sliders, road safety

I was just thinking, a car is designed to absorb a hit. If you were t boned, with Sliders equipped, wouldn't you be more likely to flip ?

Is flipping more dangerous than the impact of the car potentially hitting your passenger ?

 

Not positive on this, but I imagine if you are hit with enough force to flip the truck it would likely just crush the slider. A wreck will likely be a bit rougher on you since the sliders won't absorb the impact as well as the truck is designed but it probably won't be noticeably rougher on you.

 

But on a side.note. You can park anywhere and not worry about door dings.

 

This is false for side impacts. There's no crush space. In fact, there are steel beams in the doors designed to stay in shape to prevent intrusion into the passenger area. Energy absorption happens almost exclusively with the airbags. This is also why side airbags make a huge difference in passenger survivability.

 

So ken i also thought about that. So would you passenger be safer if you did flip instead of being smashed.

 

If the other car is traveling fast enough to impinge on the cabin enough to really hurt you, the sheer lateral force would probably destroy your neck and spine. A flip would be pretty much as bad because it's even more force than the regular T-Bone, plus the (multiple, most likely) rolls of your truck, not to mention the throwing around that your body / head / neck would be doing. Roofs are strong, but multiple rolls will exponentially destroy the metal that is relatively not that strong.

Unless it was a relatively low car or your Tacoma was lifted, I assume the bulk of the car hitting you would wreck above the sliders into the B pillar and doors, which are designed to (as Kenlyns stated above) not have crush zones, so it doesn't impinge on the passengers. It is an interesting question though. I obviously can't state anything 100% because I've never really seen this or thought about it.

Also, what are the 1st Gen air bags and SRS like? I know the 2nd Gen has a pretty decent one as far as the curtain and A pillar airbags.

Matt

 

Check out this for an example:

http://www.toyota120.com/forum/showthread.php?t=8421&page=53

 

Interesting. Looks like the sliders took the brunt of the impact, with most of the forces transferred to the frame.

 

I see those are welded. I'd be interested to see what it would be like for bolt-ons.

Matt

 

Pictures show welded.

Frank

 

Yep, edited my post afterwards.

Matt

 

Damn!

Frank

 

I doubt sliders would cause you to flip. They are still going to give in an impact. Not like you are changing the overall physics of the vehicle that much if any. Judging by the powder coat off the top of the slider I say the car compacted around or slid over the slider.