This is why the Camaro is so heavy...

[Coldpants]

The connection between weight and saftey is an old wives tale. The ability of a car to save you in a crash has to do with its ability to divert the energy around you or dissipate it. Cars do this with crumple zones and parts that fly off in a crash. My '54 buick is 1000lbs heaver than my camaro and no where near as safe. The biggest contributor to weight are all the options on the car. Power windows, brakes, heated seats the DIC, AC, power seats etc. That all add up.

[Coldpants]

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.

None of what you said is true. Safety tests are standardized. A 4star for one car is the same as a 4 star for any car.

[nemosgt]

Is the fact the car is heavy not due to the chassis being the same one used for the Holdens and other cars which are slightly larger than ideal for the Camaro?
It was more cost effective than developing a proper chassis for the Camaro alone. Add to this the rear suspension and large engine and you have your weight. I don't think it was designed to be this heavy for safety reasons. Otherwise they could have kept adding more weight to make it safer yet. Just the way things worked out. BTW I think the track pack Mustang does handle better than the Camaro. However Road and Track in their recent "drift" article placed the TP Mustang near the bottom handling-wise in the comparison to other sporty cars. What does that say about both cars? Great cars except in the corners?

Cheers.

[DeathChill]

Originally Posted by Coldpants

None of what you said is true. Safety tests are standardized. A 4star for one car is the same as a 4 star for any car.

I thought that they did them slightly differently (maybe slower?) for different weight classes. However, I have no idea, just heard that.

[BackinBlackSS/RS]

Originally Posted by nemosgt

. What does that say about both cars? Great cars except in the corners?

Cheers.

Pedderize it. It will stick like there is no tomorrow.

[fdjizm]

Originally Posted by The_Blur

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.

I distinctly remeber the results NOT being inferior but whatever helps you sleep at night bro, Nice cherry picking articles. and ignoring other ones.

a superior,advanced etc.. IRS suspension tuned in "the ring" is already a step ahead of the game as it's own "track pack" is it not?. so who's unfair o.0

[RAdams]

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.

Yep, a little bigger.

The current muscle cars have different proportions that make them seem MUCH bigger, but sometimes it may just be due to having a higher waistline or something like that. I'm not refuting what you said (because you are right!), I just love optical illusions and enjoy seeing and comparing the actual numbers

Here are the stats:

[SS Mike]

Originally Posted by Coldpants

The connection between weight and saftey is an old wives tale. The ability of a car to save you in a crash has to do with its ability to divert the energy around you or dissipate it. Cars do this with crumple zones and parts that fly off in a crash. My '54 buick is 1000lbs heaver than my camaro and no where near as safe. The biggest contributor to weight are all the options on the car. Power windows, brakes, heated seats the DIC, AC, power seats etc. That all add up.

This is the best post I have read yet Reason being, it has EVERYTHING to do with the video at the beginning of this thread. That '59 in the vid probably weighs in over 4000 pounds, whereas the Malibu is around 3400-3500 pounds, yet the '59 get destroyed. It even says that the drive in the Malibu would suffer light to moderate injuries (don't remember the exact wording) where the driver in the other car would probably be dead.

[1985HOL69305]

make something idiot proof, someone will make a better idiot........

[Coldpants]

Originally Posted by DeathChill

I thought that they did them slightly differently (maybe slower?) for different weight classes. However, I have no idea, just heard that.

No. Not having standardized tests would create useless data. The tests are done at 35mph.

[DeathChill]

Originally Posted by Coldpants

No. Not having standardized tests would create useless data. The tests are done at 35mph.

I would definitely agree. I thought I had heard it somewhere and wondered what the hell the point would be doing it that way.

[Kurt_OH]

I agree that SOME of Camaro's weight is due to safety, and some due to cost control.

However, on a COMPLETELY separate note, do NOT put ANY estimate of safety on crash test ratings between cars of different sizes. They ONLY apply to cars of very close size/weight. For example, a civic with 5 stars is nowhere near as safe as a Suburban with 4 stars.

[BackinBlackSS/RS]

Originally Posted by Kurt_OH

I agree that SOME of Camaro's weight is due to safety, and some due to cost control.

However, on a COMPLETELY separate note, do NOT put ANY estimate of safety on crash test ratings between cars of different sizes. They ONLY apply to cars of very close size/weight. For example, a civic with 5 stars is nowhere near as safe as a Suburban with 4 stars.

Yep, I mean common sense tells you that your less save in a smaller car. I don't care what it's safety rating is.

[squat]

Originally Posted by Coldpants

None of what you said is true. Safety tests are standardized. A 4star for one car is the same as a 4 star for any car.

Dude, get a f**king clue before you go spewing misinformation around the web. Since you don't seem to know jack about safety ratings and didn't bother to look any of the information up, I did it for you. Sit back and learn.

This information is taken from safercar.gov:

Can I compare vehicles from different classes?

Side crash rating results can be compared across all classes because all vehicles are hit with the same force by the same moving barrier.

Rollover ratings can also be compared across all classes.

Frontal crash rating results can only be compared to other vehicles in the same class and whose weight is plus or minus 250 lbs of the vehicle being rated. This is so because a frontal crash rating into a fixed barrier represents a crash between two vehicles of the same weight. Examples:

* It would not be permissible to compare the frontal crash results of a 4,500 lb SUV with those of a 3,000 sedan (different classes and exceeds the weight requirement).
* It would not be permissible to compare the frontal crash results of a 3,600 lb pickup with those of a 3,400 lb van (meets the weight requirement, but different classes).
* It would be correct to compare the frontal crash results of a 3,400 lb passenger car with a 3650 lb passenger car (same class and meets the weight requirement).

This means that no, you are in fact wrong about a 4 star rating for the VW Bug being as safe as the 4 star rating on the Camaro. If you even think about it for a few minutes you'd realize that a car the size of a bed that weighs in at around 2k (probably) won't be nearly as safe as a 4k lb car.

Weight has a lot to do with the safety of your vehicle. The Bel Air that crumpled like a sissy doesn't prove weight has nothing to do with safety. Cars back then were designed without safety in mind. Of course the vehicle is going to fold up when it isn't reinforced in critical areas (it has a wrap around front window for christ sake).

Some physics for you: Force = mass x acceleration

This means that a 2k lb car traveling at 35 mph has half the force of a 4k car traveling at 35 mph. (Yes, you want force to be in your favor when you get into an accident).

Today every vehicle has reinforced frame and airbags everywhere. And I can promise you that you'd rather be in my 06 Ram Megacab than your Camaro if you were to get into an accident.

In summation: I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.