(Anecdotal) Fit only getting 27 MPG?

"Michael Pardee" wrote in news:3bmdnehpZ5gS3QHbnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@sedona.net:

Canada is the only country in the world that has 5mph bumpers (and one of only TWO countries in the world with any sort of bumper standards at all).

There are no hydraulic rams anymore, just styrofoam atop a rigidly- mounted steel beam. The rams were too heavy and were a casualty of CAFE- derived weight-saving measures.

The whole point of the energy absorbing bumpers was to protect the car's "safety systems" from damage in a collision at that speed. "Safety systems" primarily means the headlights.

The automakers were able to have the US standard reduced in the mid-'80s because they were able to show that there wasn't much practical difference in damage between 2.5mph and 5mph bumpers.

2.5mph bumpers were supposed to be able to be less costly to produce and carry less of a weight penalty.

Also, rigid bumpers tend to carry more of the stress of the collision to the body shell, meaning damage is more likely to go deeper than just the cosmetic. The old non-impact bumpers tended to keep the damage out at the cosmetic sheet metal.

Reply to
Tegger
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Upstate NY. Here's the as:

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Reply to
mjc1

Well, I'm not the guy that you posted the question to about the RPMs at 70 MPH, but I purposely ran my Fit up to 70MPH, which is not easy to do on L.A.'s crowded freeways, and the tachometer indicates around 3,400 RPM at 70 MPH. My Fit is a 5 speed manual transmission. Hope this helps.

Robert A. Cunningham

Reply to
Robert A. Cunningham

WHOA! Very Nice!

If I ever get a job that *PAYS* again, I might be interested! Right now I'm doing newspapers in between and am looking for ~$250 beaters.

I certainly would NOT use that on a paper route!!!

And I know where mechanicsville is. I used to live in Pittsfield MA and used to go to Lebanon Valley a lot. Also, many trips through to Toronto ans Selkirk and Waterford when I worked for GE.

Reply to
Hachiroku

I don't think nhtsa has any weight or material requirements.

Maybe there are damage-at-speed requirements or even just ratings that would make the composites look bad, until and unless a whole lot more engineering was done as I suggested, with modular replacement.

Never look to the government to help, though they can always get in the way, I just don't know what might be in place right now that's relevant.

J.

Reply to
JXStern

damned straight! a good deal of the modern so-called "safety" agenda does little more than add massive weight to a car, and thereby ruins gas mileage. now, how many oilco lobbyists are there in d.c? a good deal more than there are engineers experienced in matters of vehicle design and safety i'll wager.

Reply to
jim beam

I don't know where that intermediate comment came from, but I'm the one who suggested short gearing, and I think I'm right. A car geared for freeway cruising in overdrive should be running at about 2500-2800 RPM at that speed. This reminds me of something that Volvo pulled with the

140 series, way back when: you could get an optional overdrive unit for the manual shift cars, but if you got stuck with a basic 4 speed, it would be running 3500RPM at *60* MPH. Honda obviously wanted the car to be responsive in 5th, even at the expense of fuel economy.
Reply to
mjc1

which is a crock.

also a crock. whatever the propaganda that was used to rationalize this downgrade, it came down to one simple thing. corporate welfare.

5mph bumpers meant that the usual parking lot dings and bumps weren't causing damage, thereby causing a sudden and substantial loss in revenue for repair shops, and most importantly, manufacturers. so it was reduced, with b.s. reasons cited like you say, but they're untrue.

and "deeper" damage, is by design, not accident. the initial yield point of a crumple zone is easily designed, as is the point at which it occurs. frod are ruthless exploiters of this. where's the first point to buckle behind the bumper at 5mph on frontal impact? the bit /behind/ the radiator perhaps? no. the bit in front of the engine perhaps? no. the bit behind the engine and suspension, where repair becomes uneconomic? youbetcha. a necessity of design? no way. profitable? amazingly so.

indeed. and they reduced write-offs substantially too. not as profitable to detroit repair as it is to sell a new car.

