Rollovere

[Kevin Lang]

And don't be dead lol.



The sport trac has an abysmally low rollover rating (vintage gen one I'm referring to), but I only see that it was tested for rolling over in crashes. Is that what the safety test is for? Crashes as opposed to maneuvering?



I'm pondering this because on many a slick road surface I have found myself going down the road sideways, and there has been absolutely no body roll...leastways, none that I could perceive during the fun of being perpendicular to the lane of travel.



Seeing how fun going sideways is, and how my 2wd trac always seems to be doing it, combined with winter weather I just wondered if there was any chance of tumbling over down the road.



This whole issue comes about from ignorance: American cars have phased out RWD, and my family has only gone for FWD import cars, for the reason of improved traction. They also avoided manual transmissions because they were "a pain", so because of the actions of those before me, I have to learn all this stuff first-hand. Not that I'm complaining about having ot do things the real man's way, but I'd like to have some clue as to what I am doing. Team America went down when they had no intelligence, and I don't want to follow suit



Going sideways leads to thoughts of drifting, but in a vehicle which takes up both lanes, or a lane and a shoulder, on most 2 lane roads, it seems that such a thought is almost a pipe dream. Between other cars and the nemises that are mailboxes, my cherished (and daily driver) trac would be demolished before the rollover physics could flip her. Which would suck, suffice to say.

On the subject, Todd Z has a post about drifting, but the video he put up shows a burn out, which has absolutely nothing to do with going sideways down the road, at least, nothing that I can discern.



I can't help but enjoy the increased driveability of Rear Wheel Drive, but I want to get some input to avoid the consequences of going beyond the limit.



(locking the rear wheels slightly makes for effortless 90 degree turns while staying in the lane, and makes those inside-lane U-Turns a breeze...something which didn't work too well on my previous vehicles of FWD fame. Though these brake antics are the usual culprits in sideways travel when it's damp )

 

[Martin]

If this is something your really into.....I'd say do it only in a empty parking lot away from light polls etc.



Not something I'd attempt to do with a ST and risk damage or injury to yourself or possibly others.



There is always a risk of a possible "rollover" while going sideways....you have no control while going sideways and if by chance you "drift" off the side of of a road, there is a good chance you will flip or even hit a pothole in the road causing a rollover.



In your statement of "going beyond the limit", each thing you try, you could end up going one step further each time....sooner or later you'll end up going too far.

 

[Todd Z]

Most of the members that had rollover accidents here were sliding off the road and hit a ditch or curb. Yes some were "t" boned and flipped.



Speed, Driver ability and other factors count in with the equation to equal a rollover.



Also my burnout video was to show that you can have the tires doing 80+mph and you can go in a straight line..



If you find your self going sideways too much, you doing it on purpose, driving incorrectly or are not correcting it properly..



Todd Z

 

[Gypsy me]

Roll overs running ramped in an ST is a myth...the stories are plotted by the competition, 'cause they know a real truck when they see one :lol: not to mention a MORE beautiful design than most! And there were plenty of members that also purposely did donuts etc for fun and never rolled their 01-05 ST's I drifted (in my 04 STOCK suspension) and I did a spin-out coming out of a car wash in Vegas just to see how it felt in my trac. It was a steep drive to a vacant street, so nobody but me could have gotten hurt. With the soap and wax from the wash bay, it made for a perfect side drift and spin.. note: a complete spin and half.. Having drifted down the drive and a spinning 1.5 times I didn't even feel the trac wanting to roll. I want to add I had my posh wheels and tires on,( 20's. ) I believe the 16's would have handled even better. Man! That was FUN!!!!



I believe, the handling and safety comes from being an experienced driver. You will always have controll. You just know how to handle the situation you are in. (not you personally -I mean people/drivers in general)



*disclaimer: KIDS...DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!!!!