Damn, I wish California would approve the "Smart Car" for use... - Page 2

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Damn, I wish California would approve the "Smart Car" for use... (Page 2 of 2)

Posted: 1/4/2006 9:35:56 AM EDT

[#1]

Quoted:
I want one. It would probably still be safer than my Geo Metro, and get even better mileage. It is probably safer than my truck and easier to use around town.

+1

And park and fit in the garage.

Posted: 1/4/2006 9:37:52 AM EDT

[#2]

Quoted:
Quoted:
Anyway, that will be 50 man points for even admitting to want one of these cars.

A guy driving one of these will get more tail than a guy driving a C6 Corvette...

Yeah, if you don't mind smelly hippie chicks (and/or guys) with STDs.

Posted: 1/4/2006 9:38:47 AM EDT

[#3]

It's a lot safer than a motorcycle, and it'll keep you warm and dry while you travel(and has cupholders). I think it's a great idea. This is the kind of car I need for my daily commute. I wonder what kind of milage it gets. My Toyota Corolla gets 35 MPG after an oil change. That's pretty hard to beat. That's also the reason I still own it. The 4Runner is what gets us out of the mountain when it snows, and the Corolla gets me through my commute cheaply. This car would be a perfect replacement for my Corolla assuming it gets better gas milage. One would think that it would be very fuel efficient.

I'd probably put a Warn winch on the front of it in case it ever got stuck.

Now where can I buy one?

Posted: 1/4/2006 9:41:14 AM EDT

[#4]

Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
This was going to be my point. Of course the cage is very rigid, but the driver is also travelling the same speed as the car. If the car doesn't deform to absorb the collision forces, what is going to take the force? The driver.
You're dead.

As cars move towards carbon fiber monocoques in the future, crumble zones won't be that important. The safest racing cars in the world have very little in the way of crumble zones. They also don't have airbags

Actually, these race cars have long noses that are destroyed in crashes, allowing the driver's body to decelerate slower. Not a "crumple" zone, but a "destruction" zone. They don't have airbags because they have five point harnesses.

The laws of physics cannot be evaded.

They hardly slow the body down at all. Many wrecks have instant spikes of over 100g's of deceleration. The nose can not deform that much because the feet are awfully close to the front of it. They have been moved back in recent years (in the past leg injuries were very common) and materials have gotten better, but the human body will still take a massive shock. The noses don't destroy themselves that easily either...in fact they can act as a spear they are so strong...

What are you gaining, then, from this design?

Posted: 1/4/2006 10:54:38 AM EDT

[#5]

Here's another option to consider:
0-60 in 2.8 seconds;
top speed over 170 mph;
weighs less than 400 lbs;
qualifies for the carpool lane;
can legally split lanes (in California); and
gets 40-45 miles per gallon.

Just pull the mirrors and turn signals and tape the lights and it's equally at home on the track.

Posted: 1/4/2006 11:03:49 AM EDT

[#6]

Quoted:
It's a lot safer than a motorcycle, and it'll keep you warm and dry while you travel(and has cupholders). I think it's a great idea. This is the kind of car I need for my daily commute. I wonder what kind of milage it gets. My Toyota Corolla gets 35 MPG after an oil change. That's pretty hard to beat. That's also the reason I still own it. The 4Runner is what gets us out of the mountain when it snows, and the Corolla gets me through my commute cheaply. This car would be a perfect replacement for my Corolla assuming it gets better gas milage. One would think that it would be very fuel efficient.

I'd probably put a Warn winch on the front of it in case it ever got stuck.

Now where can I buy one?

My Jetta gets ~45MPG, and is comfortable.

For the drive around here, I wouldn't mind one. It's the damn soccer moms and people in pickup trucks that park crooked in the parking spots that made it real hard to park my old F150. My Jetta fits in spots my truck could never dream of.

Posted: 1/4/2006 11:04:24 AM EDT

[#7]

I'd buy one if it were avalible here for under 15K. I already own a pickup this thing would work great for zipping around town... hell I think the parking spaces at the local mall were sized for them.

Posted: 1/4/2006 11:07:05 AM EDT

[#8]

that car would last about 6 months with my job before it fell apart in the street.

Posted: 1/4/2006 11:08:21 AM EDT

[#9]

The basic ones list for 6800 pounds, which works out to just over 12 grand.

Posted: 1/4/2006 11:20:22 AM EDT

[#10]

I have seen Smart cars in the UK and have sat inside one as well. I'm not a big guy but one of the taller guys in our group also got into the Smart car.

