Crash Test

[m0n0LiTh0]

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Insurance/InsureYourCar/crash-test-1959-chevy-vs-2009-chevy.aspx?gt1=33009


Amazing , like where they been hiding all them '59 Bel Air's ??   \0/



Now for some easy listening....

http://www.crashtestdummies.com/   

[peewee_RotA]

Once there was this car who
Got into an accident with a chevy malibu

Mmm mmm mmm mmmm
Mmm mmm mmm mmmm

[The Happy Friar]

i just read over the weekend that a station wagon in 1980 surpasses the mpg requirements the current administration wants to put in place...  NOT FUNNY!   

[Th0m@s29]

I think that's pretty funny.

[ReCycled]

There's more to the safety of modern cars today than structural design. I remember the muscle car era. Those things were rolling death traps. First of all the tires were bias ply - a crude form of making tires back then. These things had lousy grip, braking and turning. Secondly - drum brakes. For heavy cars running down the highway, these types of brakes will not stop you effectively. Thirdly - leaf spring suspension, coupled with soft shocks (for driving comfort). Put a 400 HP engine into a standard car chassis back then, with the first 3 factors and you have a vehicle that is a nightmare to control at high speed. It was easy for young punks to get in way over their heads in these things. And most didn't wear seatbelts. A lot of street racers died back then because the power overwhelmed the car's ability to handle it. Nowadays you have radial tires, disc brakes, independent suspension and a host of other tweaks that can make any car much more manageable. And of course seatbelts with air bags.
 

[QwazyWabbit]

First of all the tires were bias ply - a crude form of making tires back then. These things had lousy grip, braking and turning.

Funny how history gets re-written.

Radial tires were invented in 1915 by an American, Arthur W. Savage.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_William_Savage#San_Diego.2C_CA.2C_Savage_Tire

It was not until after his death and when his patents were nearly expired (1949) that radials became more popular and Michelin began importing them to the U.S. in successful competition with U.S. tire manufacturers. Radials became standard on U.S. cars from about 1973 onward so a 1980 station wagon would have had radial tires on it from the factory. The bias against radials was mostly due to propaganda and disinformation perpetuated by Goodyear and other tire companies in competion with Savage Tire. Unfortunately, this is the typical scenario for inventions and patents in America and the world, generally.

Lest one hears the outcry "Wiki!":
http://web.archive.org/web/20071207232133/http://www.classiccar.com/articles/content/index.php?/archives/21-A-Tale-of-Two-Tires.html

[Th0m@s29]

That's messed up!