Flipping a car

[Ed Pawlowski]

Week or so ago Micky was talking about how to flip a car back on its wheels. Last night on Live PD Crime of the Week I saw a better one.

Police in OK were chasing a pickup truck with two people in it. It was a long chase, about a halt hour when finally one of the cops did a PIT maneuver to stop the truck. Well, the truck rolled over a full 360, landed on its wheels and the driver kept going. He was stopped on a second PIT

The flip is about 1 minute in

For anyone not familiar: The PIT maneuver (pursuit intervention technique), or TVI (tactical vehicle intervention) is a pursuit tactic by which a pursuing car can force a fleeing car to turn sideways abruptly, causing the driver to lose control and stop

[gfretwell]

When I rolled my Jeep it ended up on the roof. The wrecker got it back on the wheels and I drove it home.

[Snag]

When my wife flipped the Mazda SUV on it's side in the ice storm* it got left layin' on it's side in the ditch for like 36 hours until the shit melted . We were advised it might be a good idea to let it sit upright for a few hours before we started it to let fluids drain back to where they belonged . * This was one hellkitty of an ice storm , it blew in freezing rain onto already frozen ground . There was a glaze of clear ice about

1/4"-1/2" thick that was so slick you couldn't stand up on it . She made it to a half mile from our turn before it got her .

[micky]

Yeah, that makes the one I came across look like nothing. (Well there might have been ambulances before I got there.)

I'm afraid to flip my car, especially when the top is down. Afraid I'll get a haircut.

[Rod Speed]

Yeah, that's why some have roll bars.

[Clare Snyder]

When I snapped the shift fork in the transmission of my '49 VW in Zambia I took the wheels off one side and using a fence post I teipped it up on it's side so I could pull the nose off the transmission. After walking 8km or so each way to the school shop to weld it I put it back together and flipped it back onto it's wheels - by myself - then pulled the plugs from the "down" side, cranked it over to blow the oil out, put the plugs back in and killed all the mosquitos for about 4 blocks.

My former partner in the airplane project flipped his diesel 4Runner right over on it's roof in a ditch. It sat upside-down for several hours. After being righted and towed home about 48 hours later the engine could still not be cranked by hand - the intake was full of oil too. Had to pull the injectors and using a suction gun suck all the oil out of the intake then crank it over for about 20 seconds . When the injectors were re-installed and the engine started it smoked for almost half an hour. Had to re-fill the automatic trans, power steering, and brake fluid too - - -

[Dean Hoffman]

That's a good show. They were trying to find a woman who was selling her baby at one place. I didn't see how that came out. So many of those characters try to outfight, outrun, or out smart the cops. A criminal has X amount of time to do what ever. The cops have years on their side plus a lot more people.

[trader_4]

My Porsche convertible had a roll bar in the back that would automatically deploy in the event of a rollover. I would think all convertibles would have those.

[Ed Pawlowski]

I don't think is was ever resolved but was mentioned the following week. crazy how people run, crash their car, get bit by dogs and the cop says "I was just going to give you a warning"

Friday night as they went off the air police were chasing an ATV with two small kids on the back. They broke it off. Next night they showed what happened. Viewer call the police and told them who it was. They were at his house when he pulled in. Again, instead of a warning he was arrested.

[Rod Speed]

But it isnt that hard to disappear off the radar forever.

Vast numbers of people go missing forever.

[Xeno]

Surely brake fluid reservoirs had sealed caps by the era of the 4Runner? after all, they date only from 1984. In this country, the sealed cap with a flexible bellows feature was well entrenched by ADR law at the beginning of the 70s.

[Xeno]

It's why I would never own a soft top. Even with a roll bar, the risks of injury are very high.

[rbowman]

I recall an accident at the Lime Rock racetrack. It was a SCCA sanctioned even and the car had the requisite roll bar. It doesn't do you much good when you wind upside down with a large anthill filling the cockpit.

I got the roadster thing out of my system early. It was fun but if I want fresh air I have the motorcycles. If I want creature comfort in inclement weather I'll take something with a roof, roll up windows, and a working heater.

[Rod Speed]

Yeah, the windscreen and side doors are never going to be a strong as on a conventional car. And even with a roll bar, demolishing a tree when the car is upside down isnt going to leave just a few scratches either.

[Clare Snyder]

The brakes required bleeding to get a firm pedal - they were solid before it rolled. I guess somehow air went "up" through the master- the front disk brakes went soft anyway. (it was a JDM Hilux SURF - the Japanese version of the 4Runner - Right hand drive turbo diesel)

[Clare Snyder]

But there's NOTHING like cruising the back country roads in a '53 MG TD - particularly when it's got the grunt of an MGB engine instead of the anemic XPAG - and a full syncro gear box too. C of G low enough you'd REALLY have to do something stupid to get the greasy side up.I've "Baby sat" the MG for 3 summers - and the Fiat cinquo for 2. Almost as good as a Lotus 7.

When I need heat and comfort the Sorento fills the bill

[Ed Pawlowski]

Had a couple along the way. As I got older, maybe 10 days a year it is top down weather. Modern climate control is comfy year 'round.

[Jim Joyce]

It seems like most people go their whole life without rolling a vehicle. I've rolled only one as a driver, one as a passenger, and as a passenger I've been in at least 4 vehicles that went up on two wheels before coming back down, but I think most people haven't had similar experiences.

[rbowman]

There's a scary thought. iirc to stop a TD you dragged a foot on the ground. The car isn't meant to exceed 75 although it is good looking.

They had a more or less real convertible top, didn't they? I had a Sprite where you assembled the top from pieces kept in the boot. You got wet a lot.

[rbowman]

I briefly considered a Miata. I'm spoiled though and didn't think i could live with something that has less luggage capacity than my Sportster. The other problem is we have more unpaved roads than paved and some of them are pretty rough.