Attention Trendsetters - The smart fortwo is Coming

[spdickey]

http://blog.buyingadvice.com/2007/11...ion-trend.html

[SmartBob]

COOLNESS! I gotta laugh though. I'd like to see how any car would do hitting a concrete wall at 70 mph! Gimme a break (so to speak).

[spdickey]

For those of you who may have not seen the complete video, rather than just the best part, here's the whole clip.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ju6t-yyoU8s&feature=related

[jwight]

Originally Posted by SmartBob

COOLNESS! I gotta laugh though. I'd like to see how any car would do hitting a concrete wall at 70 mph! Gimme a break (so to speak).

Bob - cool cat photo!

As has been pointed out elsewhere, the car may come out OK at 70mph but the occupants are likely to end up severely injured or dead. Just too much impact force, even with belts and airbags. And you don't have to hit a fixed object at 70 mph; a head on collision between 2 cars at 35 mph generates the same closing speed, although they aren't fixed so there may be some attenuation of the impact forces.

[rubicon4wheeler]

Originally Posted by jwight

And you don't have to hit a fixed object at 70 mph; a head on collision between 2 cars at 35 mph generates the same closing speed, although they aren't fixed so there may be some attenuation of the impact forces.

That is incorrect.

A collision between 2 equally-weighted cars at 35mph still only means the occupants are decelerated from 35mph to 0mph in the distance of the car's crumple zone. This is essentially identical to hitting a solid wall at at 35mph.

The results will obviously different in a collision between a 4000lb. car and a 2000lb. car, which is where the occupants of the smart will be at a disadvantage vs. an SUV. The car may hold up great, but the occupants still have to decelerate. The human body can only handle so many G's before it falls apart internally.

[jwight]

You are right; got closing speed mixed up with impact speed. Another reason I'm not an engineer.