They are not small on the inside; I think it is a popular misconception by those persons who have not been inside one that they are cramped shoeboxes. Quite the contrary, indeed. I admit to being one of them, but once you get inside one you realize exactly how much room you have.

I used to live on South Street in Philadelphia -- the Smart car would be a perfect solution to the crazy on-street parking situation down there!

Posted: 1/4/2006 11:22:33 AM EDT

[#11]

Quoted:
Here's another option to consider:
0-60 in 2.8 seconds;
top speed over 170 mph;
weighs less than 400 lbs;
qualifies for the carpool lane;
can legally split lanes (in California); and
gets 40-45 miles per gallon.

i7.photobucket.com/albums/y258/soupersnake/2005_0903Image0092.jpg

Just pull the mirrors and turn signals and tape the lights and it's equally at home on the track.

i7.photobucket.com/albums/y258/soupersnake/Nov05LVMS.jpg

You do realize that some of us don't live in the desert, right?

Posted: 1/4/2006 11:29:33 AM EDT

[#12]

On one of my trips to Germany I rented one for a week. I drove it during the winter about 800 Kilometers on both the autobahns and the cities, mostly around Munich. I also hit some moutain roads with it. The car felt very solid, while it looks like a hard right turn will put it on its side, it is really quite stable in turns. At high speeds it kept up with the average autobahn traffic. It was no speed machine or left lane cruiser, but it was adequate. Around town its shining merit was the ability to park *anywhere*. On a slick ice parking lot it spun like a top, but that was because I was goofing around. The car I had had some sort of traction control such that when driven normally it was very predictable and controllable in ice and snow. I'm 6 feet tall and never had any problem getting into or out of it. Small cargo area, but that's kind of expected. I was very impressed with the car and would consider one as a commuter if it were available in the States, but for a decent price. My daily commute is 10 miles through mostly city streets so for that use it would be perfect - I'd never use it for a 300 mile trip to the cabin in the woods or anything like that, not enough room for cargo.

Being a Mercedes product I doubt that it could be sold in the United States for anything short of $17,000.00. Too bad, at that price I'd keep driving my Jeep.

-Gator

Posted: 1/4/2006 2:02:29 PM EDT

[#13]

Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
This was going to be my point. Of course the cage is very rigid, but the driver is also travelling the same speed as the car. If the car doesn't deform to absorb the collision forces, what is going to take the force? The driver.
You're dead.

As cars move towards carbon fiber monocoques in the future, crumble zones won't be that important. The safest racing cars in the world have very little in the way of crumble zones. They also don't have airbags

Actually, these race cars have long noses that are destroyed in crashes, allowing the driver's body to decelerate slower. Not a "crumple" zone, but a "destruction" zone. They don't have airbags because they have five point harnesses.

The laws of physics cannot be evaded.

They hardly slow the body down at all. Many wrecks have instant spikes of over 100g's of deceleration. The nose can not deform that much because the feet are awfully close to the front of it. They have been moved back in recent years (in the past leg injuries were very common) and materials have gotten better, but the human body will still take a massive shock. The noses don't destroy themselves that easily either...in fact they can act as a spear they are so strong...
What are you gaining, then, from this design?

IMHO, crumble zones for street cars are a BS stop gap measure because drivers won't put up with real seatbelts. If we were really concerned about safety in our cars, we would ban distractions, mandate 5 point harnesses, have incredibly strong roll over protection, and think about mandating helmets. Airbags are a stopgap because ppl. (not just Americans, but worldwide) will only put up with junk seatbelts. Ideally we would be restrained in our cars as tight as possible, with head and neck protection, and incredibly strong monocoques, ideally made out of carbon fiber. The junk we have now on our streets is because that is what the market demands...comfort...

Posted: 1/4/2006 2:05:34 PM EDT

[#14]

Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Anyway, that will be 50 man points for even admitting to want one of these cars.

A guy driving one of these will get more tail than a guy driving a C6 Corvette...

Yeah, if you don't mind smelly hippie chicks (and/or guys) with STDs.

STDs equals small cars? Hmmm...seems to me that a car that is too fast for most dipshits to handle equals small penis...

Posted: 1/4/2006 2:10:05 PM EDT

[#15]

Get an Eliica...

230 miles per hour and 0 to 100km/h of 4.1seconds and 0 to 160km/h of just 7.0seconds.

Some info...www.gizmag.com/go/4819/

Posted: 1/4/2006 5:26:58 PM EDT

[#16]

My thoughts behind it are this. Here in Los Angeles, I drive approx. 8 miles to work one-way. It takes me 40 minutes with speeds never going over 35 mph. Most of my time is spent stuck in traffic, or waiting for a light to change. Give me one of those, with a nice CD Player and XM Radio along with a decent air conditioner and I would be set.

