Originally Posted by vstech

um... that would be over 2.7 HP / cubic inch...

Originally Posted by Ara T.

These days, our crash requirements basically dictate you have to use a lot of high strength steel, which is heavy but gives the car a very stiff chassis. Go look at a crash test of a Toyota Yaris... very stiff chassis. Of course this means we can't have any cars under 2000 pounds anymore.

Originally Posted by rwthomas1

Its cool. Someone is trying something new. Maybe not the solution for all people but I think I would buy one if I needed it. I have had 13 crotch rockets so I don't really care about the safety aspect. When your numbers up, thats it. RT

Originally Posted by vstech

um... that would be over 2.7 HP / cubic inch...

Originally Posted by DieselAddict

It only makes sense if everyone else is driving around in 2 tons of steel. The point is, you'd be just as safe in a light car if everyone else was driving light cars as you would be in a heavy car if everyone else was driving heavy cars.

Obviously the person who originally asked that question was talking about a mass shift to lighter vehicles, and not just a few individuals doing it here and there.

This packing on of steel has got to de-escalate one day, just like the nuclear arsenal of US and Russia did.

Originally Posted by DieselAddict

It can be done, but they have to be small cars. The Smart which meets all current safety specs, weighs 1800 lbs IIRC. The Honda Insight was about the same, but that one's no longer produced.

Originally Posted by Roncallo

It looks very slick, but prototypes always do. Then the realities of production take hold. It looks over priced to me. My feeling is 1/2 the weight and size should be 1/2 the price. 22,000 US is not chump change. That kind of money will buy me a good used 560SEL and fuel it for 7 years. The market in Europe will be much better where you can only fuel the 560SEL for 3 years.

John Roncallo

Originally Posted by t walgamuth

Light weight is more expensive to build than heavy. Wanna go light? How light can you afford? Look at a lotus. A benz has a lot of aluminum in it and that drives up cost but reduces weight. Bmw too.

A big bmw bike weighs less than 500#. Nearly half what a Harley or big honda weighs. My old bmw r60/5 weighed only 379#....very light for its class and day.

Tom W

Originally Posted by t walgamuth

Hey! There is another thing we agree on.

What is that three things now?

Tom W

Originally Posted by aklim

Crash test is but one aspect of the picture. When a 5000# object hits a 1000# object, you might tell me that the both of them don't collapse and kill the passenger. However, which gets shaken around more? Think your brain likes to get "shaken, not stirred."?

Originally Posted by hobbitss

If memory serves correct 1 Liter = 61.4 cubic inches..

100hp / 61.4 = 1.63 hp per cubic inch, this is an economically obtainable power range... I have a 16 yr old car with a 1.6 liter engine that puts out just over 100hp... Add a turbo or super charger and some modern engine management electronics and that engine will reliably run in the 160hp range...

Joe

Originally Posted by vstech

I came up with the same Cu Inch figure you do, I wonder how my calculator got the 2.77 from..... simple head math shows it's less than 2HP... I blame my macintosh.....

Originally Posted by hobbitss

Macintosh?? Well that explains everything, including your awesome sig..

Originally Posted by aklim

I don't care about mileage. Why? Because I can earn back the money way easier than I can repair my body. My number is up? No problem. What if I am severely injured or crippled? That I bother about.