TVR's Chairman on ABS, airbags and safety

  • Thread starter Thread starter Scaff
  • 38 comments
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I think the main thing about the TVRs are that the drivers are good drivers, they are sensible in town, but they use their cars hard on open roads while still ensuring that they link speed with vision. Its the most important thing to remember:
You should always be able to stop in the distance you can see.

If that means slowing to 30mph because the corner is blind, fine. If the road is fully-open with no turning for several miles and no traffic, 150mph is safe.
 
Originally posted by ///M-Spec
That doesn't make sense to me. Body panels don't absorb very much impact energy. Try holding up a fiberglass hood and have someone hit you with a truck.


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It's the truth, a single sheet won't help you, but if your surounded by it, the impact will go around the cabin where the fiberglass is, and mahybe even to the very back in some crashes but the cabin will be okay.
 
Originally posted by ///M-Spec
That doesn't make sense to me. Body panels don't absorb very much impact energy. Try holding up a fiberglass hood and have someone hit you with a truck.


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How fast do you want the truck going and can I jump before impact? What type of hood should I use. . . That would be sweet to record. . . : )
 
I don't have any problem with a TVR lacking safety features, actually I'd love to own one, but I think it's a little rediculous to be trying to pass off a lack of safety features as somehow making the car safer.

I don't buy the body panels absorbing energy stuff... I have a very hard time believing that a piece of fiberglass can absorb more than a small fraction of the energy that a steel frame with built in 'crumple zones' could.

I guess there will always be someone out there that insists that a device that clearly makes the car safer in an accident is somehow harmful... there are still people that don't wear seatbelts because if the car goes into a lake it would be harder to get out of.
 
Originally posted by Party for GT4
If that means slowing to 30mph because the corner is blind, fine. If the road is fully-open with no turning for several miles and no traffic, 150mph is safe.
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Got to take issue with that in a big way, very few roads would be safe to travel at 150mph on.

Firstly just because the road is straight and has no visible turnings does not mean no turnings, hidden or concealed entrances to roads are as dangerous as blind bends; arguably more so.

Secondly the road surface would need to be very smooth, certainly no roads in the UK that I am aware of (I drive between 30-40 thousand miles a year), including motorways would qualify. One pothole at 150mph and car control will almost certainly be lost. The road would also need to be level, rising undulations will cause a lot of cars to become very unstable at that kind of speed.

I have driven at 150 mph on a public road, an unrestricted German autobahn, for a short period of time. Its a very unreal situation, closing times between objects are incredibly short when travelling at about 2.5 miles a minute.

Is it exciting? Yes
Would I do it again? Yes
Is it safe on a public road? With the right car and the right driver the risks can be lowered, but never removed.

In short 'If the road is fully-open with no turning for several miles and no traffic' travelling at 150mph can as dangerous as taking a blind bend at over 30mph.

Which would you prefer, hitting a parked car at 40mph as you exit the blind bend or leaving the road at 150mph and hitting a tree.

The risk element associated with fast road driving can not be turned into simple statement like this. The fact is the variables are far, far more complicated.

I have been an advocate and practitioner of fast road driving for many years and have been thinking for quite a while of putting some of my knowledge down on this forum.

However given the highly controversial nature of the subject I would first like some feedback from other users and the mods.

Please however be aware that by fast road driving I in now way condone (in fact I abhor) street racing. I am talking about highly practised and developed driving on back roads with little or no other traffic.
 
Originally posted by retsmah
I don't have any problem with a TVR lacking safety features, actually I'd love to own one, but I think it's a little rediculous to be trying to pass off a lack of safety features as somehow making the car safer.

I don't buy the body panels absorbing energy stuff... I have a very hard time believing that a piece of fiberglass can absorb more than a small fraction of the energy that a steel frame with built in 'crumple zones' could.

I guess there will always be someone out there that insists that a device that clearly makes the car safer in an accident is somehow harmful... there are still people that don't wear seatbelts because if the car goes into a lake it would be harder to get out of.
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Ditto and well said. 👍


How fast do you want the truck going and can I jump before impact? What type of hood should I use. . . That would be sweet to record. . . : )
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GTPlanet presents Jackass II, starring Miata13b. Coming to a forum near you. :D


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Originally posted by ///M-Spec
GTPlanet presents Jackass II, starring Miata13b. Coming to a forum near you. :D


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Only if my buddy's website was up, I could show some crazy shiz of what we have done :lol:
 
Ok, Scaff, but I don't feel that it is always the case, I have been at 150mph and felt very safe. I was passengering a friend in a De Tomaso Pantera 200, and we were on motorway (M3). It was clear, warm and dry at 6:30 on a Sunday morning. It was perfectly safe IMO since the driver was alert, smooth, and slowed before taking the next (very soft) bend at 100mph. He then slowed down to 80 and cruised before pulling off the M-way.

My comments were admittedly far too generalised, and I understand you are concerned about the encouragement of street racing, but every time is different.

Surfaces are obviously an issue, but again, vary constantly, and a good driver reads the road a long way ahead for condition changes, as I dare say you do.

Risks are always there while fast road driving, but they can be reduced to a level far below the risks of passengering with my parents when the are talking, and not focussing fully on the road.

I am only 16 and will be hoping to purchase my first car in around 9 months. I would love to see more fast road techniques to help me be a good driver.

My concern is all young drivers become 'boy racers' the moment they purchase a swift car.
 
Personally I'm with Scaff on this one, you shouldn't ever be doing 150Mph on a public road, even if it looks safe, good drivers arn't telpaths, they don't have satelite vision either, a blind entry is still a blind entry no matter how well you can drive.
 

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