Well, I was driving (about 35mph) on my way to school, when as I went over the bridge I go over everyday, I start fishtailing out of control on black ice and slam into the other lanes steel guard rail, dented the front bumper and fender, bent the front left rim, blew the front right tire, scratches along the bottom half of the left side, damaged my ego as buddies in little hondas drove by . Called the parents who called the Sheriff who made the report (no ticket)and called the tow truck who towed it to the Ford garage. Insurance guy going there tomorrow with Body Shop guy there to figure out what needs to be worked on. Have a $500 deductible so not too big of a deal there. Body guy estimated $2500 total I believe.

Heres the good part. Today in school I had a flashback of what exactly happened and I realized it wasn't my fault that I lost control! Normally with black ice you drive right over it and as long as you are going straight (not attempting to turn or gain control after hitting a bump), no big deal, you find dry pavement in your own lane shortly. Well I realized that everyday I take that route I hit the pretty decent sized bump (goes across whole road) that is right where the bridge starts. And then I realize everyday that I hit it, my tires seem to want to "jump" into the other lane and turn, so I have to turn the wheel to get back on the right path. Ive done it so much its natural to be ready at that point in the road. Well today I hit it, turned the wheel to gain control, then totally lost control when the black ice started immediately after the bump. Also, I was the last in a line of about 7 cars going the same speed (no stiff suspension work trucks).

What I realized is that if the bump wasn't there, even with the ice there, I would have just kept going straight and wouldnt have lost control (All the vehicles going the same speed in front of me had no problem), hit the guard rail, damaged the truck, my ego or my checkbook and my insurance rates wouldnn't be rising next week since I'm an "inexperienced 16yr old male."

After the crash, I pulled to the other side of the road to wait for the Sherriff and tow truck. I watched cars for 10 mins go over that bump and ice. No fishtailing whatsoever. The reason I swerved was due to the stiff suspension in the Superduties. I only saw cars, suvs, and light trucks go over it. So after school my dad picked me up in his car, we went over the same bump I hit and his suspension absorbed it and no turning to stay in control was necessary. Im not trying to talk bad about my truck, I absolutely love it, thats the only thing I was thinking of as I was fishtailing. So we called the insurance guy to tell him this, see what he thinks and that we want to fight it with the road people. He wasnt there so he'll call us tomorrow. I think I have a very logical argument. The insurance company and I shouldn't be liable for poor road conditions!!! But I am only 16 so i bet age discrimination shoots it down anyways. Any thoughts?

Shawn, No. IL

 

Hi Shawn. Sorry to see you damaged your truck. Yes, you were going too fast for conditions (even though you were not cited). I too live in NO IL, and you must take it slow or else especially this time of year. This is the time of year where there are many accidents, some of which I will need to respond to and extricate individuals. Hope you get your truck looking great again and watch for that black ice! Glad you were not injured.

 

Sorry to hear about your truck. Glad you ar OK though. If it's cold and there is a bridge you can almost guarantee there is ice on it.

2000 F350SDXLT,SRW,RC,5spd man,V10, Front Leveling Kit,4.30 gears, 285/75/16 Wild Country

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 19-Nov-02 AT 09:30 PM (EST)]Sorry to hear about your mishap. I hope you get your truck back in proper working order soon.

I don't want to sound like I'm preaching but I am compelled to say this much.
These trucks are heavy duty pickups.They in no way can be expected to handle or ride like a car.They handle and ride better than anything with this much workhorse ability ought to.We have all had our share of mishaps.The most we can do is learn from them and hopefully not repeat them.

Once again.I do hope you get your truck back in order soon without too much trouble.

 

Ohhh, the bump of course, you did nothing wrong, how about having your insurance company go after FORD if the road thing doesnt work out, those stiff springs are just plain dangerous.

P.S. i ran into my fair share of things when i was 16, the differance was i was in a Crappy Chev LUV(only chev i ever owned) i bought MYSELF for $1200, so when i added to its many dents it was no big deal. I wish i had gotten a $30grand truck for my 16th birthday.
Jetjock16.

 

Is your truck lifted? It sounds like you might have a "bump steer" problem.

 

Sorry to hear about your bum luck. Glad you didn't get hurt, though. I won't preach to you about your driving habbits; everyone else has done it enough already. Just make sure you learn from this experience. We all make mistakes, we all suffer the consequences. The smart ones learn from them.

BTW -- let's not bash the guy because mom & dad bought him a truck. If he's fortunate enough to be in that situation, good for him. He just needs to proves himself further down the road by being able to do the same for his kids.

 

Sounds like you could use a steering stabilizer.

My '01 has it, but it has the bigger front springs (only T's)
It also has a build date of 10/2000, and I bought it in 06/2002
It sat somewhere a while!

Anyway, my steering stabilizer is definitely toast, it's coated
with oil and I'm certain it's gone. needs to be warranteed. And,
more to the point, my SD likes to "bump steer".

This is where you hit a bump and it feels like you abrubtly moved
the steering wheel, and you have to compensate to keep the truck
in the same lane!

My '74 always did it, but I needed a stabilizer.

