That's what I get for driving back roads in sleet with summer tires...the guard rail probably saved me from death or serious injury, thank God for that.

From what I can see, the side bumper is toast, the fuel tank is leaking, and the suspension is...gone. I'm sure there is some other damage. I was sliding along that rail for at least 30 feet. Anyone have a clue what I can expect repair costs on the suspension/tank to be? a ballpark figure is helpful. thanks.

 

with my skateboard!

Back to being serious... if your tank is leaking and your suspension is toast, and body damage... I would say probably between 7 and 10k.

That sucks man, hope things work out for you. She is a beautiful car, even in that position.

 

One of the beautiful things about the '8 is its body rigidity. Most other cars would have a pronounced "sag" sitting up in the air like that.
It is possible that your frame is relatively straight.

If its not, you will want to sell the car as soon as it is repaired (provided your insurance doesn't total it) because it will never handle correctly again.

Bastage - I love the "Johnny Dangerously" Roman Moroni quote!
"Why you miserable cork-sucker! "

 

awww your mutli link rear suspension - ouch! I once saw a '72 Coupe de Ville do that same guide rail trick.

 

How did your car get on the rail like that?

 

Thanks for advice so far.

I don't quite remember everything, but I remember trying to bring the rear out to the left to correct it because I lost the front leftwards. The back came out, but then I think I might've given up when I saw the rail and just stepped on the brakes (probably a bad idea). The car got scooped up where the rail lifts off the ground and I just rode it up.

MazdaManiac, thanks for the advice. I just got her back in november with 1100 on her, would be upsetting if I have to sell her away. Is it possible to not deal with insurance entirely?

 

If you have the cash, anything is possible.

 

Again, that's the kind of thing I did with my skateboard!

You're very lucky to come out of that as well as you did. Looks like a pretty steep drop over that rail. I'm glad you're ok. The leaking gasoline thing kind of freaks me out a bit... there's a thread around here somewhere about some college kids that were burned to death after an accident in an 8. Kind of a depressing read, but it goes to show us just how lucky we are.

Definitely try to get your insurance company to consider it totaled if the estimated damage exceeds whatever threshold your insurance company designates. If the suspension is as farged up as I think it is, you don't want to drive that car.

 

All I can say is those rails have no give at all.. kinda scary and awsome I guess at the same time.

 

Count yourself lucky and get rid of those sh*tty OEM Bridgestones. Those are deathtraps tires in anything but dry weather.

 

ouchie

 

Sure puts a new meaning to "Cornering on Rails" expression.

 

Strange thread.
Sorry that happened to your '8. I'm sure you're ready for the winter tire flames...
It's odd that you're admiring your car while it's stuck on a guard rail...

 

ouch, that must have been scary! Thank goodness you're okay. I've been lucky so far with my OEM Bridgestones, but the more I hear about them, the more I think I should get a different set of tires

 

Just a way of coping I suppose.

 

Thanks for the concern. I am very lucky. I'd have hit a tree and fallen down 10 feet or so into a stream if it weren't for that rail. After all that, I won't even have a sore neck. My mother told me this evening that just before I called her to let her know what happened, she'd finished saying a prayer for my safety. As a religious guy, I'm thankful she did so.

My plan thus far is to have the damaged appraised by a local shop, and then move from there. If the repairs aren't very expensive (doubtful) I'll probably have to lug out the cash and get it fixed myself so insurance stays the same. The more likely scenario is that I'll have to argue with the insurance people. First to get them to total it, and then to write a check that actually covers its worth. Hope I can come back here for suggestions when the time comes.

 

i dooo like your avatar

 

sorry man. hate to see pics like that - especially of a BB. GL w/the claim. You likely have a new item on your "I did that once, but I walked away from it" list. Put on your flamesuit.

 

Sorry to hear this—glad you're okay.
If you think prayer is good, just wait 'til you try winter tires.

 

Is that not a perfectly straight road? Is there a right hand corner back some distance down the road?

Not to put too fine a point on it, but looks like DAMN FOOLISH BEHAVIOR SYNDROME to me. The correct response to "I lost the front to the left" should be "then I let off the gas and turned in the direction the car was headed". Understeering stops if you simply let off the gas! If you "remember trying to bring the rear out" that would mean a 2nd gear clutch kick (drifting technique) like some sort of D1GP hero... OR, more likely, that's what you might have been doing in the first place, and just swun wide in the turn and got scooped (saved) by the rail. If by saying "trying to bring the rear out" you mean "I just stood on the gas pedal" then you have, hands down, completely and utterly been 100% responsible for a wreck which could have been avoided.

