[968Syncro]

Taking my son to the Tire Rack teen driving school this Sunday Mar. 28th. He is 18, should have brought him earlier, he has totaled 2 cars so far. [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/mad.gif[/img] [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/mad.gif[/img] [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/mad.gif[/img]

Here is a brief on the event: "Tire Rack has joined with the non-profit BMW CCA Foundation to bring the Tire Rack Street Survival teen driving program to the nation. Through the volunteer efforts of members of the BMW Car Club of America, the Sports Car Club of America, the Mercedes-Benz Club of America and the Porsche Club of America as well as other automotive enthusiasts who serve as the personal coach with each teen, over 85 schools will be held across the U.S. this year."
http://www.tirerack.com/features/motorspor...et_survival.jsp
http://www.streetsurvival.org/

We'll be at the local Qualcomm stadium here in San Diego. The classes move around the country, so check if there is one near you coming up. I reserved it already a couple of months ago, they get sold out before the event.
http://www.streetsurvival.org/school-schedule.php
Apologies that I didn't alert anyone before today, I had been monitoring this school for at least a year waiting for it to come nearby.

And yes, he will be driving the 968 (gulp [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/ohmy.gif[/img] )! I imagine (hope) this school is pretty low risk.

Roland

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[flash]

   

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[Cloud9...68]

Looks good; let us know how it goes. Is the class really only $75?

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[968Syncro]

LOL!! (Really LOL here). Appreciate the suggestion flash, but I was weak, and already got him a replacement.

   

Yes, it really is only $75.00. Reminds me, I better re-read any notes or requirements they have on car prep.

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[flash]

lol - my parents were not weak - they didn't let me drive their cars, nor did they help me get my own - they wouldn't even sign for my license - i had to wait until i was 18 - i had to work for the car, buy it, insure it, and maintain it on my own - if i couldn't afford to fix it, it sat until i could - i didn't even buy my first car until i was 20 (and i lived in the bay area)

i rode a bicycle or took the bus until then - the upside is that i did get to ride coast to coast - twice - i also rode to land's end in baja

the other upside is that i understood the realities of the consequences of my actions, since i was paying for it, and took great care not to get into accidents - it didn't always work, and i had my fair share of stupid stunts, but it certainly made me more aware of my surroundings, and ultimately a better driver

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[rhudeboye]

A good friend of mine from NC did one of these with his daughter. He really enjoyed it. At one point they have the children take the car up to a good speed and go around cones. As they come around for lap 2 they have them make a cell call to their parents while maintaining speed. Look at them cones fly!

They also wet the track so they can experience the loss of traction and stopping power as they hit cones. Brian told me all the parents loved it.

Plus this one in NC was free!

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[968Syncro]

Ok, so the story.

The long time listeners already know my 968 was taken on an accidental offroad trip about 2 years ago. Check my posts from Feb - Aug 2008, I tried to share as much of the story and repairs I possibly could. Wonderful experience in a way, I got my 968 back, and the appreciation of this car continues without any lapse.

So, yes this past month he rolled his car on the side. 4Runner. See the pic or 2. Called the insurance again, they can't do the repairs within the value of the car -- means totaled in their terms. Same with the 968 2 years ago. But a richer story, I worked hard to rebuild my beloved 968, and now my son is doing the same thing. We talked over all kinds of alternatives, but he decided he wanted his car back, even though multiple fenders, quarter panel, and glass are broken. So, yeah, I called insurance, they totaled, we bought the 4runner back. Now he is starting to turn the wrench -- just a bit. But better, he started to write down plans, making lists of things that need repairs, making list of parts, researching part costs, even went to the local auto dismantler today. So that is wonderful for me, he is taking ownership of this stuff.

On the downside, I wanted to scream. Call at 2:24 AM, "hey Dad...". "What happened, are you ok, who is with you". "I'm fine, but the car is pretty bad". Some back road, rain and mud, blind curve, big puddle, too fast, started to spin, corrected the wheels the wrong way, spin, right side wheels hit a ditch, broke the tire bead, fell over on the passenger side. Shoot, I wish it would snow around here. As kids we always took our cars out in the snow, some abandoned road, or closed parking lot. Did doughnuts like crazy, learned how to drive car when it is out of control. Kids these days don't know how to steer into a skid.

There is no replacement car! We got it back on the same rubber this past weekend, it runs fine, rather well, I took it on long shakedown runs. Mechanical is all fine. Body is full of dents. Gotta love Toyotas. Flip them on their side, put 'me upright, and they keep running. So far we've spent $4.39 and it is fine, but ugly. Need some glass, new door, me and his brother in law are gonna help.

The place
   

The result
   

Starting repairs last Sat. My brother brought over this cool hydraulic panel expander, worked real well, we straightened lots of metal (he has about 17 60s/70s International Scouts in case anyone is interested, always fixin' stuff.)
   

