My G35 has met it's untimely end. I lost control of the car while trying to avoid a car in front of me who slammed on his brakes for no apparent reason (I can only assume he thought I was too close). I actually had plenty of room to slow down without hitting the other car but, for some reason, I swerved to the right which caused the rear end of the car to break loose and swing out.

The passenger side shows more overall damage because it must have nearly rolled over after hitting a tree just about head-on. The car hit a second tree just behind the front wheel on the passenger side. The front wheel on the driver's side was ripped from the car (the suspension broke) and the wheel split in half. The front airbags deployed. I walked away without any major injuries except for some bruising/soreness and an abrasion on my left forearm from the airbag.

The picture above makes it appear that there's not much damage but the other pictures I have show all of the detail.

<font color=red>2003.5 Garnet Fire/Graphite G35 6MT Sedan</font color=red>
Premium Package • Navigation • Winter Package • Aero Package • 350Z intake duct • Stillen high-flow airbox

291397-G35.jpg

 

That sucks ***. I sooo sorry!!!!!

03.5 Sedan/B.Sil/Prem/Wntr/Aero/Tint/Rims/Hotchkis Sways--WHERE ARE OUR PARTS!
69 Chevelle Hard Top BB/4.11's/Posi

 

Just be happy that you walked away from your accident with only minor injuries. The car can be replaced, not your life :/

2003 6MT Laser Red Coupe, Premium, Chrome 18's, JWT Pop Charger, Z Tube

 

fireball... [img]/w3timages/icons/frown.gif[/img] sorry about your accident and glad you weren't hurt. this shows how safe our Gs are. but it's unfortunate that the real test of its safety is via accidents like yours. may your insurance check have lots and lots of zeros.

<font color=purple>.g35girl.</font color=purple>

 

Sounded serious... it's a good thing you didn't live up to your name.. fireball... that would have been a painful end indeed.


<font color=red>chinee</font color=red>
03.5 G35s

 

Sorry for the loss, but also glad you are OK.

Can you give us any lessons-learned from what happened with regard to the rear-end handling? What would you have done differently if you had the chance? How fast were you going?

I'm also curious about the other car. Did they stop? Do you believe they have any legal responsibilities? Were you cited by the police for any reason?

<font color=blue>'04 G35S 5AT, Black Obsidian/Willow, Prem/Nav/Sat</font color=blue>

 

Sorry to read about and see how your G35 got smashed. Good to hear though that you are o.k. since it seems like a fairly major crash. I too would be interested in knowing what the police report stated and how things turn out.

 

Glad to hear that you are OK....
I don't wanna sound crass or insensitive, but I was wondering what will happen to the car? Will they part it out? I am looking at replacing my early G35 Head Unit with a later on that has SAT capabilities. Can I buy that head unit????
Again...I am very happy that you are ok!
MB

 

Wow! You and everyone around you are lucky. Thankfully, it sounds like no one got injured.

I'm reminded of how quickly life turns from a spirited drive in a high performance automobile to a almost bought the farm accident. I'm glad you're okay.

I must comment that your collision bears all the hallmarks of following too closely for your speed. I don't understand why you assume the driver in front of you slammed on his brakes because you were following too close. When someone is following me too closely, I generally move over to let him or her pass. Slamming on the brakes is stupid because it invites me to join the accident. (Plus you're assuming malicious behavior by the other driver, why would you assume that?) Your swerve to the right was a natural response to avoid hitting the car in front of you. Did you have VDC on at the time?


04 G35X

 

One of our members describes our rides as tanks. He's right, and good thing.
Sorry to hear of and see the damage. Hurts to look, but we're all glad you walked away unscathed.
You must have been a little ticked that someone slammmed on the binders ahead of you.

Good luck with the replacement, hope you're G'ing again soon. Don't forget to scarf back the mods you have, and whatever else the insurance will allow you to grab.

<font color=red>GSM</font color=red>
<font color=red>GSM</font color=red>
<font color=black>Silverstone Coupe</font color=black>

 

Sorry to hear that man. Glad the car did well in protecting you. But I am not really sure how the car lost its rear-end in a manuver like that. I have done many and the rear just sticks. Did you have VDC turned off?

