Just information really - I hit fox at a little over 140kph recently.

It came out of a field right in front of me - I hit the brakes at about the same time as the poor bloody animal. A large bang, my number plate flying over the car, full testing of ABS and a dead fox.

Checking the damage, I was amazed - I hit it front nearside (side it came out of), the mounting for the foglight was broken (but foglight was OK!) and a small crack in the front bumper assembly between foglight and radiator scoop. At first glance.......

The body shop just pulled the bumper off and have now ordered a new radiator & AC cooler too!

Made me wonder how this car performs in a "real" accident - anyone had a bad one, and how was the car after?

Gotta' wait 'til Friday for my car now - it's OK though, garage supplied a lovely Rover 400 auto as a loaner.......

Driving around in

 

I got T-boned in my previous scoob ( a WRX) at a junction by someone jumping the lights at about 60mph spun round hit a lamppost head on the car was repaired and apart from head injuries I was ok

 

Dowser,
I think modern cars are supposed to do this. They crumple up really easily to absorb the nenergy of the impact instead of transmitting it to the passenger cell.

Geezer

 

Dowser,

I think the amount of damage is to be expected and is not a testament to use of sub-standard materials or poor construction. Assuming it was an animal fox and not a female human one , imagine the impact of someone shooting a 2kg bag at 140kmh at your car, which is effectively what this fox was. Surprised the front wasn't smashed to bits, causing you to go off the road as you went over the debris.

Suresh

P.S. was once in 50 seater aussie coach when it hit a 'roo at 100kmh. Caved in the roo bars, half the front of the bus and popped the windscreen out. Quite a scary experience, when you are in the front set of seats!

 

I recon 140KPH is 'bout 90MPH? .
I recon you hit an object weighing 4Kg (8 and a bit lbs in real money) - I am no fox expert so an educated guess here - this would do damage to most vehicles - big Volvos and Saabs excluded.
Sounds like old foxy may well have had a very close look at your rad and A/c cooler as he/she shot up the intake and smashed into 'em. ergh!

Perhaps some 'Roo Bars' are in order.


[This message has been edited by Paul Habgood (edited 06-06-2000).]

 

Saw an STi that had rolled a few times. Back was gone. Front was completely buggered. Cabin was OK. All passengers were OK apart from bruising.

 

Geezer/Suresh

Actually, I was amazed at the minimal amount of body work damage.

As Paul say's, I think the fox ended up in the intake (would also explain the dog sticking his head up there later the same day...).

Richard

 

Dowser,

Similar thing happened to me last year. Collected a silencer on motorway in the dark.

Checked damage when home. Small depression in bumper beside number plate only visible damage. Garage phones to quote for new bumper, rad, rad mounts, slam panel, bonnet catch, etc, etc, etc

Thank god for undertray as it went under car !!

J

 

Dowser
I was in a crash in my old scoob(MY98)
A girl pulled out of a juction right in front of me, I was doing between 25-30mph and I was bl##dy horrified at the amount of damage, all the following had to be replaced.
Radiator(and fans), air con radiator, all left hand side lights, left side wing, bonnet, front spoiler.
Graham

 

I hit a Honda at some lights @ 10 mph, and proceeded to buckle bonnet and loose front bumper. The air conditioning radiator was pushed onto water radiator, but I understand front bumber is designed to absorb most of the damage. Wings were not touched!
Parts (including later spec bonnet and bumper £1,800!!!!!!!!!! and 2000 spec headlights are £444 for two). I shall not be doing this again.

 

Vaguely amusing anecdote....and I stress the word vaguely!

Two friends of mine, working late (about 10.30pm), drove out up an unlit A road to fetch some food in a Lotus Esprit Turbo. On the way, they spotted a dead badger lying on the other side of the road.

"Best remember that on the way back."

Cue drive back to work. A bit of speeding. Well, a lot of speeding actually. 120mph. Passenger saying.

"Don't forget that badger."

A nice big straight. 130mph.

"DON'T forget that badger."

Faster still. 140mph.

"DON'T FORGET THAT BADGER!!!!"

BOOM!!!!!

One large dead badger impacts at 140mph+ with the front of a Lotus Esprit Turbo. Net result, about three grands worth of damage (reams of sticky tape holding the fibreglass together in the meantime). And lots of amusement for everyone bar the driver.....

 

moz, you'd have been bloody horrified at the damage to your body if the Scooby didn't crumple up in a 30mph accident! Cars are designed to crumple so the occupants don't.

A lot of people buy off-roaders because they're "big & safe" and "don't crumple easily", but as was shown on Driven, the rigidity of the chassis transmits much more of the accident impact to the occupants. Oh, and in bad accidents, the roof caves in to crush their skulls too.

 

DavidRB
I know what your saying, I didn't get hurt at all in the accident and I'm very grateful that I wasn't, but what I was trying to put accross was what would the car have been like in a 70mph+ crash because the bonnet had buckled quite badly at under 30mph.
(I presume the engine would take a fair impact?)
However in saying that a week ago some old bag reversed her Ford tank estate(with tow-bar) into the back of MY00, it had pushed the bumper in about 3 inches but it popped straight back out with only a bit of paint missing, which was just aswell because the old cow denied doing it even though 4 people including me saw her do it!!!
Graham

 

Graham,

You're right to be worried.

If you hit a stationary object or another car at 70Mph, you are likely to be killed or severely injured regardless of the make of vehicle you are driving. The forces involved and levels of deceleration are often too extreme to be survivable, even without taking into account the crush injuries you would also be sustaining.

I'm not suggesting that you (or anyone else) is oblivious to the risk, but don't kid yourself that any vehicle on sale will render a crash at these speeds safe.

I think the Euro NCAP crash test at 35mph increases the amount of energy to be dispersed by the car's structure by around 35 percent over the previous tests which were conducted at 30mph. 70mph is just in a different dimension all together!.

P.S. The bonnet is almost the first thing to go in collisions above 10mph or so.

Regards,

Alex


[This message has been edited by AlexM (edited 08-06-2000).]

 

Earlier this year I hit a tree in a MY99 at 60MPH and walked away unhurt, which is more than can be said for the car which was a complete write off. The car crumpled in all the right places and left the cabin complete intact. So guess the design can not be too bad