Hey there my G bretheren. I haven't had the time to post or read too many forums so I've had to lurk this one. FA's been my home. I posted this a week ago and would like to share it with you as well. We've all read how the Pilots done grip very well in the cold. Well, I experienced it first hand a couple weeks ago, just before Christmas. Ice and too many lateral G's for the tire's given traction can be deadly. At least it was "just" my car. I have yet to find out what the appraiser/insurance think of it. He was supposed to go look at it last Mon/Tues (right when Redding, CA was getting two feet of snow). If you're going to be driving your G in cold conditions and you even think there's the possibility of ice (<35 degrees F), don't do it with these tires. I wish I could do it over again. In any case, happy belated new year!

-BaitFish














More pics here http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=4288215987


Originally posted at FA:

I truly was lucky and I must have had a guardian angel by my side. Not only did I walk away totally unscathed, there were people to rescue me from the freezing temperatures in this remote location as well. I think I have some free time here at work to steal away and tell the story so here goes.

I was heading up from SoCal to Eureka, CA to spend Christmas week with my friends up there. I decided to take highway 36 across from the 5 to the coast instead of the more oft used (and maintained in winter consequently) 299. It's always fun to explore and drive new roads. As I went I started to encounter snow. I'm guessing that traffic and some maintenance kept the road mostly good but by the time I got there things had started freezing up again. It was right before midnight last Friday night. My exterior temperature gauge read 35 degrees F. I hadn't had any slippage despite the worsening conditions. I noticed the road had some grit layed down for traction. I was coming up on some bridges and was trying to drive conservatively for the conditions. Obviously it was worse than I expected.

Coming into a curve that had a 25 MPH sign posted I started reducing my speed to prepare for it. To the best of my guesstimation I may have been going 20-25 MPH at the time of the slip (but not the sharp part of the turn). The wheels broke loose and I was going straigh instead of turning. I immediately let off the brake (don't even think traction control kicked in yet) and I repositioned the steering straight and worked it straight and slightly left trying to regain some sort of traction to maintain a turn. NOTHING! I just continued straight off the road to my poor car's doom. All I remember is a couple inches of slushy ice on this turn, different from the previous turns/road conditions.

As I headed straight out, jumping the car off into the darkness (...and many trees!) I just closed my eyes. The impact I actually describe as soft. It was all a shock of course but I made it totally unscathed. I sat there a couple of minutes max just trying to get my thoughts together. Spending the night there was a REAL possibility because I hadn't seen a car in either direction for about 15 directions driving and it was now midnight. I didn't even have time to get a jacket on yet and climb up to the road when I heard some people calling out. Just up the road a couple had been travelling the opposite direction and were adjusting their chains when they heard something that sounded like hay crashing so they investigated.

My bright green little Photon Microlight lit up the trees above my location and there came right to me. After grabbing a backpack of bare essentials (and apparently losing my car keys in the mud just outside of the door), I clamored up the hill and into their Sentra. They turned back around, going back the direction they came from to get me to Caltrans who was working on clearing a slide miles before. These folks were characters. Immediately after introducing themselves, the lady passenger offered me some whisky. Luckily for me I declined as I'm not much for drinking and wanted to keep my wits about me. They were quite a couple, continuously trading sharp, humorous barbs. It must have been very slippery out even further down the road and maybe I would have lost control no matter what because in their saving me their Sentra lost the rear traction, fishtailing, four or five times. Finally, six miles later and after losing one of their wheel well liners from a horribly loud snow chain install they got me to a Caltrans truck who passed us in the other direction but stopped when we stopped and turned on our blinkers.

Dave, a 30 year veteran of Caltrans took me in to his truck to see what he could do about my situation. He even turned down the $200 my previous benefactor offered him to take away his lady pal as well Dave called the CHP on his radio who in turn contacted AAA to get me a tow but none of their stations would answer at this late hour of the night. Needless to say, after thirty minutes of CHP and AAA trying their best, all parties were disappointed. Dave had been called out to work earlier and was on his way home to Hayfork, CA, maybe 15 miles away, when he picked me up. He and his wife were most gracious and took me in for the night, allowing me to sleep in one of their daughters' old room. I slept as well as one could imagine. In the morning they gave me breakfast and their phone to line everything up as well as driving me back to my wreck. I am truly lucky and blessed to have made through this experience so well.

We arrived just after the tow showed up to the scene and they stayed until the car was extracted and they were sure I was going to be safely on my way. Brian the tow guy took me and my car back to Redding Muni Airport and I rented a car so I could continue on my journey. Driving an '02 Dodge Neon the remaining 150 miles was like salt in the wound. The first half of the day I stayed in good spirits making fun of my parking job. The remainder of the day I could almost cry (and still could). I'm shaken. My pride is hurt bad and I'm terribly disappointed in myself. Yes, I had the Pilots (tires). They've performed admirably in the wet and dry but just like others have attested and as Q45tech has repeatedly demonstrated, they are worthless when it gets cold and slippery.

