PSA: Cars are FRAGILE!!!

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Horus

Platinum Member
Dec 27, 2003
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Ok, so I made a thread a few weeks ago about how I hydroplaned into a pole at 20kph. Messed up the front of the car a little.

Doing 20kph, one might expect for most of the damage to be cosmetic. But no.

The frame on my Protege is bent, and a crumple zone needs to be replaced on the front end. Added another 700 goddamn dollars to my fvcking bill.

So, for people that like to drive dangerously, and don't have collision insurance, be advised, and ready to pay a hefty price.

Mind you, the Charger I have as a rental is pretty goddamn saweet!
 
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Cheezeit

Diamond Member
Apr 21, 2005
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Those are for safety issues. If you really run into something fast, then you really wouln't like the front of your car to be stiff.
 
Safeway

Safeway

Lifer
Jun 22, 2004
12,075
11
81
Originally posted by: Cheezeit
Those are for safety issues. If you really run into something fast, then you really wouln't like the front of your car to be stiff.
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If if you run into something at 80mph, it doesn't matter.

It'll be wrapped like a present.
 
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marvdmartian

Diamond Member
Apr 12, 2002
5,444
27
91
Yeah, your other choice would be to drive a 40 year old car. Even if you retrofit it with shoulder belts and airbags, you'd be worse off in a higher speed collision.

Just think of it......your car has a certain amount of momentum. Now take away the forward movement, rapidly. That force has to be taken up somehow. In a modern car, a lot of that force is used up in crumpling the "crumple zones" of the front end. In a 40 year old car, without crumple zones, the car would come out with less damage......the force would instead by put upon your body. Granted, the addition of shoulder restraints and airbags would lessen that force, but it would still give you some hellacious bruises when you were all done (at the very least!!).

If you want to drive something with a little more survivability, I'd suggest a big ol' pickup truck. They'll still get some damage to them, but when hitting a shorter stature car, the pickup tends to get more mechanical damage to the front end than cosmetic. Either way, driving a vehicle that you care to repair, and not having collision insurance, can be an expensive lesson, don't you agree?? ;)
 
Ryan

Ryan

Lifer
Oct 31, 2000
27,519
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81
Your brain is pretty fragile too - which would you rather have protected?
 
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Horus

Platinum Member
Dec 27, 2003
2,838
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I know they're designed to crumple...that's the first thing I learned in driving school.

What would you rather be in running into a rock wall? A sherman tank or a Lada? The Lada, because it will absorb the impact by crumpling.
 
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733SHiFTY

Banned
Jun 22, 2005
1,328
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Originally posted by: ScoobMaster
Originally posted by: 733SHiFTY
Originally posted by: Horus

Mind you, the Charger I have as a rental is pretty goddamn saweet!
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sorry, but they have nothing on old chargers

omg hawt
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Excellent point.........BUT.......at least link to a pic of the REAL classic Charger......

1968 Charger
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yeah, sry it was the first decent pic google linked me to...

(almost linked to a pic of the general lee)

 
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C'DaleRider

Guest
Jan 13, 2000
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Originally posted by: Horus
I know they're designed to crumple...that's the first thing I learned in driving school.

What would you rather be in running into a rock wall? A sherman tank or a Lada? The Lada, because it will absorb the impact by crumpling.
Click to expand...

I think it'd depend completely on the speed at which you hit the wall. At 20KPH, or 12MPH, I'd take the Sherman tank......12MPH is a fast run or a slow bicycle ride, so I'd just hit and drive away in the tank. The Lada, on the other hand, would just sit there broken, steaming, and useless.

Now, at a good speed, you need a good crumple zone. But at 12mph? (The conversion of KPH to MPH is KPH x 0.6, so 20KPH = 12MPH.)
 
RedRooster

RedRooster

Diamond Member
Sep 14, 2000
6,596
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Race cars are the safest cars in the world and they completely disintegrate on impact. What does that tell you?
 
jlee

jlee

Lifer
Sep 12, 2001
48,518
223
106
Originally posted by: Horus
I know they're designed to crumple...that's the first thing I learned in driving school.

What would you rather be in running into a rock wall? A sherman tank or a Lada? The Lada, because it will absorb the impact by crumpling.
Click to expand...


I'd rather take the 30+ton Sherman *through* the rock wall..thanks :)
 
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Horus

Platinum Member
Dec 27, 2003
2,838
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Originally posted by: J0hnny
Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
You hydroplaned at 20kph? Were you driving with slicks on the car? :confused:
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He's a bad driver. nuff said.
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Be-low me J0hnny. I said I HIT at 20kph...I went into a 90 degree turn at 40kph, lost traction half-way through the turn. Both my tires whacking the curb and blowing slowed me down a lot.

I WAS a bad driver. I've learned safety through my mistake.
 
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