Turbobrick Neutral Newbie January 8, 2002 Share January 8, 2002 Conti owners, what do you think of the overall "toughness" of your car bodywork? I find the new Volvos not as rigid as the older models probably due to improvements in impact beams and crumple zones. Thus defeating the need for a though outer body shell. ↡ Advertisement Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madarmour Neutral Newbie January 8, 2002 Share January 8, 2002 We used to think that the more rigid the body is, the 'safer' the car is. Which is not true, of course. In a collision, the energy transfer in a rigid car can injure it's passengers seriously. The engineers are aware of this, so we have crumple zones which are designed to collapse/crumple and absorb most of the impact, thereby keeping the passengers safe. The car can appear to be badly damaged but the cabin has to maintain it's shape to protect the passengers. The parts that's continued to be strenghtened are the chassis, the passenger cabin frame plus the addition of side impact beams. Door panels offer little protection to side impact. To be effective, the thickness have to be increased. A metal sheet thick enough to resist some degree of side impact will be very heavy and impractical. Hence the side impact beam/s. With the beams, the passengers will be better protected. It also enables the door panel to be thinner, thus saving weight. Just my $0.02. Cheers! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbobrick Neutral Newbie January 8, 2002 Author Share January 8, 2002 Correct Mike! Much like Forumla 1 cars, the outer shell is not the key protection but the monokote (donno spelling) internal shell. The crumple zone, collaspsable steering, impact beams are all part of the modern car's endless strive to better protecting the users. Well at least car thrash can claim insurance, your life is invaluable! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madarmour Neutral Newbie January 8, 2002 Share January 8, 2002 The horrific high speed crash of Prost's Luciano Burti is still fresh in mind! The spelling is monocoque. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbobrick Neutral Newbie January 8, 2002 Author Share January 8, 2002 Yah yah, wonders of the safety standards of racing today is superb! Too bad Senna was lost..... Thanks for the spell check Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seven Neutral Newbie February 12, 2006 Share February 12, 2006 Having crumple zones on a vehicle ensures the passengers won't get the brunt of the impact. But doesn't that effectively make the car a 1 accident product ? After 1 front impact crash, declare total loss, buy new car ? Maybe we are living in the disposable car era compared to the old Beetles, Mercs, Beemers and Minis. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Felipe 3rd Gear February 12, 2006 Share February 12, 2006 OT here, the circumstances of senna's death suggest it would still be fatal even with today's F1 safety. what i understand was when he crashed, a tyre flew and banged his head, or something like a suspension component pierced his helmet. whatever it is, it wasn't the impact of the crash...a pity really, else we wouldn't have seen a 5 time WDC Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Normal_aspirated Clutched February 13, 2006 Share February 13, 2006 (edited) most conti cars start with the structural integrity to protect passengers & driver.....then the panels added like roof, mud-guards, bonnet, boot, doors, etc are then added. These formed the crumple zones. Edited February 13, 2006 by Normal_aspirated Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Normal_aspirated Clutched February 13, 2006 Share February 13, 2006 dun think all F1 cars r not designed for such crashes. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jomukaiya1 Neutral Newbie March 22, 2006 Share March 22, 2006 FI car design is about light weight and high speed. Safety is important but they can't have all those safety features without adding more weight to the cars. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silver_blade Turbocharged March 22, 2006 Share March 22, 2006 Agree with many views here. Now safety does not mean the outer shell is tough like a tank. Car now tends to have softer outer shell but very strong cage. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seansene 1st Gear March 22, 2006 Share March 22, 2006 OT here, the circumstances of senna's death suggest it would still be fatal even with today's F1 safety. what i understand was when he crashed, a tyre flew and banged his head.. Which is why, after his accident the FIA made it mandatory for the wheels to be attached by tethers to the body, so it doesn't fly off in such a manner. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hicksau Neutral Newbie March 22, 2006 Share March 22, 2006 OT here, the circumstances of senna's death suggest it would still be fatal even with today's F1 safety. what i understand was when he crashed, a tyre flew and banged his head, or something like a suspension component pierced his helmet. whatever it is, it wasn't the impact of the crash...a pity really, else we wouldn't have seen a 5 time WDC it was a sad day for some of us .. but the lessons are not forgotten and i believe that a car should in the first place protect its occupants irregardless of scenario.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chickenbackside 1st Gear March 22, 2006 Share March 22, 2006 Conti owners, what do you think of the overall "toughness" of your car bodywork? I find the new Volvos not as rigid as the older models probably due to improvements in impact beams and crumple zones. Thus defeating the need for a though outer body shell. Tough? There are about 10 ten-cent coin sizes dings all around my car. People open door = dented panel. Until I can't be bothered anymore. Sian... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolverine Neutral Newbie March 22, 2006 Share March 22, 2006 Korean metals the worst .....just brush your ass across the door and it will dent Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack_jack Neutral Newbie March 22, 2006 Share March 22, 2006 Korean metals the worst .....just brush your ass across the door and it will dent You meant "Japanese" metal? Toyotas and Hondas are the worst offenders in that regard. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hicksau Neutral Newbie March 22, 2006 Share March 22, 2006 used to be that my dudes always joked about how easy you can make a dent on jap/korean rides.. once they start owning some , they arn't joking much now.. but all cars can have dents no matter what .. just have to get some good people to fix them up .. $$ per dent... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeruel Neutral Newbie March 22, 2006 Share March 22, 2006 so if you lean on it, it'll crumple up? ↡ Advertisement Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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