Saw this on another forum...

"Truly a tragedy for all of the families and my heart goes out to them...they are forever changed as a result. From what I understand, these were two quality guys who gave back a lot in charity and their time. They should be remembered for that.

I haven't really felt the need to comment until now since its all speculation, but something caught my eye this morning that I think is more than significant. Check out this video clip...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...3izbGcor0#t=14


Pause the clip at 0.24 and watch the segment from 0.24 to 0.29. Freeze it at 0.29 and take a look at the R rear tire. It looks quite worn and looks like a slick. The sidewall shows accumulation at the edges of melted rubber indicated a tire placed under extreme heat generating operation. Could it explain the donut skid marks in the road who knows.

What I do know as an owner of a CGT is that tire condition is crucial to its handling and stability. I've driven mine 12700 miles now and have a decent appreciation for its handling characteristics. I absolutely love this car. To me, its the Porsche equivalent to the F40 in terms of analog, raw appeal. It takes an effort to drive well but is so rewarding.

My ego is comfortable with driving at 6/7 10ths and I'll let the pros explore beyond that. I do know that a CGT on worn tires feels like its on ice. A close friend of mine who also owns a CGT and is a champion race car driver once advised me to keep fresh tires on the CGT, especially if spirited driving is planned.

Here is a still shot of the R rear tire, again reportedly minutes before the tragic drive, taken from the clip . You be the judge of its condition..."

 

Very cool

 

Personally I find it very hard to tell anything about the tire's condition from that photo. These guys were both experienced enough racers that I highly doubt they would be driving on a bad tire. We also know that the car was serviced numerous times (and not too many miles before the crash) and hard to imagine it leaving the shop with a bald tire. Finally, any accident investigator that's not legally blind would have already noted a bald tire.

 

Was just quoting from another forum as I thought it was interesting looking at the pic and the video from 0:24 to 0:29... and while I do agree with you.. to me, I can't say that the tire looks great by any means. If the tire blew at high speed, were cold and lost traction, etc..... a lot of things could happen.

 

Not a chance - there aren't that many deaths tied to vehicle fires. Average total is 209/year, and you're assuming that a fire suppression system would prevent all of those deaths.

...or were you just trying to show that 87.6% of all internet statistics are made up on the spot?

http://www.nfpa.org/safety-informati...umers/vehicles

 

Completely understandable. That's part of the job description. I'll try to elaborate a little on what I was bringing up as far as the new and updated tires.

When the original Michelins were released many owners and test drivers experienced lot's of eye widening moments due to snap oversteer. One of the first things that I heard from current and former CGT owners after the accident was questions regarding the tires on the car.

The old style tires have a reputation for being extremely slick when cold. The term "like driving on ice" was used several times. This behavior along with further unpredictability led Porsche and Michelin to design a new tire. When the Pilot Super Sports were released owners almost unanimously declared that it was a night and day difference between the two. The car was far more predictable and many of the inherent "problems" were now manageable.

The other thing that many people don't even consider is how old the tires on a low mileage car can potentially be. There are many low mileage CGT's out there and some are still sporting the original tires that are now eight years old. At that point, depending on storage conditions, the handling of the tire is uncertain and a high speed blowout has to be considered as being more likely. This applies to all cars. If you are buying an older low mileage car make sure to check the date code on the tires.

It is important for all of us to remember how precious life is and take the necessary steps to ensure those that love and depend on us aren't left in a similar situation.

 

That tire DOES look very worn down in that video. Im sorry but there are no visible 'grooves' in that tire. That is a worn down tire. Its easy to see. Interesting. Nice video

 

The photo does appear to show a badly worn tire which could have caused the rear end to slide out on the curve. Even professional drivers can get into situations that can't be corrected by experience.

A post further up spoke about light poles. The majority of light poles in use today have a "breakaway" feature but impact at a high rate of speed will still cause considerable damage to a vehicle.

If there is anything we can learn from this tragedy is that posted speed limits are there for a reason. Go faster at your own risk.

I'm certified in advanced accident investigation and accident reconstruction and can tell you that unless you're there on the scene, have taken measurments, spoken to witnesses, or personally seen the car, there is no reason to make assumptions as to what happened.

 

+1 to the new bad tire theory.

 

let's not just say "oh damn it was a bad tire". at reasonable speeds that wouldn't have mattered.

 

It is another tangent to consider, of course point of impact of the vehicle and at what height on the pole are factors. At what height is the breakaway point?

Back in the early 80s or so, my sister-in-law hit a concrete pole head-on in her Volvo 240. It caused massive damage to the engine compartment area. Her and the baby were just fine though!

 

the breakaway is usually at the bottom of the pole, the break on this pole looked to be 10+ feet up.
and was sheared off at the base.

 

If you review the picture of the flatbed tow truck getting ready to load up the pieces, the left rear tire is also visibly worn. That will not be missed by investigators. How/why the bald rear tires were missed by Rodas????

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...95_964x636.jpg

 

This is pretty tragic, Paul was a great guy. I was fortunate enough to be on set during one of his films, he was very kind to the people around him and seemed to always be smiling.

 

Exactly….lol:rolleye s: