he's got some freight coming out of Cali over the next few months. Keep me posted.

trev

fo sho