Diving boards VS plastic bumpers aging differently?

[Hooffenstein HD]

What happens if a modern SUV hits me at 3mph? My hood collapses? Thanks 80's US safety standards

You will probably die. Those euro bumpers serve no function whatsoever and definitely did not pass safety standards everywhere else in the world besides NA.

[autocheck]

that's very interesting.

[Das Delfin]

I'm talking about how the e30 bumpers are lower that a SUVs bumpers would be. So the point of impact would be at the hood of the car, rather than down at the bumper, making the big US bumpers pointless

For impacts against other cars, they're fine. But seeing as more and more people have SUVs these days rather than in the 80's that's +1 for a bumper swap

[Mr. Wolfe]

My biggest beef with the US diving boards is you can tell that they were an after thought. It is just a poor aesthetic design.

Mr. Wolfe

[nando]

the silly thing is, diving boards are not stronger than plastic bumpers. the plastic bumpers on the E30 use the same composite inside structure they use today in modern cars. Both have bumper shocks. the only advantage is at low speed, the plastic bumper covers will crack, and the big ugly faded rubber trim will not. But in a real accident I'll take the plastic bumpers any day.

[ForcedFirebird]

the silly thing is, diving boards are not stronger than plastic bumpers. the plastic bumpers on the E30 use the same composite inside structure they use today in modern cars. Both have bumper shocks. the only advantage is at low speed, the plastic bumper covers will crack, and the big ugly faded rubber trim will not. But in a real accident I'll take the plastic bumpers any day.

I would rather have metal, and the very reason I am converting my late model Spec car to metal. I had the pleasure of contact in turn 17 at Sebring. I was in a plastic bumper car and there was nothing left of my bumper, a hefty dent in the side of my car, and the metal bumper car didn't have a scratch on it.

[nando]

right, but the relative speed between cars wouldn't have been that high, correct? in that case the big bumpers would make more sense since you're way more likely to make contact, and as I said the plastic covers will crack. the inner core is made to absorb energy so it will break. I try not to play bumper cars on the street though. :p

[ForcedFirebird]

Yeah, closing speed wasn't high, but it's the fact that now I have to try to find plastic bumpers and they are getting expensive. He had a tank slapper next of me, went wide, but didn't quite skate by him. He ended up spinning me, and I almost ate the inside wall. We are traveling about 80mph where it happened.

We try not to play bumper cars, but the plastic bumpers disintegrate at the very thought of a bump draft. lol

My reason is functional, not aesthetic, but in reality I miss my old car with it's polished bumpers :(

[nando]

yeah I'd heard before that spec racers preferred the metal bumpers because contact is inevitable and they hold up better.

[J.Rizo]

Totally worth it to clean up that atrocity of impact standards.

no no no I'm all for euro bumpers, I just wouldn't buy them through ecs because of the price.

even if my car had perfect condition this and that, I just couldn't justify spending that much money on bumpers. if you're patient mint sets will pop up for 5-600 dollars and they're oem. thats just me personally though, everyones different.

[Mr. Wolfe]

no no no I'm all for euro bumpers, I just wouldn't buy them through ecs because of the price.

even if my car had perfect condition this and that, I just couldn't justify spending that much money on bumpers. if you're patient mint sets will pop up for 5-600 dollars and they're oem. thats just me personally though, everyones different.

I didn't think the price was that crazy for getting a complete kit pieced together with everything you needed. I also bought while they were 10% off last week. So, in essence, I paid a $500 premium to make sure everything I needed was included and got brand new items.

Sure, there was a time in my life where I would have absolutely waited for the best deal out there. I was the king of that. :)

Mr. Wolfe

[J.Rizo]

I didn't think the price was that crazy for getting a complete kit pieced together with everything you needed. I also bought while they were 10% off last week. So, in essence, I paid a $500 premium to make sure everything I needed was included and got brand new items.

Sure, there was a time in my life where I would have absolutely waited for the best deal out there. I was the king of that. :)

Mr. Wolfe

haha yeah honestly its all depends on where you're at with your build.

because 500 isn't necessarily a huge amount of money, but for my e30 specifically that extra 500 would pay for a lot of little issues that need to be fixed. but yeah, I'm sure down the road I'd come to a point where I wouldn't mind that premium either.

[Stanley Rockafella]

speaking of alum bumpers

http://suchen.mobile.de/fahrzeuge/details.html?id=219612034

[djjerme]

OK..

The diving board bumpers are ALUMINUM not Chrome. And they are LIGHTER than a comparable plastic bumpered car.

As for sturdiness - the Diving Boards take a bigger beating than plastic bumper cars.


Speak from experience..

[nando]

The are aluminum, but they sure as heck aren't lighter than plastic. it's not a huge difference but the plastics are slightly lighter.