I have a truck, so that would be used for my hunting or get-away trips, this would be strictly for the commute.

Eric

Posted: 1/4/2006 7:05:43 PM EDT

[#17]

Looks like you can Pre-order one now from ZAP. They are setting up dealers in some states.
www.zapworld.com/cars/smartCar.asp

Posted: 1/4/2006 7:40:58 PM EDT

[#18]

I am not a big fan of those halfcars, but I do have acess to a couple of them
if anyone needs specific information about some aspect of their mechanics

I didn't think they were street legal in the US and I wouldn't want to drive them on I-10

Posted: 1/4/2006 7:51:44 PM EDT

[#19]

Quoted:
I wouldn't mind this one...
www.smart-roadster-board.de/photos/presse_diverses/brabus_roadster_05.jpg

The smoadster! I saw a few of those in Germany. They handle well. Dunno about the power, but I'm pretty sure someone makes a tuned version. AFAIK all smarts are turbo from the factory.

Posted: 1/4/2006 7:57:19 PM EDT

[#20]

Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
This was going to be my point. Of course the cage is very rigid, but the driver is also travelling the same speed as the car. If the car doesn't deform to absorb the collision forces, what is going to take the force? The driver.
You're dead.

As cars move towards carbon fiber monocoques in the future, crumble zones won't be that important. The safest racing cars in the world have very little in the way of crumble zones. They also don't have airbags

Actually, these race cars have long noses that are destroyed in crashes, allowing the driver's body to decelerate slower. Not a "crumple" zone, but a "destruction" zone. They don't have airbags because they have five point harnesses.

The laws of physics cannot be evaded.

They hardly slow the body down at all. Many wrecks have instant spikes of over 100g's of deceleration. The nose can not deform that much because the feet are awfully close to the front of it. They have been moved back in recent years (in the past leg injuries were very common) and materials have gotten better, but the human body will still take a massive shock. The noses don't destroy themselves that easily either...in fact they can act as a spear they are so strong...

Aye, that's how Zenardi got his feet smashed... a car hit him at a 90deg angle and the nose sliced the nose right off his own car. The majority of the "crumple" in open-wheel cars is provided by the suspension components. Some (Indy or CART, maybe F1 as well) have a crumple box that sticks out past the back of the gearbox, the box is filled with aluminum honeycomb that crushes under impact. This was added since many crashes are the "rear slides out, car goes backwards into the wall" variety. The guts of the sidepods are usually crushable as well.

Posted: 1/4/2006 8:01:07 PM EDT

[#21]

Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
This was going to be my point. Of course the cage is very rigid, but the driver is also travelling the same speed as the car. If the car doesn't deform to absorb the collision forces, what is going to take the force? The driver.
You're dead.

As cars move towards carbon fiber monocoques in the future, crumble zones won't be that important. The safest racing cars in the world have very little in the way of crumble zones. They also don't have airbags

Actually, these race cars have long noses that are destroyed in crashes, allowing the driver's body to decelerate slower. Not a "crumple" zone, but a "destruction" zone. They don't have airbags because they have five point harnesses.

The laws of physics cannot be evaded.

They hardly slow the body down at all. Many wrecks have instant spikes of over 100g's of deceleration. The nose can not deform that much because the feet are awfully close to the front of it. They have been moved back in recent years (in the past leg injuries were very common) and materials have gotten better, but the human body will still take a massive shock. The noses don't destroy themselves that easily either...in fact they can act as a spear they are so strong...
What are you gaining, then, from this design?

One thing missing is that with F1 cars and the like, the driver is belted in with a 6 or even 7 point belt, is hearing a helmet with a HANS (head and neck system, basically a set of straps and a bracket to limit head forward travel) device, and had a big foam thing all around his head. The nylon of the straps does elongate under impact, which acts in a simliar manner to a crumple zone. You'll never get joe schmoe to wear such gear on the street however. I have been known to buckle up my 5-points when the weather conditions are especially dicey, but I'm one of those nuts that drives his track car on the street.

Posted: 1/4/2006 8:02:07 PM EDT

[#22]

Me next to a Smart at Detroit's Auto Show.

That thing is tiny.

Aside from the fact that it seems like it has zero cargo space, and it seems incredibly slow, the crash-test vid seems as if it's pretty solid. Also, it would be perfect for those who only really need a 2 person vehicle. You can always buy a second vehicle, and it would be perfect for inner-city traffic.

