Just how safe can you feasibly get a first generation Mustang to be?

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There's no way my Mustang will be as safe as my Scion xB if I get into an accident, but it's just about as good at stopping as the Scion and better at accelerating out of trouble.

Everything we do is a compromise. Total safety isn't possible- Even agoraphobics have to make some choices, such as cooking meals, or taking showers.

If vehicle safety were the only consideration, we'd be driving Suburbans. Certainly convertibles of all makes would be illegal.

Of course skilled drivers will always have the advantage over an idiot who has no idea how to swerve, or skid, or even look both ways. The trick for the skilled driver is to spot these idiots before they slam into you. I once gave a buddy a hard time because he only looked one way before pulling across a one-way street. He said "It's a one way street, they shouldn't be coming from that side". I said "You'll still be dead".
 
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You caught me!

I posted the original thread over 6 months ago, knowing the IIHS would post that video this week, so I could then turn my original query into a flame fest! It was all part of my devious trolling plan.

Good job detective!

Picard.gif

Thanks, I'm here all week
 
... I once gave a buddy a hard time because he only looked one way before pulling across a one-way street. He said "It's a one way street, they shouldn't be coming from that side". I said "You'll still be dead".
This reminds me of a joke that may be appropriate for this. One day a couple guys are driving through town, and much to the shock of the passenger, the driver blows right through a red light. He questions the driver, who's response is, "don't worry, my brother does that all the time".
The passenger is shaken, but figures they got away with it, so luck must be with them. Just then, another red light ahead, and once again, the driver blows right through it, never even looking. Now the passneger is truly mad. "You need to stop doing that!" He screams out.
"Hey, it's like I said, don't worry, my brother does it all the time".
About that time, they come to a green light, and much to the passenger's surprise, the driver locks up the brakes, skidding all four wheels to a halt at the green light. Unable to contain himself any longer, the passenger loses all composure, "Now what the hell are you stopping at a green light for???"
The driver scans cross traffic and says, " can't be too carefull, my brother might be coming down this street..."
 
Link to "How Crumple Zones Work"

If anyone wants to go to this length, I'm sure that a crumple zone could be retrofitted (with a ton of welding) into the front to the inside and outside of the shock towers, in the rear, perhaps inside the trunk, and reinforcement put into the rear fenderwell aft of the door striker plate and fore of the rear wheels to protect from side impacts. Maybe something like a steel accordion, or honeycomb, or maybe someone makes a modular structure like this that can be put into an existing empty space. Basically an energy-absorbing material or structure towards the outside of the car, and a roll cage toward the inside.

Howstuffworks "How Crumple Zones Work"

Add great brakes, big tires, a 4 or 5 point harness, and there's your recipe, if the OP wants his question truly answered.
 
I love this whole I'm too skilled to get killed logic, where swerving skills trump modern technology!
If you had the driving skills of the guys on Stangnet.com you wouldn't even need seat belts you :taco:!
Manual steering and brakes with drums? No shoulder straps or head rests? Bias-ply tires? No Problem!
It ain't unsafe at all when you gots Da Stangnet SKillz!!! :rlaugh:

And I addressed this flawed logic already...

Wow...not sure why I deserved to be called a :taco:....
I am not in any way saying that the safety features are not needed, or are not beneficial. I was merely stating that they are ADDITIONAL features and they are no substitute for being aware and being a good driver.
I have no delusions of being a perfect driver, and I know that the older cars are nowhere near as safe. I think if you can improve your older car with better brakes, better seatbelts, better tires, etc, you are way ahead of hte game. My point is, you can have all of the modern safety equipment, and it won't help you if you are an idiot. Obviously a drunk coming into your lane is going to hurt you if you are in my 66 more than if you are in my Yukon. That is a no brainer. I just get tired of people assuming that they can do whatever they want, drive however they want, and the car is going to take care of them. I am afraid of a whole generation of drivers who don't know how to focus on just their driving, not on the radio, texting, etc.
Again, no need for name calling just because I didn't make my point clear enough.

