I mean do we really need all of it. I cant stand it. Its okay if you don't touch it. Its okay if you don't use it. But I mean in my 69 delta 88 I hit a deer broad side cruising down the street and the thing bounced off and never even broke the headlights. I hit a deer 10 years ago in my new Toyota pickup and it was totaled. And now I have a 2012 Hyundai veloster and its 90 percent plastic on the inside. Both bumpers are plastic. Plastic all over in the engine compartment. Yeah plastic will outlast metal I understand but u cant touch it because it wants to break. Id love to see a car company go old school and make car that you can lean on for [censored] sakes.
Why so much plastic in cars today
- Thread starter waltywalt
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I also hate plastic, but thin metal is worse. I leaned on a Toyota matrix the other day, and badly dented the fender. I didn't sit on it, simply leaned against it, BAM, 2ft round dent. Couldn't believe it!
It's lighter?
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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...
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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.
Mileage standards have created a need for lighter and more aerodynamic cars for mileage standards. Add to that cars have been built to strategically come apart in the event of a crash for safety. As the car crumples and breaks, it absorbs and sheds kinetic energy that would otherwise be transferred through the rest of the car with the resulting physics involved causing more injury or death. Add to that plastic parts are easier and cheaper to mold than to fabricate out of sheet metal and you get modern cars. Sadly without the mileage standards cars would even safer. I saw a study that showed up to 40k more lives could be saved every year if cars were not built to comply with them.
I do agree though that they feel infinitely cheaper. I had a 1970 Cadillac DeVille in high school and I hit a deer with it at 50mph. Had to get a new headlight and the dent popped out with my fist and I just washed the blood off.
I do agree though that they feel infinitely cheaper. I had a 1970 Cadillac DeVille in high school and I hit a deer with it at 50mph. Had to get a new headlight and the dent popped out with my fist and I just washed the blood off.
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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.
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?
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?
Originally Posted By: NHGUY
Heck,the Corvette has been fiberglass since day one....and they have always called it "Plastic Fantastic"....lol
Many of us called them "Plastic coffins".
Heck,the Corvette has been fiberglass since day one....and they have always called it "Plastic Fantastic"....lol
Many of us called them "Plastic coffins".
My guess is it's cheaper, lighter, and easier to make.
JHZR2
Staff member
lighter, and easier to form into aerodynamic and low drag forms.
IIRC we also went from 5mph bumpers to something lower. THe old bumpers had shocks in them that could absorb a decent amount of energy.
Now a bumper cover and foam is used, which is I suppose what youre getting at...
But there are two sides to every situation. Lots of people who had massive chrome metal bumpers didnt want them for aesthetic reasons. In Europe, the regulations were different and the bumpers were more streamlined, though still metal. Lots of folks try to do euro bumper swaps on older cars...
I dont necessarily mind the plastic, but I am not a fan of plastic headlights. I wish we could go back to some standardized designs with glass covers. Standardized to keep costs down, and glass for robustness and fade resistance. The euro beam patters from 30+ years ago are just as good as current standard halogen lights, maybe better....
IIRC we also went from 5mph bumpers to something lower. THe old bumpers had shocks in them that could absorb a decent amount of energy.
Now a bumper cover and foam is used, which is I suppose what youre getting at...
But there are two sides to every situation. Lots of people who had massive chrome metal bumpers didnt want them for aesthetic reasons. In Europe, the regulations were different and the bumpers were more streamlined, though still metal. Lots of folks try to do euro bumper swaps on older cars...
I dont necessarily mind the plastic, but I am not a fan of plastic headlights. I wish we could go back to some standardized designs with glass covers. Standardized to keep costs down, and glass for robustness and fade resistance. The euro beam patters from 30+ years ago are just as good as current standard halogen lights, maybe better....
Im not a fan of all the plastic use either. Its lighter and such but doesnt inspire confidence when it comes to safety. Power ram on the front hitch on the back..theres ur solution lol
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.
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.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^Well said d00df00d.^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Wait til they make some type of fancy plastis frame and/or chassis!
Originally Posted By: waltywalt
Why am I being censored, im not swearing at all,
Did you write Je**s?
Why am I being censored, im not swearing at all,
Did you write Je**s?
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