I drove the Miata into a ditch

"AestheticsInMotion" (aestheticsinmotion)
06/10/2019 at 00:26 • Filed to: None

2 diagonal wheels were in the air, and the front bumper was booped in about 6 inches. The one rear wheel that was touching the ground had no traction, and upon getting out I could make the car teeter-totter with maybe 20 lbs of force. Car was at a 35 degree angle. Genuinely thought I’d have to make some dude in a big lifted truck’s day by asking to be winched out, but....

I pushed it out by myself, because Miata. The bumper un-booped itself and there’s no damage whatsoever because—again—Miata. I think the underbody cladding really made a huge difference. Last time I got high-centered offroad the frame rails dug into the ground and I didn’t have a chance, even with another guy pushing. This was a much steeper, more precarious perch but the aluminum plate covering the underbody not only kept *literally everything* from breaking/puncturing/tearing/etc., it also kept the frame rails from digging in to the ground! $35 0 well spent.

Anyways...

Note to self. If you finish a 9 hour snow hike and decide to take a nap in your car, make sure that you’re on flat ground so you don’t accidently engage the clutch while alseep, go into neutral and roll 50 ft down a mountain road, crashing awake.

DISCUSSION (32)

sn4cktimes > AestheticsInMotion
06/10/2019 at 00:31

Those sleep shifts will get you every time... muscle memory... what’s a person to do?

shop-teacher > AestheticsInMotion
06/10/2019 at 00:33

They also have this thing called a parking brake ;)

Glad it turned out ok!

Nick Has an Exocet > AestheticsInMotion
06/10/2019 at 00:34

That’s a unique way of ending up in a ditch.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > AestheticsInMotion
06/10/2019 at 00:46

Did... Did you never fix your parking brake?!

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > AestheticsInMotion
06/10/2019 at 00:49

That’s a method of off course excursion I’ve not heard of before. I’m glad it worked itself out in the end.

pip bip - choose Corrour > AestheticsInMotion
06/10/2019 at 00:55

fun!

Future Heap Owner > AestheticsInMotion
06/10/2019 at 00:56

Next time nap in the passenger seat!

Glad you’re alright, and sounds like a fun day overall. I was out on a Forest Service road again today, and with only Ravna in the car I was able to have some fun and get a little taste of oversteer on the gravel hairpins.

BlueMazda2 - Blesses the rains down in Africa, Purveyor of BMW Individual Arctic Metallic, Merci Twingo > AestheticsInMotion
06/10/2019 at 01:00

“I gave that ditch a Miata. Ditches love Miatas.” - AestheticsInMotion, 2019

AestheticsInMotion > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
06/10/2019 at 01:11

I mean, it works as advertised. Which is to say poorly. For whatever reason all the big brake kits include absolutely terrible parking brakes. Actually most of them aren't even compatible with a parking brake...

shop-teacher > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
06/10/2019 at 01:12

I think we all know the answer to that.

AestheticsInMotion > shop-teacher
06/10/2019 at 01:12

It was engaged as tightly as possible! Miata big brake kits unanimously have abysmal parking brakes, or even none at all. I’ve never gotten a satisfactory answer as to why that is.

My parking brake isn't quite useless, but it's pretty close

AestheticsInMotion > Future Heap Owner
06/10/2019 at 01:13

I should have. Without the seat it's spacious and surprisingly comfy

AestheticsInMotion > BlueMazda2 - Blesses the rains down in Africa, Purveyor of BMW Individual Arctic Metallic, Merci Twingo
06/10/2019 at 01:13

Nice

AestheticsInMotion > pip bip - choose Corrour
06/10/2019 at 01:13

It was!

AestheticsInMotion > Nick Has an Exocet
06/10/2019 at 01:14

I try to be nothing if not original

shop-teacher > AestheticsInMotion
06/10/2019 at 01:14

That's weird. Maybe shove a brick or a board under your wheel during nap time?

AestheticsInMotion > shop-teacher
06/10/2019 at 01:15

The only kinda-sorta answer I’ve gotten is that “everyone” who is getting these brake kits is doing track days where a parking brake isn’t needed.

The driver's seat is a bad spot for a nap. Would have been more comfortable on the ground

shop-teacher > AestheticsInMotion
06/10/2019 at 01:25

Because nobody ever parks their track day car? Sounds like a lame excuse manufacturer!

MarquetteLa > AestheticsInMotion
06/10/2019 at 01:27

I have the Wilwood Little Big Brake kit on my Miata and I carry wheel chocks in the trunk. Glad the situation wasn’t worse!

AestheticsInMotion > MarquetteLa
06/10/2019 at 01:36

That’s right, there are two of us! Matching wheels and brakes.

You know, I actually did too! But I used them to death the last time I had to get myself unstuck in deep snow...

HondoyotaE38: A Japanese and German Collab...wait a minute > AestheticsInMotion
06/10/2019 at 06:17

Glad it wasn’t as fucked as it could’ve been. Also that top pic is just sexy as hell

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > AestheticsInMotion
06/10/2019 at 06:29

yikes..... that could have ended so much worse than just in a ditch

lucky

Snuze: Needs another Swede > shop-teacher
06/10/2019 at 08:04

But it would cost more, so everyone would convince themselves they dont really need parking brake functionality, so they’d never sell any.

I think this is a damned if you do/damned if you don't scenario.

StndIbnz, Drives a MSRT8 > AestheticsInMotion
06/10/2019 at 08:35

That’s just impressive! On all counts.

someassemblyrequired > AestheticsInMotion
06/10/2019 at 09:12

Glad you’re OK. Otherwise I would have felt guilty for laughing.

Who needs a Wrangler with such robust off road capabilities? :P

arl > AestheticsInMotion
06/10/2019 at 09:26

Yowsers. Glad you’re OK!

CaptDale - is secretly British > AestheticsInMotion
06/10/2019 at 11:27

Sounds fun though

vicali > AestheticsInMotion
06/10/2019 at 12:33

I was going to tell you to drive more carefully but, um.. I guess.. sleep better?

MM54 > AestheticsInMotion
06/10/2019 at 20:29

Talk about a rude awakening

Glad to see you & the car are still in good shape

AestheticsInMotion > MM54
06/10/2019 at 21:00

You could say I took a dirt nap

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > AestheticsInMotion
06/12/2019 at 19:13

Oh man thats a rough way to end up in a ditch. Its why I would prefer to try sleeping in the passenger seat if I tried to sleep in the car. Granted you dont have one of those, but I bet you could install some kind of custom bed where the seat belongs if you wanted. Maybe a hammock could fit? I have thought about using my roll bar and a nearby tree for a hammock before lol.

I was kind of hoping you had a cool story about how you ended up in the ditch in the first place. Something about drifting up the mountain 5 times and the 6th time pushing it just a little bit too hard, sending it off a jump and ending up in a ditch. But the lack of damage makes the reality more sensible.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > shop-teacher
06/12/2019 at 19:16

I think the reasoning is that if the brakes are hot from a track session, engaging the parking brake could be a bad idea. So in that sense you generally dont want to be using the parking brake and so why not just delete it altogether? Kind of weak logic but thats the best I can think of.