I was wondering if anyone has made substantial improvements besides better seat belts for safety reasons. The reason I'm asking is that I was t-boned by another driver who ran a red light this weekend. The M-Benz and all of the safety featurs no doubt had a lot to do with the survivability of the accident (side impact into driver's side door). We are all relatively well and walked away from a horrendous accident. After having done many repairs on my own to my 72 246 GTS, one thing I noticed is how minimal the doors are especially! Maybe some of the guys on this forum who have tracked thier Dino's (or any other classic I would imagine) might have made some modifications to doors and other areas? Thanks so much!
Glad you are OK. I would think that making the frame of a Dino stronger would have its safety pluses and minuses. That being said, any substantial accident in a 35 year old Italian sports car isn't going to be pretty for the car or the occupants. Keep it shiny side up.
Modern rubber, better brake pads, and excellent reflexes are probably your best bet. I don't think there's enough steel out there to make the sides impact resistant, and if you run up behind anything bigger that a VW Bug, you might just end up under the bumper. SUVs scare the crap out of me, tractor trailers give me heart failure. DM
Dave is right on! Better rubber, Hard brake pads and good seat belts is about all there is. I have had many bumps with my Dino. Thank God all were at low speed. Bumpers do nothing but guarantee that body gets pushed in on the sides even if impact was dead ahead. Thin sheet steel is just barely stronger than aluminum so only advantage is that it is easier for body shops to straighten. There is no practical way to add survivability in a small, low, light car without making it massively heavier or starting with a clean piece of paper. Even then, the choice is to throw the car away after a crash because repair is impossible. Be a better driver and figure you will live forever! With the Dino to help you, it is a good bet. John
VERY interesting thread. I have often thought about safety issues and posible improvements to my Dino, especially on my occasional tracking forays, and all this is very good advice and perspective. I understand that rubber, brake pads, and seat belts are the only reasonable areas for improvement. So the questions become: Brake pads: Can they be too hard? Seat belts: Do you see any benefit in instaling four or five point belts instead of normal three point? My mechanic says upgrading the belts is ridiculous, and that I shouldn't wear them anyway on my Ferraris, because any big bang on a classic is bound to bring things like the engine or the steering wheel column right through your seat (and yourself). Rubber: I love the look of my XWX's, new of course and expensive. How much am I losing in safety and performance by keeping to the expensive original tire? John, I love the last sentence of your post. Cheers, Julio
To paraphrase something that Jackie Stewart once said (I don't have the exact quote): Always leave a margin capable of accommodating what needs to happen to avoid an unmanageable set of circumstances. Think about it...
Dave is right. Careful and very defensive driving is your best bet. Without major (and weighty) surgery, there is no realistic way to make the Dino safer. BTW, I had an original Mini Cooper S for 5yrs- you think the Dino is scary- try that one on for size! You look up to EVERYTHING else on the road, all the time with twin 5-gal fuel tanks strapped in place in the trunk, which would be the first thing hit by any rear impact. I always carried a fire exting., glass breaker, and razor knife (to cut my way out of a jammed seatbelt if necessary prior to bail-out). These items are now within reach in my Dino. The safety issues are one of the many reasons that I view my Dino as a (realatively) special-occasion, limited-use car, not a daily driver.
Excellent advice I always carry two halon extinguishers, you don't have to worry about cleaning up the mess and you should never run out or worry about not having enough. Of course, since you're carrying them then you've foiled Murphy's Law and will quite likely never need them...
Fire extinguisher and flashlight are right behind my driver's seat. Forgot to mention that in first reply. There are some brake pads that are too hard. Full race pads are harder to modulate. I pick a middle ground, have put 141,000 on car personally and have never had disks refinished. The harder compounds keep the surfaces true. I have 16" wheels and run modern rubber with all the benefits of 35 years of engineering in addition to about 2" more tread width than the stock tires. I think it helps safety. Sure helps cornering and braking. Good topic, covers a lot of territory. John
Daniel at Ricambi has some great pads for Dinos. Might want to give him a call, or wander about his website. It's where I got mine. www.ricambiamerica.com DM
Thanks for the suggestions on better "defensive driving" and modern parts. What happened to me was 100% unavoidable. A young guy with a cast on his leg from a prior accident blew through the red light and broadsided me. The airbags and MBenz technology minimized the injuries substantially! I guess there are people who may have tracked their Dino's who have added safety features such as a roll cage, automatic fire extinguisher and other bits. That's what I'm interested in mostly. I'm probably still reeling from the accident, but there must be a few things that could be done to the structural integrity of the car to make a crash more survivable? So my goal is to find "middle ground" between the stock car now and a fully equipped "track car." Any thoughts and/or photos would be appreciated!!! Here are a few roll cages I found on other classic models that were interesting to me... also an automatic fire suppression system. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
I finally found a comp dino photo with a roll cage. Some good thoughts about other safety improvements here that i've thought about. BTW, Has anyone ever approached Cromodora about manufacturing an updated wheel for the dino that would accomodate modern tires? Just a thought to get some better rubber on the car. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Without trying to be a jerk, why try to make an almost forty year old Dino, I have a 206, into a new Honda? It is what it is, enjoy the ride.
