Thread: Airbags, bull bars and kangaroos

Originally Posted by LRJim

.... One thing I do like about it is you can use your brakes when going down steep hill climbs.
I came across my es D1 and jumped on it, I never thought I wouldn't want the features.

I've only had early model ABS cars(that is late 90's models) never a fan.
I can see the point tho if downhill and they're needed. I just use the handbrake lightly to help.

Had two too many costly ABS pump fails to have any inkling of a liking for the system tho.
I do resign myself to have to put up with them again one day.
My future plans are for either a TD5 D2, or maybe a D3. That's very long term tho .. 5+ years or more.

ATM: simple D1 with no debilitating electricals is all I want. Hence my wait for a Tdi D1 with no safety addons.

But I do symapthise with your anxiety re the air bags.
If it were mine, and I had any cause for concern of the airbags, either 4WDing or avoiding roos.. I'd be inclined to disable them too.

What I'd like to know too tho, how does the car differentiate between an impact deceleration situation, and a braking hard deceleration event, with a roo impact.

That is, if you brake hard, which you'll almost certainly do seconds before an impact and then you impact a large roo, how does the ABS system know if a sudden hard brake stop has been made or an impact stop?
Almost makes you think that faced with the situation of hitting a roo, best way would be to drive through it, ie. minimise the deceleration aspect.

And even weirder thing for me.
I've plied the hume at night so many times, I need almost every members hands to count those drives in terms of 'finger count'. I rarely drive the hume, or much of it's length, in daylight. Not once have I seen a errant roo!
I've seen the result of those silly things crossing the road heaps of times. But never seen them on the road myself.
Seen foxes tho, swerved to hit one(and got him) maybe 30 odd years ago, near Euroa-ish. Decided with the brother this is a good spot to go fox hunting. about 2-3klms into the gravel side road, we spotted one, and hunted him on foot through the paddocks. I had a cousin who always wanted a fox tail for his aerial, when that kind of thing was a thing to do, especially on a HQ GTS Monaro. Needless to say he got it

The different in the D1 airbag models - well the airbags but in crash tests the airbag models get an extra 2 stars and in a major crash with the airbag models you most likely will keep your legs but in the non airbag models you loose them even in minor crashes. The airbags stop you sliding forward into the lower crumble zone.

Originally Posted by garrycol

but in the non airbag models you loose them even in minor crashes.

You loose your legs even in minor crashes if you dont have airbags? Na im just gunna call bull**** here.
Thats an absurd thing to say.
Where is the evidence of all the people loosing there legs from minor crashes in a non airbag D1?

Airbags job is to stop your noggin hitting the steering wheel or window, not to stop you sliding. Thats the job of a seatbelt!

Seat-belt pre-tensioners are part of an airbag package to ensure that the occupants are held back.

I hear wear garry is coming from it could help quite a bit with sliding especially with leather seats. But I thought the crumble zone on a d1 ended at the end of the chassis like most land rovers hahaha

If you haven't ever seen the Fifth Gear discovery crash test video .. I dare say you won't like it!

Fifth Gear on YouTube

Only thing I don't like about these real world tests is that they don't apply brakes, as any normal person would do faced in an impending crash situation.
It was unfortunate that the D1's airbag didn't deploy in the vid, but either way it wouldn't have helped with the leg situation.

Originally Posted by AK83

If you haven't ever seen the Fifth Gear discovery crash test video .. I dare say you won't like it!

Fifth Gear on YouTube

Only thing I don't like about these real world tests is that they don't apply brakes, as any normal person would do faced in an impending crash situation.
It was unfortunate that the D1's airbag didn't deploy in the vid, but either way it wouldn't have helped with the leg situation.

Yea seen that. Was a surprising result i have to say. And i would never call that a minor collision. I would call that a terrible one.
I wonder however what would happen if it was a direct head on collision. Seems thats where the disco would be strongest.

Yeah I've seen that dosnt bother me too much. A crash is a crash there all bad really.
Notice how the dummy knees are bent after the smash? I never drive with straight legs so if I do crash my knees do there job instead of buckling and getting crushed (hopfully)
I try and drive with the attitude that I'm not going to run straight into a wall or another car, yes a car could run into me but my heads not buried in my phone id like to hope I'd see it coming.
I wonder if a bull bar would have helped or made it worse? I'd think it would spread the load somewhat