Focus Rollover in Bristol, CT

corey_dyck · Oct 9, 2002

Link was passed on from the www.honda-tech.com forum. http://www.honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=299458

Ouch. More pics at http://www.ctautoevents.com/Oct0602/hide/wreck.php

Totally stock car, sticky tires, bumpy pavement, and poor driver reaction sound like the main factors.

biker50610 · Oct 9, 2002

dang that suck every one ok?

my2002svt · Oct 9, 2002

Did anyone notice that the airbags did not deploy?
And are you sure those are the stock tires?

ZXmurph · Oct 9, 2002

Originally posted by corey_dyck:

sticky tires

though I now noticed in the thread they were Azenis. While insanely hyped here and elsewhere,they are NOT Rs..... I would never think they are sticky enough to contribute to this supposed lethal Foci roll-over ****tail of "stock +Rs"

Very surprised at the level of A-pillar collapse...it looks like it rolled pretty violently...

GREAT......I just noticed that thread has some murmurs of the "faulty rear geometry" and "prone to rolling"..."hoped they changed it in the SVT"

.....

I sincerely hope he/she was OK.....that sucks

[ 10-09-2002, 12:05 AM: Message edited by: ZXmurph ]

Dev · Oct 9, 2002

Ouch.. I wonder if that was anyone we know???

teamDFL · Oct 9, 2002

FYI: about 8 years ago a BMW factory driver rolled a brand new 5 series (I think) at a press introduction for the car. Any car can roll, at any time, on any tires.

autoXchick · Oct 9, 2002

Those are my pictures. That is my site. I took those pictures. I figured it wouldn't take long for your guys to see it. But I don't think my friend wants these pics to be seen yet til the insurance company settles with him.

No the air bags did not deploy.
It was driver error and this is what happens when you drive with 4 sticky tires and a stock suspension car.

Connecticut Auto Events

[ 10-09-2002, 07:32 AM: Message edited by: autoXchick ]

Egz · Oct 9, 2002

Is this the same roll over as the other thread that I hijacked?

While a tragic event, this comment was slightly funny.

"the corner worker comes over and tells me that my run was stopped because a black focus has it's license plate upside down, I'm like WTF? "

ZXmurph · Oct 9, 2002

Originally posted by autoXchick:
It was driver error and this is what happens when you drive with 4 sticky tires and a stock suspension car.

While I'll grant that the risk is higher.......alot of laps and runs have been taken on sticky tires/ stock suspension here and elsewhere without incident, so I can't agree with that as an absolute....but again, the risk may be undeniable.

Giraffe_hauler · Oct 9, 2002

Originally posted by Qbert:
Omni has run Hoosier race tires on cement, a combination that is A LOT stickier and never had an issue.

He also has Konis in this set up.

Qbert · Oct 9, 2002

Originally posted by Giraffe_hauler:
<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by Qbert:
Omni has run Hoosier race tires on cement, a combination that is A LOT stickier and never had an issue.

He also has Konis in this set up.<hr /></blockquote>True...but he did run Yoko's before on stock shocks. I personally witnessed a friend spin in Omnis car on these tires, nothing came of that. Omni has even taken a rental Focus out and spun at 60+ and never had anything happen.

Guesses:

Hoosiers + Konis = .95 - .97 g's

Azenis + stock shocks = .85-.87 g's

Do remember that shocks don't really decrease the amount of body roll, just the rate of it, springs and bars do that. I don't feel Konis would have helped this person.

[ 10-09-2002, 02:35 PM: Message edited by: Qbert ]

Egz · Oct 9, 2002

So, while my springs aren't that much stiffer, I should be careful with my Azenises then?

Oh, on side note, when playing around with Yahoo! autos, comparing the Mazda Speed Protege with the SVT and others, the SVT was about the same height as the WRX and GTI. Now I wonder, a stock Focus, how the spring rates compare to them...

Qbert · Oct 9, 2002

Originally posted by Egz:

So, while my springs aren't that much stiffer, I should be careful with my Azenises then?

