First time wide open.

[Voyager]

Came across an brand new school being built outside of town yesterday. I felt the vast empty parking lots of virgin asphalt taunting me as I rumbled by.

Turned around and went back like a kid running into a candy store. For the first time ever, I pushed the pedal to the floor in my new KC powered SPF. All I can say is it was absolutely freakin incredible.

Learned 2 things.

#1. Huge parking lots are not huge parking lots to this monster.

#2. Pull trigger only when perfectly straight.

Made a couple of 2nd gear runs back and forth across the empty grounds. The sound from the pipes was intoxicating. Got too excited and pulled the trigger too soon coming off an apex. Before I knew it, I was sliding sideways.

Now I can drift my supercharged Miata around an autocross track all day long. But I can not believe just how quickly this thing got away from me. It rotated around in the blink of an eye.

I have a new found respect for the car. I’m glad the snake bit me there, instead of on a street somewhere.

[Tom Wells]

Voyager,

Now you understand Hal Copple's "Take me for granted and I'll kill you."

Also you've learned to recognize what I've named a "snap spin." This behavior is fairly common with Cobras.

Most folks seem to think they can handle it - they're most often the ones who haven't experienced it yet.

Good job learning about the car nondestructively!

Tom

[Tommy]

Here's a bit of wisdom I learned while flying for the Air Force. They keep detailed accident statistics and have determined that the pilots most likely to be involved in an accident are those with about 500 hours of flying time (i.e., about two years in the cockpit). They reason that less experienced pilots are more careful because they accept that there is still a lot they don't know about flying. More experienced pilots have learned that you never get good enough to take flying for granted, or it will kill you. It's the guys with just enough experience to think they've got if figured out, but not enough experience to have really figured it out that get into the most trouble. The moral of the lesson for Cobra drivers is to never let yourself get so comfortable in your car that you think you can handle anything that may arise. Most of us can't.

[Excaliber]

Well said Tommy. I can add that the same basic principle also holds true for motorcycle accidents. Give a guy (gal) 6 months to a year of riding experience and thats when he is the most danger to himself.

A couple of years in, on a bike, and it's likely you had a few close calls and you get your respect back.

[redmt]

Sorry to be a wet blanket, but you got your giggles by racing around and leaving tire tracks on private property. I'm sure it was a rush ripping it up for the first time and I would probably have done the very same if I had the opportunity, but it's still wrong unless you have permission of the owner or School District in this case.

JMHO
John

[Dens]

I've auto crossed my cobra several times. Last year while making my second run, I had the car snap loose on me. It turned on me so fast I was completely surprised that I was facing where I'd just come from. I was very confident in my ability as I also race NASA CMC. Don't think for a minute it won't happen to you.

"Take me for granted and I'll kill you."

Brad

[Excaliber]

I don't have a problem with someone "hooning" a big parking lot. It's a public use area, OK, likely illegal if taken to the extreme. It's a decent way to learn car control in an environment far safer than on the street.

One of the reasons I like "Drifting" in Hawaii was that you could use a large parking lot area to just mess around. Fry the tires or whatever. Even then, you still had a bunch of "wet blankets" complaining about it. Where else you gonna go? Just a reality check, of course, anyone who chooses to use such a venue should understand the risks. Legal, moral and other wise.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by Excaliber

I don't have a problem with someone "hooning" a big parking lot. It's a public use area, OK, likely illegal if taken to the extreme. It's a decent way to learn car control in an environment far safer than on the street.

I think it's the safest way. I don't think it's possible to flip a Cobra in a paved parking lot. However, our local club has had Cobras flip by going off the track and in to just plain old dirt/grass. So long as there are no poles to hit, I think it's a smart way to learn.

[Excaliber]

One way you COULD flip a Cobra on level asphalt is having very sticky tires (slicks maybe, up to temp and offering terrific traction). Perhaps drag racing slicks may also apply...

