[Leechiro]

i crashed my car about 4 months back taking a turn (reg turn in the hway, nothing like 90deg) going about 110. yah, stupid. anyways, i remember that feeling of OMG, as i turned and thought if my car was going to hold it. then i felt my car begin to lose traction and i spun and hit the hway wall. anyways, now whenever i make spirited turns on hway on/off ramps or similar bends in hways, i get sooo scared. i guess i dont trust my car or myself anymore. i have never taken a driving school/autocross type of class so i was wondering if that would help me get over my anxiety.

has anyone been in the same situation? id like to know the limits of my car before doing any more kinds of turning like that. certainly dont plan on hitting 115 on a turn anymore, but still. does the auto-x classes help in that way at all?

i just want to get rid of that fear at every turn. even when im in the passenger seat and someone takes a turn, i start to freak out in my mind.

 

[boostme]

Go to the Auto-x first to try to confront your fears, and then go to the track to give you more confrontations with your fear. Then with time, it will go away.

=) Keep it safe.

 

[krekquel]

it is expected that your confidence in your car and your abilities will be severely shaken after an incident like that. autocrossing is a great and safe way to learn the limits of your car... and learn the ability to read the behavior of the car at the limit.

 

[MueveloNYC]

yeah, auto-X is all about learning the full capabilities of your car and figuring out where the limits are. The more you do it, the more you will recognize those break points and regain confidence in the car and the feel of it.

 

[Randeezle]

get rid of those Azenis in all that rain.

also, a sway bar will really ease tension going around corners. You'll like the way it holds you and there is a neutral feeling entering a corner quicker.

the anxiety part is normal.

 

[lando]

A sway bar will not help taking ramps at 115 mph. The solution to that problem is obey the law. Furthermore, the car spun; adding stiffness to the rear adds rotation, so I don't necessarily agree that's a good idea. If we all learned how to drive before we bought parts we'd be in a much better world.

Autocross is a cheap and safe way to learn about driving and cars in general, and it's also a safe and legal way to get the adrenaline monkey off your back. Hopefully if you engage in something like it you'll be less inclined to go nuts on the street out of respect for the vehicle. Your goal should be to never do that again, not to "know the limits of my car before doing any more kinds of turning like that." My first autox, I plowed through a corner at 35mph and almost hit a parking lot pole. I immediately realized I had no business doing 90+ on public roads. I wish the same experience for you -- these cars are a lot of fun, but there's a time and a place to actually push them.

I'm sorry to sound like a parent (I'm a nice guy! really!), but I just feel it needs to be said. Please don't engage in real, legal performance driving just so you can be emboldened to do something illegal again. That just puts the rest of us in a bad place. Kind of like klepto skaters who bomb the walls of your favorite skate spots.

 

[Randeezle]

A sway bar will not help taking ramps at 115 mph. The solution to that problem is obey the law. Furthermore, the car spun; adding stiffness to the rear adds rotation, so I don't necessarily agree that's a good idea. If we all learned how to drive before we bought parts we'd be in a much better world.

Autocross is a cheap and safe way to learn about driving and cars in general, and it's also a safe and legal way to get the adrenaline monkey off your back. Hopefully if you engage in something like it you'll be less inclined to go nuts on the street out of respect for the vehicle. Your goal should be to never do that again, not to "know the limits of my car before doing any more kinds of turning like that." My first autox, I plowed through a corner at 35mph and almost hit a parking lot pole. I immediately realized I had no business doing 90+ on public roads. I wish the same experience for you -- these cars are a lot of fun, but there's a time and a place to actually push them.

I'm sorry to sound like a parent (I'm a nice guy! really!), but I just feel it needs to be said. Please don't engage in real, legal performance driving just so you can be emboldened to do something illegal again. That just puts the rest of us in a bad place. Kind of like klepto skaters who bomb the walls of your favorite skate spots.

yeah yeah..... Falken Azenis and the city of Seattle just dont belong together.

 

[RSXDC5]

hey man the same thing happened to me, i was so scared to push my car for about a year, then i got coilovers and knew that they really changed the handling characteristics of my car and started to ease back into "pushing" my car. and here i am today, a fully recovered accident addict, lol. so in short, get coilovers and relearn your cars handling characteristics with them. i have absolutely no regrets at all about spending the money for coilovers

 

[GoodKnight]

yeah yeah..... Falken Azenis and the city of Seattle just dont belong together.

