Is the chimaera a safe car?
Discussion
No car is 100% safe. There are people who post on this forum that have had some pretty big accidents in TVRs and walked away, and there are a few who unfortunately have not lived to tell the tale - but that can be said of any car.
For balance, consider the Renault Espace and the Chrysler Voyager. Renault get a pretty good result in the NCAP test, and the Voyager was slated for being one or two stars. The real world crash data puts them pretty close in terms of KSI.
For balance, consider the Renault Espace and the Chrysler Voyager. Renault get a pretty good result in the NCAP test, and the Voyager was slated for being one or two stars. The real world crash data puts them pretty close in terms of KSI.
I think you do need to remember that while they may look like a luxury convertible/roadster, underneath they're not that dissimilar to Caterhams et al. They're sturdy old things when hit at the front (the GRP bodywork does have good impact absorbing qualities and the tubular main structure is massively strong) , but compared to newer/more mainstream cars they do lack side impact and rollover protection.
Personally I feel that as a weekend 'fun' car the compromise is perfectly acceptable - people tend to do far more dangerous things for comparable kicks in their free time - but I would have reservations if I'd have to use it daily for work etc. in all kinds of traffic and weather conditions.
Personally I feel that as a weekend 'fun' car the compromise is perfectly acceptable - people tend to do far more dangerous things for comparable kicks in their free time - but I would have reservations if I'd have to use it daily for work etc. in all kinds of traffic and weather conditions.
Podie said:
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For balance, consider the Renault Espace and the Chrysler Voyager. Renault get a pretty good result in the NCAP test, and the Voyager was slated for being one or two stars. The real world crash data puts them pretty close in terms of KSI.
For balance, consider the Renault Espace and the Chrysler Voyager. Renault get a pretty good result in the NCAP test, and the Voyager was slated for being one or two stars. The real world crash data puts them pretty close in terms of KSI.
Strange that Folksam, the provider of some of the best regarded real world data, maintains that the correlation of their data with NCAP crash results is strong where many examples suggest that they really aren't.Edited by 900T-R on Wednesday 8th October 12:53
Wouldn't it be refreshing to have a debate that didn't polarise within one page. There's plenty of room for discussion on the relative safety aspects of TVRs.
A friend of ours had rolled his Cerb and he and his passenger were extremely grateful for the rigid construction. Nubbin successfully destroyed his Tamora yet walked away from a prang that would have killed him in an older model.
Griff and Chimeras are lethal if you roll them or get hit from the side, it's entirely down to you how much you let that bother you, unfortunately for my wife it became a worry and she lost her enthusiasm for it (took her 4 years mind)
A friend of ours had rolled his Cerb and he and his passenger were extremely grateful for the rigid construction. Nubbin successfully destroyed his Tamora yet walked away from a prang that would have killed him in an older model.
Griff and Chimeras are lethal if you roll them or get hit from the side, it's entirely down to you how much you let that bother you, unfortunately for my wife it became a worry and she lost her enthusiasm for it (took her 4 years mind)
Apache said:
Griff and Chimeras are lethal if you roll them or get hit from the side, it's entirely down to you how much you let that bother you, unfortunately for my wife it became a worry and she lost her enthusiasm for it (took her 4 years mind)
I'd have to agree. I did tend to put the thought to one side during the 6½ years I owned my Chimaera. But there is no escaping the fact that in a side impact you have only a thin skin of GRP to absorb any impact and a rather rigid transmission tunnel to get squished against.Don't get me wrong, I'd rather have GRP with its energy-absorbing properties than a thin sheet of metal, but I feel a lot safer in my Sagaris with its full roll cage and side impact bars (I am right in thinking it was side impact bars, aren't I?)
I don't think the Griff or Chimaera are necessarily dangerous as such, and certainly you have more protection than in a Caterham, but I very much doubt that they would come out with 5 stars with NCAP.
TVR Moneypit said:
Apache said:
Wouldn't it be refreshing to have a debate that didn't polarise within one page. There's plenty of room for discussion on the relative safety aspects of TVRs.
A friend of ours had rolled his Cerb and he and his passenger were extremely grateful for the rigid construction. Nubbin successfully destroyed his Tamora yet walked away from a prang that would have killed him in an older model.
Griff and Chimeras are lethal if you roll them or get hit from the side, it's entirely down to you how much you let that bother you, unfortunately for my wife it became a worry and she lost her enthusiasm for it (took her 4 years mind)
I wasn't meaning to troll in any way.A friend of ours had rolled his Cerb and he and his passenger were extremely grateful for the rigid construction. Nubbin successfully destroyed his Tamora yet walked away from a prang that would have killed him in an older model.
