Lost the tail end twice .. scared ****************less

[denverpete]

Sorry, but something's a bit "fishy" about this whole thing. The keys are the fact that you state it happened AFTER you completed the turn and that it fishtailed left on a left. If you took the turn too quickly you would naturally expect the vehicle to break loose during the turn and fishtail right. If the vehicle truly fishtailed AFTER you completely finished your turn then you have a serious suspension problem (which I doubt) because then it could happen at any moment. That being said, I have to vote for driver error. BTW, I've done this as well so it's not an indictment on your driving abilities. Well, maybe it is - but then it'll be true for both of us....

So, here's my hypothesis on what happened. In all likelihood the left turn was fairly long and required you to turn in a bit at the end to stay in your lane/avoid cars in the other left turn lane. You were probably first in line so right near the end you gunned it a bit - not floored it - but added some throttle. After the "turn in" there's always a bit of overcorrection (front wheels swing right slightly) - combine that with a bit of throttle and the rear of the vehicle breaks loose giving you a left fishtail on a left hand turn.

My advice? Be very careful about adding heavy throttle when making sharp turns particularly with water or sand on the road. When a Boxster breaks the rear end it seems like there is no warning - at least compared to most cars. With a bit of time and practice, however, you can actually feel when it wants to break loose.