He told me he took his foot off the gas. So I really have no idea at this point..

I've taken ramps at 70. it wasn't the speed that did it, probably the downshift

If this keeps up insurance companies are going to monitor and remotely control when and where we can shut of VDC.

I still don't get why the ramp turns to asphalt half way down. Anyone explain this o.o? The road we spun out on definitely wasn't that darker gritty one i'm used to.

Yeah, a sudden downshift mixed with loose dirt/pebbles can defintely kick that rear out in no time.

VDC this. VDC that. BS! How about driver error to the fullest. I get tired of the VDC crap. Either you know how to handle a car or you don't.

Glad he's ok.

I agree, the streets are not a track. There are an infinite # of bumps, dips, holes etc that will all throw you out of control.

conor- i would have the mods delete this thread. i dont think your dad needs all this.

:iagree: The same thing happened to me - I had just turned right onto a freeway onramp, had VDC off, and accelerated. The rear wheels started to spin and the rear end began to break loose from the pavement (I attributed it to the fact I had just left a car wash and the wheels were probably still wet). I just let off the gas a little, turned the steering wheel slightly to the left, and the car grabbed and straightened out and shot straight up the onramp. It was actually a very fun experience! But if I hadn't felt the rear end break loose, or hadn't made the corrections that I did, I would have been into a brick wall that ran up the side of the onramp...

And, likewise, I'm glad everyone's OK and that the car isn't damaged very bad.

Eh, hes fine :P Seems like it is more of a discussion now. I haven't read a post bashing on my dad really. Just wondering why VDC was off basically.

If anything I feel this thread is informing me and my father.

he turned it off, end of story. :icon17:

Thought process of your dad:

"Hmm... VDC... Traction Control!? Traction control is for people who don't know how to drive. F THIS. *Hits VDC*

*10 seconds later*

"...damn son. I'm not sure what happened."

:rofl2:

No offense... just picking on your old man =)

Your Dad needs to be grounded for at least a month.

Pretty much. I don't know anything about his driving experience except he was a pretty crazy in his younger years... He told me that anything like that hasn't happened to him before.

No worries tho! We are already joking about it :tup:

Your or his next insurance premimun will be a bit higher. Any wreck you can walk away from unhurt is a blessing. I'm your dads age, lost many friends driving old mustang, camaros, nova, chevelles back in the day before computers and VDC. Leave it on. I do and I used to slide my 66 mustang around many a turn on country roads. Or if it's off, go to a parking lot to learn the car dynamics without it before hitting the road.

Dad needs private drifting lessons from Dominic Torretto.:driving:

Tell your dad not to feel bad, this happened to me leaving my driveway (I live in the country on a farm). I always had the VDC off in the past, it shuts the car down if you get any wheel spin (which used to annoy me). I hit the gas coming out from a roll, shifted into 2nd (the engine reached boost), hit some gravel, and the rear end came around ridiculously fast. I counter-steered and corrected, but let off the gas at the same time and the rear end swung out the other direction. By then, I hit the edge of the grass on the side of the narrow country road... grass is slick, no grab for the 2nd counter-steer. Slid sideways through the fence and ditch into my cow pasture :(

The ground effects on a Nismo are more expensive than you'd expect!

It's all better now, but I was on time-out for a month while the Z sat at the body-shop. I'm happy you guys are ok and the car isn't worse off. Blame driver error, VDC, conditions, religion or what-ever you want, it really doesn't matter... even when you think you know the car and what to expect, it can still surprise you. There is probably only two kinds of sports-car drivers: The kind that have crashed and the kind that are going to crash. The key is to learn from the experience and those of others.

How the heck do you afford a 370z/insurance/gas at 18?! I'm having a hell of a time working out a Z into my finances, and I make a hell of a lot more than I did when I was 18.

So is it possible to get him to buy both of you a track day?

How come anytime there is an accident, it's always the VDC or the other person's fault? Could it just be driver's error for once?

Most 18 year olds don't have a lot of bills, so if he has been working a job consistently since 15 or so and saving all his money it is well within the realm of possibility. A part time job at minimum wage would still net someone around $20k which can just about pay for an '09 model these days.

