Aquaplaned

[ATM]

Yes that's what happened to me. Car just rotated. It's hard to explain if you don't have a video - thanks.

[David W.]

saaby93 said:

It would be interesting to try an experiement on a track somewhere with half width tyres
Posted this in a similar thread on and evora a few weeks back

Here's how to spin on a straight
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCQYm0MDpxo

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

Wasn’t there a slight lift of the throttle just before rotation ?

[hunter 66]

Yes little motions like coming off the drive at the wrong moment can affect things in standing water ..

[saaby93]

David W. said:

saaby93 said:

It would be interesting to try an experiement on a track somewhere with half width tyres
Posted this in a similar thread on and evora a few weeks back

Here's how to spin on a straight
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCQYm0MDpxo

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

Wasn’t there a slight lift of the throttle just before rotation ?

more than a slight lift - sounded like he was up to speed, thought that would do and eases off
From that point he was floating on water with the wheels rotating but not the same speed as he was driving along the road

If there was some way of harnessing it as an energy saver
The prototypes are unstable

[LukeSi]

I'm agreeing with the mechanical failure angle. If the car had hit something hard enough to rip a wheel and associated parts clean off i'd expect there to be damage behind the arch from the wheel being pushed backwards (due to direction of travel).

[LukeSi]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Very valid point. Shame we'll probably not find out. There is the dent in front of the arch that shows an impact with a pole but it looks like it bounced off the body work rather than the wheel.

OP you don't have any more photos do you? From what I can tell on that picture the wheel isn't damaged on the face but obviously we only have a partial view.

[ATM]

LukeSi said:

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Very valid point. Shame we'll probably not find out. There is the dent in front of the arch that shows an impact with a pole but it looks like it bounced off the body work rather than the wheel.

OP you don't have any more photos do you? From what I can tell on that picture the wheel isn't damaged on the face but obviously we only have a partial view.

It didn't spin. My modest driving skills kept it pointing straight-ish. It did fish tail a bit that's all.

No more pics. The Highways agency people wanted to move me on asap so I sought refuge at the services. By the time the truck arrived it was dark.

[LukeSi]

ATM said:

It didn't spin. My modest driving skills kept it pointing straight-ish. It did fish tail a bit that's all.

No more pics. The Highways agency people wanted to move me on asap so I sought refuge at the services. By the time the truck arrived it was dark.

In that case i genuinely think there has been a mechanical failure then, looks like you hit the post with the body work and it bounced off and not even that hard.
I'd be tempted to try and get porsche involved if it's in warranty.
I'd imagine if it's enough to rip a wheel off you'd feel it and have mentioned it.

Edited by LukeSi on Sunday 23 December 09:39

[ATM]

LukeSi said:

In that case i genuinely think there has been a mechanical failure then, looks like you hit the post with the body work and it bounced off and not even that hard.
I'd be tempted to try and get porsche involved if it's in warranty.
I'd imagine if it's enough to rip a wheel off you'd feel it and have mentioned it.

Edited by LukeSi on Sunday 23 December 09:39

I disagree. I genuinely believe that the car hit the post at a small angle and the brunt of the force impacted on the tyre tread just inside the arch which ripped it clean off. The car didn't glide along the grass smoothly. It was a bumpy ride. Adrenalin made me remember some heroic driving but I was just a passenger on the grass. I did see a bent post further up the road behind me and it was bent in the direction I had travelled.

[DuncGTS]

Having hit standing water in my last car, Cayman GTS. On the A5, straight bit of road and the car went light and drifted over to the left all on it's own. I just did nothing, kept my foot where it was and didn't move the wheel to try and correct.
Lucky I came out the other end all be it near the Kurt bit all fine, my wife was behind me in a golf, doing the same speed and it didn't even affect her in that.
Car was less than year old, done 1300 miles on the standard tyres, golf 21000 miles on first set of tyres, so guess the size of tyres and weight of the boxster/ Cayman makes for the issue and if the standing water was on a bend I wouldn't have wanted to guess the out come
Sorry to see the pic, but at least no one was hurt and that's all that matters once the dust settles or in this case the rain stops

[dhutch]

I've hit standing water at 50mph on an a-road, much deeper than it looked (expecting to splash through puddle, it 4inch deep) and I just passengered into the ditch finding the telegraph pole which stopped between the engine and rhs wing just behind the front axle line. No injuries but that damage and slightly bend up roof, clear write off.

