I posted this on Seloc and got the usual types of response. Any half serious answers that you can give will be greatly appreciated......
My girlfriend is worried that my S1 111s is dangerous and that I'm bound to die a horrible death in it. She can't understand why I don't have a sensible car like a Clio.
Other than her grief about the car, she's great so please dont suggest changing her instead of the car. Any ideas how I can convince her (stats or pics maybe) that my Elise is as safe as most other cars on the roads.
And once I've covered the safety issue, I'll be back to ask about costs and her environmental concerns....
how safe is the elise....
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skellyjohn
- Posts: 535
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how safe is the elise....
s1 111s (kind of)
Tut chucked one into a field and sent it end over end several times at 80mph... Walked out with a sore leg and a bill from the farmer for a grazed cow... Mike on the Yahoo group flipped one and skidded down the road on his rollbar for 100yds - got out with all but his pride intact.
I've seen them put into posts and ditches that would probably write off, or majorly damage other cars - then drive out. Usually just needing frsh clams or a crash structure.
Seriously - I'd genuinely much rather be in a big crash in the Elise than most other cars. Fsking Clio!!! Jesus, anything over 40mph and it's a crushed coke can - Renault can design a car to pass a NCAP test, but does that really relate to real-world crashes? You've got composite crash structure on the front of an Elise and a deformable subframe on the back (mention F1 crash technology to her) mated to the fact it surrounds you with the major structural members of the chassis and has an MSA approved roll structure.
You only have to add a battery cutoff and a fire extinguisher to go racing in the UK with one - have a wee look into what sort of cage you'd have to put into almost any 'safe' car to do that....
The Elise isn't as safe as most cars on the road, it's SAFER than most cars on the roads - it's constructed like a racing car - forget the flimsy body panels, it's the hard as f**k structure undeneath that makes it such a good handling car and such a safe wee motor.
Get her to have a chat with me and I'll bring her round
I've seen them put into posts and ditches that would probably write off, or majorly damage other cars - then drive out. Usually just needing frsh clams or a crash structure.
Seriously - I'd genuinely much rather be in a big crash in the Elise than most other cars. Fsking Clio!!! Jesus, anything over 40mph and it's a crushed coke can - Renault can design a car to pass a NCAP test, but does that really relate to real-world crashes? You've got composite crash structure on the front of an Elise and a deformable subframe on the back (mention F1 crash technology to her) mated to the fact it surrounds you with the major structural members of the chassis and has an MSA approved roll structure.
You only have to add a battery cutoff and a fire extinguisher to go racing in the UK with one - have a wee look into what sort of cage you'd have to put into almost any 'safe' car to do that....
The Elise isn't as safe as most cars on the road, it's SAFER than most cars on the roads - it's constructed like a racing car - forget the flimsy body panels, it's the hard as f**k structure undeneath that makes it such a good handling car and such a safe wee motor.
Get her to have a chat with me and I'll bring her round
2010 Honda VFR1200F
1990 Honda VFR400 NC30
2000 Honda VTR1000 SP1
2000 Kawasaki ZX-7R
1990 Honda VFR400 NC30
2000 Honda VTR1000 SP1
2000 Kawasaki ZX-7R
There is a whole load of photos on http://www.wreckedexotics.com
Exotic indeed! Tell her a clio isnt that exotic, is it!?
Exotic indeed! Tell her a clio isnt that exotic, is it!?
Have you looked at this :
http://www.elises.co.uk/miscellaneous/safety/index.html
Are you going out with my Mother ?
http://www.elises.co.uk/miscellaneous/safety/index.html
Are you going out with my Mother ?
Listen to the shugmeister - remember you're sat inside that bathtub of a chasis, separated from any side-on collision by double the structure you would be in any eurobox. The car has no airbags which is maybe a point, but in a serious crash all the airbag does is ensure that final 1% of your brain remains intact to provide a life of dependance on an NHS diet.
Feel safer in my Liz as I can stop in a real hurry if required and it has the get-up-and-go to get me out of trouble. Makes you pay more attention to your surroundings and drive defensely. Good thing IMHO.
Environmental concerns? 42mpg (When I drive like a girl on the m-way) and you can hand it down the family as it won't rot.....
Environmental concerns? 42mpg (When I drive like a girl on the m-way) and you can hand it down the family as it won't rot.....
1994 Lotus Esprit S4 - Work in progress
1980 Porsche 924 Turbo - Funky Interior Spec
2004 Smart Roadster Coupe - Hers
1980 Porsche 924 Turbo - Funky Interior Spec
2004 Smart Roadster Coupe - Hers
Re Airbags. Peter Wheeler (Mr TVR - also a maker of plastic roofless cars) explains that his cars don't have airbags as, in a convertible they force the driver's head into what he euphamistcally calls the danger zone. You have to have some sense of self preservation.
Plastic cars are inherently safer than metal ones as plastic absorbs impact much better. Don't believe me? A TVR (and I think an Elise did it too later I jjust remember this story) is the only car to go through an NCAP front end collision and pass twice with the same car. Thye plastic deforms, shatters (absorbing huge amounts of energy) then springs back. Imagine putting your head right against a metal wing (from a car) then having me hit the metal on the other side with a hammer. All the energy would be transferred to your head (don't wory it is not the sort of thing I am likely to do). If you do the same trick with a plastic wing most of the energy will be deformed with the pastic trying to deform, with a lot of the energy being deflected straight back, causing the hammer to bounce off the plastic.