I walk away with a greater respect for the elements. Given the conditions and the reports of other having trouble as well that night I think that no matter what I was in trouble. Luckily I made it out. It could have been worse. Just a few feet past where I crashed and a week earlier a lady wiped out in her Hummer and broke he leg. I'm hoping and hoping that they deem the car a total loss because I'd hate to drive this one again. I WILL be back in a Gc. I just don't know when. To the G's credit it did its job and protected its occupant. My car was perfect and I can't wait to have another one. Now, I'm back at work, embarrassed, showing people pictures of my dramatic week off for Christmas. So far so good though but I expect some pretty heavy ribbing, heh.

 

Thankfully you are Ok. I know it may sound trite but "It is just a car and you can replace it."

Take care and be safe.


Andrew, We Miss and Love You! Peace!

 

BaitFish
OUCH!!!!! Man when I saw those pictures I turned inside out!! The most important thing is that you were spared any injury...I think I would die if that happened to me...I hit my garbage can the other day backing out of my driveway and put a 2" crease in my front fender right behind the wheel well and it took me 2 days to process that and move on with my life...so your a much better man than me!!!!! the pics don"t look like a total but you would know better..things could have been much worse...and the most important thing is you walked away with this story to tell..I wish you all the best and let me know what the color of you next G35 will be if they total it!!!!2old4this
04 cpe ivory pearl/5at/prem/sport wheel pkg(slightly dented)

 

Looks like the towtruck did some damage to your bumper and it was pulling it out.

But, thanks to insurance, you can always buy another one.

Twilight Blue G35 Coupe 6MT
Premium - Nav - Aero - Trunk Mat
Injen CAI

 

Yeah, the tow only was able to reach one of the rear hooks to grab onto and as he started to extricate the car you could hear things bending and popping so he had to let it back down and get a second cable around the rear axle. He said that can bend things up there by doing that but you've gotta get the car out of there... I made damn sure to tell the appraiser of that possible damage as well. Monday, I'll get on their case to see what's up.

 

Wow that looks like a big drop. the main thing is that ur ok. hey you might even get a new G


03 6mt black/black

 

Well, got some news today that has me all jazzed. I got word from Wawanesa that the appraiser said it looks totalled. She had me release it to her from the yard and they're going to get a totalling appraiser (or whatever it was called) assigned to it. I made sure to ask if it's likely that it would be changed to "repairable" at this point and she said NO! Wow, what a smile came over my face. So, I put in my order with Arnold (again, hehe, 2nd time's a charm!) for the exact same car. HOPEFULLY he gets the allocation for my order this week *fingers crossed*

 

Every dark cloud has a silver linning!!!...Great news for you.....
sometimes these things happen for a reason, what ever the case you get a new G...and you walk away no worse for the wear!!! glad to hear it's your day...good luck in the future and watch out for the icy roads!!!!20ld4this

04 cpe ivory pearl/5at/prem/sport wheel pkg(not to good in snow!!)

 

You are lucky they are going to total it because it doesn't look that bad to me.

Since you are ok and you will be getting a new car it's not that bad after all.

 

Woo hoo! Now you can get a black one! =)


Black/Willow 03.5 6MT, Premium, Navi, Aero, SAT
350Z Nismo CAI

 

Hahaha! Black is nice and all but I still think the DG is for me [img]/w3timages/icons/smile.gif[/img] Actually, there's nothing I'd change from my original setup. It would be nice if Infiniti offered the Navi w/o requiring the premium but I'm not gonna hold my breath for that, heh. A carputer is in my future!

Yeah, I can totally see how it looks like it may not be all that serious. I'm thinking though that by digging deeper, that the car jumped a distance, landing off camber, and hitting two trees, just may have taken it over the top. Glad they see it that way as well.

 

Pictures hurt. But HEY. I don't know how the hell you walked away from that one. Now you can get a black one. =)

Looking on the image station.. Was your car brand new? ><

Black / Black 2004 GcoupeMT. Premium. Splash Guardz.

 

Yeah, walking away from that, VERY lucky. All I saw ahead of me in my headlights were trees and a dropoff. I just closed my eyes and let it happen. Yep, was a new car, barely 2.5 months old (rec'd plates but not put on yet). I had put about 6,000 miles on it by that time though so I got to have some fun in it.

 

Well don't feel so bad ... here's another fella that did the same thing with his S2000. Ice on road is no fun!

Clint (THX723)

 

Looks like we're on the last leg of this journey. Last week the body shop started tearing it down to give their estimate. Since the original appraisal was $21k, the insurance company wanted to make sure which way they wanted to go (much to my chagrin since I prefer it be totalled). Well, yesterday the shop calls me up and tells me they've come up with an estimate of $34k so far and that's not even looking into the rear drivetrain which was used to pull the car up and out with, possibly bending things. Not long after I got the call that the insurance company is going to go ahead and call it a total loss. Yay for me! Heh. I'm just happy that things are finally wrapping up since it's been >5 weeks now since it all started. I've gotten tips from others to research what the going price of my vehicle should be but seeing that it's so new (~3 months) and being a non premium, 6MT, makes it kinda unique. I'm not expecting much under MSRP in any case judging by others experiences. Boy, what a ride it's been. I wasn't feeling too hot last week when it seemed they'd almost be repairing it.