"...but Ford also commented F150 Lightning drivers are highly skilled, more so than chevy, Toyota, Dodge or Nissan pickup dirvers, thus contributing to lower overall statistical fatalities in F150's..."

Great news! Thanks again Ford.


http://cnnfn.cnn.com/2001/06/04/home...pickups_crash/

 

Wife just read this in the newspaper and taunted me with it.

I told her that when the "Insurance Institute for Highway Safety" starts testing quarter-mile times, THEN we'll have something newsworthy.

The bottom line: don't be running into anything, at least not very hard. In addition to tearing you limb-from-limb, you'll likely screw up your wax job and possibly ding up the ground effects.

 

If I wrecked the L I'd want to die. (kidding)

 

Ford CEO just commented "be a man and walk it off". HAHA J/K

Seriously, if you notice the Toyota and Chevy are brand new body styles (2000 - 01 for toyota, 1999-2001 for Chevy) while Ford and Dodge have the old styles, as early as 97 for the Ford and 98 for the Dodge. I bet the new Ford and Dodge do much better.


------------------
Adam
01 Black Lightning - JDM 'FlipChipenfiltered','Straightpiped', 'splitfired', 'billetted', 'Neoned', and 'Grooved' thanks to Blaupunkt, Alpine, Sony, Clarion, Dynomat, and MTX

 

This also can't directly compare to our vehicles due to the differences in model. I would like to see what a 40mph off axis collision on a Lightning looks like, but I'm not going to volunteer.

Things that are different for us:

1) Lower center of gravity/base frame. The barrier they hit was at a height that caused some tortion on the frame...Being lower then a standard F150, we would experience less of this as more momentum then a regular F150 would be transfered throughout the frame.

2) We have different seats then an F150 XLT.

3) We don't have a supercab...the supercab extended the length of the frame for the cabin, also increasing the ability for the cab to twist...our shorter cabs would have less twist.

The problem with the F150 XLT there was all about the twist... Atleast the seat stayed in mostly one spot...when I was rear-ended in my conversion van, the seat was ripped clean off the floor and wasn't even attached anymore.

Daniel

 

According to my insurance co. The F150 is rated at 4 stars in an accident. So, I'm not going to call and ask if they read this! I pay lower rates on the L than my wifes Nissan Maxima.

[This message has been edited by Redneck Ferrari (edited 06-04-2001).]

 

DJAnimate,

Don't count on the new styles being any better. Have you seen the crash tests for the new Escape? Same crap.

What amazes me is that Ford (and Dodge) can't make a full-frame 5,000 lb pickup truck that maintains its structural integrity in a crash.

To Ford, "real-world" safety means running over Honda Civics instead of hitting big, heavy things. I guess as long as we pick and choose what we run into, we'll be just fine.

------------------
Regards,
Gordon

'99 Red Lightning
Johnny Lightning Superchip
Johnny Lighting Ram Air Kit
Century Tonneau
Best 1/4 mi. ET: 13.249 secs

 

Time will tell, this guy "walked it off" so how bad could they be ..
http://www.svtperformance.com/ubb/Fo...ML/000157.html



------------------
Adam
01 Black Lightning - JDM 'FlipChipenfiltered','Straightpiped', 'splitfired', 'billetted', 'Neoned', and 'Grooved' thanks to Blaupunkt, Alpine, Sony, Clarion, Dynomat, and MTX

 

'Dog:

You're right on the "running over Civics" angle. My buddy rear-ended a small passenger car in the rain one day with his F250. Hit it really hard. Tweaked his bumper, steering gear, and radiator a little. The car (and unfortunate driver) were shredded/crushed. He ran right up the trunk and onto the roof of the thing - not pretty but the "little old lady" (literally) survived and wasn't permanently dinged up too badly.

Regardless of the offset crash results, I'd put my money on the Lightning in a head-on with a Suzuki Swift (which probably did better in the offset test).

 

On thes site I've read about several bad wrecks that some L owners have had (bummer) and they and their passengers seem to walk away. I think they were going alot faster than 40 mph. Thats real life situations.

 

Well guys..here is what a wrecked expedition w/ the entire Lightning front setup looks like..I did this back in January...hit some ice and went down a hill..probably between 20-30mph. http://webpages.shepherd.edu/BANDER01/exp.html

 

It looks like one of our own did NOT walk it off. I just saw this at http://nloc.org/ubb/Forum2/HTML/001869.html

------------------
Regards,
Gordon

'99 Red Lightning
Johnny Lightning Superchip
Johnny Lighting Ram Air Kit
Century Tonneau
Best 1/4 mi. ET: 13.249 secs

 

What no one realizes is that all of those pickups in the crash tests were driven by dummies.

I wasn't driving when we hit that moose at that 'very high rate of speed' (50 mph).

 

I just saw the crash video on the evening news, and if you look closely you can see why the F-150 did so badly. They hit the barricade outside of the frame! Only the corner of the bumper and the front wheel were between the driver and the barricade. If they had been 6 inches further over so they caught the frame the results would surely have been a lot better.

 

I wonder how many of us looked at crash test results before buying our Lightnings. I know I didn't. Traditionally I think that this has been a low priority with pick up truck buyers, although I think recently there has been a general consciousness raising of this issue. I can just hear the Ford engineers now: "Oh s**t, we have to design what into our trucks now?"

------------------
I'd rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy.

'84 Alan Record Carbonio, Aerospoke wheels, Campy brakes.

'00 SVT Lightning, silver, built 2/9/00, #133 of 4966, G-tech Pro, JBA headers, 4.10 gears, Swanson chip, Pro-M, NGK plugs, carbon drive shaft, Roadmaster suspension kit, TransGo shift kit, cam bolts, Jackson washers, Wet Okoles, Kenyon transmission
13.39 @ 102.5

2001 Kevlacat 2400, twin 115 Evinrude FICHT, Raytheon VHF, radar, autopilot and GPS chartplotter/fishfinder.



gmvye@pacbell.net