Reply to
jim beam

A somewhat similar '86 was up on Ebay last month: nicer body but original clutch, which must be worn. It was also the least desirable color - white. The bidding stopped at $2500, the reserve not met. I may go that route, and put up a 'buy it now' price of $1995. People don't seem to appreciate these cars enough around here. Anyway, if anyone here wants to buy it and restore it, or at least treat it gently, I'm flexible on the price, as long as it's cash. The biggest problem with the car is a driver's side rainwater leak that the dealers could never even find, much less fix...

I'm still amazed that this 91HP car would outdrag the 125 HP EX Sedan I replaced it with.

Reply to
mjc1

did you ever do the power/weight ratio calculation?

Reply to
jim beam

"should"??? rpm's depend on the ratio that best balances motor output with the best point on its economy curve with the wind resistance/weight for that vehicle. so the number varies from car to car, motor to motor!!!

rubbish.

Reply to
jim beam

If I ever get a real job again...

Can I fit a matress in it?

I have an '85 Corolla GTS (I'd like to put them up against each other...) an '88 Supra an '89 Mazda 626 an '89 Subaru GL Hatch and an '05 Scion tC.

I got told "One more friggin car, and it better be something you can

*sleep* in!" ;)
Reply to
Hachiroku

Consider the collisions you have known. Some of them have been at very low speeds - parking lots, creeping traffic that suddenly jolted - but the rest have probably been at much more than 5 mph. Except for the 1-2 mph dings I can't think of a single collision I've ever witnessed that was under 15 mph.

Proposed bumper height standards were the rage for a while because bumpers are pointless if they aren't used. Dunno if any standards were actually passed. The big problem there was (and is) that rear end collisions are notorious for bumper heights not matching. Each car in line nosedives as it brakes, so the lead car raises its rear bumper and the following car lowers its front bumper.

Mike

Reply to
Michael Pardee

"mjc13 @verizon.net>"

Reply to
Michael Pardee

Reply to
mjc1

I've had several 5-10 MPH 'bumps' in cars with 5MPH bumpers, and was glad of those standards. Instead of serious damage I just had to replace a mounting bracket or two.

Reply to
mjc1

Maybe a kid's mattress. I've tried to sleep in the car, and it's about 1' too short.

I think the GTS would win. 16 valves and, what, 120HP? vs 12 valves and 91HP, in a body only slightly heavier. But with the set of Bridgestones I ran for 9 years, I think my car would have won in the corners.

Reply to
mjc1

you can do a lot of damage even at that speed. the thing is, what are the /relative/ speeds. if i'm braking and am at 45 the moment of impact, and the guy behind me is doing 55, relative speed is only 10. that's a very common scenario. the dangerous ones are trees and bridges. they're doing exactly zero mph when you hit them and are completely unyielding.

that's a hot button topic. there are indeed bumper height standards, but highway patrol never enforce it. as to dive, most modern cars have anti-dive geometry so it's not the issue it may have once been. maybe perpetuating the myth that "dive makes bumper height enforcement pointless" is the deal with the hp.

Reply to
jim beam

"Michael Pardee" wrote in news:k72dnbxi49fNmgPbnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@sedona.net:

yes,the VW Golf that rear ended my 94 Integra nosed under my bumper and struck the exhaust system,bending the pipe at the "zigzag",and only damaging the bumper cover where the license plate mounted. the VW had far more damage to it's nose than my Integra had to its rear.

Now,if it had been a full-size SUV,I'd probably have been crushed when my roof caved in....when the SUV climbed over it.

Reply to
Jim Yanik

"mjc13" wrote in news:N_nni.6585$Gx5.225@trndny02:

often,the most expensive part of the repair is if plastic tailight assemblies are broken.Those often cost a lot.

Reply to
Jim Yanik

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