EDIT....I just realized the comments were from the person who started this thread. The person who appears to have come here just to stir things up and insult enthusiasts like ourselves. Many of us gave you good, well thought out comments. Speaking just for myself, I have been in the Mustang hobby for nearly 30 years, and in the performance aftermarket industry for nearly as long. (I'm sure there are 100 people on this board who have more experience in both) I was trying to give an honest answer to what I thought was an honest question. If you don't want to hear the answer, don't ask the question.
 
Wow...not sure why I deserved to be called a :taco:....
I am not in any way saying that the safety features are not needed, or are not beneficial. I was merely stating that they are ADDITIONAL features and they are no substitute for being aware and being a good driver.
I have no delusions of being a perfect driver, and I know that the older cars are nowhere near as safe. I think if you can improve your older car with better brakes, better seatbelts, better tires, etc, you are way ahead of hte game. My point is, you can have all of the modern safety equipment, and it won't help you if you are an idiot. Obviously a drunk coming into your lane is going to hurt you if you are in my 66 more than if you are in my Yukon. That is a no brainer. I just get tired of people assuming that they can do whatever they want, drive however they want, and the car is going to take care of them. I am afraid of a whole generation of drivers who don't know how to focus on just their driving, not on the radio, texting, etc.
Again, no need for name calling just because I didn't make my point clear enough.

EDIT....I just realized the comments were from the person who started this thread. The person who appears to have come here just to stir things up and insult enthusiasts like ourselves. Many of us gave you good, well thought out comments. Speaking just for myself, I have been in the Mustang hobby for nearly 30 years, and in the performance aftermarket industry for nearly as long. (I'm sure there are 100 people on this board who have more experience in both) I was trying to give an honest answer to what I thought was an honest question. If you don't want to hear the answer, don't ask the question.

I didn't call you a :taco:. I was jokingly mocking all the internet race car driving skilled tough guys basically calling me (or anyone else) a :taco: for wanting a safe vehicle. But now I am calling you a dumbass for not realizing that, and then going off on a crybaby, WHAAA HE DOESN’T AGREE WITH ME SO HE SUCKS rant. Gimme a break.

And for anyone else who is feeling the urge to post about your impressive driving skills or to babble on about how kids these days just don’t get how much more important techniques like super-mega-hobbyists like yourself possess is than modern technology... save it. Go lift some weights or shadow box in front of your bedroom mirror or something instead.
 
If anyone wants to go to this length, I'm sure that a crumple zone could be retrofitted (with a ton of welding) into the front to the inside and outside of the shock towers, in the rear, perhaps inside the trunk, and reinforcement put into the rear fenderwell aft of the door striker plate and fore of the rear wheels to protect from side impacts. Maybe something like a steel accordion, or honeycomb, or maybe someone makes a modular structure like this that can be put into an existing empty space. Basically an energy-absorbing material or structure towards the outside of the car, and a roll cage toward the inside.

Howstuffworks "How Crumple Zones Work"

Add great brakes, big tires, a 4 or 5 point harness, and there's your recipe, if the OP wants his question truly answered.

Thanks, but that sounds like a ton of work, and mega expensive for paying to have any done. I wonder how feasible it would be to just bolt the classic body panels on a much more modern vehicle... other than a Miata like the one I posted earlier.
 
I didn't call you a :taco:. I was jokingly mocking all the internet race car driving skilled tough guys basically calling me (or anyone else) a :taco: for wanting a safe vehicle. But now I am calling you a dumbass for not realizing that, and then going off on a crybaby, WHAAA HE DOESN’T AGREE WITH ME SO HE SUCKS rant. Gimme a break.


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Never said you suck, just noted that it seemed that you didnt' want to hear anyone's opinion. Still not sure where all the hostility comes from. I am sure that I am done with this thread. I don't need to defend my opinions against someone who can't have a reasonable discussion with people of dissenting opinions without stooping to name calling.
If you have nothing positive to contribute, please go somewhere else and stir up crap.
 
