This is cool - inside the IIHS VRC

snowbird25ca

Moderator - CPST Instructor
This is an article that is written by a man who was at an IIHS side impact testing. It's on a saturnfans forum, but most of the info is general - setup, pictures of the different crash test dummies, pictures of some post-crash test cars and of course the requisite crash test. ;) (The first video isn't worth writing home about as it just shows a few seconds of prep from a distance. I don't have my speakers on though, so I'm not sure if there's any sound or not.)

I thought it interesting to see a glimpse inside the IIHS setup. :) He was given a full tour of the facility prior to the crash test. Of course he can't disclose the results, but still pretty cool.
 
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Jeanum

Admin - CPS Technician Emeritus
Staff member
This sounds very interesting and I would love to see it. Link, pretty please? :D
 

Jeanum

Admin - CPS Technician Emeritus
Staff member
Thanks for the link. I used to lurk on that forum back in my more Saturn obsessed past, and it's cool the host got to see the Vue crash testing. I'm wondering about the armless SID crash dummies, too. :confused: Hmm, maybe they put the upper arm on the side of the dummy closest to impact during a side impact crash test, like in the pictures from the Scion xD side impact results page at http://www.iihs.org/ratings/rating.aspx?id=867 The picture where I see the crash dummy's upper arm is this one: http://www.iihs.org/ratings/controls/image.ashx?rh=867&id=4&s=120
 

snowbird25ca

Moderator - CPST Instructor
I wondered about the arms too. They must put them on prior to crash testing - maybe there's special sensors that need to be set/reset reach time. :confused:

I don't spend much time at the forum. I basically check in every once in awhile to see if there's any issues anyone is having with their Outlook's since it's just going into it's 2nd model year production. It's helpful to know if there's anything to watch for or if there's bulletins the dealer should be addressing before going in. I do get an update email periodically though, which is how I learned of this report. :thumbsup:
 

griffinmom

Moderator - CPST Instructor
I have seen two crash tests at IIHS's Ruckersville, VA facility. It was pretty amazing. The tests I saw were testing the effectiveness of side curtain airbags for small stature females in the driver seat and the back seat behind the driver's seat of Honda Accords. NCAP does side testing like I saw at IIHS, but IIHS adds a little more reality. Instead of testing sedan-to-sedan like the government does, IIHS tested the sedan being hit on the side with something the height of an SUV. The difference in the tests? The dummies i(ATD) in the Accord with side curtain airbags survived with minor injuries. The dummies in the Accord without side impact bags had injuries incompatible with life.

We all know this stuff, but seeing it in real time makes it so much more vivid. The tour of the facility was great, but the tests were just so amazing.
 

Jeanum

Admin - CPS Technician Emeritus
Staff member
The '08 Saturn Vue's IIHS side impact crash test results are up on the IIHS site today at http://www.iihs.org/ratings/ratingsbyseries.aspx?id=446 Notice the distinction between Vues made before and after Dec. 2007. The '08 Vues made after Dec. 2007 are rated a Top Pick by IIHS based after GM tweaked the side curtain airbags based on the IIHS testing according to this blurb from http://www.iihs.org/ratings/rating.aspx?id=884

Two tests of the VUE were conducted. In the first test, the side curtain airbag did not deploy properly, and the rear passenger dummy's head was hit by the window sill of the rear door. This impact did not produce high head injury measures, but the head protection was inadequate. In response, General Motors redesigned the side curtain airbags to ensure more rapid inflation and greater extension of the airbag next to the rear dummy's head. In the second test, the fix was successful, and the head protection rating improved to Good.
 

snowbird25ca

Moderator - CPST Instructor
The '08 Saturn Vue's IIHS side impact crash test results are up on the IIHS site today at http://www.iihs.org/ratings/ratingsbyseries.aspx?id=446 Notice the distinction between Vues made before and after Dec. 2007. The '08 Vues made after Dec. 2007 are rated a Top Pick by IIHS based after GM tweaked the side curtain airbags based on the IIHS testing according to this blurb from http://www.iihs.org/ratings/rating.aspx?id=884

Interesting - so anyone buying an 08 vue needs to make sure they're buying one made after dec 07. Which those ones won't even be on the lot yet... but that's encouraging to see a manufacturer respond that quickly to a concern raised by the institute's crash testing.:thumbsup:
 

southpawboston

New member
but that's encouraging to see a manufacturer respond that quickly to a concern raised by the institute's crash testing.:thumbsup:

yep. the IIHS has had considerable influence over the auto industry, but not just because the auto industry is so concerned about safety. it's partly because of the IIHS/dateline NBC relationship. starting in the mid-90s, dateline used to broadcast the IIHS crash tests and report on how cars fared. *that* is what caused the automakers to wake up and smell middle america watching their televisions. ;) doing poorly on prime time television hurts sales.
 

southpawboston

New member
How did they test a car made AFTER next month? That isn't possible.

they probably tested a model that had the modifications done to it pre-production, and that model won't start getting mass-produced with those modifications until a specified future date.

the reason being for this is because if the modifications don't improve the performance of the vehicle in the crash test, then the production implementation can be halted before any production vehicles are produced with the modification.
 

snowbird25ca

Moderator - CPST Instructor
they probably tested a model that had the modifications done to it pre-production, and that model won't start getting mass-produced with those modifications until a specified future date.

the reason being for this is because if the modifications don't improve the performance of the vehicle in the crash test, then the production implementation can be halted before any production vehicles are produced with the modification.

This makes sense - and is similar to how we see single cars that are made before mass production starts. :)
 

Stresch

New member
Okay, that makes sense. I mean, I knew it was something like that, but I got confused at first about what month it was.

Although I like the magic idea, too.
 

griffinmom

Moderator - CPST Instructor
they probably tested a model that had the modifications done to it pre-production, and that model won't start getting mass-produced with those modifications until a specified future date.

the reason being for this is because if the modifications don't improve the performance of the vehicle in the crash test, then the production implementation can be halted before any production vehicles are produced with the modification.

That isn't possible. IIHS never gets vehicles directly from the manufacturer. They go (anonymously) to dealers around the country and buy them directly off the dealer's lots. The manufacturers never know what cars they are going to buy in advance. The dealers never know they are selling to IIHS.

IIHS only tests vehicles currently in production and available to the public.

Modifications have been made to vehicles after IIHS testing but only after the vehicles are available to the public. Modifications are not made to vehicles after IIHS testing but before production. They only test vehicles that are available to you and me today.
 

griffinmom

Moderator - CPST Instructor
It is also important who IIHS tests vehicles for. They test them for insurance companies to see which cars fare best in crashes so that insurance companies can rate the cars for safety. IIHS is completely funded by auto insurance companies. IIHS's stake in this is that auto insurers want to know which cars test safely so they can set rates accordingly.

IIHS does not and will not test for automobile manufacturers pre-production. That is the responsibility of the automobile manufacturers. They do not advise auto manufacturers pre-production. That is not their mission. If a car tests poorly at IIHS, auto manufacturers can make changes in the auto design, but that is solely the responsibility of the manufacturer. They aren't required to make the changes.
 

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