Bumper mismatch can wreck your wallet

[gaijindabe]

Many Americans believe Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) and pickup trucks cause extensive damage to passenger cars when they collide just because they're bigger and heavier. While pure size may come into play, the real culprit in low-speed collisions may be the mismatch between the height of the bumpers on each.

http://biz.yahoo.com/brn/060127/17772.html

I hate just pulling filler off the net and posting it here, but I see this as a real problem. Kid in a SUV trying to back into a parking space crushed my hood..

[kach22i]

Car into SUV Car damage SUV damage Totaldamage
Volvo S40 into XC90 $4,984 $1,096 $6,080

What's this, I thought Volvo was the safety leader?

Note: The top of my 911 front bumper is scuffed up pretty good from people parking by brail.

[Joeaksa]

Not to mention those idiots who "lift" pickup trucks to the height where you need a step ladder to get in. Their bumpers would impact a normal car about head level in an accident.

Wish there was a way to ban the things...

Joe A

[masraum]

Originally posted by Joeaksa
Not to mention those idiots who "lift" pickup trucks to the height where you need a step ladder to get in. Their bumpers would impact a normal car about head level in an accident.

Wish there was a way to ban the things...

Joe A

Hell, here in Houston they're so hight that you just duck and they pass right over.

I know some people would think a 911 or miata is silly and unnecessary, but I think that compared to a lifted truck that's hooey. A sports car has active safety. I jacked up truck serves no purpose on the street. Anything more than 12" of ground clearance is excessive for a street vehicle. My jeep cherokee and my daughter's liberty are nice to have when there is high water, and if it snowed something with a bit of ground clearance is nice, but if the bottom of the vehicle is >3' off of the ground...

[Christien]

Originally posted by kach22i
parking by brail.

LOL. We used to call that a "Montreal parking job"

[techweenie]

As one woman said after backing her luxo-barge SUV into a 911 last year: "only stupid people drive those little cars that are hard to see."

[widebody911]

Originally posted by Joeaksa
Not to mention those idiots who "lift" pickup trucks to the height where you need a step ladder to get in.

I saw one a while back with a bumper sticker that said "Smile as you go under"

[pbs911]

I jacked up truck serves no purpose on the street. Anything more than 12" of ground clearance is excessive for a street vehicle.

My F-150 is lifted 10", has 36's and has a purpose for being so. In my P-car I was rearended by a Volvo. The Volvo has no damage, the P-car a few thousand. I had someone back into the side of my F-150, but they hit the tire. The impact tore the rear bumper off their car and did some sheet metal damage. My F-150 had NO damage. So, in short my lifted F-150 has already served a significant purpose of saving me the side panel of me truck because someone else can't drive.

I can also see above all those mini vans, and very few people will cut me off, tailgate or pull in front of me. This makes my driving experience less stressful.

BTW, I don't use a step ladder, but an automatic step that lowers and raises with the passanger door.

[widebody911]

Originally posted by pbs911
My F-150 is lifted 10", has 36's and has a purpose for being so.
And that is.... ?

BTW, I don't use a step ladder, but an automatic step that lowers and raises with the passanger door. [/B]

How nice of your SO to install that for you! Does he have a stepladder on the driver's side?

[pbs911]

Originally posted by widebody911

And that is.... ?

I had someone back into the side of my F-150, but they hit the tire. The impact tore the rear bumper off their car and did some sheet metal damage. My F-150 had NO damage. So, in short my lifted F-150 has already served a significant purpose of saving me the side panel of me truck because someone else can't drive.

$$$, piece of mind, and less stress on the road.

It is a 2 door with front and rear seat, so each side technically has a passanger door.

[turbo6bar]

Is there such a thing as minimum bumper height? A lowered 914 or 911 gets on down there. It could be bad news for us aircooled lovers.

[pbs911]

I think the limit and maz is placed on the center of the headlights if I am correct. I recall getting more than on fix-it tickets as a teen with my lowered bugs. FWIW, some states do have a max bumper height.

[Jims5543]

Florida USED to have a law that bumpers had to be so many inches over the road. I will have to do some checking to see if this is still the case. There might be a lot of SUV's violating this law if it is still in affect.

[Joe Bob]

Headlamp height.....that's where they get ya.....too low or too high and you can get cited....

[Dixie]

Carful what you complain about. With the large number of trucks and SUVs on the road, any legislation would most likely require raising the bumpers on all cars a foot or so.

[kach22i]

The actual bumper on the Ford Expedition is the lower gray part - the top part is for looks. This is still way over a 911, but lines up with lower SUV's and large cars.