When is too much horsepower too much?

[MrTris]

That kinda happened to me when I got rear ended in Maryland. Cops don't ever show up to those and I'm calling the insurance company to find out that person was dropped months ago. The next 2 rear ends I got into in the DMV were we wait for the cops or hand over money. One actually handed me money then the car got totaled out by my ex before I could even schedule a body shop appointment. Damn DMV drivers.

 

You need to be more careful. Even in heavy metro areas, if you've got an inordinate number of not-at-fault accidents, especially rear-enders, your insurance carrier is liable to investigate you, at the very least, if not drop you entirely.

[JBear]

Three rear enders?! Sounds like you'd make a terrible motorcyclist.

 

 

 

For a minute.

[GipsySpec.B]

It baffles me the people that buy their new drivers 250hp+ vehicles. Too many kids here in Utah driving GTO's Mustang GTs and Overly large Diesel trucks as well as older high end euro vehicles. They barely understand the basic principals of driving and now they're given death machines. It's not always the case but for the most part new drivers should not be given that much power, it is too much. I know you can lose control is smaller, less HP vehicles but this thread was titled "when is too much HP" so I didn't feel like bringing that up.

[MrTris]

It baffles me the people that buy their new drivers 250hp+ vehicles. Too many kids here in Utah driving GTO's Mustang GTs and Overly large Diesel trucks as well as older high end euro vehicles. They barely understand the basic principals of driving and now they're given death machines. It's not always the case but for the most part new drivers should not be given that much power, it is too much. I know you can lose control is smaller, less HP vehicles but this thread was titled "when is too much HP" so I didn't feel like bringing that up.

 

You left LGTs out of that list - I can name a handful of members here. .

[GipsySpec.B]

That's true, those and WRX/STI, but here in Utah I haven't seen many young LGT drivers, one lives near me but he drives a 2nd gen that's clearly a hand me down.

[MrTris]

That's true, those and WRX/STI, but here in Utah I haven't seen many young LGT drivers, one lives near me but he drives a 2nd gen that's clearly a hand me down.

 

Those are fine -- Not even 200hp, and non-turbo. I say those are perfect for new drivers.

[GipsySpec.B]

I agree, I wish I looked around more and found a 2nd gen GT for my first car rather than getting the 88 Range Rover. for a just out of high school kid that was an expensive car to fix.

[boxkita]

I"m old, so when I say my first car was a Ford Pinto, it probably doesn't mean much. For the older ppl, you can be assured I was always aware of where my car was in traffic. I learned alot in that car, yet never had an accident.

 

Not until I drove my roommate.s high powered Mustang the day he bought it. My insurance paid for me to run into tail end of a 4 car chain reaction. Sometimes Karma is a real bitch!

[kzr750r1]

Oh shit moments like that, teach volumes.

Been there.... Done that... Not doing it again...

[MrTris]

I"m old, so when I say my first car was a Ford Pinto, it probably doesn't mean much. For the older ppl, you can be assured I was always aware of where my car was in traffic. I learned alot in that car, yet never had an accident.

 

Not until I drove my roommate.s high powered Mustang the day he bought it. My insurance paid for me to run into tail end of a 4 car chain reaction. Sometimes Karma is a real bitch!

 

???? You crashed your roommate's car the day he bought it?

[boxman]

???? You crashed your roommate's car the day he bought it?

 

Have you let him drive your car yet?

[700watts]

Oh shit moments like that, teach volumes.

Been there.... Done that... Not doing it again...

 

Hence why I believe the sooner you get a person behind the wheel the better.

[MrTris]

Have you let him drive your car yet?

 

I have! And he didn't break it!

 

Although, I've made it clear to everyone who drives my car: it's well-insured; if you break if mechanically, be sure it has enough power left to limp it into a deep ditch or ravine, whatever will cause a total loss.

 

I'm still eyeballing a 5th gen. .

[kzr750r1]

Hence why I believe the sooner you get a person behind the wheel the better.

Yeah but that can lead to over confidence and more trouble...

In theory I agree with you.

 

Just don't leave keys available to jr un supervised.

I had way too much access before even licensed. The Delta 88 or Chevy 4x4 short bed were joy ride heaven.

[jackal8788]

 

I'm still eyeballing a 5th gen. .

 

Do it, do it...