True that. I've had many of the best tires on my car, and out of all of them the azenis grip like no other in the dry. Anytime water is present, I might as well throw some banana peels on instead.

 

[yaro]

Funny, I don't remember you posting that you were doing 110 on the Seattle RSX forums .

I had the same thing happen after I spun and hit a gaurdrail - and that was AFTER I had driver training. The best things are a new set of good tires and some autocrossing under your belt. Start off slow, you'll get it back in no time.

 

[Zzyzx]

Remember, there is no part on the market today that can correct for driver error....

 

[MueveloNYC]

yeah no part will compensate for bad driving. The best thing to do is get familiar with the car and know what the car feels like at the exact moments before the wheels break from the road. By knowing how it feels, you will know when you're over doing it or approaching it.

 

[CalRSX07]

wow, dude, i totally know how you feel.

a week after i got my car i was up in the hills pushing my car a little.... i go to the top of the hill, turn around, and fly back down the hill. going downhill FAST with curves isnt a good combination, the gravity part just sucks. i was trying to show off for my friend and i came to what was almost a 90 degree turn...probly going around 45... steep downhill too.... and i slammed on my brakes and my back end slid left, slid right, then i lost control, did a 180, and stalled out in my lane-- facing the opposite direction. thought my car was toast for a few seconds there...

now, not only am i afraid to go fast, but im afraid to ride with my friend who drives FAST around corners (greenchunks).... he's RWD and likes to fishtail and correct it... but i get scared shitless because of what happened to me... i wanna know how to stop being afraid too.

 

[jdm_rsx]

wow, dude, i totally know how you feel.

a week after i got my car i was up in the hills pushing my car a little.... i go to the top of the hill, turn around, and fly back down the hill. going downhill FAST with curves isnt a good combination, the gravity part just sucks. i was trying to show off for my friend and i came to what was almost a 90 degree turn...probly going around 45... steep downhill too.... and i slammed on my brakes and my back end slid left, slid right, then i lost control, did a 180, and stalled out in my lane-- facing the opposite direction. thought my car was toast for a few seconds there...

now, not only am i afraid to go fast, but im afraid to ride with my friend who drives FAST around corners (greenchunks).... he's RWD and likes to fishtail and correct it... but i get scared shitless because of what happened to me... i wanna know how to stop being afraid too.

hey bro, thats what just happened to me on the freeway 3 days ago

i was trying to avoid a car that was moving in the same lane as me, i slammed on my breaks too hard, and turned the wheel a little to left, lost control the car did a 180 and hit the highway wall so hard that my windshield got damage, 2 air bags came out, front bumper is entirely crushed towards the engine, headlights are gone, radiator, fenders are gone, need a new hood, passenger door is jammed, they didn't check out the car yet but looks like i got more engine parts damaged...

btw, this happened on 1 30 pm, racing / speeding wasn't involved, no flames there!

how much damage do u think the car sustained? its no where near total'ed right?

sigh, im scared to take fast turns now...

 

[CalRSX07]

hmm 6000$ i say.

 

[jdm_rsx]

a friend told me
its almost 10g's maybe

since we gotta order all the parts to honolulu/hawaii

labor is a pain

installing air bags / sensors/ computers/ dashes/ steering wheel

its the major part?

god....

 

[yaro]

Airbags usually mean totalled. Looks like it's time for some people to get some driver training at an autox or track or something.

 

[jdm_rsx]

hey,
did u read my post about how i hit or crashed?

entirely my fault? or i just dont know how to drive period?

 

[yaro]

hey,
did u read my post about how i hit or crashed?

entirely my fault? or i just dont know how to drive period?

Obviously it's not your fault that someone swerved into your lane. It is your fault for failing to control your vehicle, barring some kind of mechanical failure. From your description I can't get a clear image of what happened to be honest with you. Was the part of freeway you were on straight or curved?

 

[jdm_rsx]

curved going up on a small hill and soon coming down to hill then flat

u can say i was also nervous...scared or whatever...