C7 Z06 wrecks at Willow Springs
02-03-2022, 09:50 AM
#41
Safety Car
However I do get plenty of practice on rain slicked roads. In fact the day I bought my Nissan 350Z it was raining buckets. So here I am driving an unfamiliar, powerful RWD car, in the dark, in the wet... talk about a bad combination. Returning from the dealer I turned off the highway and downshifted like normal, but being new to the tight, short throw gear box I accidentally selected 2nd instead of 4th. Thankfully as soon as the revs climbed and the car pitched sideways the traction control kicked in, light blinking away in the dash, so I instantly put the clutch back in (muscle memory!) and the car straighten right up. I didn't have time to turn the wheel, but the traction control (Nissan VDC Vehicle Dynamic Control) applied the brakes as needed to correct the vehicles direction. To this day it still scares me to think how bad it would have been to wreck that car on day 1 before I even got the darn thing home 
02-04-2022, 04:21 PM
#42
Racer
Don't know what was worse, the crash or the song.
02-04-2022, 05:24 PM
#43
Moderator
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hummiscorvettetaken (02-05-2022)
02-06-2022, 09:21 AM
#48
Melting Slicks
02-06-2022, 10:55 AM
#49
Tech Contributor
02-06-2022, 11:07 AM
#50
Snap spins like that are well known for a lot of cars. We all see videos of that happening at cruise-ins multiple times per year across the country. The C7 has an adjustable rear caster that was added to correct the problem of changing the caster while increasing negative camber for track duty. Unlike the C5 and C6 rear suspensions, it has 4 adjustable points whereas the C6 widebody cars had 3 adjustable points while the C5s had one.
As for the spin the rule is when in a spin both feet in. If he had done that the car would have spun down the pavement or off the track to the left instead of going off the right side of the track. However, he had to do that as soon as the backend kicked to the right. His butt meter had to tell him the car is lost and then had to hammer the brake and clutch. Even then he may not have saved the car.
In this incident, the driver was behind the car with his reactions and overcorrected. The overcorrection is what caused the car to spin the other way. When you get into a spin like this and turn the steering into the spin to correct it takes a few moments for the car to react once that happens there is a momentary pause where the car stops sliding in the original sideways direction. When that pause occurs you don't want any more steering correction, otherwise, you will then swing back the other way when the pause ends.
The best way to practice this control is during autocrosses or driving on icy, slushy, or snowy roads where rear wheel drive slips and slides will happen at much lower speeds.
Bill
As for the spin the rule is when in a spin both feet in. If he had done that the car would have spun down the pavement or off the track to the left instead of going off the right side of the track. However, he had to do that as soon as the backend kicked to the right. His butt meter had to tell him the car is lost and then had to hammer the brake and clutch. Even then he may not have saved the car.
In this incident, the driver was behind the car with his reactions and overcorrected. The overcorrection is what caused the car to spin the other way. When you get into a spin like this and turn the steering into the spin to correct it takes a few moments for the car to react once that happens there is a momentary pause where the car stops sliding in the original sideways direction. When that pause occurs you don't want any more steering correction, otherwise, you will then swing back the other way when the pause ends.
The best way to practice this control is during autocrosses or driving on icy, slushy, or snowy roads where rear wheel drive slips and slides will happen at much lower speeds.
Bill
Not a brag, but trying to emphasize that practice helps even 30+ years later...we all know a 99 Cobra doesn't have the handling or have the tires on a C7 Z06.
I think what most people said...inexperienced driver, cold tires, slower reactions, and over-corrected. Not sure I could have saved it either? Don't ever want to be tested like that either...
02-06-2022, 11:57 AM
#51
Glad the driver and passenger made it out ok without any serious injuries. I have seen situations like this in the past occur by a combination of cool tires, tire spin that occurs at high speeds, and the inability to correct including any nannies response.
With that said, his Z was definitely awesome. Anyone know what wheels he was tuning on that car? They “look” like a set of BC forged HCA’s.
With that said, his Z was definitely awesome. Anyone know what wheels he was tuning on that car? They “look” like a set of BC forged HCA’s.