2004 Infiniti G35S, 6MT, Premium, Sport, DP
Mods: JDM Clears, 20% tint, Z-tube, K&N Drop In
Track: 14.32 at 98.79 mph 2.2032 60ft
http://www.g35world.com<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small"><EM>Edited by G35_TX on 07/03/04 10:19 AM.</EM></FONT></P>

 

Thanks for all of the kind words, everybody. Here's a picture of where the driver's side front tire used to live. Let me answer the questions the best I can.

The most-asked question was about VDC. . .I had VDC switched off at the time. I've been in the habit of switching it off about half the time I drive the car because I've found it to be a little unnerving when the traction control kicks in, and bogs the car down, when trying to accelerate quickly (as I was doing to merge ahead of some traffic coming up from behind). That was probably the main reason why the car lost control.

I feel another reason for the loss of control was related to the Bridgestone Turanza all-season tires my car had (part of the winter package). The Turanzas, this being my first experience with them, are great high-mileage passenger car tires but they are far from being a performance tire and don't belong on the 6MT sedan (or the 5AT with the sport suspension), even with the winter package, in my opinion.

The loss of control also has to be a result of driver error. Cranking the steering as fast as I did wasn't a smart thing to do even if it was a natural response. When I hit my brakes, I was easily slowing down without getting close to hitting the other car.

I haven't seen the police report yet but I was not cited. The officer did say that three witnesses stated that myself and the other car were exceeding the speed limit, of 50 mph, but I don't recall if I even shifted into third gear when it happened. If I did shift into third, I did it a fraction of a second before the incident happened. The other car did not stop and I doubt they have any legal responsibilities. I believe it's not illegal to hit your brakes for any reason while driving unless you come to a complete stop and obstruct the flow of traffic. The other driver, if he had stopped, could have said that a dog ran out in front of his car (although I didn't see any reason for him to brake) and it would have been his word against mine.

I'm not sure what's going to happen to the car. My insurance hasn't inspected the car yet. I was going to attempt to retrieve the Infiniti all-season floormats but the tow company piled all of the broken pieces of the car inside (headlights, front bumper, front fener, half of a wheel, a tire, various pieces from the engine compartment, and more). I also wanted to get the trunk mat that I bought but the battery cables had been cut, to avoid creating a fire hazard, so that was out of the question. I also thought about trying to remove the Stillen intake and Z tube but that stuff was pretty crunched up too.

I'm hoping to get another G35 6MT sedan. I'd ultimately like to wait for the '05 model, because of all the expected changes, but I'd be happy with an '04 at a good price. I got my '03 at $500 over invoice, and 1.9% financing, because the '04s were about to show up. I was happy with the deal but really wanted an '04 because of the LSD and tire pressure monitors. Timing-wise, I may be in a similar situation between an '04 and '05.

<font color=red>2003.5 Garnet Fire/Graphite G35 6MT Sedan</font color=red>
Premium Package • Navigation • Winter Package • Aero Package • 350Z intake duct • Stillen high-flow airbox

 

Oops, the picture didn't attach. Here it is.

<font color=red>2003.5 Garnet Fire/Graphite G35 6MT Sedan</font color=red>
Premium Package • Navigation • Winter Package • Aero Package • 350Z intake duct • Stillen high-flow airbox

291850-Driver Front.jpg

 

Wow! Sorry about your accident. I'm glad you weren't hurt seriously!

I wonder if it's a good idea to speculate about the cause of an accident on a public forum, especially statements regarding actions you took that may have contributed (e.g., turning VDC off). Couldn't this be used against you in some way?

 

If Fireball does not mention his real name and address, I'm not sure how his [anonymous] comments could be used against him here or anywhere else...

'03 G35s 5AT, Garnet Fire/Willow
Staggered 18" SSR GT1/Bridgestone PP S03
Eibach Springs/Sways, Stillen 2-pc BBK
Stillen Intake & SS Cat-Back Dual Exhaust