Wet Bend=£ :(

[Fen]

ORIGINAL: TomW

In the 911 most of the weight is at the back (gearbox and engine), so the centre of gravity is also near the back.

Only flaw with this is that cars don't rotate around their centre of gravity when they go sideways, they rotate around the centrepoint of a line between front wheels. If they went round the centre of gravity then the front would step in when the back steps out. Of course if the oversteer turns into a spin then it is the CoG that you rotate around, but by the time you're spinning you have lost control.

Maybe I AM Fangio - I thought my non-LSD cab was really benign to go sideways in, too.

 

[mik_ok]

Fengio []

(sounds better with an Inspector Cluseau accent) []

 

[dlknight]

The Insurance Companies approved repairer appears to be "trying it on".....

2 x New Wheels (O/S F&R) @ £350 each
New front bumper ?!?!? (nothing wrong with existing one apart from scratches)
New front wing @ £350
New front O/S strut (not so sure this is broken either)
New front O/S tie-rod
? on steering rack...

I've spoken to the loss adjuster who was very reasonable on the phone and seemed to agree that some of the quoted items are more than is required. He is arranging to move the vehicle to my local bodyshop who did my sills for me in the summer - I also mentioned the possibility of obtaining 2nd hand parts which he might go for...

The wheels didn't look damaged and neither did the tyres... there was no raised curb where the accident happened either. One of the driving lights (lower bumper) had shattered but that doesn't necessatate a whole new bumper !

Originally the approved repairer was quoting over £4k !!!!!

He also invited me to go and view the car with him and "knock" some items off the list...

Dave K.

 

[Diver944]

£4k for what 'looks like' a bumped wing [] They really do try it on don't they? This is one of the reasons that insurance premiums are so high, it's because we are all paying for these inflated repairs and the bodyshop laughs all the way to the bank.

OK so it might be that the wheels, shocks and steering rack also need doing but if they don't then you'd be looking at £1k maximum for a brand new wing to be sprayed and fitted by an OPC.

I totally agree you shoudl take it to the local guy that you already know and if the insurance are happy with good quality S/H parts for the bodywork then that will be much more sensible. A brand new set of 4 Cup 2 copies are only £399 from Design911

 

[sawood12]

Given the rarity of LSD equipped gearboxes is it feasible/cost effective to retrofit an aftermarket diff? I believe there is a company called Quaiffe that does LSD's for 944's?

 

[danmason]

When I used to track the non-LSD S2 I lost the back end twice on damp surfaces and both times I caught it but overcorrected the other way which resulted in a further 100 yards of tankslapping before finally coming to a halt after a 180 degree sspin. Embaressingly I have a video of one of these times [:-]

I'm tempted to upload the video of my own 'moment' to see if Paul will reciprocate - a tortuous 100yds of suspense followed by a 180Ëš spin sounds much more spectacular than anything I managed! []

 

[Guest]

Thanks for all the replies. I think that I reached the right conclusion all those years ago: the 944 is fundamentally an extremely well-handling car, but it is not flawless, especially when getting on in miles and on a wet road. Its basic good nature can lull drivers into a false sense of security. Also, the old non-assisted cars (as was the one in the accident I looked into) had very low-geared steering, which meant that it took time to get lock on.

When I last broached this issue (before the club fora) I was flamed so badly, I received no useful information. I think I now have, and that I did understand what happened in the accident.

On other matters, power-on oversteer in a 911 is an easy and controllable thing in the wet or damp. It is power-off oversteer that is the Bad Thing. Tail-out slides can be easily invoked, controlled, and brought back in. Anyone who has tried to do an overtaking manoeuvre in 2nd gear in a 3,2 or 964 will know this. OTOH, my old E28 M535i BMW was totally mental in comparison. The back end would just snap out, but could be gathered through its tiny, high-geared steering whee, and it could spin its rear wheels at 50mph on a damp road! I decided it could severely shorten my life, so I sold it an bought my second 944 instead

A

 

[Fen]

Surely lift-off oversteer is something best left to FWD cars and it isn't just the 911 it's bad news in? In RWD once committed you must keep your foot in, regardless of what the chassis is or you will have a "brief but memorable moment".

 

[danmason]

ORIGINAL: eurgain

my old E28 M535i BMW was totally mental in comparison. The back end would just snap out, but could be gathered through its tiny, high-geared steering whee, and it could spin its rear wheels at 50mph on a damp road!

You just brought back memories of my 528i of about 10 yrs ago - the description is very familiar! My friend found this out when he borrowed the car (not for the first time) and ended up spinning on the A38 during rush hour - 6 cars damaged, 2 terminally (not including the destroyed E28). Even made the front page of the Evening Mail [].

Needless to say, regardless of that little incident, my 951 goes nowhere without me.

 

[mik_ok]

ORIGINAL: eurgain
OTOH, my old E28 M535i BMW was totally mental in comparison. The back end would just snap out, but could be gathered through its tiny, high-geared steering whee, and it could spin its rear wheels at 50mph on a damp road!

I remember Fast Lane mag ran an M535i for a while when they came out, and Peter Dron was incredulous at the lack, of traction compared to the "pukka" M5.