Why so much plastic in cars today

[bsmithwins]

The old Detroit iron was solid, for sure. You could get into a nasty accident and just have a little steel to straighten out. Of course, the driver and passengers took the brunt of the impact.

The cop driving this
Quote:
suffered a sprained wrist and bumps and bruises.


http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northw...totaled_in.html

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An ambulance eventually arrived, and I let them look me over, but declined a trip to the hospital,


http://skyrulesworld.blogspot.com/2012/10/australia-2011-day-21-canberra-and-car.html

While I was driving my plastic ridden Mazda 3 I got rear ended. The car was totaled and I suffered no injuries at all. No stiffness or neck soreness, no time off, nothing.

I'll take a plastic car that crumples like wet newspaper and protects me over solid iron that's easy to repair.

BSW

 

[BISCUT]

Originally Posted By: MarkM66
Originally Posted By: mclasser
Along with the interior/exterior, today's engine compartments are filled with plastic. It's common sense that a plastic electronic water pump is bound to easily crack when you have hot coolant running through it. Plastics + hot engine don't make for a good combo in the long run and car companies probably like it that way...


What car has a plastic electronic water pump?


I'm not 100% sure but I believe my 08 BMW (and many VW and Audi's as well) have a plastic electronic water pump.

 

[BISCUT]

Originally Posted By: mr_diy
Carbon fiber reinforced plastic is the future for car chassis and bodies. BWM and Toyota working on mainstreaming this technology. For regions that suffer from corrosion this will be a breakthrough. Vehicles will last much longer, that is until a crash.


When I lived in Western MA BMW use to have an advanced plastics research facility in Pitsfield. It was a long time ago as I was still in High School. Didn't seem to work out. I know now, 2013 Aloca (happy stock owner) signed a few agreements with BMW, Land Rover, etc... to provide lightweight alum for their new cars. 2015 F-150 is now lightweight alum. I'm betting (literally and figuratively) since there is a solid supply of AL that we will see quite a bit of it on vehicles in the near future.

 

[GreeCguy]

The ever faithful "Bluesmobile," (1993 Ford Taurus) had a plastic bumper. I thought it was a piece of steel wrapped or covered in plastic. March of last year, I put my hand on the bumper to look under the car, (thought it was leaking coolant). My hand went THROUGH THE BUMPER. After careful examination, I simply grabbed the bumper and ripped it off with my hands. Pictured below is the replacement I created.

 

[aquariuscsm]

The absolute worst are the cheapy plastic headlights. That`s one of the many things I love about my car,it actually has glass headlights.

 

[Win]

Originally Posted By: waltywalt
... And now I have a 2012 Hyundai veloster and its 90 percent plastic on the inside. ....


It's an inexpensive econobox, what were you expecting? You want a better car, buy a better car.

On our Jaguars, every surface a person is likely to touch is either leather, wool, or wood.

And I don't buy passenger cars that are so flimsy you can indent the body panel with your fingers. I'm sure if I were to hit a deer in one of the Jaguars or the G8, it would do some damage to the car. But I don't expect the deer would fare much better.

 

[gofast182]

Originally Posted By: Barkleymut
It is lighter and therefore it may get one more mpg. It is also cheaper to produce. Good luck convincing a car company to make a heavier and more expensive vehicle.

That's right. And all they're doing is trying to comply with Government regs./mandates.

 

[gofast182]

Originally Posted By: d00df00d
I can't speak for anyone else, but...

I want my car's exterior to be:

1. Lightweight
2. Aerodynamic
3. Free of strange acoustic resonances
4. Long-lasting
5. Durable
6. Impact absorbing
7. Not too expensive

If plastics get the job done, then so be it.

I completely understand that a car doesn't "feel" as safe when you notice that it has plastic body panels. I just try to ignore that feeling because I also know that collision safety is mostly about the structure of the car, not the body panels.


The interior is where I want the nice feeling materials because that's where I'll notice the difference in feel while I'm driving. That's where I'm picky about plastics.

ABSOLUTELY! Collision structures are better than ever before and cars are safer than ever before. God forbid I'm involved in a crash I don't care if the whole bloody front end gets smashed and falls off as long as there is no intrusion or deformation of the passenger compartment. And in the old "Detroit iron" all of the energy absorbed by the a modern car deforming would create much stronger inertia [and injury] on the body in the driver's seat of the old car.

As for not being able to lean on the car... first I yell loudly at anyone leaning on my cars because I don't want the finish scratched. But for those who do, I'd happily give up 1 MPG for some thicker material on the door skins and front fenders, just knowing the metal can take it is OK with me.

Interiors are where I look for the nice-feeling materials (plastics) as well.