Anyway, you get the car almost exactly sideways, because you did a great job of not over correcting the spin. Now instead of sliding sidesways, the outside tires bite, they dig in, dynamic forces then roll the car over. This might not be a violent roll over, more like a gentle roll over. This will most likely occur at relatively low speed, as higher speeds would tend to induce a full blown slide. UNTIL just the right amount of lower speed is reached, at which the time the tire bite induces the roll over.

Of course, leaving the pavement and getting in the dirt, duplicates the same scenario and might well increase the tire bite problem.

I am reminded of a rear tire blow out I had on a motorcycle at about 80 mph. I was surprised that I was able to control the bike at that speed. It took TWO lanes to do it, but I was staying up. Until I got down to about 30 mph, THATS when I almost dumped it. It was much harder to control at the lower speeds.

[Scufty]

Originally Posted by redmt

Sorry to be a wet blanket, but you got your giggles by racing around and leaving tire tracks on private property. I'm sure it was a rush ripping it up for the first time and I would probably have done the very same if I had the opportunity, but it's still wrong unless you have permission of the owner or School District in this case.

JMHO
John

You know, why did I know that someone would make some stupid comment like this? There's lots of things that are "wrong" in our world today but lets keep it in perspective. Sheesh ...who cares about the tire tracks? Come on lets get to the next post where in someone says " better be careful what you post on here, if the School district that owns that school is looking for the perpetrator that put those tracks there they could come and look on CC and see that you admitted to it and have you charged." Man oh man
Just my opinion.
No offense John

[redmt]

Originally Posted by Scufty

You know, why did I know that someone would make some stupid comment like this? There's lots of things that are "wrong" in our world today but lets keep it in perspective. Sheesh ...who cares about the tire tracks? Come on lets get to the next post where in someone says " better be careful what you post on here, if the School district that owns that school is looking for the perpetrator that put those tracks there they could come and look on CC and see that you admitted to it and have you charged." Man oh man
Just my opinion.
No offense John

No Offense?? You take a shot at me calling something I posted stupid and "no offense" ? It was my opinion. If I was the owner of the parking lot, I'd hang you from the highest tree until you made restitution. Perspective?? It's is vandalism, defacing private property. As I stated , I would probably have done the same thing had I had the chance. I offered up a suggestion that possibly what was done was illegal. Trespassing is a crime, vandalism is a crime, defacing private or public property is a crime.

[patrickt]

Ehhh, no real harm done. I think it's nothing. After all, we used to do doughnuts in the high school parking lot -- in fact, I drove the Cobra through my old high school parking lot just this weekend and was tempted to do a few doughnuts, even after 35 years now. Didn't though... they probably have video cameras and I'd hate to make the news.

[Tom Wells]

Voyager,

I just remembered something. A writer named Henry N. Manney, a Brit who wrote for Road & Track magazine, uh, a long, long time ago, likely was the one who coined the term WFO.

I think at least two of us know what that really means

RIP, Henry...

Tom

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by Tom Wells

[b]... was the one who coined the term WFO.

Ooooh, this is like "Wheel of Fortune." OK, I think the last word is "Off" and the first word looks like "Well," and Vanna could I please buy a "U" to help me with that middle word?

[mpanten]

Originally Posted by redmt

No Offense?? You take a shot at me calling something I posted stupid and "no offense" ? It was my opinion. If I was the owner of the parking lot, I'd hang you from the highest tree until you made restitution. Perspective?? It's is vandalism, defacing private property. As I stated , I would probably have done the same thing had I had the chance. I offered up a suggestion that possibly what was done was illegal. Trespassing is a crime, vandalism is a crime, defacing private or public property is a crime.

John,

This is a forum for car guys to talk about car stuff. Car guys go fast make lots of noise and do burnouts. If you can honestly say you have never broken the speed limit by a wide margin with your car then I will call BS. People buy these cars beacuse they are fast and dangerous, not to get groceries. He came on here to share a story not get lectured to like a school boy.

