sdpatt
Sr. SHO Engr.
Friday, January 11 came very close to being my SHO's final day on the road. I had flexed the day off from work (more than 40 hours through Thursday) and had picked up my 1st grade daughter from school and we were casually heading home. I was northbound at 40 mph in the inside lane of a curb median divided 3 lane (each way) street. I was following a blue Ford Focus 4-door that was about 3 car lengths ahead of me in the center lane. Nearing a cross street intersection, I saw the Focus nose dive under heavy braking. Before the Focus could slow down much, it T-boned a charcoal colored, Nissan 240 SX squarely in the driver's door. The 240 SX had pulled out from a side street and attempted to make a left turn to the southbound lanes of the street I was on. Bad choice.
The momentum of the Nissan pushed the combination of the two cars about halfway into my lane. Straight ahead was not an option for me. With the two hands I almost always have on the wheel (from track training they were at 3 and 9 o'clock) I pulled the car hard to the left into the cross street opening in the intersection. The brakes were on hard, but not into the anti-lock threshold. The tires hung on to their limits as I aimed for the unoccupied southbound left turn lane at the intersection.
I almost made it cleanly, but the right front tire and wheel struck the concrete curb at the intersection end of the left turn lane. Two inches to the left were all that I needed to clear the curb. Instead, the curb cut the tire sidewall and shoved the front of the car to the left in a glancing jolt. I slowed to a stop in the left turn lane and checked on my daughter. We were both fine, but the tire was destroyed and the rim was banged up.
Me and a "good samaritan" cleared the stalled, damaged 240 SX from the main street onto the side street. The Focus was able to move under its own power. The family of four in the Focus and the 17-year old in the 240 SX were shaken, but not injured.
I am going tomorrow to hopefully have the wheel repaired. Mike Murphy (SHOMurph) in his amazing SHO generosity, loaned me a couple of slicer take-offs from a totaled parts SHO to let me roll on full sized tires while I get the damaged rim repaired. I will try to have another curb-bumped rim straightened while I am at it.
The front subframe was bumped to the driver side, but an alignment straightened the steering out and a balance let the warped wheel and tire (now on the right rear of the car) roll with an incredibly small amount of vibration even at high highway speeds. I will have the subframe realigned to even out the camber and caster again after the wheels are repaired. I think she is going to make it to TWS again this year. I am thankful for the blessing that neither my daughter, myself or the other people in the incident were hurt. On my car, only the aftermarket wheel: a Freedom Design model 2005 with 5x108mm bolt pattern and 35mm offset. I only hope I can get it repaired because Freedom Design does not stock our bolt pattern any longer. The SHO rolls on.
The momentum of the Nissan pushed the combination of the two cars about halfway into my lane. Straight ahead was not an option for me. With the two hands I almost always have on the wheel (from track training they were at 3 and 9 o'clock) I pulled the car hard to the left into the cross street opening in the intersection. The brakes were on hard, but not into the anti-lock threshold. The tires hung on to their limits as I aimed for the unoccupied southbound left turn lane at the intersection.
I almost made it cleanly, but the right front tire and wheel struck the concrete curb at the intersection end of the left turn lane. Two inches to the left were all that I needed to clear the curb. Instead, the curb cut the tire sidewall and shoved the front of the car to the left in a glancing jolt. I slowed to a stop in the left turn lane and checked on my daughter. We were both fine, but the tire was destroyed and the rim was banged up.
Me and a "good samaritan" cleared the stalled, damaged 240 SX from the main street onto the side street. The Focus was able to move under its own power. The family of four in the Focus and the 17-year old in the 240 SX were shaken, but not injured.
I am going tomorrow to hopefully have the wheel repaired. Mike Murphy (SHOMurph) in his amazing SHO generosity, loaned me a couple of slicer take-offs from a totaled parts SHO to let me roll on full sized tires while I get the damaged rim repaired. I will try to have another curb-bumped rim straightened while I am at it.
The front subframe was bumped to the driver side, but an alignment straightened the steering out and a balance let the warped wheel and tire (now on the right rear of the car) roll with an incredibly small amount of vibration even at high highway speeds. I will have the subframe realigned to even out the camber and caster again after the wheels are repaired. I think she is going to make it to TWS again this year. I am thankful for the blessing that neither my daughter, myself or the other people in the incident were hurt. On my car, only the aftermarket wheel: a Freedom Design model 2005 with 5x108mm bolt pattern and 35mm offset. I only hope I can get it repaired because Freedom Design does not stock our bolt pattern any longer. The SHO rolls on.
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