[MagicMT]

It seems like cars keep getting heavier and heavier... What's with that? Does being heavier necessarily make them safer? BTW, the Mini has 6 airbags and it's stiffer than a Bimmer 3-series, IIRC. And where are they putting all this weight? Chassis? Bumper beams?

 

[HondaH8er]

Yeah, I think it's mostly saftey stuff that's packing the weight on. Door beams, stong passenger compartments (survival cells), bumper beams, the crumple-zone stuff, yada yada yada.

 

[horatio102]

Heh. Bigger engines, bigger tires/wheels, bigger doors, bigger seats to accomodate our bigger asses...

Yeah. Cars get bigger and heavier almost every time they're redesigned to "improve" them.

OK.

 

[lethargicman]

But even then, the Mini is one of the lightest cars available. I think its dry weight is something like 2200-2300 lbs.

 

[MagicMT]

So.. wouldn't it be more cost effective to make cars lighter (less materials?) but also stronger?

 

[horatio102]

So.. wouldn't it be more cost effective to make cars lighter (less materials?) but also stronger?

Steel is cheap. Aluminum and composite materials are expensive.

 

[HondaH8er]

So.. wouldn't it be more cost effective to make cars lighter (less materials?) but also stronger?

Nope. Look at Ferrari and Lamborghini. Thier cars are made out of lots of carbon fiber, aluminum, kevlar, all sorts of strong, light stuff, to keep the weight down. They are still pretty heavy cars (new Lambo Murcielago: curb weight-4020lbs ), but they have big, heavy, engines, and more and more of them (like the Murcielago) are going to AWD for extra grip, but also adding weight. But can you imagine how much that thing would weigh if it was all steel? But those composite peices are very expensive, so the cost is going to be very high, negating the benefits of using them extensively in mass-produced consumer cars. Plus, it's much cheaper to get a steel fender fixed than a carbon fiber fender.

 

[ImprezaMan]

Take the WRX for example, it is roughly 100 kilograms heavier than the gc8 chassis but if you roll the car it can withstand like 1.5 times its own weight when upside down. That's where the extra weight is usually gonna go, into strengthening the chassis.

 

[MagicMT]

Oh, I see.

Take the WRX for example, it is roughly 100 kilograms heavier than the gc8 chassis but if you roll the car it can withstand like 1.5 times its own weight when upside down. That's where the extra weight is usually gonna go, into strengthening the chassis.

How did you calculate that? (the 1.5x part)

 

[horatio102]

<--- WARNING: smart ass comment ahead

Can it only hold 1.5x it's own weight while upside down?

 

[ImprezaMan]

I'm sorry I screwed up, what I meant to say was that the chassis on the WRX is 150% stiffer than the GC8. I'm a retard