Crash Test: differences 50 70 90

[M4cruiser]

Having looked at several crash test videos / pics on various other threads, I though this might be interesting, starting with the difference speed makes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoJqCsHAak8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vi3ZGKHNgQ0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dI5ewOmHPQ

Quite shocking. 50kph (30mph)looks survivable, but 90kph (56mph) no way (into a pole). 120kph (74mph) even worse, and that's with a reasonably modern car and a slightly deformable barrier.
200kph (120mph) completely destroys the car.

[HaloGen8]

Remember seeing this on Fifth Gear.

Proper OMG type moment.

[leafspring]

That's horrific *shudders*

One small thing about vid1 though, I have yet to see a steel reinforced tree, you'd still be FUBAR but...

[kambites]

Hardly surprisingly when you think about it. The car has twice as much energy to lose at 70 as at 50 and not far off four times as much at 90.

[philmots]

I've seen (and forgot about) the Focus clip before.

It doesn't half make you think.

[Perd Hapley]

leafspring said:

That's horrific *shudders*

One small thing about vid1 though, I have yet to see a steel reinforced tree, you'd still be FUBAR but...

Trees are probably the hardest thing you're realistically likely to hit. They'll mess you up. Even buildings have more give than a sturdy tree.

[nipsips]

Not looking forward to driving my MK1 Focus anymore lol

[leafspring]

Perd Hapley said:

leafspring said:

That's horrific *shudders*

One small thing about vid1 though, I have yet to see a steel reinforced tree, you'd still be FUBAR but...

Trees are probably the hardest thing you're realistically likely to hit. They'll mess you up. Even buildings have more give than a sturdy tree.

True... ignore me I'm being dense as usual

[aw51 121565]

nipsips said:

Not looking forward to driving my MK1 Focus anymore lol

You'll be OK - it's not like the same programme doctored the Volvo 940 vs. Renault Modus "head on crash test" they showed at some other time or anything...

A car doing 120mph is going to have 9 times the kinetic energy of a car doing 40mph - or 16 times the kinetic energy of a car doing 30mph. The car - any car - doing 120mph will be destroyed if it hits a solid unyielding object ; who'd've thunk it??

And a Renault Modus seeing off a Volvo 940 in said aforementioned 'test'? Yeah RIGHT !

Now the 50/70/90kph Sierra crash tests are interesting - the cars seems to be engineless? (The rear wheels would be being pushed around/back by the motion of the propshaft against the rear diff as a starter for ten.)

And 'Chery' cars are known for poor crash tests... See how the rear half goes under the front? That's arguably bad design - but any such crash test against an object ahead will cause most if not all cars to be compromised at 120kph or 68mph.

None of the crash tests shown are representative of tests that an average car or driver will ever realistically face though ...

[Graham]

so In the sierra

At 50kph, your probably dead
at 70kph, your dead
at 90kph, your dead a bit quicker and messier..

may as well keep your foot in your dead if you hit a tree...

[CB125T]

On the test of the chery, do I see the drivers seat actually make contact with the rear passenger headrest

[mybrainhurts]

And how many cars have you seen as badly damaged as that on the roads..?

[Dapster]

The 90km/h test on the Sierra is quite sobering. The dummy looses his head...

As for "real world" look at this.

12 year old design, no worries....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPL0Vi_8fiI

Much newer car...ouch!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ob7BhzpPvNY

[philmots]

Dapster said:

The 90km/h test on the Sierra is quite sobering. The dummy looses his head...

As for "real world" look at this.

12 year old design, no worries....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPL0Vi_8fiI

Much newer car...ouch!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ob7BhzpPvNY

Interesting that the Volvos look designed that the impact goes down the side of the car and kind of deflects them away from the object.

Most others it's stopping them dead.

The VAGs looks poor, if I had to be in any it'd be the 2012 onwards 3 series.

[BOBTEE]

Cripes, just searched for the current Focus, which I have... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBeDYp7kp7Y

BRB, off to buy a Volvo!

[Clivey]

It would be interesting to see a realistic crash test showing a head-on between new European saloons (3-Series / A4 size) at say 60 mph. - I'm thinking along the lines of a NSL country road scenario if someone drifts into the wrong carriageway.

[longblackcoat]

mybrainhurts said:

And how many cars have you seen as badly damaged as that on the roads..?

In the Alps (I'm thinking of Chamonix, but I've seen it elsewhere) the police park badly crashed cars in the car parks/town square etc as a reminder that things can go very wrong on mountain roads. I've seen several wrecks where it was obvious that no-one got out alive - gruesome, but it certainly focusses the mind.

[kambites]

Clivey said:

It would be interesting to see a realistic crash test showing a head-on between new European saloons (3-Series / A4 size) at say 60 mph. - I'm thinking along the lines of a NSL country road scenario if someone drifts into the wrong carriageway.

I'm fairly certain no-one would survive in either car if they hit head-on at that sort of speed. I suspect most country-road head-ons are at considerably lower speeds though because it would be pretty rare for neither party to react and hit the brakes.

[Clivey]

kambites said:

I'm fairly certain no-one would survive in either car if they hit head-on at that sort of speed. I suspect most country-road head-ons are at considerably lower speeds though because it would be pretty rare for neither party to react and hit the brakes.

I agree with what you say but would still like to see that sort of test just as an illustration of what could happen. I think the ADAC test between the Audi Q7 and Fiat 500 shows that even with a modern car, you aren't invincible as some people seem to act when they're on the road. - I think that they assume that because they have airbags, ESP etc. etc. they can drive like a tool, paying no attention to the road and barely in control of their car…as someone else said; this sort of thing focusses the mind.

[Dr Interceptor]

mybrainhurts said:

And how many cars have you seen as badly damaged as that on the roads..?

None as bad as the Focus - but when you're out on the roads a lot, you inevitably see some horrific sights.

The worst I've seen was car that had been rear ended by a lorry, and stuffed under the back of the lorry in front. Horrible