Light Weight or Heavy Build?

ramzsys · 30th July 2010, 12:03

Well, the revered, vintage amby again being brought into the discussions... Nevertheless, the heaviness of the Amby doesn't make it an unsafe car, Does it?

Light build with crumple zone is safer. What about heavy build with crumple zones? Is it not more safer?

Lightness for FE. Heavy build for ride comfort. The choice is yours.

PS: I like the fords in India. They have stiff chassis, not so heavy shell, yet the feel of ride quality is never compromised.

WhiteKnight · 30th July 2010, 12:03

The choices are wrong

Heavy weight does not necessarily translate to tougher build. The quality and type of material matters.

For example, an F1 car wieghts ~ 500 Kgs.

Bottom line is, if any car is "heavier" to pass crash safety norms, that means manufacturer is cutting cost.

So, irrespective of the weight of the car, look for reliable test data on how the car performed on Crash/pedestrian safety tests as well as handling and braking tests. If a ligher car was able to out-perform an heavier car in the segment, I'd go for that one.

raj_5004 · 30th July 2010, 12:14

Abhi had exactly mentioned what i meant.

by heavily BUILT, i dont exactly mean the kerb weight of the vehicles! i mean the thickness & toughness of the body panels. and vice versa...

Rehaan · 30th July 2010, 12:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by raj_5004

I have noticed quite a few cars have very thin & lightweight body panels. Most of these cars are japanase ones. This may be done to improve fuel efficiency...

We have a thread on this :
Ever wondered why Japanese cars are light and American cars heavy?

Quote:

Originally Posted by raj_5004

On the other hand, there are some cars who are relatively built stronger, that is, with heavy & strong body panels. They are not the most fuel efficient cars but i am sure they are safer in an event of a crash. Again some do argue that such heavy cars damage the other lighter cars a lot more in a collision....

We have an existing thread on this as well :

Does more heavy mean more safe?

Please continue in the relevant threads.

Thanks,
R

GTO · 31st July 2010, 11:20

Here is another related thread : Your definition of build quality

View Poll Results: Your choice of the two?
Light weight or Lighter body panels	5	26.32%
Heavily Built or Tougher body panels	14	73.68%
Voters: 19. You may not vote on this poll

30th July 2010, 12:03	#16
ramzsys Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: NH209 Posts: 1,775 Thanked: 1,462 Times	Well, the revered, vintage amby again being brought into the discussions... Nevertheless, the heaviness of the Amby doesn't make it an unsafe car, Does it? Light build with crumple zone is safer. What about heavy build with crumple zones? Is it not more safer? Lightness for FE. Heavy build for ride comfort. The choice is yours. PS: I like the fords in India. They have stiff chassis, not so heavy shell, yet the feel of ride quality is never compromised. Last edited by ramzsys : 30th July 2010 at 12:07.
	() Thanks

30th July 2010, 12:03	#17
WhiteKnight BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 998 Thanked: 662 Times View My Garage	The choices are wrong Heavy weight does not necessarily translate to tougher build. The quality and type of material matters. For example, an F1 car wieghts ~ 500 Kgs. Bottom line is, if any car is "heavier" to pass crash safety norms, that means manufacturer is cutting cost. So, irrespective of the weight of the car, look for reliable test data on how the car performed on Crash/pedestrian safety tests as well as handling and braking tests. If a ligher car was able to out-perform an heavier car in the segment, I'd go for that one.
	() Thanks

30th July 2010, 12:14	#18
raj_5004 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Dubai/Mumbai Posts: 5,238 Thanked: 3,139 Times	Abhi had exactly mentioned what i meant. by heavily BUILT, i dont exactly mean the kerb weight of the vehicles! i mean the thickness & toughness of the body panels. and vice versa...
	() Thanks

31st July 2010, 11:20	#20
GTO Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 70,512 Thanked: 300,697 Times View My Garage	Here is another related thread : Your definition of build quality
	() Thanks