Good example of what not to do.

[Striker2237]

(sigh) I don't really want to argue so all I'm going to say is whenever we repair something engine related (in this case the heater system) we take the car out on a local road for a normal conditions test and if it passes that okay we take it to the private road and run it hard to make sure everything is working under full load. Pickups are more stable than you would think and we literally went in a strait line. The customer knows we road test the vehicles we service and we tell them as much up front. It's not like we were racing some POS econobox or an old rusting out bucket or cars with questionable suspension. My truck in particular has exceptional road holding for something of its size and again IT WAS A FREAKING STRAIT LINE, we know you don't take corners in trucks. More importantly I save gas 99% of the time for the 1% where I have fun

[Striker2237]

Originally Posted by ksa8907

A vehicles strength in a crash has nothing to do with having a traditional frame. The only advantage a truck has is that it sits up above most of the immediate danger. But the most dangerous part of an accident is not being hit by anything, it's the G forces that your organs are subjected to.

I also prefer larger cars. Money is nice, but it doesn't mean much if you're dead. Just my $.02

Ok sure, tell that to my same mechanic friend who just got hit by a drunk this week. He was driving a 1982 chevy pickup and the other guy (drunk) was in a "safe" modern car (focus 9 or 10 no sure what year) and his truck is mostly fine, needs new front axle and transfer-case but both him and his son walked away uninjured, form a 55mph plus crash mind you. Other guy had his engine cut in half by the truck's bumper and was crushed to the point I couldn't even tell what brand or make it was and the guy is in ICU. So frame kinda does have something to do with it, Ill take 1/2 inch of steel over a bunch of 1/32 sheets welded together any day after seeing what happened. Before I was of the belief that modern cars were safe even without a frame and of smaller size due to the complicated crumple zones and crap-ton of airbags, not anymore. The frame cut the unibody in half and if my friend didn't try to dodge the drunk than he would be cut in half like the passenger side of his car. (thank god no one was in that side)

[dirtydave]

Originally Posted by striker2237

.... Pos econobox... ... Questionable suspension....

kia sephia!

[cowmeat]

Ram 1500, get it right. Private property with 20 foot runoffs on both sides of the road, again get it right. (Sorry if I sound like a dick but I don't want to be seen as a moron who races where I or someone else can get killed) And yes, I don't like non-frame vehicles strength wise and the smallest non-frame vehicles I will drive are full size cars. Awesome mileage though man!

Dang, it sounds like you're being defensive of your big old truck. Which is strange since you ended your first post with the line

"Please feel free to reinforce to me how stupid I am"

It's a free world and you can say what you want, but if I logged onto one of the forums below and started spouting off hypermiling techniques, and then told all the guys there to "tell me how stupid I am", I'd pretty much expect to get told how stupid I am.

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[dirtydave]

Do it please.

[Ecky]

Striker2237, don't take it personally. Many forum members here have strong opinions, and regardless of who said it, some of the things in your first post would have been flamed.

Take some pics of your Nissan and keep a log of your mods!

[Ecky]

With regards to frame vehicles being safer, it's true that in a head-on collision with a smaller vehicle, a truck's occupants will often fare better than the smaller vehicle's. Being the owner of said smaller car, I'm personally of the opinion that I'd rather people didn't drive trucks as often on public roads (when not necessary) because it makes everyone else less safe. However, it's legal and it's also anyone's right to drive whatever they want.

In other types of accidents, trucks are not more safe. For instance, when hitting a tree, barricade or building, the inertial forces will be the same whether you're in a truck or a car, and the extra weight won't make any difference. In other cases, cars are preferable as they are far less likely to roll than taller vehicles, due to their lower center of gravity. I've rolled an SUV before (ice patch), and it would not have have happened had I been in a smaller vehicle. Probably the most important factor though, is maneuverability; I've avoided a few accidents which I'm certain would have been unavoidable in my older F-150. The stopping distance in wet weather was terrible in that truck, and the rear was prone to breaking loose. Swerving out of the way of a driver pulling into my lane? Not a good idea in a truck, especially if it's wet, but totally doable in my Insight.

[Striker2237]

Originally Posted by Ecky

With regards to frame vehicles being safer, it's true that in a head-on collision with a smaller vehicle, a truck's occupants will often fare better than the smaller vehicle's. Being the owner of said smaller car, I'm personally of the opinion that I'd rather people didn't drive trucks as often on public roads (when not necessary) because it makes everyone else less safe. However, it's legal and it's also anyone's right to drive whatever they want.

In other types of accidents, trucks are not more safe. For instance, when hitting a tree, barricade or building, the inertial forces will be the same whether you're in a truck or a car, and the extra weight won't make any difference. In other cases, cars are preferable as they are far less likely to roll than taller vehicles, due to their lower center of gravity. I've rolled an SUV before (ice patch), and it would not have have happened had I been in a smaller vehicle. Probably the most important factor though, is maneuverability; I've avoided a few accidents which I'm certain would have been unavoidable in my older F-150. The stopping distance in wet weather was terrible in that truck, and the rear was prone to breaking loose. Swerving out of the way of a driver pulling into my lane? Not a good idea in a truck, especially if it's wet, but totally doable in my Insight.

I totally agree in a static object collision that a truck's huge weight and frame act against it due to the laws of motion and the conservation of momentum (hint: its transferred to the occupants not the immovable tree) and that they can not dodge bad situations as easy, hence why if you drive a truck it is your job to be more aware of what is going on and plan ahead when wanting to merge or whatever due to reduced maneuverability. A fair deal of the work I did to my truck was to greatly improve the handling and most importantly the stability and brakes. I didn't want to more than double the output without getting it a rear sway bar, bigger front one, tighter bushings, faster responding springs, stronger and lighter control arms, performance shocks with mono-tube design and dynamic valving, leaf packs off an SRT10 to ensure road-holding and the best tires I could find. I also adapted the brakes off an SRT10 so I can stop quickly and safely. (60 mph to zero in 160ish ft) I am excited to be getting a car that won't fight me for MPGs and I am going to be refitting it with the same shocks (if they make them) as on my truck and the same control arm brand (again if they make them) and nicer brakes for the sake of better handling.

[Xist]

Old Mech, my friend was upset with me when I did not like that she drove my car after seeing a puddle of oil, without checking the dipstick. She insisted that everything was fine and that when she finally did check, the oil level was where it was supposed to be.

When I was looking for $1,500 beaters I ran across a car that had a wrecked engine from insufficient oil, but you would understand that peril better than most.

My sister is an overprotective mother and insisted that she needed an "SUV" to protect her babies. Then she had a rollover in another SUV and suffered from a TBI. People want larger vehicles than everyone else to protect themselves from everyone else, while I drive a small car and avoid everyone else. Sometimes, I get 50 MPG, too.

[awcook]

Living in Oklahoma, where trucks are kind of a big deal, the only accidents I see are with trucks, SUVs, and minivans, and if another car is in the accident, it is the larger vehicles' fault. The only other times I see cars on the side of the road is when I see a piece of junk that someone bought for maybe $10, maybe even stole it, that is from the 1970's. The people that I know that shouldn't have a license (disabilities or just dumb) own a truck or SUV.