I came across two video clips, which are certainly not only very horrific but also full of a lesson for all of us. The video is recorded by one of the occupants of the car which later crashed. I hope the driver and all the other occupants of the car are safe although there is news that the driver/passenger sustained serious injuries. Please pray and wish for them all. May Allah give them earliest recovery.
There are two issues here; speeding, reckless driving and secondly doing unsafe aftermarket upgrades to your vehicle. People are fond of stretched out tires, putting excessive negative camber. [ changing tire angle with upper portion inwards, the contact area of the tire on the ground becomes outwards in layman language]
Please understand that changing a designed suspension system of your vehicle can be dangerous. All these excessive negative camber with wide tires make your car a “SHOW CAR” only. Additionally, people just buying aftermarket kits off the shelf and putting it on the cars at the workshop of their local “ustaad ji” with no vehicle dynamics and suspension physics in mind. Furthermore, most of these aftermarket upgrades are of low poor quality. Regardless, all in all, these extensive visual changes or so called upgrades have no functionality.
Keep in mind, these show cars with such modifications like excessive camber as can be seen in this post , results in reduce traction, reduce braking performance, decreased stability on higher speeds. Not only this, any negative camber above a certain degree and capability of a vehicle inbuilt specification puts a lot of stress on the entire suspension system including shocks , ball joints, tie rods and also change the steering geometry of the car. The steering system of a car is designed with specific suspension system, if you change any component and anything not within certain limits , it will result in adverse performance.
This also increase tire wear and tear. Increased heat generation within tires as the contact area of the tire is reduced and heat can’t dissipate quickly. The load transfer is not uniform as well due to improper tire angle. The life of tires is reduced and it can fail at any time. The tire is mounted on the wheel and it’s under certain air pressure which keeps it in place on the rim. Extensive Camber and stretched out wheels can result in tire bead failure which is basically the tire getting separated from the rim and thus result in tire blow out. Stretched out tires are again just for show and driving on it at high speeds is very dangerous. Same goes for extra wide wheels which are not compatible.
Speeding is very dangerous already and driving such cars on high speeds is just icing on the cake. Putting a stress on the entire vehicle dynamics will eventually fail and failure at high speeds can be very very unfortunate. We don’t realize the dangers of rash driving and over-speeding even though we being the drivers completely understand the risks. This is all simple science/physics. There is a strong relationship between speed, stopping distance and reaction time. Reaction time is how long a driver takes to see both danger and the time it takes the brain to realize the danger and process a reaction to a hazard, for example, starting to press brake pedal or making an adjustment to the steering wheel. The braking distance is the distance that a vehicle travels after brakes are applied. As your speed increases, so does the distance you travel while your brain is processing information and reacting to it, and so does the distance you need to stop. Increased speed and reduced reaction time while increased braking distance result in serious accidents. There is no substitute for safe driving.
Stop playing with your life and other lives associated with you. Please sign a resolution with your own self that you will work on becoming a safer and sensible driver. Don’t ruin your life. Think about all your loved ones especially your parents, who are thinking about you every single moment of their life. I myself a father of two little amazing kids , I share my personal sentiments here. Your few seconds of thrill can bring life long sorrow not only to you but your families and friends .
Don’t be selfish.
[Update: Bilal Malik, one of the passenger in the car expired earlier today. May Allah keep his soul in eternal peace and place him at highest rank in Jannah. May Allah give strength to family and friends to bear this huge loss. Ameen.]
