2nd Generation Specific (1986-1992) 1986-1992 Discussion including performance modifications and technical support sections.

FC safety?

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Old Jan 31, 2008 | 11:59 AM
  #1  
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FC safety?

I am curious how FC's hold up in accidents. I am looking into an Rx7 and I wouldnt mind an FC(I think they look great) but obviously an FD is nicer(looking) and newer and safer in a crash(most likely). It has airbags and upgraded crash design im sure.

It just costs more to get into.

FC's are really getting old (20yrs or so) and Im just worried as to how one would fare in an accident. Not that I plan on getting in one but you never know.


thanks
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Old Jan 31, 2008 | 12:42 PM
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it's pretty much a deathtrap by today's standards. most don't have ABS (and ABS on an FC sucks), and few have airbags
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Old Jan 31, 2008 | 12:51 PM
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all proper sports cars are deathtraps
at low speed impacts you probably ar a little safer in the FD with air bag
but after that all bets are off

I will say I've had a 90 Civic and I have a 90 FC, I feel WAY safer in my FC
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Old Jan 31, 2008 | 12:54 PM
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if you have concerns about safety, an older car is not for you. esp earlier sports cars with no airbags. now supposibly in a roll these hold up fairly decent *there is a crash thread*
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Old Jan 31, 2008 | 01:12 PM
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Really, I wouldn't imagine you'd die at usual city trip speeds...not on the highway, I wouldn't imagine you'd die much less than if you hit a car going 70 in an FC, or a Focus....

Really, any car is a deathtrap :P
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Old Jan 31, 2008 | 01:35 PM
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even brand new BMW M5's will kill you if you go fast enough apparently




pesky trees never seem to jump out of the way in time
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Old Jan 31, 2008 | 01:51 PM
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safety? what are you talking about safety for? we are racers, we have unlimited lives and infinit health thanks to our youth.

On a serious note, most people who are new "car junkies" dont really pay attention to safety and end up hurting themselves and others because of their reckless acts of speed. But not everyone is like that and im happy that a few people are outright concerned for their safety and others safety before they go out and pull some initial D crap out of their ****. What im tryin to get at is this thread can be full of win.

In a minor or moderate accident i believe that the FC chassy does hold up quite well. I dont see a strong A pillar in the chassy tho, and during a roll it could colapse quite easy. In a major accident senaerio not many cars get good marks in factory crash testing, the FC is deffinatly not one of those cars.
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Old Jan 31, 2008 | 02:07 PM
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Originally Posted by Euphorica
I am curious how FC's hold up in accidents. I am looking into an Rx7 and I wouldnt mind an FC(I think they look great) but obviously an FD is nicer(looking) and newer and safer in a crash(most likely). It has airbags and upgraded crash design im sure.
It just costs more to get into.
And maintain, and operate. It's one of the most unreliable cars ever made with a turbo system designed by the Devil himself.

But once you put $8K into it for a standalone, intercooler and single turbo it can be a reliable car...

FC's are really getting old (20yrs or so) and Im just worried as to how one would fare in an accident. Not that I plan on getting in one but you never know.
The FC is well built and will hold up quite well in an accident. It doesn't have the extensive crumple zones that a modern car has which means more crash energy will be transferred to the driver instead of being absorbed by the car.

Many models don't have airbags or ABS. While I don't much care about an airbag, to me, not having ABS is a major plus. I don't really like anything that changes my inputs. Anyone who knows how to threshold brake can stop faster then an antiquated ABS system anyway.
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Old Jan 31, 2008 | 02:40 PM
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This came up a while back and someone said they hit a bridge abutment head on doing 80mph. And walked from the wreck. Good enough for me.
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Old Jan 31, 2008 | 02:41 PM
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Alot of cars out there really can be a deathtrap like many said. Dont buy the car with the thought that you might crash... cuz then you already put that fear in your head anyway. Plus you cant predict what the other drivers do which we all know. Is the fc the best as far as crashes go prob. not. But dont let that stop you from gettin one. I mean if you are really concerned then throw some better brakes on there and maybe a cage if you want and a harness and that will be better but you never can be fully safe. The fc i have to say is one of the most fun cars I have driven.... dont put bad thoughts in your head and just remember that the only person you can contol is yourself in a car!!
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Old Jan 31, 2008 | 03:03 PM
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Wet ground, 40-50mph, upsidedown twice, took out a few feet of guard rail, car crumpled all over, not a scratch on me, breathed, opened the door, got out. There have been a couple recent threads where FC safety was discussed. Try a search.


Last edited by ericgrau; Jan 31, 2008 at 03:10 PM.
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Old Jan 31, 2008 | 03:51 PM
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Originally Posted by arghx
it's pretty much a deathtrap by today's standards. most don't have ABS (and ABS on an FC sucks), and few have airbags
Funny, there was a study that said that cars with ABS and airbags had a significantly higher risk of being in an accident.
It seems that drivers knew of the safety equipment and drove like morons.
So all that fancy schmancy safety equipment does not necessarily equate to safer...
It's funny that insurance companies actually give out discounts for those things, since the cars tend up up wrecked moreso.

