Scary 911 moment
Discussion
Hi all,
I would describe myself as an enthusiastic, but overall relatively cautious driver. I am new to the Porsche experience having bought a 911 997 Carera S about 6 months ago.
At the weekend the following happened:
- Late Sunday afternoon on a clearish stretch of dual carriage way. PASM is on (as it always is!, and I believe the Sports Chroro was not engaged)
- It had rained lightly in the morning, but no surface water
- I come off a roundabout in second gear and enter a stretch of clear motorway doing roughly 40mph (at around 4k revs I suppose)
- Heading straight (or very nearly) I floor it and instantly the back end swerves violently lurching the car to left, then to the right (towards the centre section). Eventually I come to a halt at 90 degrees across the road
Thankfully there was no one directly behind me and I was able to move away very gingerly.
I have heard the usual tales of old 911's being a challenge to drive but honestly I was shocked at a) how little it took to release the back and and ii) how disorderly it was when it happened.
I am convinced the car is trying to kill me, and have taken to driving like a monk.
Thoughts and experiences from other 911 owners please!
I would describe myself as an enthusiastic, but overall relatively cautious driver. I am new to the Porsche experience having bought a 911 997 Carera S about 6 months ago.
At the weekend the following happened:
- Late Sunday afternoon on a clearish stretch of dual carriage way. PASM is on (as it always is!, and I believe the Sports Chroro was not engaged)
- It had rained lightly in the morning, but no surface water
- I come off a roundabout in second gear and enter a stretch of clear motorway doing roughly 40mph (at around 4k revs I suppose)
- Heading straight (or very nearly) I floor it and instantly the back end swerves violently lurching the car to left, then to the right (towards the centre section). Eventually I come to a halt at 90 degrees across the road
Thankfully there was no one directly behind me and I was able to move away very gingerly.
I have heard the usual tales of old 911's being a challenge to drive but honestly I was shocked at a) how little it took to release the back and and ii) how disorderly it was when it happened.
I am convinced the car is trying to kill me, and have taken to driving like a monk.
Thoughts and experiences from other 911 owners please!
OP.....It may sound harsh - but you lack the understanding and talent to drive the car.
You need to get professional tuition and understand why cars like these are different.
The accelerator is not an on/off switch.
Oh... and I have had a few brown trouser moments in a former car.
Get trained up, and appreciate the car.
Oh... And I am not a driving God. Far from it.
You need to get professional tuition and understand why cars like these are different.
The accelerator is not an on/off switch.
Oh... and I have had a few brown trouser moments in a former car.
Get trained up, and appreciate the car.
Oh... And I am not a driving God. Far from it.
I'm sorry to say it's not a 911 issue 
Any rear wheel drive car in the wet or damp conditions if you floor it like you did will probably wag the tail a bit. If you don't have much experience in what's required to correct it then it might be worthwhile having a go on a skid pan where you can experience it in a controlled manner.
The lesson in this situation though is don't floor it like you did in the wet, smooth progressive application of power is required in wet conditions
John.
Any rear wheel drive car in the wet or damp conditions if you floor it like you did will probably wag the tail a bit. If you don't have much experience in what's required to correct it then it might be worthwhile having a go on a skid pan where you can experience it in a controlled manner.
The lesson in this situation though is don't floor it like you did in the wet, smooth progressive application of power is required in wet conditions
John.
OP, the throttle is not a binary switch. You must learn to feather it and control the car.
Damp conditions, drive cautiously and do NOT floor the throttle. You are going to have to take things slowly and learn how to control this machine - in fact I'd suggest you book a ride drive course or similar where someone can teach you a little more about controlling your car.
There are very, very few times when you can easily and safely floor a throttle on that car.
Damp conditions, drive cautiously and do NOT floor the throttle. You are going to have to take things slowly and learn how to control this machine - in fact I'd suggest you book a ride drive course or similar where someone can teach you a little more about controlling your car.
