360 spin ... handbrake up accidentally?! ...
 

Hi everyone,

What happened to me last Saturday was freaking crazy, and I still feel very lucky that my girfriend, myself, and my 8 are still safe without a scratch ...

Last Saturday night (Sunday morning really), I was driving on the highway (raining), and I was merging into a curve lane to make an enter to the another highway route. I was new to that area so I didn't know about the merge and was in "not slow" speed, probably around 65km/hr. When I realised there was a lane merge, I slowed down, just gradually, no heavy braking at all. The next thing I know , my car started drifting to the left, then I steered to the left trying to save it, then the whole car spinned to the right, pushed to the grass on the right continue spinning accorss the lane and ended up on the grass on the left. There were cars before and after me, lucky they all had enough time to slow down so everyone was OK.

After my 8 stopped, I was already on the left side of the lane, facing the opposite direction (on grass). We were so damn lucky that there was no conrete lane curb on the sides, just grass and dirt. After I made a stop, I started checking what's going on ... because I really wasn't braking heavy, and that curve merge was rather straight really, not critical at all. While I was checking, I realised the handbrake light was on. Then I thought I finally know why ... when I was merging, I drove pass a slow car, my girlfriend got freaked out because it's on her side, and her knee jumped and kicked up the handbrake, because as you all know the handbrake is on the passanger side, and the ring design on the handbrake tip has made it possible. My girlfriend has always been the jumpy type of girl so it's much more highly possible than it sounds. She doesn't admit it, I can't prove it ... we will end it at that. However, I am just wondering, has this happened to anyone, or it was really my driving? Is the whole handbrake thing possible or I am just crazy?! ... my 8 only has 12,000km on the clock, so the tires should still be fine.

Anyway, sorry about my long story. 1 lesson learnt though, never drive fast in an area you don't know, and esp when raining.

The e-brake on these cars is more like a real brake. It doesnt seem to lock up the tires as easy as it does on most cars. If you were braking fast the weight of the car was to the front and that mixed with the hand brake and rain might of been enough to do it.

My girlfriend bumps it all the damn time. I've just learned to drive one handed. Left hand on the wheel, right hand on the handbrake (or shifting, obviously). My GF is particularly annoying because she feels the need to sit with her legs crossed at random times, rather than keep them on the floor. When she lifts her legs to cross them, her knee engages the handbrake every time.

Luckily for me, the DSC has always been there to slow me down before my ass end slips out from behind me. Sounds like you've been less fortuneate...

so the scary incident was REALLY caused by your g/f's knee jerk that caused you to skid off into the grass and dirt?


If thats true i can partially belive that handbrake sucking in that position. This weekend @ Autocross practice our instructor took me for a spin in my 8, and was showing me what it could do. I will admit there was a few times I wanted to grab onto the handbrake (not to slow him down) but to just have SOMETHING to grab.

I must add though, even I am not sure ... esp that my handbraked was only jacked up 1/2 way ... per Trekk mentioned, it could well be the rain. I was going at 65km/hr, might be 70 but wouldn't be anywhere higher ... I changed from 5th to 4th, brake lightly, then the car started drifting ... but 1/2 made a very good suggestion, 1 hand on wheel 1 hand on handbrake. I will remember that. Thanks!

That seems very possible. If you were mid turn and let off the gas/started braking with the added braking force of the handbrake, that could definitively produce some trail-braking oversteer.

The parking brake is in a bad spot and a bad design.

Prolly time to trade in your girlfriend.

That's definitely under consideration ... haha

no no no, you just need here to lay over the brake handle. may have some slight difficulty shifting, but I'm sure it could turn out to be a safer, all around better drive ;)

nah,prolly time to get a new girlfriend who is not a jumpy type.

and by the way.most of you guy drive with the DSC on or off?

rx8^3 -

I drive with the DSC on 100% of the time. Most people leave it on as it is probably one the least-instrusive and best designed DSC/TCS's on the market today.

Some people don't like the idea of a machine controlling their car for them.
Others like knowing that if they ever over-estimate their own abilities a machine will rescue them.
I like the video-gameiness the car drives with when it's on - floor it around every turn, purposefully kick the ass end out on slippery surfaces, and the car effortlessly (and thusfar flawlessly) regains instant control with basic corrective steering. You can even keep the throttle all the way down during the slide to have 200 horses ready to launch you forward the instant you're straightened out.

CYA Note: I'm not as irresponsible as that last post probably makes me sound. 11 years of owning RX's, no speeding tickets on my record, no accidents that were my fault, and only one instance of losing control (to which the DSC proved itself as the best co-pilot ever).

Maybe they'll finally address that issue in a future model. :jerkit:

If the hand brake was half way up after the spin yeah, then it was your gf fault. I guess our hand break could really use a safety lock in the down position.

make her sit in the back :hahano:

Or do what I do....floor it all the time so she's planted back in her seat and can't move :dragster:

glad to hear you guys came out of that untouched though!

lol

geez, if any passenger comes near the hand brake they are banned from the car. does she get it now that it is DANGEROUS? i say tell her to keep herself over to the right or sit in the back.

the handbrake is there because this was originally designed as a RHD car in japan. still not sure why they didnt change that when they moved everything else over for the LHD here ...


(i still cant believe anyone would think that was ok to even touch the hand brake ... mistake or not)

Are your tires low, perchance? I had a very similar situation not too long ago, but I was lucky enough to just turn it into one loooong, straight slide, staying in my lane. It seems the car is prone to sliding to the left when you get on the throttle - I was accelerating hard in a straight line in the rain and my car just started sliding to the left with no steering input. I dialed in a smidge of countersteer and eased off the throttle as slowly as I could, and luckily managed to hang on to a short stint of diagonal driving before regaining full control. If my girlfriend was freaking out in the passenger seat, I don't know that I would have managed.

If it wasn't your tires, I have no clue. My tires are nightmarishly low and I know they were the cause.

Not in right hand drive cars.

That was one of the only things that Tiff complained about when he first reviewed the RX-8 on TopGear (he had a RHD modeol of course). It's so tall it gets in the way of shifting.

If back seat does not work , trunk will.

We also have a list of other things to fix for the future, if there is one.

I was being sarcastic. They aren't going to do shit about it.

You need to put something sharp on her side of the brake-- nails, broken glass, whatever-- so that every time she hits it, she bleeds. She'll learn real quick.

I am pretty puzzled about that one. I can't imagine how it would get in the way.