 

[Vikas]

You can take the prophet's name in vain on this forum.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Plastics are a great part of any modern car or truck. They absorb sound, dampen road vibe/resonance, and can be VERY durable if correctly formulated.

Not a bad thing on my list as they come in cheap and flimsy all the way up to classy looking and long lasting.

The plastic content in the lower fenders, fascia, fender liners, etc., is one of the reasons my SRT is one of the quietest cars ever in my garage...

 

[Lolvoguy]

Originally Posted By: waltywalt
Yeah I know plastic don't rust and it usually don't dent but it sure does crack and it scratches a lot. Plastic is not a fan of cold weather.


No true

Back in the early 90's, my teenage brother and I were cruising along in a 91 Isuzu Impulse sportback. He was driving far too fast for road conditions and spun out when approaching a bend. We slammed backwards into a snowbank at 60-70kph and left a huge dent in the snow, but only the ice covering the back bumper was disturbed, the paint and rear bumper were completely intact

 

[Lolvoguy]

Originally Posted By: BISCUT
Originally Posted By: MarkM66
Originally Posted By: mclasser
Along with the interior/exterior, today's engine compartments are filled with plastic. It's common sense that a plastic electronic water pump is bound to easily crack when you have hot coolant running through it. Plastics + hot engine don't make for a good combo in the long run and car companies probably like it that way...


What car has a plastic electronic water pump?


I'm not 100% sure but I believe my 08 BMW (and many VW and Audi's as well) have a plastic electronic water pump.


I agree, many later BMW's also have plastic cooling components too. It's also a weakpoint on many of these cars when looking to purchase a used one.

ON my 07 Focus, I could not believe how many light-weight materials are used in the engine bay. The block AND head are both alum (great for fuel economy as well as durability since the two metals expand and contact at the same rate, reducing the need to have ahead gasket replaced anytime soon.

Also, the valve cover is also made out of plastic.

I'd much rather be in an accident with my 07 Focus, than with my 88 325is!

 

[FutureDoc]

A plastic thermostat housing failure has been the bane of many of my family's vehicles (Sebrings). If it heats/cools, I am not a fan of plastic for those parts.

Plastic is fantastic. Besides the perks mentioned, I say not all plastic is created/formed equal. I don't mind plastic, I just do not want to see plastic and wish companies would coat/cover plastic dashboards and other surfaces. Sure, it beats vinyl, but that hard cheap stuff has to go. Plastic rivets are the tool of the devil.

I can't wait until some vehicles move away from metal altogether.

 

[Spazdog]

Have you ever seen a Saturn S-series with hail damage?

Metal panels and glass destroyed. Plastic panels? Undamaged....unless the hailstones were really big. Then the plastic is shattered all to [heck]. But there will be no mending the metal panels if it is that bad.

 

[Robenstein]

Polymer is indeed sometimes stronger than metal and unlike some metals able to flex. It just has to be the right kind of "plastic". That term is a blanket term that covers everything from bakelite to zytel.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Originally Posted By: Spazdog
Have you ever seen a Saturn S-series with hail damage?

Metal panels and glass destroyed. Plastic panels? Undamaged....unless the hailstones were really big. Then the plastic is shattered all to [heck]. But there will be no mending the metal panels if it is that bad.


I saw a Saturn fender BREAK just because a fat guy sat on it on a cold day!

 

[MarkM66]

Originally Posted By: Jarlaxle
Originally Posted By: Spazdog
Have you ever seen a Saturn S-series with hail damage?

Metal panels and glass destroyed. Plastic panels? Undamaged....unless the hailstones were really big. Then the plastic is shattered all to [heck]. But there will be no mending the metal panels if it is that bad.


I saw a Saturn fender BREAK just because a fat guy sat on it on a cold day!


At that point it wouldn't of mattered if it was plastic or steel. It would of had to been replaced anyways. A guy like that should know not to sit on a fender,

.

 

[Jarlaxle]

He regularly sat on the fender of his Town Car without damage!

Bonus: said fat guy wound up with stitches in his tukhus from the broken plastic.

 

[Spazdog]

Originally Posted By: Jarlaxle
Originally Posted By: Spazdog
Have you ever seen a Saturn S-series with hail damage?

Metal panels and glass destroyed. Plastic panels? Undamaged....unless the hailstones were really big. Then the plastic is shattered all to [heck]. But there will be no mending the metal panels if it is that bad.


I saw a Saturn fender BREAK just because a fat guy sat on it on a cold day!

I'm just saying....I've seen several Saturns with metal hoods that look like golf balls from hail damage and the PPE/vinyl or ABS body panels are undamaged.

 

[hattaresguy]

Thanks to new fuel mileage standards cars need to get lighter. I'd expect their to be significantly less metal content in vehicles over the next 20 years. Much more use of polymer and carbon fiber.

On the plus side rust will be a thing of the past!