People typically run out of capability/talent far before a sports car like a Z does that why there is VCD.:tiphat:

Next time have dad take the car to an autocross or drift session. Much cheaper than sprining car and hitting hard stuff .

sorry to see this happen

i will disagree with the others about keeping the VDC on. this car really isn't that powerful and vdc kills the fun. it's a sports car, drive it like it's meant to be. vdc stays off unless it's snowing/raining hard for me

I've had mid-engine cars bite me before, fortunately I've always regained control in time - I think any sports car can surprise you when there is a sudden loss of traction. Experience driving in slippery conditions can help :D

I would make sure to have under the bumper cover checked in case any crush items are there that need replacing.

Stories like this make me worry about turning VDC off when I go to the track since I am a newbie. Does it make that much of a difference?

note to you: that sucks!
note to me: keep the VDC on!
note to your Dad: Awesome!

:driving:

It all depends on how you drive. You drive poorly, VDC will kick on a lot. You drive perfect, it will still kick on way too much. If you feel comfortable without it, then you can skip it. Only you can determine if you need it or not. Please don't say how great the VDC is because you will be faster with the VDC off.

I haven't driven without it yet so I can't really say and these stories make me worried about trying it out since it is my DD and I am usually driving with a lot of other cars on the road. Wonder if the track would be a good time to give it a shot. I'm a noob and do not have any delusions about my skills so I've kept it on so far.

Facepalm at me

His post doesn't say a year anywhere actually

^ Good point, I didn't notice that. Faceplam at myself

Once you get accustomed to a car, you'll know the limits. If you're on the track, you have to decide if you want to run at 90% of the limit or 100% of it. If I'm out practicing in my kart, I'll run at 95% of the limit. In a race, it's 100%.

The interesting thing you learn (and anyone who has spent much time on a track knows it) is that you'll eventually know when to correct before you lose it. You get a sense of when it's going to slide, how it's going to slide and if you need to correct it before it does (sliding is not a bad thing - it's actually faster). It's hard to explain, but when you're driving at the limit you just know what's going to happen before it happens and you fix it so it doesn't happen (usually by a minute amount of steering input). But it takes time to learn.

Here's a good example. I'd say that I'm 'loose' in this photo, but chances are I just went into the corner too hot and the back end started to come around. I'm counter steering to correct it (and that's a TON of counter steer). I actually went past the limit, but was able to bring it back without spinning. When I had to correct it, it did slow me down and I wasn't able to use the whole width of the track, but it's better than spinning or driving it off. That's about a 70mph left-hander I'm in.
http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/a.../lastturn2.jpg

The Z is a fairly predictable car when it comes to driving. It usually doesn't do anything stupid unless you stab the gas or jerk the wheel. If you have any sense of driving the car and know you have to drive home after, you should be able to adopt accordingly. While I personally I can't stand the VDC, there have been people I instructed where I had to make sure it is staying on because they just didn't have the sense of driving fast. You make the decision based on how comfortable you are.

Btw, don't blame the Z or the VDC when you have $hitty tires and crappy suspension setup. Your only contact with the road are the 4 pieces of rubber

just curious, outta everyone here giving driving advice, how many of you have actually driven your Z to and past its limits in a controlled, legal environment on a road course or auto-X? (Just trying to separate the good advice from the BS :D )

Btw ScottIN, nice kart

On second thought I am sure he feels just as bad maybe even worse than you do..:(.
I am a dad and I know how I would feel if I did that...on the other hand if my son did it to my car I would wring his neck!!:)

If you crashed dads car I'd expect you'd be on the hook at least for deductible. Dad certainly owes you something. Why not use his own insurance?

Best of luck and I'm sure all will be set straight.

^this guy is honest :icon18:

Don't get insurance involved, pay out of pocket...

Just get the car fixed, and know that you have something to give your dad crap about for the rest of your life. No injuries or other parties involved, just a really embarrassing fender bender and some cash out of pocket.

I've only been to the track once, but that's a contorlled legal environment. I spun out a few times going onto turns too hot so I can say I have experience with the car past its limit I guess, but maybe not just at it, haha. I'm not giving any advice though. Plan to hit the track again on the 25th.