02-07-2022, 01:37 AM
#53
Heel & Toe
Here are some clarifications since I see a lot of speculation in this thread. This is what I know. Steve is a friend of mine and I'm glad that he and his passenger are ok. The car was a used 2019 Z06 that Hertz sold. Steve bought the car in mid 2020. He used to track a BMW 335i. His YouTube channel is called Daily Driver Tracking if you want to see his videos (track days and car mods). He has been tracking for about 4 years. The radio was not on, his passenger added the music soundtrack to the video montage that he made, Steve did not publicly post his PDR footage but I did see it. Looking at the PDR footage frame by frame, he hit 96 MPH with 3 degrees of left steering input finishing Turn 1 moving back towards the left side of the track to set up for Turn 2 when he applied full throttle. The G indicator shows a bit of positive G to the right and you can hear the engine rev up suddenly as the tires break loose. He tried to correct too late, let off the throttle, PDR briefly indicated 97 MPH, 141 deg of right steering input was applied which caused the car to swing rapidly to the right, and only 40% brake was applied during the beginning of the slide then 0%. When he hit the berm on the right side the car was coasting/sliding with no braking and full lock left steering applied. Steve's cars are automatics (so in a spin one foot in - I don't think he left foot brakes). This was Steve's first session of the day, but the 2nd run session which meant it was probably around 9:30 AM and on 1/16/2022 that meant it was high 40s and the overnight low was mid 30's according to historical data for Rosamond on that day (so the track was pretty cold). The car is a total loss with no insurance claim made.
I used to drive and track a 2001 C5 coupe, but now drive and track my old man's car - 2018 Cadillac ATS-V 6 speed manual 4 door sedan (my wife demanded a 4 door, she never liked the Vette). My track videos are on YouTube under RKTROY.
I used to drive and track a 2001 C5 coupe, but now drive and track my old man's car - 2018 Cadillac ATS-V 6 speed manual 4 door sedan (my wife demanded a 4 door, she never liked the Vette). My track videos are on YouTube under RKTROY.
Last edited by RKT ROY; 02-07-2022 at 01:50 AM. Reason: Corrected weather on 1/16
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02-07-2022, 09:03 AM
#55
Melting Slicks
Here are some clarifications since I see a lot of speculation in this thread. This is what I know. Steve is a friend of mine and I'm glad that he and his passenger are ok. The car was a used 2019 Z06 that Hertz sold. Steve bought the car in mid 2020. He used to track a BMW 335i. His YouTube channel is called Daily Driver Tracking if you want to see his videos (track days and car mods). He has been tracking for about 4 years. The radio was not on, his passenger added the music soundtrack to the video montage that he made, Steve did not publicly post his PDR footage but I did see it. Looking at the PDR footage frame by frame, he hit 96 MPH with 3 degrees of left steering input finishing Turn 1 moving back towards the left side of the track to set up for Turn 2 when he applied full throttle. The G indicator shows a bit of positive G to the right and you can hear the engine rev up suddenly as the tires break loose. He tried to correct too late, let off the throttle, PDR briefly indicated 97 MPH, 141 deg of right steering input was applied which caused the car to swing rapidly to the right, and only 40% brake was applied during the beginning of the slide then 0%. When he hit the berm on the right side the car was coasting/sliding with no braking and full lock left steering applied. Steve's cars are automatics (so in a spin one foot in - I don't think he left foot brakes). This was Steve's first session of the day, but the 2nd run session which meant it was probably around 9:30 AM and on 1/16/2022 that meant it was high 40s and the overnight low was mid 30's according to historical data for Rosamond on that day (so the track was pretty cold).
The car is a total loss with no insurance claim made.
I used to drive and track a 2001 C5 coupe, but now drive and track my old man's car - 2018 Cadillac ATS-V 6 speed manual 4 door sedan (my wife demanded a 4 door, she never liked the Vette). My track videos are on YouTube under RKTROY.
The car is a total loss with no insurance claim made.
I used to drive and track a 2001 C5 coupe, but now drive and track my old man's car - 2018 Cadillac ATS-V 6 speed manual 4 door sedan (my wife demanded a 4 door, she never liked the Vette). My track videos are on YouTube under RKTROY.
02-09-2022, 04:01 PM
#56
Melting Slicks
Member Since: Oct 2001
Location: Louisville KY
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2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (performance mods)
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Hey, he could sell the engine, transmission, interior, doors. Maybe get 20-30k
02-11-2022, 08:43 AM
#57
Melting Slicks
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