Calgary Jeep Association
General Forums => Chit-Chat => Topic started by: redbull on December 15, 2005, 12:06:13 AM
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:shock:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6605730767077503480
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wow, that held up WAY better than I thought it would.... almost impressed. now, can ya get a lift for it? :wink:
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Looks to me like the driver would have no legs left. :shock: :shock: I would never let a loved one buy one of those. Do people think they are heros saving the world when they buy one??? :roll: :roll: Because if they say they bought one for the mileage, you can buy cars like the Toyota Camry or VWs' that get incredible fuel mileage. Imagine that piece of **** in an accident with a 3/4 or 1 ton pick-up head-on or god forbid a 40 ton tractor-trailer.
RACKMAN
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you'd have no legs left? can really have any to drive it in the first place... isn't exactly the roomiest vehicle on the market.
that being said, like I said before, it did stand up to a 70 mp/h hit with a cement wall better than I thought it would.......
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I've had a salvage Smart that was in a head on/Roll, and I'll say it is tougher than the Camry by a long shot. The roll cage frame that BMW has designed is magnificent, and more auto makers should be looking into it.
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I'd put money down that you's be better off in a roll-over in that than in my YJ.
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Well good luck to anyone who buys one...hopefully they won't have any head-on collisions with any full size pick-up trucks. If there was a person in that car in the video, there's no way they would ever have use of their legs (probably have to amputate anything that was left). Head-on collisions with other Moving vehicles are much more damaging and the forces involved are much greater than hitting a wall head-on...so lets' see how well one of those toy (save the world tree-hugger) cars does in a video of that type of collision.
RACKMAN
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I hear what you're saying and can't argue that but...if we're talking head on collision with a full size at highway speeds a camry and jetta arn't going to fair much better.
Personally, for what they're for I love them. If I worked downtown and had a parking spot and could afford one I'd drive one in a second. Practical as an only car no, practical to get to work and back car very! Head on highway collisions arn't much concern when you don't take it on the highway...
Not trying to stir anything up but...I just really like those things, I don't know why :?:
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Believe it or not, the Smart has a higher safty rating than a Jeep Cherokee.
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Comparing what would happen to a smart car in a head on is irrelevant as the same head on would destroy MOST cars!
A couple of my patients have them and the one guy is in the smart car club (go figure) He says that as a fact, the smart car has the HIGHEST saftey rating in the history of rating cars. No other vehicle has been rated as safe as a smartcar. That video kinds shows the safety. i mean hitting a wall at that speed (what speed? i do not have sound) and i think surviving it would be very plausible.
The smart car is a ROLLCAGE on wheels.
My wife wants one and i think they are very SAFE.
Again, the key is that they are allegedly the safest car ever made. i do not know where he got that "fact" but i will ask next tiome i see him.
Tom :)
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speed was 70 mph... wouldn't want to hit 20 tons of cement @ 70 mph in my jeep... of course, wouldn't WANT to hit it in a smart car either :)
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Looking on the net shows it is a SAFE crash car but it is not the highest ever rated.
Tom
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I'm quite impressed with that crash test, sure you'd have obvious leg issues after that accident, but that car probably performs better than most of the cars average people can afford on the road today. I can't imagine a minivan or comparatably priced car compete with that.
I've seen a Ford Super Duty F250 (I think - more on that later) with the right front bumper sitting in the rear of the box, still attatched after a head on collision. The engine was broken in half and the rear diff, clearly visible, was twisted (still in one piece) around so the driveshaft stuck out the back of the truck. I'm still not sure if it was an Excursion, or F250 like I previously mentioned, even though I was standing right beside it.
There was absolutely no way to tell what kind of vehicle it was. I can't imagine the kind of impact forces it took to literally rip this truck to pieces, thankfully I did not see the occupant, or maybe he was still in there, couldn't tell. The only reason I knew it was an Ford is because I saw an emblem. Obviously the guy in it died because the cab was pretty much non-existent.
I guess what I'm trying to say is, if you get in a bad enough head on collision (they're all bad, but a high speed accident), you are pooched either way. From a Smartcar to a big, presumably safe truck, if your number is up, you're done. If you think a Smartcar is not safe mode of transportation, try riding a motorcycle to work everyday.
