SpeedyD

I've done a search on the forum and elsewhere but haven't found much info on the safety of our 911s rear seats.

Anyone on here have any insights on either the construction or hard evidence of crash/crumple protection for rear seat occupants?

Thanks

Iceter

I have wondered about this, too. The engine is low so that I assume it will submarine the car hitting you from behind (especially if it's a distracted hausfrau in her Suburban). With the rear seatbacks already being at a right or even slightly acute angle, I wonder how a backseat passenger will fare in a hard hit from behind.

997_Toronto

The car is sold as a 2+2 rather than a 2-seater which is what it essentially is supposed to be. Not many, including those who sometimes have child seats in the rear, might have pondered this question enough to warrant further investigation.

I would 'assume' that the rear seats are well protected from a rear-end collision due to the fact that there is built-in protection for the engine and impact would be distributed. The rear window, not sure how well that would handle impact but I would think the rear seats have more protect compared to cars with just an empty trunk which can crumple.

Would like to see what others have to say especially those with child seats in their cars.

SpeedyD

Yeah, makes sense, but remember something has to crumple -- there needs to be displacement somewhere to absorb the impact. There are clever ways to redistribute energy that would result in less horizontal displacement, allowing the rear seat space to remain intact, which is what I'm hoping for. But I just haven't seen any data or analysis. Agree overall that the engine will absorb significant energy, assuming it matches the height of the bumper hitting it..

Frontal impact could cause the rear engine to intrude, however... though, again, on the more modern cars I imagine everything has been considered / strengthened significantly -- part of why our cars weigh so much more than earlier 911s.

For motorsports 911s, how much additional protection is afforded through the roll cage in terms of rear or front impacts, vs. side / roll?

My understanding, or what I've been socialized with, is that 911s have been relatively safe (or as safe as a 2 door sports car might be). Unfortunately, the way I intuitively look at it, is that the rear seat space actually provides some buffer for front seat passengers. Obviously, to someone in the rear seats, that's a bleak view...

997_rich

You'll never know for sure until you buy a few and send them backwards into a brick wall at 60mph.

But, looking at the cross section of this car (not a 997 but i believe a 996) you can see the engine is low. With a rear strike I'm guessing the engine is going down and under the rear seats due to the structure you can see. Also the large mass of the engine is going to work in your favor to soak up a lot of kinetic energy without too much displacement.

Wayne Smith

I vote for this. Nice photo BTW. The frame structure in combination with the motor mounts appears to favor pivoting the transmission down and under the car effectively giving additional length to the crush zone.

Ben Z

The only thing I've wondered about the backseats in a rear-ender is that without headrests there isn't any whiplash protection. However the only living creatures I've ever had in the backseats are small children and small dogs whose heads were below the level of the seat backs. I have to assume there is some reasonable protection back there though, otherwise from a litigation standpoint in this day and age I doubt Porsche would have put seats and seatbelts there. But I could be wrong about that.

SpeedyD

Thanks for the cutaway picture. I can see the argument that path of least resistance may be to submarine, therefore with displacement happening under rather than through back seat area. In practice, obviously tons of variables...

Sounds like we will only have anecdotes on this.

We unfortunately know what backwards into a brick wall looks like :-( Same as head-on at 60mph into another vehicle at 60mph... there won't really be much left.

997_Toronto

The only 'people' in the rear seat are generally kids that need a car seat which has it's own head / neck protection. I put my 11yr old nephew in the back seat for a ride and it was not near enough fun for him due to the restricted view.

I have had a couple of hobbit sized friends in there but it was for a short trip, did not ask them about their experience bt they did mention that the rear window was super low.