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Re: As a starting point, you might look at... Posted by Greg [Email]  (#200) [Profile/Gallery]
(more from Greg) on Tue, 28 Mar 2006 16:33:32
In Reply to: As a starting point, you might look at..., spiv, Tue, 28 Mar 2006 13:46:01 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
I've heard that that expanding foam attracts and traps moisture like crazy. I don't think I would want to risk that in an already rust prone area like the rocker panels.
You could also pad the dash and look into collapsible steering wheels and steering columns, but that seems impractical/very difficult. Heck, the setup of the car almost begs to have a 5 point racing harness.
All in all having tinkered with the car for a long time with the body off of it, the design is really pretty good from a safety standpoint. An example is the rocker panel. Where a truck or old car would have two c channels that the body and passengers sit on top of, the Sonett has two fully boxed members running outboard of the passengers. Its a fairly beefy thing to have between you and intruders. Everywhere you look on the car, the flimsy looking sheet metal is actually folded into sturdy boxes and tubes. Its much better than a convertible with that fiberglass roof over it, and even on modern cars, the windshield carries most of the load of the roof on roll over. Have you ever put any weight on the roof of a modern car, it 'oilcans' with almost no pressure.
And those gigantic bumpers? They are just there to keep the cost of repairs down for a parallel parking accident. Ultimately its the structure behind them that protects you in a real accident.
Visibility is a huge issue, and there you can borrow some stuff from the motorcycle world. Do you have good reflectors all around? You could add a bright LED third tail light, and brighter turnsignals and taillights. Are the headlights as bright as they can be and adjusted so they aren't blinding oncoming traffic? I also borrow my driving habits from riding my motorcycle. I never ever ever drive in someones blindspot. I assume I am invisible at all times. I look both ways before crossing the street, even if I have the right of way. Always check the rear view mirror when you are stopping/stopped at lights, and keep a big SUV between you and cross traffic if you can without 'hiding' behind it...
You've got me thinking about the third brake light now...but other than that, I wouldn't do a thing. If anything I'd fear the terrible irony of dying smooshed between two semis even after replacing all the sheet metal in the car with 1/4" plate. But ultimately real safety improvements would have to be carefully thought out, analyzed and probably tested. If not, you could make the car more dangerous. I think then that gets you into the land of diminishing returns, as you can't protect against everything.
posted by 139.169.59...
, Tue, 28 Mar 2006 16:33:32 <-- Viewing This Message
, Tue, 28 Mar 2006 12:50:13
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