Where I work, I have the privledge, or curse, of seeing pretty much every vehicle involved in a fatal accident in Calgary and it is very disturbing what can happen to any and all types of vehicles after a bad accident.
Drive safe, and defensive. Happy Holidays.
Darren :)
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It is Mercedes BTW, not BMW
You can see all the crash test stuff at this link.
http://www.mercedes-benz.ca/mbccustom/smart/safety/event.cfm
If they designed larger vehicles this well nobody would be getting injured in accidents.
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Well each to their own...I guess. I'll believe it when I see a Smart?car in ANY speed of collision with a full-size pick-up or van come out in decent condition :roll: :roll: ...which I'm sure I will see sooner or later, as I drive for a living, and spend full time hours on the road. Regardless of the safety factor,it still makes no sense to me to buy a GO-CART when I could get a much more practical Honda, Toyota, VW that gets around 50-60mpg, has room inside, has proven LONGTERM reliability, cost less to buy, and doesn't look retarted.
RACKMAN
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Hmmm....$24,000 for a loaded convertible that gets MORE mpg than any you listed and is in fact cheaper and has a RESALE value of $500 depreciation off sticker price kinda puts it in a class all its own.
Obviously looks are opinions. i like it! :lol:
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I NEVER said that Hondas, Toyotas, or VWs got more mpg, I was referring to the overall practicality of those cars over a GO-CART (smartcar).
RACKMAN
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Getting to the space station requires the occupants to be positioned correctly to survive the G force of accileration. Dragsters of today have problems on some tracks getting stopped within the limits of the G force required to stop the vehicle within the run out limits of the track.
By the same token, there is a limit to how fast a human body can stop without turning into gelly rgardless of what it is surrounded by. From highway speed to zero in something like 3 feet has to be in the order of several magnitudes of what a body can withstand. You'd go through a five point harness like an egg through a slicer. An air bag with enough pressure to stop you would provide limited survival assistance.
The impressive aspect of the demo is the incredible strength of the cage. In a glancing collision and the subsequent roll, you'd probably do a lot better than most vehicles.
Oh, and to raise an eyebrow or two, the impact force to a vehicle being stoped in a straight head on collision with a similar vehicle, is no greater than hitting a solid wall. :wink:
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And.....
the speed of acceleration of the occupants is 2.5 times the speed of impact :shock:
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So vehicles should be designed with a crush zone calculated on an exponential value related to the intended maximum speed. Hmm...a sixty five foot TJ with a 60 foot hood. That'd take a pretty good lift to regain your breakover angle.
Or, taking advantage of relativity, highways could be designed like huge one way conveyor belts complete with moving trees and approaches. You pull on from the moving approach, park, and have a tailgate party on the trip to Edmonton. Calgarians would likely consider that to be a wake, but why you party is your prerogative.
I'm still working on the dynamics of the moving approaches, so don't start construction just yet.
And from our standpoint, Lost Knife will likely be paved and an elevator fitted to Killer Cutline, so there we go!
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Yep.. looks good.....notice no crash test dummies in there? Like everyone was saying, there is no crumple zone in that thing to increase the distance the driver takes to stop... Yes, a fullsized crash looks WAY worse, but it was designed to do that. That's the safety feature. Because the car held up, doesn't mean you will. That glass/plastic, sure shattered... the inside of that thing looked too mangled for anyone to feel good after that.... But atleast the door works! lol
I don't trust the drivers in this city, and I want to put as much metal between me and them as I can :)
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He says that as a fact, the smart car has the HIGHEST saftey rating in the history of rating cars. No other vehicle has been rated as safe as a smartcar.
My understanding is that it is the safest car in it's class.
It is also the only car in it's class.
I have seen several demos of head on impact. I like to see one of a T-bone/side impact type test.
