Archimedes

That would be great if the road was full of 50's Bel Airs. Unfortunately, it's full of modern design 5000lb Suburbans and Excursions, etc., which annihilate smaller cars in serious crashes. The physics of energy transfer from a vehicle that isn't 50s technology are just too great. The IIHS data supports this; large vehicles are way safer than small ones.

One of the reasons I didn't get back into a Porsche after selling my 78SC was a major accident I was involved in in my A6 4.2 (rear ended at a light by an SUV going 50mph driven by a drunk driver). If I had been in my Porsche, I don't believe I would have survived. Took me a while to be comfortable back in a really small car like this.

hinckley

That's an incredibly fascination vid. Thanks for sharing.

I just checked the IIHS site. You're right, no Porsche has been tested. I had thought safety testing was some sort of legal requirement. Guess not.

Archimedes

The IIHS testing with the star ratings is not the NHTSA testing. I believe Porsche is required to submit cars for government testing, but the IIHS stuff is optional, private industry testing. Would be somewhat costly to crash a bunch of high end sports cars and I doubt Porsche would see much marketing value in the results.

Ski Porsche

Nearly five years ago I was in a head on collision in my 987 Cayman S (I was at a slight angle). The other vehicle was an older Nissan pick up. The estimated closing speed was 90-95 mph. The Cayman's passenger cell was remarkable intact with some intrusion in the passenger foot well. I survived with multiple fractures in both legs below the knees, a couple broken ribs and a fractured wrist. The driver and passenger in the truck weren't wearing seat belts. The passenger had similar injuries to mine and the driver didn't survive the accident.
My wife agreed to my buying Porsche's again because she thinks the Cayman saved my life. So do I. I trust the 991 would perform at least as well as the 987.

garudatwo

Seems to line up with SP's anecdote

arena-RTR

The actual physics are much, much more complex than that. Think of a vehicle as a bag of thousands of different parts, each with their own mass and density. How you configure the parts has a MASSIVE impact (no pun intended) on how the vehicle protects the human in the middle.

arena-RTR

Holy crap that's incredible- It actually looks like a race car with a full roll cage... And the new one is supposedly WAY stronger!

plenum

Hmm. While I don't disagree with you regarding side impact protection being what it is in just about any modern vehicle, I do disagree with you stating that in a side impact there isn't much difference between an SUV and a P-car! If you are DRIVING an SUV, and get hit by a car or cross-over in side impact, the result is much different than if you are in a 991 and get hit in the drivers side door by an Escalade!

Again, physics is physics so at higher speeds, ignorance, fate, luck, chance, etc. all come into play calculating just how "bad" the outcome will be!

Archimedes

Yes, but all the test data and actual accident data indicates that the end result is that you are way safer in a big SUV or truck than in a small lightweight car. If you look at the death rates per MM driven, the list reads with weight/size of the vehicle being almost directly inversely proportional to the death rate. And if you watch any of the test crash videos, it's pretty clear which vehicle you want to be in, in the event of a serious crash.

I think the Porsches appear to be very well designed for the size of the car they are, but the fact is there is only so much you can do when a) a much larger object is transferring force onto you and b) you don't exactly have big crumple zones or a lot of cabin room before the car body will be contacting you.

MerlinsGarage

The riding height of the truck will protect from physical intrusion of a lower profile object but the g-force created will be negligible. The side impact curtain is what is going to make a difference.

Archimedes

That's just not true at all. Go watch the old side impact test video of the Chevy Suburban. The one that the anti SUV crowd used to show how it was prone to roll over, while ignoring the fact that, in a 45 mph direct side impact collision to the rear passenger door with a test dummy in that seat right next to the door, there were zero injuries to that test subject. The vehicle slowly slid sideways and then right at the end gently rolled onto it's side. The test data showed that the test dummies in the car were almost unmarked.

There's plenty of data out there showing that the Suburban/Escalade/Avalanche is one of the safest vehicles on the road. I'd much rather be in one of those in ANY accident that one of my Porsches.

And if you want to go on anecdotes, a family we know was in a head on freeway collision in their Suburban with a wrong way drunk driver at over 60mph. The other vehicle was decimated and driver killed. All four of them walked away from the crash with minor injuries. They'll never own anything else.

Archimedes

The other thing you have to realize is, the cars that have smaller to minimal crumple zones, yet use a rigid cabin structure actually transfer more energy to the occupants. So while the cabin could look amazing after the crash, it doesn't mean it is a safer design.

A perfect example of this is the Smart car design, which has an incredibly rigid compartment that stays intact even in some massive crashes. I believe it was Fifth Gear that did a big set of tests on it and in the end concluded that it does so at the expense of a massive transfer of energy to the driver. So you're probably dead either way.

Larry Cable

+1

JoshuaKM1

If you're concerned about an accident I would recommend a Porsche Macan... just picked one up last month. Received a top score from the European crash test board. Maybe you can drive the Macan 60% and drive the 911 40% of the time to decrease your risk of bodily harm.

I actually don't think this was a bad question... but i'm not a senior member (and I don't own a 911) so forgive me.

stratocaster69

[QUOTE=JoshuaKM1;12540271]If you're concerned about an accident I would recommend a Porsche Macan... just picked one up last month. Received a top score from the European crash test board. Maybe you can drive the Macan 60% and drive the 911 40% of the time to decrease your risk of bodily harm.

I actually don't think this was a bad question... but i'm not a senior member (and I don't own a 911) so forgive me.[/QUOTE
No I am fine in a 911. I have been a lineman, heavy equipment operator, drove big rigs, and a farmer. I feel I have the stars on my side lol. And one day you will be a senior, if the golden bb doesn't get you or I on the way lol. Strokes heart attack, accident! So many scary things out there besides worrying about a lil ol car accident. Thanks (: