Cars Today Need To Go On A Diet!

[G35COUPE]

I have the rev up engine in the G-35 Coupe and a stock G-37 S cannot outrun me, though I have some modifications on my car. So, I have had the same experience as well.

Yes, i agree that weight was a big factor. And I think much of that weight is based on newer technology and stringent safety requirements.

If safety is a serious concern, then how does one explain a little car like the Mazda Speed 3 putting out 276 hore power on barely 3,100 lbs of weight???? You would think it would be a lot dangerous car, don't you think?

[clutch-monkey]

that's still kinda heavy for a hot hatch by previous standards, hence it's bloated power figure..

[LeonOfTheDead]

yup, that 3 weights a lot.

[wwgkd]

yup, that 3 weights a lot.

I blame the public. I realize that's actually normal for me, but I do have solid reasoning this time. People keep demanding more and more luxury from their cars, and more and more space, and more and more reinforcement for crash safety. It all adds up to the point that nothing can be all that light, especially in the US. And don't try to use the elise as an example since it didn't have to go through the usual crash safety regulations due to a special dispensation, and it's a specialty extremely low volume car anyways. Notice that a lot of the people here complaining about weight also want sat nav and the like? That's the problem. I say the solution is to create a penal colony and move anyone who likes overweight/overoptioned cars there. Since they've already had success with that concept, may I suggest australia?

[LeonOfTheDead]

what I meant is that a Mazdaspeed3 or whatever its name is over there (3 MPS over here) weight 1.481 kg in 2006 trim, while an Opel Astra OPC weight 1.393 kg, in 2005 trim.
So that car is actually heavier (100 kg) and by a fair margin then one of its competitor of the same kind, dimensions, performances and so on.
A brand new 3 hatch, with a 2.0 liter engine weights already 1.340 kg, a similarly powered turbocharged Fiat Bravo 1,4 weight 1.275 kg.
The 3 is heavy, regardless of the market, the options or whatever else.

[clutch-monkey]

Notice that a lot of the people here complaining about weight also want sat nav

this i never understand. why pay a grand or so for a sat nav in the dash when a tom-tom is a few hundred bucks, if you really need sat nav?

[LeonOfTheDead]

not that a sat nav weights enough to explain the problem

[2ndclasscitizen]

Think of a motorbike: even in high speed crashes, the chassis is usually intact, and it weights...don't know, 50 kg?!

In an accident a bike rarely hits anything square on, mostly glancing blows. The frame is also usually wrapped tightly around the engine. As for the weight, sports bike beam frames are usually around the 10kg mark, the trellis frames used on Ducatis, KTMs etc etc, sit around the 6-7kg mark.

And despite all that, bike's twist, crack and snap frames in crashes all the time.

Well, I should have been more assertive in my previous statement. I travel the American highways every day....I know there are as many or more larger vehicles on our roads than small.

Which would be why smaller cars are less safe there. Do you have an stats showing injury and fatality in single-vehicle accidents only? That would be far more telling of the respective safety of the two types of vehicles.

[LeonOfTheDead]

In an accident a bike rarely hits anything square on, mostly glancing blows. The frame is also usually wrapped tightly around the engine. As for the weight, sports bike beam frames are usually around the 10kg mark, the trellis frames used on Ducatis, KTMs etc etc, sit around the 6-7kg mark.

And despite all that, bike's twist, crack and snap frames in crashes all the time.

Should have known of that figure, 150 kg is the whole F430 chassis...
I still think the deformations and cracks a bike faces are good to show as weight isn't related to the safety as a given fact, but rather it's a matter of ho the whole structure is designed.

[Zytek_Fan]

You could be driving this



10,000 lbs.

[whiteballz]

well, I've figured out the issues behind the GTR's weight guys..



Sponsored by vodka and donuts! its all so obvious now.

[redwood]

Yes there is. It's all relative to impact speed and what two masses meet...but still the heavier the vehicle the safer overall.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety(USA) has said there is no substitute for weight.

"There are good reasons people buy mini cars. They're more affordable, and they use less gas. But the safety trade-offs are clear from our new tests,"

“All things being equal in safety, bigger and heavier is always better."

