Yea, F=ma is a bitch of an equation too…
All cars are AWD in braking mode. At least for wheels that have traction.
Maybe JJ Abrams wrote the script.
In the description of the video, the owner states it’s a 2004 Forester XT.
Here’s the stock scoop
Here’s the hot-rod in question
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We sure do grow a lot of pedants here. You could also say that all cars are perfectly 100% 4WD when they are stopped, too, couldn’t you?
And to be clear, they are not AWD when braking. All Wheel Drive. Drive means power to the wheel, not stopping ability. So no, you’re wrong.
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I think we can all agree that sticking an (almost certainly decorative) hoodscoop on a Forester is creating unwarranted expectations. Perfectly good vehicles. But hot rods they never will be.
Which is not to rag on the videographer. Better an incongruously modded vehicle than no personal touches at all. But I still reserve the right to find it mildly amusing.
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Exceeded max cornering, causing oversteer. Once the backend breaks free, the car just kind of… goes.
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Wouldn’t a shark have to be involved though?
In a ‘Fuuuuck, why is my car backwards and heading for a wall?’ way, I don’t doubt it. Some prior owner and complete loon lowered my is200 about an inch and a half and installed rock hard shocks, and it will quite happily go completely backwards if you’re a bit throttle happy in third.
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Surely you should be putting that right? The job of suspension is to keep the wheels in contact with the road by minimising unsprung weight, and getting the correct spring rate and damping. Which is why I laugh when I see some old vehicle with a chassis designed for road use, with huge wheels and wide/20 tyres, because it will actually hold the road worse than standard (and probably aquaplane easily).
A lot of US cars seem to be set up with overly soft suspension as part of the whole can’t hear or feel the engine/can’t feel the road thing that Joe Average considers to be “premium”. But there is a happy medium - and, based on where we came in, Porsche are extremely good at achieving it. The 911 and the Boxster have usually been cars that can easily be used for commuting (in fact I know of two people who used to do precisely that, except on ice of course.)
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Well, yeah, but I’m very poor, and they’re tail-happy bastards even when stock. It only cost £500, so I intend to drive it til it dies then buy another one (though as it’s Lexus, that might be a while). I have put some MUCH better tyres and new brakes on it mind, which helped.
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In fairness, that’s an OEM Subaru scoop, from the 2004 - 2005 Impreza STI. The hood scoops are there for the intercooler, which in stock form is mounted on top of the engine. Foresters are based on the Impreza with a taller greenhouse, the Forester XT corresponding to the Impreza WRX. So it’s not like he tarted up a Town n’ Country, at least.
I agree with @EylerWerve’s assessment of what happened as well. He probably hit the brakes after he had started to turn, which shifts weight to the front wheels and caused the back end to come around. When the wheels got traction again, he went where he was pointed.
Glad he’s OK!
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Yeah, “Oh no!” Cars are inherently dangerous. Time to give them up for many reasons.
IIRC, that’s Angel’s Crest, right? CA-2? That’s one epic slice of pavement. To have it for two hours, cleaned, and with no cars, bicycles, pedestrians, or speed limits…that would be glorious. And assuredly deadly.
For any m/c’ers in the area or planning for it, get a sub to Pashnit.com instead of reading this old and archived page on CA-2’s epic-ness:
Several riders have mentioned to me that on weekends- Angeles Crest is no longer even worth the trouble- which is a sad thing to have to say about such a fine piece of blacktop. Double fine zones, an overbearing Draconian presence of gendarmes, and not to mention someone(s) crashes every weekend. All you squids wondering where to test out your new 600cc sportbike- do so here at your own risk. I am surprised at times by the disdain mentioned about Angeles Crest for these reasons. And comments about the Ortega Highway seem oddly similar. And if you want to get away from people- on weekends, this is definitely not the place. Try Highway 33 instead. Or a Tuesday morning at 8 AM. Anyway...
For a traipse through beautiful scenery and blacktop, that’s one of the better roads out there.
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Angeles Crest Hwy is very scenic and it seems as if people usually drive the LA side more carefully than the northern end; maybe due to the ski resorts?
Rim of the World Hwy (18) is where the crazier locals drive fast. I’ve heard some insane top-to-bottom commute times.
The mountainous part Highway 33 is remarkable in that the drivers and cyclists seem to be more caring about sharing. The scenery appears to change based upon the seasons because I’ve seen it look beautiful on one sojourn and kind of lifeless, like Mars, during another.
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It’s a mad mad mad mad world.
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