Thunderhill T14 crash
05-04-2010, 03:20 PM
#106
Rennlist Member
There is almost too much effort is spent making the tubs of our production based unibody cars stronger with endless feet of DOM tubing. you defeat a lot of the energy absorbtion by getting to many bars and stitch welding every seam. that Blain Camaro did a great job of giving a little while still protecting the foot well area. mine in my crash, didnt have bars everywhere, but the tub allowed for major distortion on the impact side, yet protected the foot well area, at the cost of the tub. (928s have a very strong tub design) when you hit walls at 80mph plus, there is no saving the car, its going to be a write off (at least the chassis and a couple of wheels) but, if the chassis is strong enough, best to let it do its job, rather than over building it. for example, from the look of the Camaro crash, I would build it like it was again, without stitch welding the seams as the builder wants to do next time. The more the chassi crumples and crushes around you, the better off you will be in the impact. thats why I like racing a larger car, because there is just more "stuff" around you to get crushed and slow down the impact speeds.
If you want some really nice stuff built and you are in the area, come see Impact Engineering in Milpitas. (they done a lot of BMWCCA, with Grand Am and WCGT cars.)
If you want some really nice stuff built and you are in the area, come see Impact Engineering in Milpitas. (they done a lot of BMWCCA, with Grand Am and WCGT cars.)
I agree...anyone have info (or contacts) of who built the cage? I'd like to learn more about the physics of the supports in the foot area as well as the tie-in of the cage tubing to the A-pillar.
This really makes me re-think my own cage...even though my car is much slower (and I'm even slower than my car!), I'm always interested in what I can do to make things safer.
Cheers,
Rick
This really makes me re-think my own cage...even though my car is much slower (and I'm even slower than my car!), I'm always interested in what I can do to make things safer.
Cheers,
Rick
04-11-2011, 10:09 PM
#107
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Bringing back an old thread because it got linked to at BimmerForums. Am a member here from the old Porsche days.
The pic with the severed brake line has a reference to discussion on hold until the mfr could do a failure analysis. Did anything ever come of that?
I miss the Porsches but BMW's are more affordable to race.
The pic with the severed brake line has a reference to discussion on hold until the mfr could do a failure analysis. Did anything ever come of that?
I miss the Porsches but BMW's are more affordable to race.
04-11-2011, 10:41 PM
#108
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Bringing back an old thread because it got linked to at BimmerForums. Am a member here from the old Porsche days.
The pic with the severed brake line has a reference to discussion on hold until the mfr could do a failure analysis. Did anything ever come of that?
I miss the Porsches but BMW's are more affordable to race.
The pic with the severed brake line has a reference to discussion on hold until the mfr could do a failure analysis. Did anything ever come of that?
I miss the Porsches but BMW's are more affordable to race.
04-11-2011, 11:26 PM
#109
This isn't actually true: "The worst possible crash is a head-on collision. In a head-on collision, the force of the two vehicles is multiplied. Two vehicles traveling at 40 mph in a head-on collision is the same as striking a concrete wall at 80 mph. Whatever it takes, avoid a head-on collision."
A head on between two vehicles of equal mass, both travelling the same speed, is the same as hitting a concrete wall. Both cars doing 40mph and running into one another isn't the same as one car hitting a wall at 80. You have double the mass to absorb the energy.
A head on between two vehicles of equal mass, both travelling the same speed, is the same as hitting a concrete wall. Both cars doing 40mph and running into one another isn't the same as one car hitting a wall at 80. You have double the mass to absorb the energy.
04-12-2011, 02:01 PM
#112
Rennlist Member
HUGE hit, and took big air. Very sobering, indeed.
As for Dale, rest in peace, but he came out of his belts and broke the steering wheel off with his unprotected face. Basal skull fracture it was labeled, but I don't buy it. Images were witheld, I suspect because it was especially gruesome. All agree it wasn't an especially hard hit. He's the only thing in NASCAR that I cared about.
As for Dale, rest in peace, but he came out of his belts and broke the steering wheel off with his unprotected face. Basal skull fracture it was labeled, but I don't buy it. Images were witheld, I suspect because it was especially gruesome. All agree it wasn't an especially hard hit. He's the only thing in NASCAR that I cared about.
