Excess speed in real life ain't as fun as it is in movies

[Frank Lee]

Publicist: 'Fast & Furious' star dies in car crash

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

He was kinda like a James Dean's equivalent to my generation. Ironically, James Dean embraced campaigns for the usage of seatbelts, and also died in a crash in a mid-engined Porsche.

[pgfpro]

A very sad day.

Still don't know all the details but from what I've read it looks like Paul just got the Porsche and was letting a friend (Roger Rodas a experience road race driver) drive it. Fast cars need to be thought as a lethal item. They can get away from you in a hurry on your normal roads.

After seeing the video footage it looks like they were on a urban street. So not only were they endangering themselves but also innocent by-standards.

I'm not saying I'm perfect either. When I was younger I did a lot of illegal street racing myself and testing my car where I shouldn't have. Today some of my WOT data-logging test are done on a road that's flat and over 5 miles long out in the middle of no where and with no cross roads and no traffic. I also only run at very low boost and only to third gear, then extrapolate the fuel and ignition tables from the data.



Paul sounds like he was a very cool guy and did a lot for the needy. Its so sad when life can end so tragic in the blink of a eye.

RIP Paul

[botsapper]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

He was kinda like a James Dean's equivalent to my generation. Ironically, James Dean embraced campaigns for the usage of seatbelts, and also died in a crash in a mid-engined Porsche.

http://i.imgur.com/eZLFPK2.jpg

They were about to shoot key scenes for the next Fast & Furious 7 movie. The next sequel was to be mainly filmed in the Philippines but the typhoon Haiyan postponed their filming schedule. Here is Paul Walker and the costars working for a relief fundraiser for the Philippines.

Salamat and Godspeed, RIP.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zV9Yfq4Z9w8

[niky]

Apparently, they were going 45 mph, and the accident happened where the road transitioned to a 15 mph zone. There is word that some power steering fluid trails were found near the accident site, so they are theorizing there was a problem with the car.

Some have noted the Carrera GT is not just twitchy, it's inordinately twitchy, willing to break loose and completely sideways even at such low speeds if you so much as look at the brakes wrong.

While it does seem they were going faster than the local limit, we still don't know what problems there were with the car or what the situation was. All we know is that both Paul and his friend are dead. RIP.

[Frank Lee]

I've read quite a few theories but nothing is official at this point. Police did say excess speed was a factor but exactly how much isn't released yet. Does a 45 mph impact obliterate a car like that? One person theorized that NO2 may have been used as they thought it to be highly flammable and the fire was fast and... well, furious.

[user removed]

I've looked at literally thousands of wrecked cars, many of them fatalities. To have been torn apart like that I would estimate the speed at 90 MPH. Porsches don't get ripped in half easily. Sideways into a pole with enough impact to tear it off a bolted on concrete mount.
It's just sad, and I really feel for his Dad, loosing a Son after watching him hit it big in Hollywood only to loose it all like that.

regards
Mech

[niky]

Do note that crash testing is only done at 35-40 mph.

If the pole was hard enough and small enough in cross-section, it's possible for it to have sliced the car in half. 45 mph might well be the impact speed, but the speed at the start could have been higher.

We don't know for certain yet.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

One person theorized that NO2 may have been used as they thought it to be highly flammable and the fire was fast and... well, furious.

If the vehicle was fitted with an NO2 system, even if it was not in use at the crash event, a leak could have happened.

[SoobieOut]

Trailing throttle over steer has killed many a Porsche driver. It is counter intuitive to not let up on the throttle in a turn. But if you go into a turn fast in a rear engine car, you better hold or increase the throttle. Otherwise the car will dramatically over steer.