Why I drive a truck...a very BIG truck

[88GT]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLzYLlCmNcE[/ame]

:38 is when the camera shots get really interesting. Passenger has a lovely view; see it at :42

Mr88GT did a similar crash test with a Cadillac. Pretty much same results.

And then just for morbid train-wreck-watching fun: [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmRkPyuet_o[/ame]

 

[ParaManAR15]

Yea I'll never own a car...only trucks and big suv's for me.

Brings a whole new meaning to compact car for that focus.

 

[74J10]

I don't know how to drive a car. I owned a 86 Cherokee as my first vehicle, then a 93 F-250, now an 06 2500. My parents have owned 2 cars since I was born. I can't stand riding or driving in them. I cannot see ANYTHING from a car. It is so low and I use parking blocks for their intended purpose (IE I hit them to know when to stop,) can't do that in a car. Plus I tow my Toyota around on a trailer too often, and I always use my bed. What do you do if you need to run and get a couple 2x4's??? I don't know what I'd do, I will always own at least 1 truck, I MIGHT at some point decide to get something smaller to daily drive but I will have to keep a truck around also.

 

[Bunnykid68]

Because you hit so much **** while you are driving that a little car wouldn't last you a day

 

[Jarhead1775]

Wow... Truck hood to car roof compaction... That's why I have an F350 Diesel and not a little Smart car...

Although... I'm not sure if you can call it a Smart car???

 

[Sylvain]

Yeah SUVs are way saffer than little cars, it's not like they can roll over easily.

Dont think that you are saffer because you drive a big truck, or even a very big truck, especially at high speed.

 

[Tydeeh22]

sylvain, this is about vehicle collisions. while rollovers are possible during a collision, you didnt grasp the idea entirely. if you dont drive like an idiot, you most likely will never roll a SUV / truck.


as for my SUV hitting another person, if it were head-on, i would honestly feel bad if it were a car. theres about 400 pounds alone of front bumper +winch up there. 3/16ths or 1/4 inch steel plate. forget which.

 

[88GT]

Wow... Truck hood to car roof compaction... That's why I have an F350 Diesel and not a little Smart car...

Although... I'm not sure if you can call it a Smart car???

7.3, 6.0, 6.4, or 6.7?

Funny enough, I saw a crash test of one of the Smart cars too. The car itself remains in one piece better than the typical crumple-zone construction vehicles. But the lack of energy absorption by the vehicle means the passengers get it all. And that makes for bad results. Besides, trucks like ours would probably just drive up over the Smart cars.

Yeah SUVs are way saffer than little cars, it's not like they can roll over easily.

Dont think that you are saffer because you drive a big truck, or even a very big truck, especially at high speed.

Somebody has an inferiority complex.



Speed-induced roll-overs are an entirely different beast.

F=ma. I like my 9000# odds better than yours.

 

[88GT]

Because you hit so much **** while you are driving that a little car wouldn't last you a day

Take that back!

But you got the **** label right. An Avalanche and a Caddy. And to be fair, I wasn't driving and both of them pulled out in front of Mr88GT. So not his fault either.

 

[Sylvain]

sylvain, this is about vehicle collisions. while rollovers are possible during a collision, you didnt grasp the idea entirely. if you dont drive like an idiot, you most likely will never roll a SUV / truck.


as for my SUV hitting another person, if it were head-on, i would honestly feel bad if it were a car. theres about 400 pounds alone of front bumper +winch up there. 3/16ths or 1/4 inch steel plate. forget which.

Roll overs are more likely to happen with SUVs than with any other type of cars and they dont happen just when you drive like an idiot.
If your SUV gets hit from the side you will end up on the roof and it will more likely collapse.

I just think that many people who drive big SUVs have a false sense of security.
Ask any firefighter, say have seen any kind of cars flattened and destroyed after a serious accident.
Thinking that nothing can happen to you because you drive a "big truck" is just silly.

 

[Jarhead1775]

7.3, 6.0, 6.4, or 6.7?

99 F350 4x4 7.3 Extended Cab 8 Ft bed on 33x12.50's

 

[shibumiseeker]

If you want the safest vehicle to drive, you drive a Volvo. I drive a truck because I haul a bunch of crap and need a tow vehicle. I drive a Corolla because it gets 40+mpg.

Trucks and big vehicles aren't any safer because they are larger. Some are safer than others because they are engineered to be so, but just being bigger isn't safer.

 

[Mr Evilwrench]

OK, picture yourself in that SUV that rolled over. Not mashed much. You'd probably be ok, right? In a car that got crosswise of an SUV, maybe not so much. Then you bring a picture with a school bus. I know a lot about school buses. Not much short of a train or a semi truck or a building is going to get over on a school bus. Those little [bad word] are going to be ok.

 

[netsecurity]

The point is that it is all relevant. Truck vs subcompact can be just as bad as semi vs truck. It's physics. Size and weight (mass) determine which object "wins". Statistically, there are more cars than anything else, so a truck is a very safe bet when it comes to collisions. If everyone drove tractor trailers then a truck would be little security...

 

[AllenM]

How about new vs old?

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPF4fBGNK0U[/ame]

 

[shibumiseeker]

The point is that it is all relevant. Truck vs subcompact can be just as bad as semi vs truck. It's physics. Size and weight (mass) determine which object "wins".

That's incomplete physics. There's also impulse=F*T, and a few other equations that all factor in to make F=M*A less relevant than many believe.

The safest vehicles on the road today are not the biggest and none of them are pickup trucks. Of the top ten, only 3-4 are SUVs.

Volvo, Audi, Mercedes, Infiniti, BMW, and Subaru own the top. Not only are they safer in crash tests, they are safer in the features they have that improve stability, traction, and driver visibility because I don't know about any of you, I'm going to FIRST worry about avoiding a crash, THEN worry about surviving it.

And kinda like shooting, the nut located behind the steering wheel is STILL the biggest variable and I work on my defensive driving all of the time.

 

[JetGirl]

I WISH I drove a huge truck with ginormous tires that was super high off the ground.
Night before last, I hit... a skunk. He faked left and dodged right. I took the bait and swerved just in time for him to change course...and BAM!!! KaThunkThunkThump.
I'm still not parking in my garage.

 

[Kraor]

I am a firefighter and have seen fatalities of car vs. truck and car vs. crossover. One in particular i remember is a dodge RAM 2500 (i think) vs Ford Escape. 2 guys in the escape 1 in the RAM. The driver of the escape fell asleep and crossed center hitting RAM head-on as RAM driver tried to swerve right. Both were killed in escape, RAM driver walked away. Sitting up higher seems to make a difference from what Ive seen, but its just one persons observations...

On a side note, i get to revisit that and another fatality on the same stretch of road each day as I pass the roadside memorials that the family or friends deem necessary to commemorate the terrible spot of their passing... i still dont understand why anyone would want to remember where on the highway they lost their loved one.... i would think it would be better to do something to remember them where they enjoyed life, not where it tragically ended.

 

[7urtle]

i got a lifted jeep and lowered miata. im just aware of my surroundings

i have a side pic somewhere

 

[eldirector]

I LOVE my truck. We always take it on our longer trips. I feel it is safer than my other vehicles, and I certainly enjoy he capacity, visibility, and comfort.

While an SUV, and even a truck, is easier to roll than a car, it is MUCH harder than you think. I've actually TRIED to roll my old Jeep. No luck. A longer-wheelbase truck is even more stable.

To be honest, in a collision I want to maintain as much of my momentum for as long as possible, all other things (safety equipment and the like) the same. Let the other guy dissipate that energy.