RIP Paul Walker

[SteveSRT8]

I believe you will find this was a mechanical issue.

The company I buy fleet trucks from has one person that works with local authorities whenever their vehicles are involved in a serious traffic accident.

Due to the outrageous weight the speeds are frequently over estimated. This leads to the wrong conclusions and should be avoided here also as we know little except that one witness reported a fluid leak...

 

[GregGA]

My guess: he was heard to be "on it", and this thing can easily go into a turn at 45 and come out at 100+. Look at google maps and you will see he was coming out of turn. The car appears to have gone side ways into the light pole and tree. Classic over steer, which this car is famous for. Pieces of the car broke a window 100 feet away! Sorry, but this was no mechanical failure, just a dumb [censored] move by Rodas. A waste of life and a beautiful car.

 

[y_p_w]

Originally Posted By: 02SE
Assuming the EDR (event data recorder) survived intact, the investigators would know exactly how fast the car was going, at the time of impact.

I seriously doubt they would lie about their findings. If they had been speeding, that is something the authorities would want to announce to the public, as a severe consequence of driving recklessly. Especially in a high-profile fatal accident where one of the deceased is known for his very successful street racing movies.

A Porsche Carrera GT, is not constructed like your average everyday grocery getter. A carbon fiber tub, and a design that is intended to come apart so as to dissipate crash energy during a crash, would look pretty bad in a relatively low-speed crash.

There was that Ferrari Enzo that was obliterated in Malibu with the driver (who claimed someone else was driving) walked away with minor injuries after slamming into a light pole at a speed of at least 160 MPH.

The LA County Sheriff's Dept spokesman said something about over a million bucks buying a lot of occupant protection. The engine was launched about a few hundred feet away from where the front of the car ended up.

 

[02SE]

Yes. I remember that crash. There was also an Enzo that was wadded up on a two-lane road in Utah, during a charity event, that was then rebuilt as a Landspeed Racing vehicle.

Other than sharing similar construction, between the Carrera GT and the Enzo, they had their own set of unique factors in their respective crashes, and are therefore likely not comparable.

I have no idea what actually happened to cause the crash of Paul Walker and Roger Rodas. My only point in posting previously, is that if the statements from Police to the media in that NBC News link I posted are to be believed, it sounds like they might not have been speeding.

RIP fellow gearheads.

 

[zloveraz]

Final report posted yesterday: http://sheriff.lacounty.gov/wps/portal/lasd/media/detail/?current=true&urile=wcmath:/lasd+content/lasd+site/home/home+top+stories/walkerrodascrashrelease

Conclusion was speed was the main contributing factornot mechanical failure. Also reduced traction because of nine year old tires that hardened.

RIP

 

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted By: zloveraz
Also reduced traction because of nine year old tires that hardened.


IF I had the coin to own/drive THAT beast, it would have FRESH Pilot CUPS on it at ALL times, at a minimum!!
(Maybe even Hoosier R comp road race compounds, IF they are even made in that thing's sizes??)

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: dailydriver
Originally Posted By: zloveraz
Also reduced traction because of nine year old tires that hardened.


IF I had the coin to own/drive THAT beast, it would have FRESH Pilot CUPS on it at ALL times,

That's the problem with some of these garage queens. The tires have many years on them, but if the tread is still there, people think the tires are just fine. Then they find out the hard way when they try to push them to the limit.

Another point is that many high perf tires need a bit of a warm up before they're up to their full potential. Not sure how long they've been driving by the time the accident happened...

 

[friendly_jacek]

Originally Posted By: zloveraz
Also reduced traction because of nine year old tires that hardened.


While age of the tires caught my eyes, the report said:

Quote:
Nothing mechanical went wrong to cause their Porsche to leave the wide road. Investigators found "no pre-existing conditions that would have caused this collision," the report said. Experts from Porsche and Michelin were consulted.


I guess if the car was kept indoors (showroom) with A/C, tires would not have aged that much.

 

[supton]

Any chance that stuff they put onto tires to make them shiny got onto the tread? I did not read the report, but I wonder if the car got cleaned up, and then got only drive a few miles, not far enough to clean off any contaiminants from the tread.