Sorry but I don't agree. That is the sort of thinking that has lead to these overweight cars and more sloppy driving. When people think they are less likely to be hurt in an accident their driving gets worse. And often it is the biker or pedestrian that gets hurt or killed.

A heavy object wants to continue in a straight line. So a heavy car doesn't want to turn, and is more likely to end up in the accident it is trying to avoid. A lighter car handles better and is more likely to avoid the crash in the first place.

Also I've seen the results of accidents between a heavy car and a lighter car and sometimes the heavy car comes off worse. The reason is that it pushes the lighter car and rather than destroy it, it is the heavy car which is the only one that really suffered. e.g. a large saloon hit the back of a sports car. Sports car was pushed forward and was lightly damaged and able to drive away. Heavy car had crumpled at the front puncturing the radiator and was towed away!

[LeonOfTheDead]

Sorry but I don't agree. That is the sort of thinking that has lead to these overweight cars and more sloppy driving. When people think they are less likely to be hurt in an accident their driving gets worse. And often it is the biker or pedestrian that gets hurt or killed.

A heavy object wants to continue in a straight line. So a heavy car doesn't want to turn, and is more likely to end up in the accident it is trying to avoid. A lighter car handles better and is more likely to avoid the crash in the first place.

Also I've seen the results of accidents between a heavy car and a lighter car and sometimes the heavy car comes off worse. The reason is that it pushes the lighter car and rather than destroy it, it is the heavy car which is the only one that really suffered. e.g. a large saloon hit the back of a sports car. Sports car was pushed forward and was lightly damaged and able to drive away. Heavy car had crumpled at the front puncturing the radiator and was towed away!

Nice debut, couldn't agree more.

Welcome on UCP

[wwgkd]

Sorry but I don't agree. That is the sort of thinking that has lead to these overweight cars and more sloppy driving. When people think they are less likely to be hurt in an accident their driving gets worse. And often it is the biker or pedestrian that gets hurt or killed.

A heavy object wants to continue in a straight line. So a heavy car doesn't want to turn, and is more likely to end up in the accident it is trying to avoid. A lighter car handles better and is more likely to avoid the crash in the first place.

Also I've seen the results of accidents between a heavy car and a lighter car and sometimes the heavy car comes off worse. The reason is that it pushes the lighter car and rather than destroy it, it is the heavy car which is the only one that really suffered. e.g. a large saloon hit the back of a sports car. Sports car was pushed forward and was lightly damaged and able to drive away. Heavy car had crumpled at the front puncturing the radiator and was towed away!

That is true. I got hit in an intersection in my jeep by a silverado and it mostly just pushed me sideways. I just replaced the door and repainted some stuff and I was good as new. Sometimes it really does pay off being in the bigger vehicle, though. My dad was just involved in a pileup and it worked out pretty well for him and the other pickup involved. Not so much for the SUVs and cars. Note the other vehicle's rear window is now on his hood, but the only damage to the truck is the broken license plate holder.

[G35COUPE]

The argument for heavier cars on the basis if weight remains questionable, especially when it comes to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Does anyone really think the IIHS is out to help the consumer or out to provide the insurance companies with questionable data they use for determining insurance rates??? Is Wallstreet capable of policing themselves when greed roams free?

I have a beleif about driving and that beleif has been strengthened with time. The most dangerous driver is the most stupid driver. Stupidity is the biggest culprit of driving accidents and mishaps. Unfortunately, neither the govt nor the IIHS is prepared to measure and record stupidity levels in drivers, in order to determine who gets a driver's license and who gets insured.

For example, why on earth would anyone want to text and drive??? Why would anyone want to drive 45 mph in a 4 lane 55 mph highway?? Why do some drivers drive by the side of other drivers or trucks, when there is so much space ahead of them or behind them?

No auto manufacturer or Insurace company can build or include anti-stupidity mechanisms in cars. The safest driver is the one who accepts from the beginning that driving is naturally and inherently, a dangerous activity. With this mind set, people are likely to stop placing their faith in the superficial systems built into their cars, which provide a false sense of safety.