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Originally Posted by Adriel
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. |
That's in large part because the W123 has a much more upright windshield than a modern car.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Originally Posted by JB3
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.
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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.