It could have been "The car understeered leaving the corner way down the road there, but I stood on it to make it drift man, and by the time the back came around, whoops, there was this rail!"

What you fail to note is, you're on the wrong side of the friggin' road! One car coming the other way, or worse, a truck or SUV, or a minivan full of kids on the way to basketball practice, and we'd be writing your obituary instead of odes to how beautiful your friggin' car looks hung up on that rail.

These are SPORTS CARS with SPORTS CAR HANDLING; they will bite you in the @SS when you do something stupid. You did several things which fully fall into the category of "colossally stupid":
1. Too fast entering a corner...
2. Not letting off the gas when you noticed understeer...
3. Looking where your car was going ("when I saw the rail coming...", not where you wanted to go...
4. Brakes don't work when skidding, the tires have already lost traction...
5. Trying to be a F@ckin' D1 driver by "bringing the back end out". Is your name Kazama? Ueo? Rhys Millen? What the hell were you thinking?

We get a day in Chicago where three kids die for no good reason, followed by you, who by the grace of God, didn't wad up the driver's side of your car against the front of Chevy 2500 pickup truck! If, by further proving that God smiles on you, your insurance company doesn't find your thread, and they total your car, I'd suggest something along the lines of a Hummer H2 for you. If they fix it (and they probably will if you haven't bent the chassis) you'd best get to a performance driving school ASAP. You are clearly messing around with forces you don't fully understand, and are a danger to yourself and everyone around you.

To everyone else, get off the freakin' tires! They don't MAKE you drive fast in poor weather conditions, and they won't save you from yourself or from infringing upon the laws of physics. They are identified as "High Performance Summer Tires" (in very clear English) for a reason! And Puh-lease, for Pete's sake, stop whining about buying winter tires! It is WINTER!

I'm almost starting to believe that people should have to pass a test before being allowed to buy an RX-8. Fail it and you get stuck in an AWD Subaru Legacy (non-turbo) which can barely pull itself to 60 mph in 9 seconds.

 

And before anyone asks, I grew up in southwestern Ohio, have driven in snow many times, and took my first driving test in a RWD station-wagon with 1/2 inch of snow on the roads in Lebanon, Ohio. Backroads are not to blame, sleet is not to blame, tires are not to blame. Driver error is to blame.

 

Go drive an RX-8 in 1/2" snow with stock tires. Please take pics.

 

PhotoMunkey,

thanks bud. post much appreciated. fyi, the road was perfectly straight. No turns. It's a long dip that goes straight down, and then straight back up. I was on my way back up. By bringing the back end out, I meant straighten the car out, because it was pointing to the left and I was moving to the left. I don't remember, but I'm sure I had the sense to turn the wheel towards the road. The whole thing didn't last very long. Let's be honest, when something like that happens you act on instinct, you don't think it through. But you're right, I'm a total retard for even glancing at the railing (where I don't want to go), and a bad person for ever putting on the brakes as a last ditch. I'm sorry daddy, I'll do better next time. I promise!

Why did I even bother with that...

 

What don't you understand about WINTER DRIVING? Perhaps you're confused by the word "winter"? That would be the polar opposite of "summer", remember? Again, if you can't grasp the concept that winter driving can, and often does require WINTER TIRES on an RX-8, perhaps you should move to a warmer clime?

We'll debate constantly the perfect oil to run in our engines and yet, fail to follow even the most simple instruction from Mazda about seasonal tire requirements. Do we really think we know that much more about this car's chassis than Mazda? We obviously know more about the engine, right? I mean we've all solved all of the problems that Mazda hasn't in our garages after a few beers, right?

All I'm saying is, this thread started with "Perhaps I shouldn't have been driving on country roads in sleet on summer tires...". To which I say "Duh!" He then proceeded to make a series of common driving mistakes, which ultimately ended up damaging his car, and thankfully, not taking his, or anyone else's lives. To me, his car doesn't look beautiful like that; it's a sign of ****-poor decision-making, a cheapskate who won't buy winter tires, and a sad commentary on why our insurance rates might climb higher as the years wind on.

A friend I have in Ohio once owned a brand new 1991 Honda Prelude Si, which came with nice "performance tires". Despite having a favorable front weight bias and front wheel drive, he couldn't climb out of our apartment parking lot during a 1/2 in snowfall in 92!

 

are you located near the mid-atlantic region brotherkow?