It can happen to any car out there, not just Foci. I think this was a freak type accident and nothing more. Chalk it up as driver error, just like hitting a cement barrier.

I agree with what ZXmurph said:

...Azenis. While insanely hyped here and elsewhere,they are NOT Rs..... I would never think they are sticky enough to contribute to this supposed lethal Foci roll-over ****tail of "stock +Rs"

I think you're more likely to be hit as a course worker then to roll your car.

teamDFL · Oct 9, 2002

Originally posted by Qbert:
I think you're more likely to be hit as a course worker then to roll your car.

Please don't say that...

That would be a nightmare situation for amateur motorsports.

Egz · Oct 9, 2002

Originally posted by Qbert:
I think you're more likely to be hit as a course worker then to roll your car.

LOL, I feel better now... (strange, I don't know which Graemlin to use here)

OmniFocus · Oct 9, 2002

Originally posted by teamDFL:
<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by Qbert:
I think you're more likely to be hit as a course worker then to roll your car.

Please don't say that...

That would be a nightmare situation for amateur motorsports.<hr /></blockquote>While gruesome sounding, I'd have to agree. I've seen that twice in the last few years, but I've never seen a roll... just two wheel action.

Qbert · Oct 9, 2002

Sorry about that sounding so gruesome. I think we all agree that we don't want to see that happen.

Qbert · Oct 10, 2002

Originally posted by autoXchick:
It was driver error and this is what happens when you drive with 4 sticky tires and a stock suspension car.

Hmmm, I have to say it was 90% driver error, 9% surface, and 1% car. Azenis aren't that sticky, expecially in a slide. Note the surface too, cracks in the asphault. If I had to guess the car went into a skid, an overcorrection was made. Car was completely sideways, hit a crack, tire sidewall folded over, and over went the Focus.

Omni has run Hoosier race tires on cement, a combination that is A LOT stickier and never had an issue.

dkizerian · Oct 10, 2002

I want to add someting in regards to the stock suspension... I upgraded to KW var 2's with less than 1000 miles on my 2001 ZX3, when I removed the rear shocks one felt ok, had real soft rebound and compression, but it was smooth, the other had ZERO compression damping, and sporatic rebound... I hadn't autocrossed the car yet, Hadn't hit anything, hadn't cut springs or anything... you think Ford could make shocks that would last a little more than 1000 miles!!!!

P-51 · Oct 10, 2002

I ran my car in 2000 with Toyo RA1's and stock suspension. I even spun hard once... about 40mph on a bumpy track going uphill... and didn't flip.

I think it has a lot to do with driver. In my spin, soon as I knew I lost it, I just locked up all 4 tires. I think it's when you lose it and try to get it back that you get into trouble.

It's like downhill skiing. When I was teaching my girlfriend, I told her "As soon as you feel you aren't in control, just let yourself fall down. A controlled fall will be much softer, than if you try to hang on and gain control, all the while picking up speed and THEN falling once you're doing 60+ mph."

Of course she didn't listen. She'd screw up a turn, and while trying to get back under control she's accelerate from 20 to 40mph, at which point she doesn't have the skill to turn or stop, and hangs on until aboutt 60mph at which point she falls and it's much harder.

Some deal here. If the car starts to spin, and you try to catch it, chances are you will overcorrect, snap the other way, and spin MUCH more violently.

If the back end comes out to such an extent that you can't just power out of it, don't countersteer opposite-lock, just let it go. It's not worth the risk, and there's no point trying to save the run, it wouldn't be your fastest even if you DID pull out of it.

If the back end comes out, countersteer a little, and feed gas. If it doesn't immediately pull out, hold the wheel where it is, and lock up all 4 tires with the brakes. That's the safest thing to do.

You don't want to countersteer too much, over correct, snap the other way, and go spinning off in an unknown direction. It's not safe.

Focus Rollover in Bristol, CT

corey_dyck

biker50610

my2002svt

ZXmurph

Dev

teamDFL

autoXchick

Egz

ZXmurph

Giraffe_hauler

Qbert

Egz

Qbert

teamDFL

Egz

OmniFocus

Qbert

Qbert

dkizerian

P-51

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