Crash resistance and survivability and the e30

[Cabriolet]

i was hit in my '86 eta. she grassed off the left rear bumper at about 35mph+. did like $15 damage to my car and totaled the whole side of her car.

e30s are for people who like to drive. there are risks with this activity. if you are a waffle then go get a new car.

[Loupoz]

I once crashed a 4 door 320i. I was doing 65-75 mph on a road at night, drove over a roundabout, kinda used it as a jump, into a ditch, up from the ditch through a bus shed, and onto a field. Only panels not bent on the car were the trunk lid, and the rear right door. I walked without a scratch.

E30's aren't the most unsafe vehicle, neither are they the safest. I remember watching a topgear episode where they drop an E30 on its roof, which kinda scared me, because the roof pretty much just folded in, and was at the same level as the hood/trunk.

[Rockwool2117]

allofasudden i would like to build a roll cage. Just because it would look cool. I wonder if anyones ever done a full tubular frameand used e30 panels to give it that body. how many races could be won. Sand dunes or raceways. can such badassness be tamed by man...

[nando]

My e30 is a great car, but I'm retiring it from dd status partially due to it's lack of crashworthiness. Heck, even in the 80's it wasnt' as good as a (now primitive) volvo 240.

Today's cars are not designed to be rebuilt after accidents. They are designed to crumple and to absorb the impact. E30's were built back when "strong" cars could be easily rebuilt after an accident with a bumper and a fender or two. Just browse this site and you'll hear of several injuries of e30 owners who claim the e30 "did it's job in protecting them" yet they are severly injured (doesnt' sound very safe to me at all!)

These days when someone has a car accident in a newer car, hardly do you ever hear of injuries of broken legs etc. like you did back in the day. These days occupants easily walk away from an accident with maybe a seat belt bruise at most.

I just dont' feel comfortable in a car that can easily harm me in an accident with it's lack of airbags and it's safety cage that's not designed to absorb much impact,rather transfer forces to it's occupants. Where I live, I am always in moving traffic and I just dont' feel safe with many of the other drivers on the road who are texting, and far too busy to actually engage in driving, and paying attention to the road and other drivers.

Thinkin of a late 90's Camry XLE. Call me boring, but I like it's reliability and durability (and v6 tq). Be kinda nice to have a car that has WORKING a'c in stop and go traffic

huh? the E30 has crumple zones, it's not built like a 50's shoebox. pretty much any unibody frame is built with crumple zones. sheesh.

who are all these "severely injured" people? the one guy I do know who got pretty messed up hit a tree dead on at like 60mph. you can't do that in any car and expect not to get hurt. an airbag isn't going to defy basic physics - if you hit a solid object at a high speed, it's going to hurt.

you are lame. I think your man card should be confiscated. also WTF do you need A/C in Vancouver, BC? there's like 2 hot days a year. ;)

and dropping a car directly on it's roof? really? why not drop a bus on top of it and see how it holds up? clearly cars are designed with that in mind now. :|

[FasterSoonerNow]

I live in downtown Philadelphia and my primary mode of transportation is my bike. Is it safe? I don't know, what probability of death would officially make an activity unsafe? I don't really care, I derive a lot of joy from riding my bike.

When I travel abroad I'll eat the local street food even though it's made me sick a few times, because I like to try new things.

I've slept with women even though anyone could have an undiagnosed STI, because it's better then whacking off.

I drive my e30. I love it. I drive defensively and I never do anything that could hurt other people due to my negligence.

I love being alive and I wouldn't knowingly do anything to end my life early... ex. smoking is idiotic, BUT at some point you just have live your life in a way that makes you happy and hope that everything works out.

[JasonC]

I drive a Corvair, I heard they are unsafe at any speed! #livinglifeonthewildside

[slammin.e28]

I drive a Corvair, I heard they are unsafe at any speed! #livinglifeonthewildside

Because they are. ;)

[nrubenstein]

The race car airbag argument is asinine.

Why don't race cars have airbags? Uh, because airbags are a poor substitute for a cage, harness, helmet and HANS device. You you have all of those things in your street car, airbags don't help. The point of airbags is to control a person who is not well restrained.

One of the big reasons why airbags initially developed a poor reputation is because they were specced for a 6 foot tall man in the 200lbs. range who wasn't buckled in. Unfortunately, speccing for a retard meant that they were way too powerful for typical usage. Airbag statistics are very clear: a modern airbag system makes you MUCH safer.

[jlevie]

The race car airbag argument is asinine.

Why don't race cars have airbags? Uh, because airbags are a poor substitute for a cage, harness, helmet and HANS device. You you have all of those things in your street car, airbags don't help. The point of airbags is to control a person who is not well restrained.

All of that is true, but there is an additional reason. And that is that an accidental airbag deployment is very likely. Cars come in contact from time to time and a off can be violent enough to trigger the airbag.

While not the tank that 60's & 70's Mercedes were, an E30 is pretty stout. This is what a 90mph impact with a wall did to my first Spec E30.

[nrubenstein]

All of that is true, but there is an additional reason. And that is that an accidental airbag deployment is very likely. Cars come in contact from time to time and a off can be violent enough to trigger the airbag.

While not the tank that 60's & 70's Mercedes were, an E30 is pretty stout. This is what a 90mph impact with a wall did to my first Spec E30.

It's true, although, IMHO, for the high end series they could develop an airbag system that *would* work in racing. You certainly don't want a street car system in a race car.

[SmokeE30]

True I bet they could develop a high end racing series airbag system but why would they, modern safety equipment is already good enough. But I still dislike airbags myself just from personal experiences they have done more harm than good. I agree a properly restrained person is better off. An e30 with a rollbar, racing seats and harnesses is enough to get you through all but the most brutal of accidents.

[deutschman]

This is so easy. Just dont crash.

[Thizzelle]

my DD has been in a few accidents, looks like shit but keeps mashin me to work everyday. It's basically an urban tank.

[mulletman]

I drive a Corvair, I heard they are unsafe at any speed! #livinglifeonthewildside

That's just because Ralph Nader is a blithering idiot. Haha.

[Stanley Rockafella]

huh? the E30 has crumple zones, it's not built like a 50's shoebox. pretty much any unibody frame is built with crumple zones. sheesh.

who are all these "severely injured" people? the one guy I do know who got pretty messed up hit a tree dead on at like 60mph. you can't do that in any car and expect not to get hurt. an airbag isn't going to defy basic physics - if you hit a solid object at a high speed, it's going to hurt.

you are lame. I think your man card should be confiscated. also WTF do you need A/C in Vancouver, BC? there's like 2 hot days a year. ;)

and dropping a car directly on it's roof? really? why not drop a bus on top of it and see how it holds up? clearly cars are designed with that in mind now. :|

I've angered the great nando. this mean I'm gonna get banned?