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Cars and their weights

753 views 10 replies 4 participants last post by  ImprezaMan 
#1 ·
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? :confused:
 
#7 ·
MagicMT said:
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:eek: ), 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.
 
#9 ·
Oh, I see. :)

ImprezaMan said:
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)
 
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