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Not everyone wants a lighter car, since heavier survives a collision better. When I got my first car, my dad advised me to get a nice heavy one, in conjunction

by prewett 13y ago

Not everyone wants a lighter car, since heavier survives a collision better. When I got my first car, my dad advised me to get a nice heavy one, in conjunction with a quick recap of momentum mathematics on why the heavier vehicle has more survivability in a collision. A while back, a young, female friend of mine who drove a surprisingly large SUV, said that her dad bought it for her so that she would be safe. So, not everyone is going to see this as a positive selling point...

andrewvc 13y ago
The worst kind of arms race. Let's all just take up more space and burn more fuel on the road to be bigger than the next guy. Did her father consider that SUVs are easier to roll? Also, while his point about momentum may be correct, its one datapoint among many when it comes to crash safety.
- glenra 13y ago
  More mass doesn't just help when you hit other cars. It also helps when you, say, run into a wall. Or a moose. The more mass you've got, the slower anything that hits you can reduce your speed, the less harm that the sudden deceleration does to you.
eksith 13y ago
This is an arms race mindset that overall creates a disaster for those not outside your vehicle. Of course you'll be safe and sound (precluding rollovers), but you've introduced a greater probability of killing someone you hit. http://www.freakonomics.com/2011/07/29/killer-cars-an-extra-1000-pounds-increases-crash-fatalities-by-47/ http://www.freakonomics.com/2011/07/29/killer-cars-an-extra-... Also, a heavier car isn't always safer than an equivalently sized lighter one.
tocomment 13y ago
How does momentum keep you safer?
Shorel 13y ago
On the other hand, with computer aided driving or simply better drivers, the lighter one will be much more maneuverable and it will avoid collisions much better, while also having more mileage. In particular, if the car is FWD, you will understeer and lose control of the car by heavy braking much easier in a heavier car. A lighter one would simply steer away from the wall or the other car. I know that I prefer the lighter one if the power and torque are the same.

by prewett 13y ago

andrewvc 13y ago

The worst kind of arms race. Let's all just take up more space and burn more fuel on the road to be bigger than the next guy. Did her father consider that SUVs are easier to roll? Also, while his point about momentum may be correct, its one datapoint among many when it comes to crash safety.

glenra 13y ago
More mass doesn't just help when you hit other cars. It also helps when you, say, run into a wall. Or a moose. The more mass you've got, the slower anything that hits you can reduce your speed, the less harm that the sudden deceleration does to you.

eksith 13y ago

This is an arms race mindset that overall creates a disaster for those not outside your vehicle. Of course you'll be safe and sound (precluding rollovers), but you've introduced a greater probability of killing someone you hit. http://www.freakonomics.com/2011/07/29/killer-cars-an-extra-1000-pounds-increases-crash-fatalities-by-47/ http://www.freakonomics.com/2011/07/29/killer-cars-an-extra-... Also, a heavier car isn't always safer than an equivalently sized lighter one.

tocomment 13y ago

How does momentum keep you safer?

Shorel 13y ago

On the other hand, with computer aided driving or simply better drivers, the lighter one will be much more maneuverable and it will avoid collisions much better, while also having more mileage. In particular, if the car is FWD, you will understeer and lose control of the car by heavy braking much easier in a heavier car. A lighter one would simply steer away from the wall or the other car. I know that I prefer the lighter one if the power and torque are the same.