[700watts]

Yeah but that can lead to over confidence and more trouble...

In theory I agree with you.

 

Just don't leave keys available to jr un supervised.

I had way too much access before even licensed. The Delta 88 or Chevy 4x4 short bed were joy ride heaven.

 

Can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs

[boxkita]

Have you let him drive your car yet?

I think he was hoping I'd stuff it, and he could legitimately look for a 5th gen.

[BigTDogg MA]

I don't think the tires have anything to do with this accident, the driver was showing off to his 2 passengers and was driving too fast for conditions. Drive like an asshat, crash like an asshat.

 

While the driver's behavior was wankeresque, the tires were absolutely a factor.

[DeltaNu1142]

While the driver's behavior was wankeresque, the tires were absolutely a factor.

As were the horsepower, the passengers, probably the crest in the road, the temperature... at some point, you have to stop picking out factors and identify the cause.

 

With those tires and better driving, that corner was entirely negotiable. If the driver just couldn't have made the corner with those tires, then it was the fault of the tires. But I think we all know the answer to that one.

 

Funny, if you look at those skid marks... I'll bet the rear end got light pretty fast in the right-hander coming over that little crest. And if the driver hadn't corrected the oversteer, it looks like he would have bounced through a little fence and into a field. Instead, he overcorrected into a tree.

 

Bullseye.

[BigTDogg MA]

With those tires and better driving, that corner was entirely negotiable.

 

Yes, at temperatures above 45°F

 

In freezing or near freezing temperatures, summer tires have as much traction as metal on metal.

[DeltaNu1142]

I feel comfortable in saying that:

 

1) In the hour (give or take) that passed between the guy driving it off the lot and the car humping the tree, the driver had enough time to figure out how much grip he had, and

2) The insurance company will--rightly so, in this case--attribute fault to the driver for shitty driving and not to the dealership for negligence by selling the car with the wrong tires.

[BigTDogg MA]

I feel comfortable in saying that:

 

1) In the hour (give or take) that passed between the guy driving it off the lot and the car humping the tree, the driver had enough time to figure out how much grip he had, and

2) The insurance company will--rightly so, in this case--attribute fault to the driver for shitty driving and not to the dealership for negligence by selling the car with the wrong tires.

 

I never said it was the dealer's fault. Although, I still don't get how companies can sell cars in winter climates with summer tires. Do the new WRX and STI sold in Alaska come with all-seasons or summer tires?

[MrTris]

I never said it was the dealer's fault. Although, I still don't get how companies can sell cars in winter climates with summer tires. Do the new WRX and STI sold in Alaska come with all-seasons or summer tires?

 

Pretty much all new STis come with RE070, which are summer compound tires.

[BigTDogg MA]

Pretty much all new STis come with RE070, which are summer compound tires.

 

Well that's retarded.

[DeltaNu1142]

I never said it was the dealer's fault.

And I never said you did

Although, I still don't get how companies can sell cars in winter climates with summer tires. Do the new WRX and STI sold in Alaska come with all-seasons or summer tires?

Pretty much all new STis come with RE070, which are summer compound tires.

I bought my '04 STi new in New Hampshire sometime in the fall with Bridgestones, RE070 or whatever it was at the time. Questionable grip even as a summer tire. Before I took it off the lot, I had winter wheels with Vredestein winters mounted & sent to the dealer for installation. I knew better than to drive all over New England on summer rubber with snow on the way. Maybe the driver of this Hellcat knew better and maybe he didn't, but it's not the dealer's responsibility to educate people on how to drive. "Hey... I don't know whether the salesman that earned $5k on this sale told you sixty times that this car has over 700 horsepower, so here it is again... it's got a shit-ton of power. In case you thought you were buying a Dodge Caravan, I thought I should mention that you shouldn't goose it around corners, especially in this weather. No matter what that douchebag friend of yours is yelling from the backseat. Yeah, I see him over there. He just took his hand out of his pants & smelled his finger. Whatever he says, do the opposite."

Well that's retarded.

Well... yeah. But that's what you're buying. That's how it's spec'd on purchase. It takes personal responsibility to familiarize yourself with what you're operating. You can buy a snowmobile in July, too, but somewhere in the manual it'll probably tell you it's a bad idea to operate it above 50 degrees F.