[redmt]

Originally Posted by mpanten

John,

This is a forum for car guys to talk about car stuff. Car guys go fast make lots of noise and do burnouts. If you can honestly say you have never broken the speed limit by a wide margin with your car then I will call BS. People buy these cars beacuse they are fast and dangerous, not to get groceries. He came on here to share a story not get lectured to like a school boy.

Hey, it was no lecture. It was a simple statement about respecting private property. I don't agree with everything I read here but I'm not calling anybody or their posts stupid. I didn't call him out, I offered up an opinion and I stand by it. If it was my property that he had marked up , I would be pissed. Period. Simple respect for the property of others. Still , my opinion.

[Jamo]

Let's bring this down a few notches...valid points on both sides.

While in school back in the 70s, I found myself talking to two of San Diego's Finest in a far corner of the famous Zoo's parking lot early one morning. Seems some Japanese tourists were concerned about a crazy person taking his BRE 510 in and amongst the light polls and parking islands whilst practicing up for an autocross at the stadium.

As the occifers noted, the whole idea of having the sanctioned autocrosses was to keep morons from screwing around on the road and on private/public property, though they certainly understood the logic I was trying to rely on. Since the firm I was clerking for represented the Zoo, I figured I'd better back off and become a bit sheepish before my much-needed job disappeared.

Many years later, at one of the early Flings, I recall a buddy from the Capital Cobra Club having an extended discussion with several members of London's Finest after giving a waitress from the bar&grill we Gasholes and Capital folks were at a wild ride around the far reaches of a shopping center parking lot. Thankfully, we Gasholes were smart enough to bring our own cop along, someone who could naturally speak cop, who kept our merry Capital bro from being hauled off and his Cobra impounded. Luckily, our cop left the blow-up doll he drove across the country with back in the motel room...might have undercut his credentials a bit.

It worked out mucho muy goodo...Gasholes stuck the Capital group with the bar tab.

All of the winking notwithstanding, I'd go after someone in a heartbeat if a client (public or private) requested it after having their property assualted in such a way.

I am mindful of that wonderful line from Hill Street Blues..."Let's be careful out there."

[redmt]

I really didn't intend to piss in anybody's Cheerios.

I was in my senior year of high school in 1970 and drove the typical 57 chevy. We had an open campus which meant we could come and go as classes permitted. The guys who left campus with their cars had a special lot behind the school and a circular alley/drive past the front of the school out to the main road. It was a favorite ritual to see who could burn 'em the furthest and in how many gears right past the school. If you were caught it was an automatic 3 day suspension so we got pretty good at not being caught. They finally installed speed bumps every couple hundred feet or so to try to curb the hot roding. One afternoon I had a particularly good burn out going and didn't let up for one of the speed bumps. After crossing the bump, the clutch, tail housing of the tranny, drive line and front yoke of the rear end all hit the ground. No denying this one. The Dean of boys came running out and just laughed. I still got the 3 day suspension. It gave me time to fix my car.

[Jamo]

Hehehe...MANY years ago, a few of us used to race our old half-ton flatbed field trucks during the spring months when we used to head to the vineyards right after school (I had a 49 Plymouth...no floor, no signals and a 53 Chevy bench seat) on the "bus road" behind the gym. My friend's 51 Ford was much faster, but was an ugly yellow.

[Voyager]

Redmt, I was going to call the school district, but didn’t have their number, so I called my mom instead. She said do whatever I wanted as long as I didn’t vote Democrat.

Really…

Anyway…I couldn’t have found a better place to experiment than an unoccupied building complex in the middle of the forest. They weren’t donuts or burn outs…they were floor it in second gear from about 25 mph and see what 500+ hp feels like. And oh yeah, it tasted sweet.

And lastly…I took no offense to your comments. I’m glad we live in a place where we can share divergent ideas & comments. As I approach my 30th year in the Department of Defense, I hope in some small way I contributed to that. Happy Veterans Day.