Griff and Chimeras are lethal if you roll them or get hit from the side, it's entirely down to you how much you let that bother you, unfortunately for my wife it became a worry and she lost her enthusiasm for it (took her 4 years mind)
Maybe I am of a reckless personality. A cars looks or safety record has never been a concern of mine, Ever.
I've always been more interested in how a vehicle performs. This to me is the biigest factor when making a new purchase.
Maybe when I grow up, (I'm 31, so may be waiting a while), and have children, my point of view will change? But for now, safety just isn't an issue.
That being said, I'd much rather roll a T350, (with it's built in cage), than a Chim / Griff / Wedge, where I feel that the screen would just fold flat. Because of this, a roll hoop is on the shopping list, abelt a long way down it.
Edited by TVR Moneypit on Wednesday 8th October 13:25
TVR Moneypit said:
Would the seat, or seatbelt mounting points rip away from the fibreglass?
Very likely. The seats are only held in with 4 bolts each, bolted straight through the fibreglass. First thing you do when sprinting a TVR is to put metal plates in to spread the load and prevent this. And fit a roll bar, obviously.Sadly I never got round to doing either of these on my Chimaera - I never had the available funds. But it was always something I intended to do. Not for sprinting, mind, for road use.
Edited by JonRB on Wednesday 8th October 13:48
All said really, but...
Good from the front due to the construction.
Weak from the side where the impact protection is very low down - a 4x4 will drive over it.
Fuel tank is at the back, and
They aren't great 'rolled'.
But if your first concern is either safety or Jap-spec reliability, you probably want something else...
Good from the front due to the construction.
Weak from the side where the impact protection is very low down - a 4x4 will drive over it.
Fuel tank is at the back, and
They aren't great 'rolled'.
But if your first concern is either safety or Jap-spec reliability, you probably want something else...
well I walked away from a pretty nasty accident when a drunk driver hit me in the side. I only survived because I drove a RHD car in Germany. In a LHD Chimaera I was dead, nothing to discuss about.
The frame is quite sturdy but so low that the other car climbed the bar and stopped against the gearbox tunnel with his wheel in front of the passenger seat.
If you want search for: "my chim is dead but I survived" and have a look at the pics.
Mind you I have bought another Chim now and I love it. I think the car brought me luck, cause in any other LHD car I was dead as well (this is what the firebrigade and the police told me).
Also riding my old brit irons with their period brakes is surely more dangerous.
Go out and get one, you only ever live once and you might regret it not having done in the future
The frame is quite sturdy but so low that the other car climbed the bar and stopped against the gearbox tunnel with his wheel in front of the passenger seat.
If you want search for: "my chim is dead but I survived" and have a look at the pics.
Mind you I have bought another Chim now and I love it. I think the car brought me luck, cause in any other LHD car I was dead as well (this is what the firebrigade and the police told me).
Also riding my old brit irons with their period brakes is surely more dangerous.
Go out and get one, you only ever live once and you might regret it not having done in the future
JonRB said:
Very likely. They're only held in with 4 bolts each, bolted straight through the fibreglass.
First thing you do when sprinting a TVR is to put metal plates in to spread the load and prevent this. And fit a roll bar, obviously.
Wasn't there a body shop owner on here (Sportmotive?) who said they'd never seen a TVR where the seat mounting bolts had ripped out of the fibreglass in an impact? First thing you do when sprinting a TVR is to put metal plates in to spread the load and prevent this. And fit a roll bar, obviously.
Edited by 900T-R on Wednesday 8th October 13:51
when I bought my first TVR ( a Chimaera) it was def the safer choice
it was either a chim or a ducati 996...
it was ( and still is) the most economical car I've ever had..
as has been said in anything other than side impact a chim/griff is probably as safe as anything else and better than lots..
900T-R said:
JonRB said:
Very likely. They're only held in with 4 bolts each, bolted straight through the fibreglass.
First thing you do when sprinting a TVR is to put metal plates in to spread the load and prevent this. And fit a roll bar, obviously.
Wasn't there a body shop owner on here (Sportmotive?) who said they'd never seen a TVR where the seat mounting bolts had ripped out of the fibreglass in an impact? First thing you do when sprinting a TVR is to put metal plates in to spread the load and prevent this. And fit a roll bar, obviously.
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