The '01 is only doing it now after 2500 miles because the stabilizer
(really a shock absorber) has leaked all it's oil.

I believe they didn't put them on the SD's until 2001, and then
only when you had the "heavy service suspension" which I do. then,
in 2002, they put them on all the trucks? Not sure about that.

art k.
--
'01 F250SD SC SB V10 4x4 auto
'74 F250HD LB FE390 4x4 435NP

 

Good point Krewat. The 2002 F-250 has:
- A Steering Damper as part of the Snow Plow Package and Heavy Service Package
- A Rear Stabilizer Bar as part of the Camper Package

My truck has the heavy service & camper packages, so I have both of the above. I did, however, recently drive a 2000 truck that had neither for about a week. I noticed the '02 behaved less temperamentally than the '00. It was also less abrupt with bumps, too. There was a real difference, with & without a load in the bed, the 2002 was a whole different animal.

Do you know if your truck has a steering damper? If not, I suggest you get one. I'm pretty sure you can have the dealer install one for you. But since they are available as an inexpensive aftermarket mod that you can do in your own driveway, I suggest you do it yourself. I'm not sure what would be involved in adding a steering damper (ANYONE WHO DOES, PLEASE LET ME KNOW -- I'M REALLY CURIOUS ON THIS ONE)

That's all the excuses I can come up with for you right now.;-)

It should be noted that I'm not trying to "blame the machine, not the person" or take any stance on that. What I do suggest to Shawn (Cowboyup) is that with or without the hardware, as you mature you will learn to better understand the nuances of your truck's handling. Then you will see that these situations are less likely to occur. Focus on your vehicle's behavior when you're driving, and you can speed the process.

In any case, make sure you come by here more often and maybe the more experienced guys here can help you out along the way. In the short time I've been hanging around, they have taught me a lot. Some of the guys will you a little when you need some discipline, but they mean well.

Damm :-X23 when did I start getting so sentimental? I knew I should have stopped at 3 bears.

 

Nasty bump steer! The Bilsteins I had installed helped quite a bit, but didn't eliminate it completely. I can't believe a 2WD SD should need a steering stabilizer. Has anybody had to do this on a 2WD??

-V10gunner

'00 SD F250 Super Cab XLT, 4X2, 142"WB, 6.8L V10, 4R100, 4.30LS, LT265 tire upgrade, Camper package, Dark Toreador red over silver, Line-X, Husky mud flaps, Snugtop Xtra Vision cab-high shell, AutoMeter tranny temp gauge, Banks Stinger and TransCommand, Tekonsha Prodigy brake controller, Bilstein shocks
Nash 22H TT

 

>Nasty bump steer! The Bilsteins I had installed helped
>quite a bit, but didn't eliminate it completely. I can't
>believe a 2WD SD should need a steering stabilizer.
>Has anybody had to do this on a 2WD??
>

:-X23 Steering Stabilizer? There's a Steering Damper & a Rear Stabilizer Bar. I'm assuming you mean Steering Damper. If no one knows how to do this, I'll take some pics of the factory damper on my truck later; maybe we can "reverse engineer" this one.

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 20-Nov-02 AT 06:32 AM (EST)]Steering Stabilzer/ Steering Dampner = same thing, used to dampen the affects of large tires or bad roads. Lets remeber, theses are heavy duty trucks, they react totaly different than a 1/2 ton or the family car. They are not built to be a touring vehicle, they are made to work and carry loads your family car can't.
As V10Gunner said, most bump steer problems are shock related, putting a stabilizer/dampner on now, will just mask a problem you already have.

First thing to remember with winter, briges freeze before the streets do, slow down!

Unless there were previous complaints regarding the road, I wouldn't hold my breath on getting anything form the town.

 

A stock truck should not have any bump steer problems with or with out a steering stabilizer. But a poorly done lift could cause bump steer.

Am I wrong about this?

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 20-Nov-02 AT 11:07 AM (EST)]>Today in school I had a flashback of what exactly happened and I
>realized it wasn't my fault that I lost control!

I had a whole big rant typed on this but I scrapped it. Suffice to say, if it wasn't your fault, whose fault was it? :-X23

You're driving 7000lbs of steel down the road, when you're at the wheel, you and ONLY YOU, are responsible for the operation and ALL ACTIONS of that vehicle. Learning to take responsibily for your actions is one of the biggest parts of maturing into an adult.

That being said, we all make mistakes and have accidents. As others have pointed out, the key is to take responsibility and learn from them. I know you'll be a better driver for it when you get your truck back good as new.

Glad your OK.:-)

Waxy

 

I knew I should have stopped at 3 bears.

You eat bears?? What the...??? :7

___________________________

Tire pressure also play a part in bump steer. You may not need one with stock tires but only if the tires are inflated properly. Unequal inflation, over-inflation, tire alignment can all create undesirable bump steer. But so can worn steering components.

And...stiff springs are dangerous?? Come on!...... If the machine is serviceable then challenges like these can ALWAYS be traced back to the driver.

I hope your truck gets fixed properly. But really...don't go after anyone with a lawsuit for something that YOU could have prevented.

Drive on.