Re: Crash test

["Graydon D. Stuckey" <graydon@apollo.gmi.edu>]

On Mon, 13 Jan 1997, Mann Law wrote:

> 	It would be interesting to know how many 959's were crash tested 

I wouldn't mind knowing that also...  :-)

> many S2's, etc., were run into a wall at the plant.  Bet the number would 
> be surprisingly high.

Much of the preliminary testing is done with high-G sleds that simulate
barrier crash testing.  This is much cheaper than actual full vehicle
crashes.  A sled run (which lasts all of 0.200 sec) costs around 10,000 -
15,000 dollars, depending on the complexity of the test, plus test
properties, which can be very expensive.  I've seen seats at over $2,000
each, and air bags at $2000 a piece.  When this testing is done, the
results are verified with relatively few full vehicle crashes - just
enough to validate the sled testing.  AAMOF, most sled testing is more
severe than actual vehicle crashes, but otherwise simulates vehicle
crashes very well. 

In the case of a typical American car, the instrumentation is far more 
expensive than the car itself.  I would guess that in the case of a 959, 
the car would be only a little more expensive than the instrumentation.

> Bottom line is:  It is a business decision.  Just like paying 
> for  a BTCC team.  Obviously, if Audi were able to sell 150,000 S8's in 
> the US, it would make them pass any test necessary.  

If they could sell that many over a 5 year period, it would likely be 
worthwhile assuming the car basically meets the US regs.  That's 
approximately how many Cadillacs will be sold in Europe I think, on average.

Later, ---------------------------------------------------------- 
Graydon D. Stuckey 	'85 Mazda RX7 GS, no toys 
graydon@apollo.gmi.edu 	'86 Audi 5000 CS Turbo Quattro, has toys
Flint, Michigan USA	'89 Thunderbird SC, lotsa toys