By Jeff Glucker
Okay then.
The car above is a heavily modified Scion FR-S. It has a widebody kit, large wheels, and wide tires. There’s likely intake and exhaust work, and a myriad of other upgrades as well. The major upgrade the owner forgot was driver training.
I’m not here to shame this person… ok, maybe a little bit, but we can all use this as a teachable moment.
- Your high-performance tires work best when running in their optimal temperature range.
- A basic performance driving school may have helped sort out that very minor moment of potential oversteer.
- I’m impressed this FR-S has enough added power to get that large wheel and tire setup sliding.
The ground was damp but it wasn’t raining. The turn was gentle. And the speed didn’t seem excessive. This is massive driver error paired with a car modified to a degree where it’s unsuitable for even mild weather issues.
Hopefully the owner takes steps to prevent something like this from happening again in the future. Hell, if we had budget, we’d sponsor sending them to driving school to see what they learn and how they apply the knowledge.
[Source: Instagram via Tire Meets Road]
You have to wonder how effective a contact patch these stretch tyre and camber combos have and what weird things happen suspension geometry under load.
Yeah, it looks like a smooth dry road, something that an FR86 with stock suspension and wheels would drive over no problem
There’s a really weird front end “wobble” before the back starts to come round, like he got understeer then oversteer.
First thing I hear when the crashed driver speaks to the guy filming the incident: “…go viral…”
Ah, the humanity.
/returns to the woods to pat a log
“…thank God I’m okay…”
…and, you know, all those lesser people in the oncoming lane.
/lies down, places 17 lb cat over face.
When I told you to curb your enthusiasm…
damn that’s a good one
Just think: if the owner hadn’t messed up his car like that, he wouldn’t have messed up his car like that.
If he still has his stock front fascia, springs/control arms and wheels/tires, he just did himself a favor!
You know what… I know this is unpopular, but I like those wheels
I kinda like the whole look. Not something that I’d do, but I appreciate it.
The problem is the kid not getting that an aggressive look sometimes (often?) brings diminished performance. The stance, the tire stretch and the stiffened suspension may actually make the handling worse or at least less forgiving.
I’ve got 17″ x 8″ rims on my Thunderbird and I know it rides worse and likely doesn’t handle any better. But I like the look and I drive accordingly.
I’m thinking tires are too wide, and the combination of ‘stance’ with waaaay too stiff springs and shocks, he actually has the contact patch of four old English racing bikes. Add a damp surface to help cool the tires, and bang! Bob’s your uncle! *
*Kid at the wheel an optional but helpful accessory.
Yup, keep in mind that in professional drifting they induce that cray ‘stance’ to intentionally REDUCE grip, making drifting easier. Using similar suspension settings for a road-driven car is an accident waiting to happen, but for some reason is popular among those who like drifting but don’t understand it.
Looks to me like the video person was waiting for him ? Why else would he have been standing there with a running camera ?