My '98 V6 Mustang sports a new axle due to a collision with a curb. Last winter I was hurrying to work, roads were icy but I'd been there before and thought my driving skills were up to the task. On one turn, I encountered a bit of fishtail and still didn't listen to the road conditions. I was up to about fifty mph on what seemed like decent road conditions for snow and ice. I came over the crest of this hill, almost no traffic and made it to the next undulation. As I started to climb the next hill the nose of the car wandered left...up the street a half mile or two was an on-coming car....I figured I'd steer lightly to get back into my lane and when I got the front end to react, the car went sideways to the road. I knew better than to hit the brakes but there was nearly zero steering so I did the best I could to ride it out until the car slowed down...seemed like an eternity and an abrupt concrete curb backed by an embankment loomed larger and larger. About this time I realized nothing could be done and braced for impact. It was violent, flipping the car around 180 degrees. I'd made a complete 360 on the highway and was resting with the rear of the car above the curb. I checked traffic, opened the door and looked back to see a 16x9 wheel and P205 tire lying on the roadway. I could hear a clunk, clunk of a broken axle flipping around in the torque tube. The brake disc and caliper were completely gone and fluid was seeping out. It was below zero so I put the transmission in Park and adjusted the heater. It was quiet, my neck and back were hurting and my little V6 was a mess! Fortunately I had a cell phone and about an hour later the car was at the local Ford dealer and I was in my rental car - Taurus. $2000 later the car had new axle and new wheels. Taught me an old lesson once again. "Never trust mother nature!"
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08-05-2003, 02:50 PM
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