If you don't think they will hold up in a wreck, you should look at this thread...

https://www.rx7club.com/2nd-generation-non-technical-pictures-198/post-pics-totalled-self-destoryed-7s-724609/


-Ted
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Old Jan 31, 2008 | 04:35 PM
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I've been in an accident driving my fc and It was at 80+ mph 180 facing traffic hitting the center divider and walked away abit freaked out that my car was damaged but other wise OK
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Old Jan 31, 2008 | 06:02 PM
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FC hold up very well in accidents. You'd be surprised how well built these cars actually are. I watched a friend of mine run up on the curb and it a light pole and roll over going 80 and he just crawled out of his window. Not a scratch on him... the car was just fucked up.
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Old Jan 31, 2008 | 06:08 PM
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Someone Link this guy with the FC doing 250 KPH and flipping on the Turn..Cliffnote Version: it Bobbled flipped on to it's Roof,Lost the Hood..and that Was about all the damage I could see...the Car Skidded about a good 400-500 feet on it's roof though..after I saw that,I am Actaully More at Ease in the car.
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Old Jan 31, 2008 | 06:20 PM
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Here's my neighbors car that I bought it for parts after he wrecked it:

He fell asleep and ran into a cedar tree at about 45 MPH. He wasn't wearing a seat belt, but still came out with only a mild concussion and a few missing teeth from where he ate the steering wheel.

On a side note, I dropped the engine in my car where it ran great for a good while until I overheated it in traffic because my fan clutch was bad.
Attached Thumbnails FC safety?-hpim0550small.jpg  

Last edited by Sideways7; Jan 31, 2008 at 06:28 PM.
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Old Jan 31, 2008 | 07:14 PM
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Flipped mine too. Pushed it over (with some help), went and bought an oil filter, and drove home.
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Old Jan 31, 2008 | 07:34 PM
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Originally Posted by Sideways7
He fell asleep and ran into a cedar tree at about 45 MPH. He wasn't wearing a seat belt, but still came out with only a mild concussion and a few missing teeth from where he ate the steering wheel.
Peter: Here you go Stewie, a little souvenir of your first major league game with you dad.
Stewie: Why, I say I shall cherish this forever. Hey you, do you want to trade my baseball for your bat?
Boy: Sure!
*They trade items and Stewie hits the boy with the bat and takes the baseball back*
Stewie:
Now what did we learn?
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Old Jan 31, 2008 | 07:39 PM
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...fell asleep going 80mph on the freeway, hit the grass median, woke up and threw my car back in the street, over too far, turn back towards the median.

results; 540 on the freeway, rear right tire off and right back muffler tip came off

you be the judge.
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Old Jan 31, 2008 | 09:16 PM
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Roll cage ftw? I'm somewhat short 5'5" and feel perfectly safe inside the seven. Though there is no crumple zone there isn't much under the hood so everything will squish somewhat anyways.
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Old Jan 31, 2008 | 11:23 PM
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I dunno about other ppl, but i'm pretty scared of air bags...Those things deploy at a pretty high speed. I definitely rather have my seat belt hold me back then an air bag shooting at me w/ i believe 165-210 mph. < Now that's fast. I don't like the ABS either, makes me feel like i'm not in control. So it's a win for safety for the FC in my mind :P

Also read this.
Link
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Old Feb 1, 2008 | 02:24 AM
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FC safety: the rats nest activates and cocoons the whole car, thus preventing serious injury. once the occupants have gotten out, the pulsation dampner sets the car ablaze preventing other auto manufacturers from aquiring the rotary wonders.

seriously, the car sucks in todays standard of safety
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Old Feb 1, 2008 | 06:45 AM
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Unless you have a purpose built race car for the track, dont drive like you have one!!!

I spun out in the wet at 70kmh, hit a big curb sideways, got airbourne, just missed street lights, came to a stop bout 20m from the road, checked if i still had my nuts, then drove off. I learned my lesson that day. Cost me a rim, 2 new tyres and shock absorber.
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Old Feb 1, 2008 | 11:16 PM
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Originally Posted by arghx
it's pretty much a deathtrap by today's standards. most don't have ABS (and ABS on an FC sucks), and few have airbags
Originally Posted by SE7ENS_GARAGE
seriously, the car sucks in todays standard of safety

You both don't know what you are talking about.

Few mid priced and economy modern cars hold up as well as a FC in an accident. Anyone that has seen or actually wrecked a FC while wearing seat belts can tell you how they walked away from the accident... something that many people that have wrecked a Civic in the last 10 years or have wrecked your average American car or truck wouldn't have ever walked away from.

ABS means nothing unless the driver is clueless and uneducated.

Air bags are deathtraps, and should not even be in modern cars... if it wasn't for the idiots too lame to wear their seat belts back in the 80's, air bags would never have been forced upon the helpless population.

Wearing a properly functioning seat belt is night and day safer than having an explosive device less than 2 ft from your face and 3 inches from your hands.

More people have been killed by air bags than any other auto safety device.

And then toss in the structural strength that the FC has so that it can perform as a sports car. This structural strength is considerably better than many modern cars, because it was designed to save the occupants without the need for airbags. Hell the FC had side door beams 11 years before it was mandated by the US federal government and has a front and rear structure twice the minimum strength as mandated today for cars sold in the USA.

Death trap... my ***!.
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Old Feb 1, 2008 | 11:29 PM
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I hit a bridge abutment at 90 mph and walked away. So did my date. She must have had something wrong though, because we're now married with kids. HHMM food for thought!
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