This is why the Camaro is so heavy...

[305pride]

Originally Posted by fdjizm

None of this explains WHY the camaro is so heavy, and lighter cars are scoring the same and better on crash tests...

again, lighter cars that are safer also have lighter engines.

[Brokinarrow]

Originally Posted by fdjizm

None of this explains WHY the camaro is so heavy, and lighter cars are scoring the same and better on crash tests...

for the power the car packs at this particular price point, there is simply no other option than a little added bulk. If you slim it down with light weight parts, the cost goes up. If you reduce the power you can lose some of the bulk... but then you've lost power...

[fdjizm]

Originally Posted by 305pride

again, lighter cars that are safer also have lighter engines.

it's not just about the engine you don't really believe that a 6.2 engine weighs 400lbs more than a 4.6 engine do you?

[305pride]

Originally Posted by fdjizm

so it's just the engine? you are saying that a 6.2l weighs 400lbs more than a 4.6l engine?

not just the engine, if its lighter then it would probably also cost more. the camaro has to stay as affordable as possible.

[305pride]

plus that camaro is just a huge car. like dimension wise. its not that big, but its bigger then my camaro.

[BackinBlackSS/RS]

Am I missing something here? That's a Malibu.

[coolman]

Originally Posted by fdjizm

None of this explains WHY the camaro is so heavy, and lighter cars are scoring the same and better on crash tests...

Thank you, That's all I was getting at. Besides, why does showing a malibu crashing into a 59 chevy prove anything about the camaro?

[squat]

Originally Posted by fdjizm

None of this explains WHY the camaro is so heavy, and lighter cars are scoring the same and better on crash tests...

Very true, the VW bug also has a 4 star crash test rating.

However, one thing to consider is - that when these tests are performed, they are performed using two vehicles of similar size and weight.

So while the Bug is much lighter than the Camaro, and it has the same 4 star rating, it was only tested against other tiny subcompact cars. So if the bug gets into an accident with another sub compact it will fare very well. And this is all well and good if all the cars on the road are the same size.

But I think we all know that's not true.

[Brokinarrow]

Originally Posted by 305pride

plus that camaro is just a huge car. like dimension wise. its not that big, but its bigger then my camaro.

yes, the Camaro IS larger than the Mustang. But ya know what - I could care less how heavy the car is, cuz it'll still beat the Mustang and it looks better.

[The_Blur]

Originally Posted by fdjizm

so it's just the engine? you are saying that a 6.2l weighs 400lbs more than a 4.6l engine?

The engine is the biggest part of the equation. Let's not forget the suspension on the Camaro weighs more than the Mustang. In order to make the magazine comparisons "fair," they've been slapping the options track package on Mustangs to put up more competitive, but still inferior, results. A bigger engine means a bigger suspension. When I say bigger, I'm counting more than the displacement volume. I'm considering the actual size of the engine in cubic inches.

Originally Posted by fdjizm

it's not just about the engine you don't really believe that a 6.2 engine weighs 400lbs more than a 4.6 engine do you?

I could've sworn I just read that somewhere.

Originally Posted by squat

Very true, the VW bug also has a 4 star crash test rating.

However, one thing to consider is - that when these tests are performed, they are performed using two vehicles of similar size and weight.

So while the Bug is much lighter than the Camaro, and it has the same 4 star rating, it was only tested against other tiny subcompact cars. So if the bug gets into an accident with another sub compact it will fare very well. And this is all well and good if all the cars on the road are the same size.

But I think we all know that's not true.

If every type of car faced the same measure of survival, then small cars would always fail the test. Imagine, instead of ramming a Smart fortwo into a Smart fortwo, that they rammed it into a Mack truck at the same speed in the opposite direction. It would fail. Now imagine a Yaris into that Mack. It would fail. Expect the Civic, Malibu, and Mustang to fail the same test. If they were all put on the same impossible standard, then the only street legal vessels of transportation would have to all be the same size. Instead, ratings are based upon the size of the car.

Let's also consider that most accidents do not look like this one. Imagine a 4-lane road where this exact accident occurs. Both cars turned sideways and came to a rest. This would not be the end of the accident. Almost invariably, both cars would get hit in the side by cars approaching in the outside lanes. Crash tests are only a basic indicator of safety and do not replace safe driving and respecting other drivers. In this case, the test demonstrates the safety changes that occurred over a period of 50 years at the demand of voters and consumers who want to feel safe when driving.

[Striker]

I thought this thread was about making the camaro lighter by removing the stock muffles, ha ha

[Brokinarrow]

Originally Posted by Striker

I thought this thread was about making the camaro lighter by removing the stock muffles, ha ha

sad but true! Got my tin cans lopped off

[sen10l]

Originally Posted by coolman

I think you may have missed my point. I agree with what you said, but he's posting about why the car has to be so heavy to be safe. When their's other cars that are lighter that are just as safe. That's all I ment. I wasn't considering power to wieght or anything about power for this thread because that isn't what the thread was about.

You mean like the 3800lb M3? Which car are you talking about that has the same HP for around the same money?

This thread is just a segue to show the advances in safety which make a car heavier in general. All modern mid-sized sedans which are the same size as the Camaro weigh roughly the same, so I don't know which lighter car you could be possibly imagining. Compact sedans, by the way, universally fail the side impact tests according to one of the recognized safety-testing bodies (unless they have a side airbag).

[SleepWarz]

Originally Posted by tjd24

...and thank God for it. I'd rather deal with extra weight, reduce where I can eg replacing the stock mufflers with a lighter performance exhaust, than skimp on safety.

No, safety is for wussies.

Life isnt safe, nothing is. Why bother.

just be careful, and look out for yourself

I must be one of the few that thinks airbags suck, I mean your already hit now you get punched in the face. Oh and guess what YOUR CAR WONT START WITH THE AIRBAG DEPLOYED GREAT INVENTION. And crumplezones exist to pad insurance fat cats wallets, you think they care about YOU?
Its like buying a camaro for fuel economy, rofl quit deluding yourself.

If they cared they would offer a stripper package, no bags, no onspy, no over the top safety features that make cars far too easy for those insurance criminals to write off your cars. What the **** ever happened to dents?