Stylebar crash dummy experiment

Archives of Posts to the NZ MX5 List back in 2003
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Mathew

Stylebar crash dummy experiment

Post by Mathew » Tue Mar 11, 2003 10:53 am

Whilst sitting in my car last night I thought I would do a little experiment to prove that my style bar would do me no damage even though it is less than the required 150mm from my head. In a highly scientific reconstruction of what would happen when a car was shunted heavily from behind I leaned forward in the seat, then threw myself back into it. I'm not quite 6 feet tall, and my Mazdaspeed seats are taller than standard ones but my head still managed to slide over the top of the seat and make quite healthy contact with the uppermost part of the style bar, rewarding me with a nasty headache which lasted for several hours. Maybe there is some sense behind the laws?. I'm pretty sure the odds of rolling the car are much smaller than an accident where you are thrown heavily back in your seat. It made me wonder though, Due to my height, my seats are pushed right back. What if I was to go and get a warrant with the seats much further forward. The bars would then be more than 150!
mm from my head and legal?


M@
"I don't have IMBECL plates for nuthin"

jeff

Stylebar crash dummy experiment

Post by jeff » Tue Mar 11, 2003 11:51 am

Matt - you're a funny guy! (married yet?? ;)

Its worth saying here that I was rear-ended one time and the result was my seat collapsing at the reclining pivot point. I then lay in a daze staring at the ceiling while I sailed into the car in front !!

Admittedly this was a skanky Datsun 120Y (written off consequently), but if I was in the MX and there was a style bar my head might have ended up resting comfortably on some shiny stainless steel instead.

Style bars do look the biz tho' ! :)

Jeff

Mathew <mathew.avery@deepvideo.com> wrote:Whilst sitting in my car last night I thought I would do a little experiment to prove that my style bar would do me no damage even though it is less than the required 150mm from my head. In a highly scientific reconstruction of what would happen when a car was shunted heavily from behind I leaned forward in the seat, then threw myself back into it. I'm not quite 6 feet tall, and my Mazdaspeed seats are taller than standard ones but my head still managed to slide over the top of the seat and make quite healthy contact with the uppermost part of the style bar, rewarding me with a nasty headache which lasted for several hours. Maybe there is some sense behind the laws?. I'm pretty sure the odds of rolling the car are much smaller than an accident where you are thrown heavily back in your seat. It made me wonder though, Due to my height, my seats are pushed right back. What if I was to go and get a warrant with the seats much further fo!
rward. The bars would then be more than 150!
mm from my head and legal?


M@
"I don't have IMBECL plates for nuthin"

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