Just bought a 2014 Mirage 5-speed (got 57.4 mpg on the 70 mi. trip home)

[Xist]

Originally Posted by Fat Charlie

Armor makes you stupid.

We had some good training this past drill, but we had one leader ask "Why are Soldiers so eager to jump out of their armored trucks? That is the safest place they can be!" Another leader said the trucks were "sitting ducks."

My ex-girlfriend's mom said that her daughter needed a big SUV in order to be safe, apparently Bacon was not big enough. I said that smartcars were made for her, feeling that if she felt vulnerable, she would drive defensively, while when I was a bus driver, I threw my weight around, forcing cars out of my way. Smartcars have five-star crash ratings, too.

A friend implied that Bacon's worse mileage compensates for better safety. Why do people always equate mass with protection? My Civic is quicker and far more maneuverable, with a lower center of gravity, so I am better able to avoid accidents, which is my goal all along.

[user removed]

Ride a motorcycle, you will learn about defensive driving-riding. It can't get anymore dangerous than on a bike. Not only do you have tokeep your eyes wide open all the time, you must anticipate dangerous situations.
The Insurance Institute has their own agenda, I agree with designing cars to be more safe, but when you take out the human driver, and the flexibility of the object impacted, you can go much further to "dumbing down" an accident scenario.
If everybody drove-rode like I do, the whole injury industry would collapse.

regards
Mech

[Xist]

Originally Posted by Old Mechanic

Ride a motorcycle, you will learn about defensive driving-riding. It can't get anymore dangerous than on a bike. Not only do you have tokeep your eyes wide open all the time, you must anticipate dangerous situations.

My ex-girlfriend had a scooter before I met her, but she wrecked it--while pushing it.

[RedDevil]

I wonder. Those safety intitutions are totally funded by the insurance industry, as they state on their website.
Would it just be that they try to scare the general public into bigger, more expensive cars, so they can charge them more for insuring those?

Could not find this same test with bigger cars there. Figures.

[niky]

The 25% overlap has already been done on bigger cars. Notably crossovers:


Most did horribly, but the Forester held up very well. Apparently Subaru has been on a big safety kick these past dozen or so years (heavily reinforced safety cage) and that boxer is probably a bonus in terms of passive crash safety versus the shorter and more horizontally compact I4s in the competition.

[Xist]

Originally Posted by niky

The 25% overlap has already been done on bigger cars. Notably crossovers:

Most did horribly, but the Forester held up very well. Apparently Subaru has been on a big safety kick these past dozen or so years (heavily reinforced safety cage) and that boxer is probably a bonus in terms of passive crash safety versus the shorter and more horizontally compact I4s in the competition.

Dozen or so? So, post-Bacon?

I was not planning on crashing her...

[Cobb]

Nope, cause I own a hybrid. The 2010 Honda Insight aced this test.

Im also axing the 2nd gen Fit, Prius C, Fiat from my list.

Originally Posted by niky

What's the point in buying something that isn't an armor-plated Chevrolet Suburban?

[benphyr]

Let's put the safety options back on the shelf to take off when we need a reason to buy what we (already) want to buy and get back to the wonders of appreciating the information 3dplane is sharing about his new ride and the positive benefits of it. There are plenty negatives, let's leave them in the dark room and develop the positives.

3dplane:
Can you provide an update? How is it going half a dozen tanks or so down the road? Did you already or are you willing to provide a DIY for the wheel covers and grill block? I need to reinstate a grill block on my Civic (after damage) and would like to know what material and how you made them be so clean.

Happy trails everyone,
Benphyr.

[3dplane]

Originally Posted by benphyr

3dplane:
Can you provide an update? How is it going half a dozen tanks or so down the road? Did you already or are you willing to provide a DIY for the wheel covers and grill block? I need to reinstate a grill block on my Civic (after damage) and would like to know what material and how you made them be so clean.

Happy trails everyone,
Benphyr.

My apologies for missing the action on this thread!

I actually did not start this thread,it was a split-off from a post in another thread and Darin started this for me.

benphyr: I have a sort of how-to on the wheel covers at the mirage forum!

Smooth wheel covers - MirageForum.com

The grill block is made out of the same material,roughly 1mm plastic sign sheet trimmed to shape with scissors, run through the english wheel for a little curvature and hot glued foam block on the back side of it to be pushed between the grill gaps.

To remove just pull straight out and to put back on just push right in.

(Oh and the grill block is two pieces for ease of fabricating and I think I was out of large enough sheet to make it one piece!)

I'm perfectly happy with the car sofar!
Someone once jokingly asked me where is the remote control for it?

[Cobb]

Thats good to hear. Ive seen advertisements on my local tv for them and its nice to keep in mind as a back up car incase you have an accident and total the car out.