Fiberglass
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 348
Likes: 0
From: Southern California CA
Fiberglass
Hows it going everybody!!
So of course you get this alot, the body is made of fiberglass, but is it really that dangerous? Having fiberglass as the body is not that strong, yes lightweight but people tell me that its dangerous if you get in accident or something that its not gonna end up being a good story.
Now I know what fiberglass is but is it really that bad? Is it that weak and dangerous to have on the car? Is it not that safe to drive? Please be honest, I am just curious. Hope you can answer me questions.
Thanks
-Kam
So of course you get this alot, the body is made of fiberglass, but is it really that dangerous? Having fiberglass as the body is not that strong, yes lightweight but people tell me that its dangerous if you get in accident or something that its not gonna end up being a good story.
Now I know what fiberglass is but is it really that bad? Is it that weak and dangerous to have on the car? Is it not that safe to drive? Please be honest, I am just curious. Hope you can answer me questions.
Thanks
-Kam
Race Director
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 12,346
Likes: 5
From: Mustang OK
As others have said, it actually is Sheet Molded Composite or SMC. Here's another thread and article on the subject:
Quick Question...
Pretty Tough for a Lightweight
Quick Question...
Pretty Tough for a Lightweight
Melting Slicks
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 3,306
Likes: 2
From: Wesley Chapel Fl
I personally know a guy that rolled a vette 5 times and walked away...a C4. Plus I have seen video of guys have simular accidents and live. My bet is the vette is a very safe machine when it comes to crashes.
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Race Director
Joined: Jan 2004
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I was in an accident a few weeks ago. I was hit from the side by a person who changed lanes w/o looking. My front right quarter panel broke and has to be replaced, along with the bumper. It's possible if it had been metal that the parts could be reworked into shape, but being SMC it snapped.
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2003
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From: VA
St. Jude Donor '03-'11
I talked to a guy who survived a 40MPH offset frontal crash with a pickup truck in his C5. He had some minor internal bleeding, but no broken bones... BTW, I saw him a month after his accident with his new Z06 at Summit Point race track 
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I agree that there is steel reinforcement built around the car which does a good job of protecting the occupants from injury. As with any accident, there are many factors that will determine the severity of any injuries. But I would say that the Vette is a pretty safe car.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,353
Likes: 0
From: Richmond Hill Ontario
Originally Posted by GrayC5
As others have said, it actually is Sheet Molded Composite or SMC. Here's another thread and article on the subject:
Quick Question...
Pretty Tough for a Lightweight
Quick Question...
Pretty Tough for a Lightweight
That was a pretty good article on SMC. In the article it say's "Dbl-Lite SMC, an older cousin of SMC 3374, helped cut 41 pounds from the 1997 Chevrolet Corvette" which woud suggest that some of the older C5's are produced with Dbl-Lite and the newer one with SMC 3374. That is news to me as I thought they were all the same.
Thank you, Tino
Safety Car
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 4,010
Likes: 1
From: SE Idaho
St. Jude Contributor
Originally Posted by FLACHUSNRET
The most unsafe part in a Corvette is usually the "nut" behind the steering wheel.
The outer skin of any vehicle is not designed to protect you, it is the inner frame. For example, the doors have inner steel bars for protection.
There is another famous "plastic" vehicle, the Saturn VUE, and it gets better crash rating (five stars) than most metal skinned vehicles. The design of the frame and frame components that make a vehicle safe or unsafe. That extremely thin metal skin they put on most cars is worthless in an accident.
The front end is designed to crumble upon impact due to "crumble zones" built in the front rails, this allows the a large part of an impact to be absorbed by the frame, before you absorb it via the seat belts and air bag.
The engine is designed to go down, versus going back into the vehicle.
Doesn't mean you won't get hurt, but it means you have a better chance of surviving the accident to drive again.
Will you win in the battle with a front end collision with a Hummer at 70+ MPH....NO. But the Hummer will lose to a class 8 tractor at 70.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 1,203
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From: Grants Pass OR
I wonder if GM is using the same technology that Mercedes Benz uses in its A-pillar? They have had the technology since the mid 1980's. Its a rolled steel bar inside a tube. They dropped a 3,300 pound SLK on the corner of the A-pillar from 15 feet and it moved the A-pillar an 1/8 th of an inch.
Does anyone know what GM is doing inside the A-pillar?
Dan
Does anyone know what GM is doing inside the A-pillar?
Dan