Chicago has lots of traffic. Parking downtown(and anywhere else) is tight. It would be perfect for city streets, downtown, and parking garages.

Plus it gets terrific gas mileage.

The pluses outweigh the minuses.

Edit-Manic_Moran, I'll watch the vid again, but I don't think it's Top Gear. It might be Fifth Gear or Final Gear, which I think are spinoffs of the above.

Posted: 1/4/2006 8:11:40 PM EDT

[#23]

Hell yeah, I'd buy one of those! I bought an old diesel Audi cause it gets 40+mpg compared to my 10mpg truck. I'll never get rid of the truck but something like that would be a great A to B car.

Posted: 1/4/2006 8:12:57 PM EDT

[#24]

They will be at the L.A. Auto Show. I will try to get some pictures of the inside and such.

Eric

Posted: 1/4/2006 10:38:16 PM EDT

[#25]

Quoted:
Get an Eliica...

Sure... it's a couple of hundred k, just because of the lithium battery.

Some day.

Posted: 1/5/2006 8:15:08 AM EDT

[#26]

Quoted:

Edit-Manic_Moran, I'll watch the vid again, but I don't think it's Top Gear. It might be Fifth Gear or Final Gear, which I think are spinoffs of the above.

It's Fifth Gear. Final Gear is a website. Did I say it was Top Gear?

NTM

Posted: 1/5/2006 6:26:53 PM EDT

[#27]

Quoted:
Quoted:

Edit-Manic_Moran, I'll watch the vid again, but I don't think it's Top Gear. It might be Fifth Gear or Final Gear, which I think are spinoffs of the above.

It's Fifth Gear. Final Gear is a website. Did I say it was Top Gear?

NTM

Yes.

You said it was Top Gear and you ID'd the host as Jeremy Clarkson. Clarkson has a LOT more hair than that

Posted: 1/5/2006 8:34:33 PM EDT

[#28]

Oh, where I talked about him trying to get the Smart to roll/powersteer?

I'm presuming that the clip in the OP (I didn't download it) is the one where they ram a Smart into a concrete barrier at 70mph, then do the same with a regular car? That's Tiff O' Neil, former Top Gear guy, gone over to the Other Side.

The Clarkson clip I was talking about was an entirely different sequence unrelated to the crash clip. Might have been on one of the DVDs, I'll have to check.

NTM

Posted: 1/5/2006 8:53:49 PM EDT

[#29]

I would like to see how well it does in the side-impact and offset frontal collision tests.

Posted: 1/5/2006 9:14:04 PM EDT

[#30]

i've been followng smart news for about 3 years. I want one. im looking at vettes now. i will buy a vette prolly in the next year or so. but if this was available i would buy it in a heartbeat as an around town car, assuming the price was right (less than 10k should be the american price). they have been certified for us roads by the gov. they have been certified by the EPA if certain mods are made.

they are sold in canada, and i think in mexico. zap was gonna buy several tens of thousands from mercedes in europe at retail, do the conversions and sell in the us. mercedes said no at the last moment. mercedes had decided to not sell the smart in the us, now they are considering it.

it is a money looser in europe. there as some talk of stopping production. where that stands is uncertain. the are 'safe-enough'. they get great gas milage. the are as long as an SUV is wide. they demo these things parked behind a Suv wher they just pull in head first and the rear end is shorter than the width of the suv.

you may think this is a pussy car. i think buying more than half of our petroleum from foreign markets as as bad as letting 20 million illegal imigrants in. this is one small part of a solution that would be good for the security of america. options like this, where they make sense, should be available. it is outrageous that they aren't.

Posted: 1/5/2006 9:24:46 PM EDT

[#31]

found this on another website:

Autoweek Dec 05 2005

Autoweek has learned that a deal IS in the works with Roger Penskes United Auto Group for the sale/distribution/servicing of The SMART cars in North America...Look for the For Two to go on Sale in The US after the car debuts at the 2007 Geneva motor show

Looks like the Smart is a go for 07' and will be fully supported.

Question is does this plan have anything to do with ZAP? they put up a lot of money to try to import and sell the car. I read at one point they tryed to order 79,000 of them and MB apparently backed out. They are taking deposits. It seems that DC can't male up its damn mind what to do The SMART division is looksing serious money even though they are selling cars. the roadster appears to be cancled at this point.

Posted: 1/5/2006 10:08:17 PM EDT

[#32]

I've seen a few of them on the streets. Definitely a head-turner.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Damn, I wish California would approve the "Smart Car" for use... (Page 2 of 2)

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