Yes, it is certainly wonderful to see our kids grow [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif[/img] [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/huh.gif[/img] [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/ohmy.gif[/img] [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/mad.gif[/img] . I figure we gotta love 'em no matter what. Now, this weekend at driving school, what shall we learn?

Roland

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[94SilverCab]

I'm really happy you are working to fix the "loose nut behind the wheel". The repairs are not quite so easy on the human body and I'm sure that you would not like to see him totalled.

Glad that it came out alright this time and hope that your remedial action will prevent further crashes.

Regards,

Jay

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[Scott Collins]

+1 on parenting and life lesson training skills. Similar experiences with my Dad when I messed up. Ended up much better for it. Nice work! Now be sure to check on the accelerator pedal. Seems I read something about Toyotas - something about recalls and sudden continuous acceleration? [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/ohmy.gif[/img]

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[rhudeboye]

Nice truck but they do tend to roll easy. My buddy rolled his also and walked away from it. He had his only a month at the time. Trucks simply have to be driven different and depending on the height and wheel base, with some you have to be more careful then others.

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[968TDG]

Haha! You should definitely do the course in the 4-runner. It would be hilarious, and it would also go a lot further to teaching him the limits of the car he is going to continue driving.

-Phil

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[968Syncro]

I wanted to take him in the 4Runner, but if I remember correctly, this school specifically discouraged bringing an SUV, or didn't allow it. I guess in a way that makes sense if they want to teach about handling, maybe we gotta start with a regular old car. It will be interesting to see what the other students bring as their cars. I am bringing a camera, and will write here about our experience. I just hope their cones are really, really soft [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/ohmy.gif[/img]

Roland

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[968TDG]

I guess the fact that they wont let you bring an SUV is pretty telling in itself...I'm sure it will be fun in the 968, you should put some foam pool noodles around your bumpers (-:

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[968Syncro]

We are at the event. Heater control valve broke half way through. Darn, tow home. No spare, no tools.

Roland

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[flash]

bummer - man - if it wasn't for bad luck, you wouldn't have any

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[968Syncro]

Ok, so the school was a great experience. Jr. had a great time. The training was run by the local BMW club. There were 36 students split into 2 groups of 18. The flow of events was combined classroom and driving. So a group of 18 goes to class for about 20-30 minutes, and then practice for 20-30 minutes on the course. For example the first subject was braking, and braking in a turn. So during practice each student got probably 10 turns on the course practicing braking, they learned about ABS, how to brake in the corner. Then back to class for the next subject. The practice also included a wetted skid pad, figure 8, chicane, and similar structures on the course. The last driving was a course that included all of the car handling techniques into a single repeated run.

Each student is paired with an instructor who is always in the car, and paired with the student for the whole day. 9:00 - 4:30. The club included lunch for all, invited the parents to go with the student for the last run, they brought in an 18-wheeler and parked cars all around it, invited the teens to sit in the cab to experience the visibility of the driver from that position, and blew off a couple of airbags to show the teens how powerful they are. The school teaches hands at 9:00 and 3:00, never put arm in front of the airbag.

So, yeah my heater valve broke just before noon. Can you believe this, the instructor brought his truck over and let my son use the instructor's pickup so he could continue the class! Bunch of really good people volunteering their time. The BMW club was hosting an autocross on the other 1/2 of the parking lot -- GT3 among many yummy items. Overall just a great day, my son believes there are many things that he thinks will help his driving.

Ready to go with instructor (sorry for the little pics)

   

Starting line
   

Can see the skidpad in the background
   

   

And on top of all, mom brought his 4Runner down to the course and they let him finish in that car. We've been working on it, and now have it back on the road. It will carry a set of dents and dings forever, basic transportation now, nothing pretty.
   

So yeah, the 968 broke, but he got experience in the 968, a pickup truck with a stick, and then his 4 runner. So there was added value that he got to do the course in different vehicles. Real friendly bunch including the other parents who stayed around.

All for $75 plus gas, highly recommend it.

Roland

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[Cloud9...68]

What an incredible value! It sounds like your son got a lot out of it. My daughter turns 16 this September, so we'll have to get her enrolled in a class nearby.

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[gryphon]

I sent my former girlfriend to the local Bondurant driving school because she was a meek, indecisive, generally lousy driver. After the school and when we broke up she was a meek, indecisive, generally lousy driver--with a certificate of completion. Go figure.

Tom

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[968Syncro]

I took some video also, finally had a chance to make a bit of a movie. Here he is...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcjWBnn6IQI

Roland

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[Cloud9...68]

I signed my daughter up for the class in Houston on October 23. I'm really looking forward to it, but she's a bit incredulous, but she is a teenager, after all, so that comes with the territory. I'm hoping it will be a great experience for her.

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