Strange

[www.foxnews.com]

90 mph on a 45 mph road, no mechanical failures.

Interestingly, the tires on the car must have been the originals--9 years old.

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MikenOH
[www.foxnews.com]

90 mph on a 45 mph road, no mechanical failures.

Interestingly, the tires on the car must have been the originals--9 years old.

Interesting also that people spend that much on an expensive, fast car and then don't spend a few dollars on maintenance like new tires. Also sounds like a brake rotor was worn below spec.

My thoughts exactly. Irrespective of wear, the tread on a 9 year old tire is simply not going to have the grip of a newer tire.

Not only less grip, nine-year-old tires can give up the ghost without warning. Bad news on a hairy car like the Carrera GT.

I read the details in this article--more to be released in the next week or so--and couldn't help but think about what a driving instructor told our class--decades ago--about how the driver of a car with passengers has a special responsibility to those passengers to ensure their safety and not to risk their lives by any thoughtless actions.
That speech was supposed to spur responsible driving when a teenage driver gets behind the wheel with a bunch of his/her friends in the car.
I can't say if his words may have deterred the class from doing stupid things while driving, but I have to say if Paul Walker's driver/friend had considered the possible consequences of his risky behavior on the life of his friend, Paul might be with us today.

... that traction varies by many variables - surface material, dampness, debris, temperature, etc. Any driver pushing beyond 50% is (should be?) constantly feeling for the signs of loss of adhesion, and adjusting accordingly. Noise, changing slip angle, small slides,, etc. We NEVER can assume we have the same traction now as we did "then". Its always different, and often by a LOT.

Just as i always test my adhesion ( via brakes) on snow/ice/mixed surfaces to get a feel of what i have - since on snow or ice my adhesion may not be down 20% like it might be on old tires, but 80%.

So while i see that old tires could reduce grip, i still don't see how an expert driver would be caught unaware - unless he was just plain ignoring signs and assuming he had tones of grip. And didnt.

Maybe that's why i'm less aggressive than many others out there....

Grant

Grant

gee-lenahan-at-gee-mail-dot-com

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grant
... that traction varies by many variables - surface material, dampness, debris, temperature, etc. Any driver pushing beyond 50% is (should be?) constantly feeling for the signs of loss of adhesion, and adjusting accordingly. Noise, changing slip angle, small slides,, etc. We NEVER can assume we have the same traction now as we did "then". Its always different, and often by a LOT.

Just as i always test my adhesion ( via brakes) on snow/ice/mixed surfaces to get a feel of what i have - since on snow or ice my adhesion may not be down 20% like it might be on old tires, but 80%.

So while i see that old tires could reduce grip, i still don't see how an expert driver would be caught unaware - unless he was just plain ignoring signs and assuming he had tones of grip. And didnt.

Maybe that's why i'm less aggressive than many others out there....

Grant

All you need is for one of those 9 year old tires to come apart at those speeds.

Went by a car sitting at the side of the interstate the other day, Front tire was shredded and it damaged the fender and knocked the front bumper cover off. If that happened at 90 mph in a corner, it wouldn't be pretty.

Grant

gee-lenahan-at-gee-mail-dot-com

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Guenter in Ontario

All you need is for one of those 9 year old tires to come apart at those speeds.

The manufactured date code of your tire is stamped on each tire. It is important to check for this when you buy a car used.
It is a 4 digit code like "0810" which is 8th week of 2010.

Mike

MIKELLIG

The car was mangled and burnt.

But they can say definitively that no mechanical or electrical issue contributed? That seems like an overstatement.

I suspect they will ultimately say no evidence of mechanical or electrical issue.

Bottom line - 90 mph in a 45. Pro speeds amatuer driver.

Adds up to a very bad day.