There are very, very few times when you can easily and safely floor a throttle on that car.
steelej said:
I'm sorry to say it's not a 911 issue
Any rear wheel drive car in the wet or damp conditions if you floor it like you did will probably wag the tail a bit. If you don't have much experience in what's required to correct it then it might be worthwhile having a go on a skid pan where you can experience it in a controlled manner.
The lesson in this situation though is don't floor it like you did in the wet, smooth progressive application of power is required in wet conditions
John.
I disagree, most rear wheel drive cars do not have an engine and a significant proportion of the cars weight in the rear, over the rear wheels.Any rear wheel drive car in the wet or damp conditions if you floor it like you did will probably wag the tail a bit. If you don't have much experience in what's required to correct it then it might be worthwhile having a go on a skid pan where you can experience it in a controlled manner.
The lesson in this situation though is don't floor it like you did in the wet, smooth progressive application of power is required in wet conditions
John.
In addition, most cars do not have the torque and power of the 911, further amplifying the issue.
What the OP is creating is the 911 pendulum type effect and can be fatal if not tamed correctly, but rest assured this is one of the features of the car and why the rear tyres are so wide!
Just take it easy, especially in the wet and learn over time the outer limits of what the car is capable of.
Thanks for all the replies.
Lesson learned and humble pie in the oven.
I was probably slightly exagerating when I said that the throttle was floored, but the rear end didn't come out on its own.
Some good content here around this topic, which echoes what has been said so far
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=664...
Lesson learned and humble pie in the oven.
I was probably slightly exagerating when I said that the throttle was floored, but the rear end didn't come out on its own.
Some good content here around this topic, which echoes what has been said so far
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=664...
hurricaneone said:
Hi all,
I am new to the Porsche experience having bought a 911 997 Carera S about 6 months ago.
At the weekend the following happened:
- It had rained lightly in the morning, but no surface water
- I come off a roundabout in second gear and enter a stretch of clear motorway doing roughly 40mph (at around 4k revs I suppose
I floor it and instantly the back end swerves violently lurching the car to left, then to the right
honestly I was shocked at a) how little it took to release the back and and ii) how disorderly it was when it happened.
Comedy gold. I am new to the Porsche experience having bought a 911 997 Carera S about 6 months ago.
At the weekend the following happened:
- It had rained lightly in the morning, but no surface water
- I come off a roundabout in second gear and enter a stretch of clear motorway doing roughly 40mph (at around 4k revs I suppose
I floor it and instantly the back end swerves violently lurching the car to left, then to the right
honestly I was shocked at a) how little it took to release the back and and ii) how disorderly it was when it happened.
Just out of interest, what did you drive before the 911?
Shouldnt the PASM avoid such moments ?
I still have a healthy degree of respect for powerful RWD cars the in wet, a Ferrari 458 decided to show me how much faster it was than a 350Z on the A34 bypass and that went sideways, mere centimetres from the central reservation
he neednt have bothered, I wasnt under any illusions.
I still have a healthy degree of respect for powerful RWD cars the in wet, a Ferrari 458 decided to show me how much faster it was than a 350Z on the A34 bypass and that went sideways, mere centimetres from the central reservation
he neednt have bothered, I wasnt under any illusions.kambites said:
J4CKO said:
Shouldnt the PASM avoid such moments ?
Even the best of stability control systems isn't fool-proof but yes, I'd have expected it to keep the car pointing vaguely forwards in the situation described. Edited by kambites on Wednesday 3rd February 20:23
J4CKO said:
Shouldnt the PASM avoid such moments ?
No as that's the adaptive dampers, PSM is the stability gubbins.To the OP I did 50k in my 997 in weathers on all types of road, it has great rear end traction, but slamming your foot down in 2nd at 4k (meat of the torque IIRC) on a damp road whilst still unwinding the lock will do that, engine is out over the rear axle and the effect can be startling when it lets go.
Mine did the same as yours when I got cocky, you've got to be progressive with the throttle as has been said.
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