The basis of that belief would be...?

__________________
When cryptography is outlawed, bayl bhgynjf jvyy unir cevinpl.

Maybe I don't know what they are…?

__________________
[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Guy next to me today was texting. I had my window down so tapped the horn. He looked straight at me. I told him to hang up and drive. He must have understood and agreed because he stopped what he was doing and saluted. Given his response, I was sorry Darwin wasn't around to grant him an award.

__________________
85SD 240K & stopped counting painted, putting bac together. 84SD 180,000. sold to a neighbor and member here but I forget his handle. The 84 is much improved from when I had it. 85TD beginning to repair to DD status. Lots of stuff to do.

Its been done. Passenger side will probably be challenging on the W123 but the driver's side should be a lot easiler since the steering wheel and many of the steering column components are shared with the W124, W126 and W201.
W124 Passenger Airbag Retrofit Project Completed (with pics)

__________________
CENSORED due to not family friendly words

pretty sure some or all of the w126 had pretensioners? the w123 just has standard locking retractors

__________________
1981 NA 300D 310k miles

I guess I am not sure of the difference between these devices In actual use I don't see any difference in any of my benzes that I have owned….115, 123, 124, 126…?

__________________
[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

All W126s have the pretensioners. 1985 W123s do as well. Note where it says RS on the buckles.

-J

__________________
1991 350SDL. 230,000 miles (new motor @ 150,000). Blown head gasket

Tesla Model 3. 205,000 miles. Been to 48 states!
Past: A fleet of VW TDIs.... including a V10,a Dieselgate Passat, and 2 ECOdiesels.
2014 Cadillac ELR
2013 Fiat 500E.

You shouldn't see any difference until you crash. The pretensioner tightens the seatbelt as the crumple zones are crumpling.

__________________
Whoever said there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes never had a cheap Jaguar.

83 300D Turbo with manual conversion, early W126 vented front rotors and H4 headlights 400,xxx miles
08 Suzuki GSX-R600 M4 Slip-on 22,xxx miles
88 Jaguar XJS V12 94,xxx miles. Work in progress.

Thanks!

__________________
1983 300TD 240k Thistle Green Auto (Euro) [sold]
1984 300D 240k Petrol Green Auto
——————————————————
"You know, times are changing. Ladies can do stuff now and you're going to have to learn how to deal with it."
"What? Were you saying something? Look, I don't speak Spanish."

When I see that kind of thing... sometimes I surprise myself by feeling drawn to the idea of being a statie. Plus who doesn't feel like a badass in polarized aviators?

__________________
1983 300TD 240k Thistle Green Auto (Euro) [sold]
1984 300D 240k Petrol Green Auto
——————————————————
"You know, times are changing. Ladies can do stuff now and you're going to have to learn how to deal with it."
"What? Were you saying something? Look, I don't speak Spanish."

This is the pretensioner mechanism. It uses a pyrotechnic device to tighten the seatbelt around you at the same instant that the airbag is deployed. It helps keep your body from sliding forward.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=RK9Aap7e8lA#t=99

__________________
CENSORED due to not family friendly words

Thank you tjts1 for that video! Very interesting!

Notice that there are a couple w123 chassis. Both times the driver doesn't hit the top of the steering wheel and especially doesn't come anywhere near the windshield.

My first auto was a Ford Focus ZXW with safety package. This meant A.B.S. and side airbags. Well, I was young and experienced, had to swerve, spun out across seven lanes of traffic, got out of the spin, but too late and slammed into the center concrete divider at about 55M.P.H.. The passenger front hit first and the body buckled in about eight places. None of the air bags went off and got severe wip lash I still suffer from all these years later. All the doors were stuck shut and cabin integrity was compromised. So airbags are useless devices demanded by the Federal Government further meddling with liberty, that are only to raise the astronomical purchase price.

Before this accident, I was cut off by a Nissan Sentra while driving my 1971 Volkswagen Squareback. The Nissan didn't stop, but I did see that the driver's rear wheel well was pushed up to the front door, so can say for certain it was totaled. As for the Squareback, a crumple zone was enacted which I still need to pull out with a frame machine. But, drove it afterwards until I parked her due to the amount of rust that made me feel uncomfortable. The rest of the damage cost about $25 for new fender, headlight, turn signal, and bumper. Who really won?

In short, today's vehicles are so poorly built due to a Federal agency not controlled by the People demanding effieciency only obtainable with extreme weight reduction that compromises safety. I rather be in an older heavy classic then a modern sardine can. I just can't see how that chart is correct.

__________________
Current fleet:

1985 Mercedes-Benz 280TE - Waiting for heart surgery.

1985 Mercedes-Benz 300TDT - Rear ended 23 September 2016 and now looking for a new home.

1979 Mercedes-Benz 300TD - Parted out.

1964 Volkswgen Beetle - Vater's since September 1968 and undergoing a restoration.

1971 Volkswagen Sunroof Squareback with F.I. - in need of full restoration.

1971 Volkswagen Squareback automatic with F.I. - Vacationing with her caretaker until he is in better health.

I'm not so sure about that theory.
2005 Ford Focus ZXW base kerb weight 2775LB
1985 300TDT 3571LB
1992 Volvo 240 wagon 3133LB
VW Squareback 2227LB

If I had to choose a head on collision between the focus and the squareback, I would put my money on the focus. W123 vs Focus might be more interesting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeMrOQfliCs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oPVESVlhPU

__________________
CENSORED due to not family friendly words

interesting tidbit-

the wifes 85 wagon had gas pretensioners like that, but during rust repair authorized by the po, the heat from welding nearby caused them both to fire, which renders them useless.

her car now has older 123 seatbelt assemblies in it.
basically its worth removing these devices to protect them if you have any rust work in the vacinity.

__________________
This post brought to you by Carl's Jr.

That's in large part because the W123 has a much more upright windshield than a modern car.

I wouldn't say that airbags are completely useless, but they are very far from being the best in crash safety. A few weeks ago at Gilles Villenneuve Massa and Perez both smacked the wall HARD and walked away. They did this without the benefit of airbags. The main things that saved them from injury were the six point harness and the very strong survival cell the cockpit sits in.

I don't know if you've noticed, but today's cars are obese. They're filled with useless garbage, only some of which is demanded by the government. The other stuff is there to fill customer desires. Ten speaker stereos, electric windows, electric seats, navigation systems, entertainment systems, climate control systems, carpets, and sound insulation add up to a lot of weight.

It's even worse on newer cars. I worked on a 2006 or 2007 model truck last week that had a list of ten or twelve things that need to be disconnected before you can do any welding on the truck.

__________________
Whoever said there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes never had a cheap Jaguar.

83 300D Turbo with manual conversion, early W126 vented front rotors and H4 headlights 400,xxx miles
08 Suzuki GSX-R600 M4 Slip-on 22,xxx miles
88 Jaguar XJS V12 94,xxx miles. Work in progress.