Can't speculate on mechanical failure, but I could well imagine said sign post took the wheel off. Hopefully a reasonably smooth ride through the insurance process.

Daniel

[ATM]

Car definitely a total loss according to assessment of body repair place. Not talked numbers with insurance company yet.

[Digga]

DuncGTS said:

Having hit standing water in my last car, Cayman GTS. On the A5, straight bit of road and the car went light and drifted over to the left all on it's own.

Effectively, on a single carriageway, that's nearly always what will happen, simply because that's the way the camber generally falls.

My GT3 did this, accelerating uphill past Ramshaw Rocks on the way toward Buxton. Front stayted gripped, but the rear of the car floated on the tyres and 'dropped' toward the nearside edge of the road. Was no big deal as there was nothing coming the other way and I was ready and prepared for a loss of grip, due to the water running downhill. Also, it being an A road and very wet, I was not doing more than 40-50 at the time. Speed - anything over 50mph - really does add to the problem of aquaplaning.

ATM said:

Car definitely a total loss according to assessment of body repair place. Not talked numbers with insurance company yet.

Surely not? We oinly have the one picture to go on, but it does not look that bad.

[ATM]

Digga said:

ATM said:

Car definitely a total loss according to assessment of body repair place. Not talked numbers with insurance company yet.

Surely not? We oinly have the one picture to go on, but it does not look that bad.

Quote from body shop for work to repair what is visible adds up to almost 20 grand. Then there is the unknown of what else.

[saaby93]

ATM said:

Digga said:

ATM said:

Car definitely a total loss according to assessment of body repair place. Not talked numbers with insurance company yet.

Surely not? We oinly have the one picture to go on, but it does not look that bad.

Quote from body shop for work to repair what is visible adds up to almost 20 grand. Then there is the unknown of what else.

And they'll probably expect to get more for it as salvage so why bother repairing

[ATM]

saaby93 said:

ATM said:

Digga said:

ATM said:

Car definitely a total loss according to assessment of body repair place. Not talked numbers with insurance company yet.

Surely not? We oinly have the one picture to go on, but it does not look that bad.

Quote from body shop for work to repair what is visible adds up to almost 20 grand. Then there is the unknown of what else.

And they'll probably expect to get more for it as salvage so why bother repairing

What are you guys thinking the salvage value would be then?

[Zarco]

Saw this and thought of you:

https://jalopnik-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/jalopn...

Seems like a neat idea. I've aqua planed on wide tyres in the past when I should have known better and backed off.

[saaby93]

Zarco said:

Saw this and thought of you:

https://jalopnik-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/jalopn...

Seems like a neat idea. I've aqua planed on wide tyres in the past when I should have known better and backed off.

video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QK3_hw79xA8
forum
http://www.911uk.com/viewtopic.php?p=1118251&s...

[ATM]

Went to see the wreck today and collect my belongings. Car looked very sad sat on the ground missing a wheel. Even the good side is almost on the ground due to anti roll bar etc.

[ATM]

I've created this pic to illustrate the damage or how the wheel came off. This is / was a pic of the correct part from eBay. So this is looking from inside the car outwards. There were 3 points of failure only.

1. The strut snapped where the rod narrowed to enter the top mount. I've tried to illustrate this in black - badly. I think this is called a McPherson setup but I'm not definite.

2. The section which juts out to the left failed, it snapped off roughly where the red line is. I'm not sure what the arm is called which connects to this. Is it tie rod?

3. The mount for the bottom ball joint snapped - again I've tried to illustrate in red. The nut is still on the ball joint and holding the broken piece of hub.

All arms which held the hub to the car are still connected to the car and feel solid. The strut piston / rod snapped flush where it enters the top mount.

I think that explains everything. Does this make sense?