Claims he's being called a :taco:

And at the end of the day, frankly you are.

You are responding to a possible situation ,possible situation, by insisting that it will be a guaranteed outcome and thus must be treated as though it must occur.

The truth is that it may or may not happen, and the rest of us look at the risk and take the chance. As we find the reward, the sights sounds and smells of a classic vehicle and all its accompanying traits, to be worth it.

You, on the other hand, look at the risk and start blubbering and desperately searching for any item you feel will save you from the big bad world.

But I've got news for you, that drunk driver you pee your pants over?

What happens when he's not drunk, but tired? And not piloting four wheels, but sixteen?

It won't matter if you drive a model A or a suburban, there's a good chance you're going to end up a grille ornament.

Now that you're aware of this possibility, I've little doubt that the only way you'll be able to keep your pants dry from this point on is to avoid ever getting in a vehicle again. Which makes further discussion a rather moot point.
 
And at the end of the day, frankly you are.

You are responding to a possible situation ,possible situation, by insisting that it will be a guaranteed outcome and thus must be treated as though it must occur.

The truth is that it may or may not happen, and the rest of us look at the risk and take the chance. As we find the reward, the sights sounds and smells of a classic vehicle and all its accompanying traits, to be worth it.

You, on the other hand, look at the risk and start blubbering and desperately searching for any item you feel will save you from the big bad world.

But I've got news for you, that drunk driver you pee your pants over?

What happens when he's not drunk, but tired? And not piloting four wheels, but sixteen?

It won't matter if you drive a model A or a suburban, there's a good chance you're going to end up a grille ornament.

Now that you're aware of this possibility, I've little doubt that the only way you'll be able to keep your pants dry from this point on is to avoid ever getting in a vehicle again. Which makes further discussion a rather moot point.

Same old bs.

[internet tough guy]"There could also be an earthquake and your car could fall in it you :taco:! Screw modern saftey features! Classic Muscle All The Way! Yeehaw!"[/internet tough guy]
 
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Owning a Maverick, you know full well what add ons can be done to make the mustang safer. I do agree, you're stating things that MIGHT happen, as if they ARE going to happen. Seems, just to stir things up.
Don't own one, if you're too scared to drive it on the road.
As a matter of fact, NO car is absolutely safe. A freak accident and you're dead. Doesn't matter what car you're driving.
 
Moderator, how about pulling the plug on this useless excuse of a thread. There's nothing technical or constructive about it.

True, not since early on page 2. I searched the OP- this thread is almost his only "contribution" to this forum.

Certainly this was a lie-

Any and all input from the folks who know would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!
 
It seems to me that this whole argument is somewhat moot. You can turn any car into any other car; it's all a matter of how much time and money you want to sink into it. You can turn a VW van into a Porsche 911, it's just going to be a whole hell of a lot of work.

I can take a 1967 coupe and do the stress analysis to add in crumple zones (either through drilling or by making a whole new unibody), redesign the suspension geometry, drop in a 4.6 32v motor backed by a t-45, ABS brakes, air bags, etc.

The real question is whether or not it is worth making an older car as safe as a newer car.
 
Same old bs.

[internet tough guy]"There could also be an earthquake and your car could fall in it you :taco:! Screw modern saftey features! Classic Muscle All The Way! Yeehaw!"[/internet tough guy]

An earth quake producing a fissure large enough to swallow a car, let alone it happening at the correct place, would be highly improbable. The facade you've created of being relatively intelligent is quickly falling apart.

Equating that kind of event with the possibility of hitting a vehicle which has the mass to decimate most passenger vehicles is rather foolish. Sounds as though your show at having some semblance of logic is being lost in your sad attempt to spew vitriol.

You're clearly outmatched here. Maybe you should return to trolling Pokemon forums, at least there you'd find a debate or two equal to your abilities.
 
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