OK , Does this mean that when you are milli- secs from "whooping up" on whatever is front of you @ 50 mph, That you are going to be able to tell yourself not to go for brakes because the front end will dip down ? Bud, you maybe  young and you maybe Quick, But you ain`t that quick. Instinct is going to take over and I would bet you would be trying to get every appendage on you body on that pedal. The front bumper is pretty strong. Its what its bolted to that ain`t. ( see the last God awful post) The bumper on that van was back where the driver ended up and the van was standing still when hit. If you want be really safe in a old VW van you  better had incapsulate the whole thing in railroad iron. Then G-Forces are all you would have to contend with. You had better learn what you are dealing with when driving these old cars and vans. I don`t want to read about you getting hurt .

David, I'm 100% agreeing with you. In an accident, you're going to slam the brakes, or at least press them.

It's hard in an old car to remember to pump the breaks in the rain because they weren't anti lock. Every once in a while in wet conditions my old hoopty would slide while stopping and the wheels would lock up. I'd know better, but I'd still do it.

The second most counter-intuitive thing to do is lift off the brakes when you're turning and braking at the same time and your front wheels lock!

The MOST counter-intuitive thing you have to do in that situation is unwind the steering wheel! This usually means you steer back in the direction of the thing you were trying to avoid in the first place! What this allows is for your front wheels to turn back in the direction of their travel (which is, by this time 15 to 45 degrees away from where they're pointed) enough to begin rolling again. By this time, you've scrubbed off enough speed to turn in again, this time (hopefully) making the turn!

Think of yourself as traveling in something called the "traction circle". Your tires have traction all four directions. If you hit the gas and break the tires loose, you've gone off the back of the circle and you have to lift off the throttle to get back in. If you lock your brakes, you've gone off the other end. Your tires have maximum turning grip at a steady speed in either direction. Here's the catch and why this is a circle: If you're accelerating or braking, you don't get as much turning grip, and vice versa.

They don't teach this in Driver's Ed. Oh, wait, we don't have that in schools any more! Well, get your license and learn the hard way; on the street. But that's another rant!

They say," In order to become old and wise you must first be young and stupid." Sometimes life gives you a crash course (no pun intended). My oldest son was "hell on wheels" before he spent 7 mo. in Iraq. After losing both his roomates to I.E.D.'s and having a 23 ton half-track lifted 3 ft. in the air with him in it he now drives more sedately than I do. I used to drive a 900S  BMW bike till I realized 5 people depended on me being healthy enough to work-still loved riding it when I sold it but the risk didn't seem worth it-may get one again when the kid's are all grown. Zen's attitude of driving like your life depends on it ( it does ! ) is the right one. However my dad who spent 40 yrs. as a E.R. doc told me most the bike wrecks he saw the rider did nothing wrong. I don't mind the people who want to find a empty stretch of highway and push the edge a little -what bugs me are the people who endanger others by wreckless driving in traffic, it's just another symptom of how self-cetered many are these days.We all have to decide what risk level is acceptable but lets try hard not to bump up each others risk level. (Don't get me started you know how I get.) Happy and SAFE fourth to everyone !  

:lol:  :lol:  :lol:  If everyone has not figured it out yet the Godfather LOVES to fan the smoke in hopes of a fire :lol:  :lol:  :lol:

Coming home from Savannah Sunday in the pouring rain in the outer arms of the hurricane, I can't remember how many cars and SUVs passed us going around 80 MPH. I can tell you we passed 4 accident scenes with 5 cars in the ditch or Jersey wall. Drive for the conditions, people! Don't let your right foot write a check your bald-ass tires can't cash! If you do hydroplane, don't stomp on the brakes or snap the wheel. Lift and stay straight until your grip comes back.

You ought to try Dallas-Fort Worth at 5 pm .  35 miles of absolute pure hell in 6 lanes where we had to do at least 80 to 90 mph just to keep from getting "Booted". Even the Texas Highway Patrol was blowing us off. All this in a 65 mph zone. I tremble at the thought of driving a Westy through that mayhem. :roll:

along the original lines of numb nuts that can't drive. I was into the whole import tuner thing japenese cars and all. By the way the fast and furryassed of Chattanooga will figure it all out in 5 more years as usual. Big fins and stickers don't make moms accord a street racer. Sorry folks!
But anyhow I drove a 97 prelude with about 325 hp and heres the thing Ever noticed how many honda's are wrecked on the front side? That's because most are not equiped with an limited slip diff. it cost a bit so all the hooligans cars pull to one side on a front drive car when they excellerate quickly and they crash. How many bone stock 90hp power civics with neon and crap all over them can you stand?How much pep boys crap can you jam on a riceburner or worse a v6 mustang? Forget it send me some spikes for the dash and some armour all!