Want cake and eat it too

[johnunit]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

Still don't know why flying around in an oversized, overweight tank is considered "cake".

The ride and (in two cars of similar age) safety advantages are very real. My big boat is better in virtually every way on a long trip than the Prius save for fuel economy.

[Frank Lee]

I happen to enjoy responsive handling and maneuverability more. Besides, when's the last time you called on sheer mass for "safety"? Let me think.... nope, not any time in the last 4 decades for me. Sorry.

[johnunit]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

I happen to enjoy responsive handling and maneuverability more. Besides, when's the last time you called on sheer mass for "safety"? Let me think.... nope, not any time in the last 4 decades for me. Sorry.

in a 2-vehicle collision the heavier car will tend to come out better.

In other words, would you rather be rear-ended sitting in a tractor trailer or a metro? which one will be more likely to result in whiplash? How about when someone crosses the centerline and hits you with a closing speed of 100mph? Would you experience higher G-forces in a 2000lb vehicle or a 4000lb one? I'm not saying these advantages aren't worth giving up for otehr things, but they're very real.



Responsive handling is nice, but it's appeal is limited to in the turns. It can be downright tiring on long trips, depending on the car and situation. I find most small cars twitchy and tiresome on long high-speed trips. My crown vic I can just cruise along with one hand, practically whispering to the person next to me, barely noticing road imperfections. By contrast I get out of my Prius or my old Esteem feeling fatigued and roadweary.

[Frank Lee]

in a 2-vehicle collision the heavier car will tend to come out better.

In other words, would you rather be rear-ended sitting in a tractor trailer or a metro? which one will be more likely to result in whiplash? How about when someone crosses the centerline and hits you with a closing speed of 100mph? Would you experience higher G-forces in a 2000lb vehicle or a 4000lb one? I'm not saying these advantages aren't worth giving up for otehr things, but they're very real.

Ahh, the road arms race yet again. I couldn't care less.

[johnunit]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

Ahh, the road arms race yet again. I couldn't care less.

The fact that I'm driving a first gen prius right now should show you how much I actually care about that feeling of security. I'm just saying it's real and has a scientific basis.

[Frank Lee]

"100 mph closing speed". Think about that, and tell me what it is you'd have to be in to come out OK.

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by johnunit

The fact that I'm driving a first gen prius right now should show you how much I actually care about that feeling of security. I'm just saying it's real and has a scientific basis.

The feeling may be real, but the safety isn't. See e.g. the study done by Wenzel & Ross of LBNL, that examines actual accident statistics.

Comfort is, I suppose a matter of personal taste. Certainly I've found that the large cars & SUVs I've ridden in, and very occasionally driven, were quite uncomfortable for me. As for long trips, the longest one I've driven in the last few years is about 75 miles one way.

[johnunit]

Originally Posted by jamesqf

The feeling may be real, but the safety isn't. See e.g. the study done by Wenzel & Ross of LBNL, that examines actual accident statistics.

Comfort is, I suppose a matter of personal taste. Certainly I've found that the large cars & SUVs I've ridden in, and very occasionally driven, were quite uncomfortable for me. As for long trips, the longest one I've driven in the last few years is about 75 miles one way.

Maybe that's the issue here. I drove 400KM yesterday and will again this easter and probably before then. The OP clearly states he drives 100+miles regularly. Bumpy rides, acutely bent joints, noisiness, etc. tend to matter exponentially in relation to trip length.

[johnunit]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

"100 mph closing speed". Think about that, and tell me what it is you'd have to be in to come out OK.

we aren't talking "ok" at that speed. we're talking harm reduction. And I'd bet a large sum of money that if you simulated the accident once with the OP (or anyone else) being in a small car like a Metro and again being in, say, the Bronco he mentioned, he'd come out less injured in the Bronco. I agree with the sentiment that it's a selfish choice because of course what harm isn't done to you because you're in a bigger vehicle is now done to the other victim because they hit a bigger vehicle. The fact remain that, broadly speaking, a vehicle with more mass, more vehicle between the driver and the other vehicle, designed to support more weight, is where you want to be in a multi-vehicle collision.

[roosterk0031]

I took Franks comment to how many times has that extra mass actually saved you or reduced your injuries. Frank's said 4 decades, my wife and myself at at 3 decades, 5 years for my oldest daughter. It's a matter of weighting lifes risk, driving a tank just for the sake of maybe someday having a crash it silly IMO.