Bonnet shapes....

[Tumble]

In the Mondeo thread, Matt D refers to an EU regulation governing bonnet shape... what's that all about? and is it why I'm seeing every new car wearing a huge nose between it's headlights?

[Moby-Dick]

Yeah for some reason the EU doesn't want darwin to prevail and thus people who walk out in front of you in the road are supposed to live.


there is now a large gap between the bonnet and the top of the engine.

[Lowe]

Bonnet crumple zone to aid peds from bouncing off the bonnet too hard.

This is why all cars are starting to look alike, and no pop up headlights.

[BenW]

Don't know why you're all acting like its a bad thing. If i was hit by a car i'd want it to have the best pedestrian crumple zones.

If you look through the grille on a lot of new cars, theres a massive gap between the grille and engine. I've noticed it on a BMW Z4 and VW tourag

[Zak33]

it's also why lots of cars engines have a plastic cover.

They were first sold to thepublic as a way of dampening noise, and then it becaem clear that it kept the engine cleaner, easpecially the ports of the spark plugs to go down into....and then one birght spark sopmewhere realised that when you run over a pedestrian, and they whack the bonnet, the bonnet crumples over the solid engine underneath it, and any sticky-out-bits really hurt.

So now lots of engines have a large plastic, thick cover that spreads the weight and impact and stops the bonnet moudling around the hard bits.

New shape Zafira also has a lowered engine and raised front wings, that sit upon large metal brackets that can move fore and aft to allow the wings to move slightly.

very very clever.

[dave87]

New shape Zafira also has a lowered engine and raised front wings, that sit upon large metal brackets that can move fore and aft to allow the wings to move slightly.

very very clever.

What is more clever is not walking out in front of cars in the first place....As Moby said, Darwin no longer prevails...

[Tumble]

Don't know why you're all acting like its a bad thing. If i was hit by a car i'd want it to have the best pedestrian crumple zones.

If you look through the grille on a lot of new cars, theres a massive gap between the grille and engine. I've noticed it on a BMW Z4 and VW tourag

Didn't say it was a bad thing... done right it looks good - Alfa 156 I think I saw today looks tasty with the bulge in the bonnet.. I was just curious as to why it was there in the first place.

[GrahamGarside]

What is more clever is not walking out in front of cars in the first place....As Moby said, Darwin no longer prevails...

Fair enough if you're an adult who walks in front of a car which is clearly visable.

But what about kids, teens, elderly and the drunk? Just because you are at fault over something doesn't mean you are deserving of the consequence. I mean lets take airbags out of cars and it will serve drivers right who go head on into things.

[dave87]

But what about kids, teens, elderly and the drunk? Just because you are at fault over something doesn't mean you are deserving of the consequence. I mean lets take airbags out of cars and it will serve drivers right who go head on into things.

The quote was meant in jest, but just for arguments sake....

Darwin suggests the idea of natural selection is the removal of those who are not fit/intelligent/aware enough to survive. It takes no account of age/sex/health when it says that, merely that the fittest will survive.

I always remembering someone (think it might have been on this forum) that advocated putting a rather large metal spike on the steering wheel of a car, and see how it changes their attitudes to driving, instead of being cocooned inside a nice safe steel cage.

[Moby-Dick]

I always remembering someone (think it might have been on this forum) that advocated putting a rather large metal spike on the steering wheel of a car, and see how it changes their attitudes to driving, instead of being cocooned inside a nice safe steel cage.

that was me

I'm a hard liner when it comes to darwinism

[Howard]

that was me

I'm a hard liner when it comes to darwinism

Agreed but it's all very well until someone drives into you and causes you to impale yourself