I'm going to wait a while and see how it fares in the real world before I comment on how safe I think it is. I wouldn't buy one, I simply find them ugly. And trendy, I would never want to be accused of being trendy. :wink: I like my jeep with it's fifty year old design. :)
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Yep.. looks good.....notice no crash test dummies in there? Like everyone was saying, there is no crumple zone in that thing to increase the distance the driver takes to stop... Yes, a fullsized crash looks WAY worse, but it was designed to do that. That's the safety feature. Because the car held up, doesn't mean you will. That glass/plastic, sure shattered... the inside of that thing looked too mangled for anyone to feel good after that.... But atleast the door works! lol
I don't trust the drivers in this city, and I want to put as much metal between me and them as I can :)
Excellent points! I was just thinking about all the hundreds of accidents I see because I'm on the road so much...Basically, it seems that the bigger vehicle generally comes out looking like it faired better than the smaller vehicle involved, with few exceptions. But i think the makers of this go-cart are counting on having the thousands of mindless sheep walking around out there, to jump on the band-wagon of the save-the- world-because-David Suzuki- said-so. :lol: :roll: But you know, I'm glad they make this piece of crap because whenever I see one sitting in a parking lot I can't help but laugh, and it's even more funny when I see two people crammed in one wih their groceries or packages...And laughter is a very good thing! :lol: :lol: :lol: :wink:
RACKMAN
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Tell us how you really, really feel Rackman :lol:
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Oh come on now Spinalguy...don't get defensive about your ownership or future ownership of the go-cart. Don't cry, at least they are sooo cute...APPARENTLY. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
RACKMAN
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Oh come on now Spinalguy...don't get defensive about your ownership or future ownership of the go-cart. Don't cry, at least they are sooo cute...APPARENTLY. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
RACKMAN
Bwahahahahahahahahahah :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
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he,he,he.....i know my wife will look cute in it as for me.....i won't be in it too often.
i was more referring to the Suzuki love you had going on in your post :wink:
Tom :)
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Looks like they dwarf YJ's. :wink:
http://photochannel.telusmobility.com/getImage?pid=ph1560421530459&size=IMAGE_RES_4&e=ec1v2227258660372d93745&m=93745
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Hmmm....$24,000 for a loaded convertible that gets MORE mpg than any you listed and is in fact cheaper and has a RESALE value of $500 depreciation off sticker price kinda puts it in a class all its own.
Obviously looks are opinions. i like it! :lol:
Resale, mpg are ok if your into stats. What I really like are the McInnas & Hollaway door handles.
When Jeeps aren't pathetic enough, there is always the smart car. :mrgreen:
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The smarts not for me now and my circumstances may never synch with it, but I'm old enough to remember the comments when the first VW's and later the Datsuns first arrived in the showrooms here. I, a staunch GMer at the time, was probably as critical as any when I first saw them.
However, I think there is a high probability that these or some variant of what we see now, once we understand their niche, will be a significant component of our city commuting options.
They are a little out of place here with our prairie sprawl and unrealistic expectations of suburbia, but in areas of high density, which will be everywhere eventually, hummers and escalades just wont work.
How many examples of the North American model of City expansion do you know, where traffic problems have improved rather than declined over the years.
My only problem with the video is the implication that a strong roll cage is the full measure of safety, but as a specalty vehicle, we (particularly Jeep drivers) should understand the idiosyncrasy of niche markets as well as anyone.
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After having watched the video I can't help but think that anyone in that little vehicle would likely be dead, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. The roll cage is one thing but at some point you gotta think a little buffer/crumple zone might offer some further protection. All I can say is that at least if you and someone you love happen to cross paths with an 18 wheeler in your "smart" car you'll save the price of a coffin because they'll be able to bury you in it :(
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You cross paths with an 18 wheeler, in anthing but another 18 wheeler and you are toast, period. Doesn't matter what you drive. Your survival chances will vary from vehicle to vehicle, but they aren't very good chances anyway.
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You cross paths with an 18 wheeler, in anthing but another 18 wheeler and you are toast, period. Doesn't matter what you drive. Your survival chances will vary from vehicle to vehicle, but they aren't very good chances anyway.
Check out this related link. Liberty Vs. Peterbilt.
http://www.4wheeler.ca/index.php?showtopic=22749
That liberty looks like it stood up fairly well, The passenger compartment seems to be relativly intact.
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Here's some Smart car's for ya
(http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a59/The_Rookie/Stuff/Smartvette.jpg)
(http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a59/The_Rookie/Stuff/smartporshetarga.jpg)
(http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a59/The_Rookie/Stuff/smartporshe.jpg)
(http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a59/The_Rookie/Stuff/Smartlambo.jpg)
(http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a59/The_Rookie/Stuff/Smartferrari.jpg)
(http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a59/The_Rookie/Stuff/smartaudi.jpg)
Steve
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Haha, those are awesome! More info?