Chelsea Tractors are anecdotally safer but this is not the case statistically. Longer to stop. CAn't steer around danger. Safer in low speed crashes, but not if you are being hit by one. Much worse in high speed due propensity to roll (a roll will always casue worse injuries as your seatbelt does SFA). Feeling of invulnerability probably increase risk (My theory).
Plus as the other posters said you are actually sat inside the chassis of a n Elise, rather than on top of the chassis in a Clio. Hugely strong (the racing example is probably the strongest example here. You don't need a cage!!). ABS is a moot point, you'll stop quicker if you are a good driver without it (do Walshy's course for proof of that) but most would benefit from it as we are not as good as we think we are. ('cept me.)
Apocryphal tales of crashes survived are meangingless, statistically, but may help anecdotally.
Pete
(At least 70 sideways into a concrete block caused car to stop instantly. 20 k of damage. No intrusion into the passenger cell. No injuries beyond a bad back caused by twisting decelerative forces. All energy absorbed by bodywork and deformation of tub. Pax door still opened (impact was pax side). Normal car WOULD have rolled. Would have required cutting out of. Walked away. 2000 111S. Now 2003 111S.)
Plastic cars are inherently safer than metal ones as plastic absorbs impact much better. Don't believe me? A TVR (and I think an Elise did it too later I jjust remember this story) is the only car to go through an NCAP front end collision and pass twice with the same car. Thye plastic deforms, shatters (absorbing huge amounts of energy) then springs back. Imagine putting your head right against a metal wing (from a car) then having me hit the metal on the other side with a hammer. All the energy would be transferred to your head (don't wory it is not the sort of thing I am likely to do). If you do the same trick with a plastic wing most of the energy will be deformed with the pastic trying to deform, with a lot of the energy being deflected straight back, causing the hammer to bounce off the plastic.
Chelsea Tractors are anecdotally safer but this is not the case statistically. Longer to stop. CAn't steer around danger. Safer in low speed crashes, but not if you are being hit by one. Much worse in high speed due propensity to roll (a roll will always casue worse injuries as your seatbelt does SFA). Feeling of invulnerability probably increase risk (My theory).
Plus as the other posters said you are actually sat inside the chassis of a n Elise, rather than on top of the chassis in a Clio. Hugely strong (the racing example is probably the strongest example here. You don't need a cage!!). ABS is a moot point, you'll stop quicker if you are a good driver without it (do Walshy's course for proof of that) but most would benefit from it as we are not as good as we think we are. ('cept me.)
Apocryphal tales of crashes survived are meangingless, statistically, but may help anecdotally.
Pete
(At least 70 sideways into a concrete block caused car to stop instantly. 20 k of damage. No intrusion into the passenger cell. No injuries beyond a bad back caused by twisting decelerative forces. All energy absorbed by bodywork and deformation of tub. Pax door still opened (impact was pax side). Normal car WOULD have rolled. Would have required cutting out of. Walked away. 2000 111S. Now 2003 111S.)
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Lazydonkey
- Posts: 5139
- Joined: Sun Aug 07, 2005 6:24 pm
- Location: Glasgow
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Swiss guy on the VX board chucked his speedster off a mountain and the medics were amazed with the lack of injuries he sustained.
He went home and the next week bought an exige cup
He went home and the next week bought an exige cup
Focus ST estate, i3s and more pushbikes than strictly necessary.
....did i ever tell you about the Evora and VX220 i used to own?
....did i ever tell you about the Evora and VX220 i used to own?
Re: how safe is the elise....
skellyjohn wrote:I posted this on Seloc and got the usual types of response. Any half serious answers that you can give will be greatly appreciated......
My girlfriend is worried that my S1 111s is dangerous and that I'm bound to die a horrible death in it. She can't understand why I don't have a sensible car like a Clio.
Other than her grief about the car, she's great so please dont suggest changing her instead of the car. Any ideas how I can convince her (stats or pics maybe) that my Elise is as safe as most other cars on the roads.
And once I've covered the safety issue, I'll be back to ask about costs and her environmental concerns....
Excellent. Thankyou all, I am in the same boat, and am now amply stocked with ammo
Was amazed to see exactly how much an elise can take.
As my dad always says to me, in a crash it's not the car that hits you, you hit the car. The very fact that you're strapped in tightly to sports seats, within an FIA approved tub with rollcage makes you about a million times more primed for an impact than if you're lolloping about on big spongy seats in a greenhouse style cabin with expanses of glass around you. Not to mention the general handling and braking abilities being far superior to your average supermini.
The only thing I worry about is getting crushed under an artic, but you'd be history if you met with a truck in any car.
I was in the back of a Pug 206cc last weekend, and spent then entire journey praying that no one ran into the back of us. The seats would have lopped off both my feet at the ankles and the roof would have mashed my head into the top of my spine if anyone had smashed into us in that thing.
The only thing I worry about is getting crushed under an artic, but you'd be history if you met with a truck in any car.
I was in the back of a Pug 206cc last weekend, and spent then entire journey praying that no one ran into the back of us. The seats would have lopped off both my feet at the ankles and the roof would have mashed my head into the top of my spine if anyone had smashed into us in that thing.
Well maybe not drive out but a hand from some SE bystanders or maybe once a tractor and away we go again. Duck Tape is for some odd reason available in most Elise ColoursShug wrote:
I've seen them put into posts and ditches that would probably write off, or majorly damage other cars - then drive out..
