p nut
butter
Body panels of a truck do essentially nothing in a crash. They're just thin sheets of metal you can kick in with your feet. Structure underneath the panels is what determines the outcome.
IIHS Crash Tests of 2016 Trucks
- Thread starter OCD Overland
- Start date
Body panels of a truck do essentially nothing in a crash. They're just thin sheets of metal you can kick in with your feet. Structure underneath the panels is what determines the outcome.
calicamper
Expedition Leader
The sheet metal on new cars is pretty thin light stuff. My 2010 subaru dents really easily. The only thing that matters is the cage structure hidden under the flimsy sheet metal or aluminum skins these days.
The door frame A pillars on these trucks seem to all crush pretty easily compared to modern cars. But I notice the more raked the windshield angle and A pillar the less they tend to collapse. Probably due to having a better angle to send that energy up through the roof structure vs steeper more vertical window / A pillar gets folded vs driving shock loads up through the roof structure.
marshal
Burrito Enthusiast
the aluminum the F-series body panels is constructed from is 1/8th" aluminum, a far cry thicker than its steel counterparts
While I won't dispute the results of the crash testing let me say I don't think this test is a justification for a Raptor over another brand. My reasoning is the Raptor is a different vehicle than a traditional F-150. I'm no Raptor expert but I know the stance is wider which may be attributed to a different frame and certainly different axles. Furthermore a Power Wagon is most certainly different than the 1500 Ram that was crash tested.
My point is don't feel all warm and fuzzy buying a Raptor over a P-Wagon until they crash test them in the same manner and post the results.
BTW, though I own one, I'm not a P-Wagon fanboy, I just want to be fair in the comparison...
justbecause
perpetually lost
I dont know if its as true for 1/2 tons. but 3/4 ton + vehicles perform better loaded. Their suspension and brakes are designed in a way they work best when at weight. A loaded 18 wheeler stops in a shorter distance than an unloaded one.
while the weight probably doesnt do the structure of the truck any favors in a crash, it should be better at avoiding the crash when loaded.
p nut
butter
marshal
Burrito Enthusiast
the raptor is 7" wider overall, and it has a frame and rear axle that is unique to it. however, with ford leading the way - i would be surprised if they didnt account for the extra leverage the raptors widened front suspension having on the frame.
that said, the Ram 1500 and the ram 2500 share the same cabs. Albeit the 2500 having a solid front axle and much different frame, the cab is what cases the occupants and keeps them safe. i would suspect the 2500 is lacking in crash tests as well.
ford took on the gauntlet of making their trucks the safest in 2004 when the f150 redesign came out and they've been constantly making improvements based off of their successes.
justbecause
perpetually lost
the vehicles are designed to perform best when fully loaded, you can down load any Class A cdl test handbook and look it up.
toylandcruiser
Expedition Leader
And?
marshal
Burrito Enthusiast
it doesnt dent anywhere as easy?
marktutone
Adventurer
Crash tests are one thing. Real crashes are another.
http://www.iihs.org/iihs/topics/driver-death-rates
http://www.iihs.org/iihs/topics/driver-death-rates
OCD Overland
Explorer
Can't see how the power wagon and 2500s would fare better than the 1500s. I assume they'd do worse. Prior to the test, Ram touted that they'd specifically beefed up the 2016 1500 just for this test, and the 2500s don't even have that reinforcing yet. Plus they've got a lot more weight/force to absorb. The raptor, on the other hand is really just an F150 with a different suspension. The only structural difference is that they've fully boxed the frame.
i wouldn't be surprised though if the IIHS does this same comparison test with the 250/2500 series trucks next year.
OCD Overland
Explorer
Agreed, though those are all last-generation trucks.
OCD Overland
Explorer
It's interesting though to see the difference in the crash test videos. The body panels on the fords are clearly more flexible and you can see that they ripple and move much more than the others. The good aspect of that is that they are supposed to be able to absorb small impacts and bounce back, whereas steel would dent. What I do wonder about is in a smaller crash, since the body panels move so much, if you could get hidden damage, even nowhere near the impact area.
Should start off by saying I am a Raptor fan so I do like them but was really surprised how bad some of the others faired; especially the chevy! That is a re design and new isn't it? the dodge has been around for a long time. Hey any have a link for the roof crash? I tried looking thru the youtube stuff; my concern is the roll over or the direct impact on the corner A pillar when rolling over at speed.