Ten Points For Automobile safety

Admit it, you drive Vintage cars because you get a rush from driving a small piece of history. The idiosyncrasies of classics are all part of the experience. So why am I writing about safety in something you will continue to drive no matter what? Because you and your passengers need to be safe and, despite rumours that all drivers in the civilized world are perfect, there are some drivers who do not pay attention and do not care. No check written out by an insurance company can give you that sensation of delight that avoidance will. Without further delay, I give you the BMC 2011 Vintage Safety list:

‘Skills’

Fuel

Mirrors

Driveline

Tyres

Suspension

Shocks

Headlamps

Parking and Brake Lamps

Brakes


Good Driving Skills

Yes that horrid little thing we want to say everyone else is worse at and we are perfect.

Going to the extremes - If you drive hard, don’t drive foolish. Remember, this may be your weekend warrior but children share the road with you! If you drive cautiously, remember to stay out of the way. Slow drivers and those driving under traffics speeds have been found most often to be the Actual cause of accidents. Commonly not getting in the accidents because others behind them were kind enough to avoid them but that does not make the cautious driver in the right.

The safest driving I have found is neither offensive nor defensive but somewhere in the middle. When in a smaller vehicle or a vehicle of older standards, it’s best to leave your lights on in the daytime and drive like you mean to pass- this gets peoples attention and they are less likely to merge into your side; Just ask a motorcyclist about slight aggressive driving vs. defensive. Defensive stays off to the side and ready to move out of peoples way- which is a good way to be run off the road.


Clean Fuel

Without clean fuel, a car will run about as good as a turtle on a lazy afternoon. As this may not sound like an item that should make the list, it is one of the most common issues we deal with at BMC for collector vehicles. Generally speaking, these cars run poor or don’t even leave the confines of the garage because of this problem. Also, please make special note that you should EAT your corn, not burn it; I am not going into detail here but use non-oxygenated fuel in classic cars. It stores better and it is less harsh on older fuel systems found in classic cars.


Reliable Mirrors

Here is a strange one that most don't consider: Cars going down the road with vibrating mirrors. Maybe that officer isn't going to notice your mirrors vibrate like a large scale earth quake, but you know you can’t see through them! Maybe just as bad, mirrors that won't stay adjusted or the travel on the mirrors don't work from years of use. Some try to make due with low quality replacement parts but find they end up 'making due' with something that 'sorta works'.

Mirrors: Check Moss Motors or other suppliers for quality mirrors for your British car.


Reliable Engine and Driveline

Nothing makes you feel as silly as a poor running driveline that has not been maintained. Luckily, most people determine if they have issues and have these taken care of quickly. If this list was for classic aircraft such as used in WWII, this might make one of the top three since you might have a tendency to fall out of the sky. Luckily, we just get stuck in traffic on I94 during rush hour awaiting someone to swerve and hit us.

Although BMC British Automobile is a great company for giving you a reliable vehicle, we understand that you may not be able to drive all the way from California in February or Ontario in July to have your service. May we offer you a second solution and check with your local British Motor Trade Association member.


Reliable Road Rubber- ‘Tyres’

There are plenty of reports out on tires that have passed their due date. I admit that I am one to avoid replacement until there are signs that they need it. That said, there are plenty of people such as myself that have ended up bedridden for life, or if it’s possible, worse. To say the least, check the date codes and watch for any bubbling or cracking of the sidewalls. Remember- old rubber is hard rubber and that does not grab very well and will slide when coming to an emergency stop. New rubber is generally soft rubber. To save a life, watch where the rubber hits the road!

BMC offers tyre services through an associated company for local installs. For national installs, check with your local BMTA North American member or other sites such as dicount tire, Coker tire and other national and local suppliers. Remember- original type wire wheels require a special hub for balancing which many of the BMTA members will have access to.


Reliable Suspension

This is everything but the shocks. Some cars have suspension rubber bushings, king pins or other fulcrum points that are so worn that hitting a bump can make the front end move left and right in a circular like motion. Many people that have worn systems have learned to live with it believing that this is ‘the way old cars work’ which is simply not true! A fine example of this would be an Austin Healey 3000 with worn rear suspension. The car will go down the road at 70 MPH and the tail will ‘wag’ or move back and forth in a rather alarming way. I know! A Healey with worn rear suspension has potential to travel down the freeway swapping ends going backwards at speed whereas many other cars with worn front suspension are likely to jump the road when going over a railroad track... And you were worried that a train might jump the track!

Let me recommend Moss Motors and other suppliers. I do not recommend ‘original type’ rubber as the modern replacements are not very good and I question the original compared to modern equivalent. I suggest something in the generic thought of soft plastics. Red Prothane bushings would certainly be in this area of recommendations.


Good Shocks

The largest suspension problem I see in a car of any era is bad shocks or struts. Historic vehicles are no exception. Bad shocks on coil springs show up as very bad whereas leaf springs may have poorly operating end-of-life shocks that most individuals do not realise they are in need of rebuild or replacement. It would be good to mention that ‘modern’ shocks do not mean better, it only means newer technology that for modern cars can drop the OEM factory installation time and cost. Depending on the car and the project, some do better with the standard shocks. Bad shocks can also hop or allow the rubber to disconnect from the road for a milliseconds on again-off again during a panic stop making your stopping distance increase.

My general recommendation is for rebuild shocks. If your Classic has Lever Action shocks, my super secret shock supplier is World Wide Auto of Madison Wisconsin. I do not choose them because they are close but because they are the Best! http://nosimport.com


Headlamps That Work

If you cannot see, you should not go. A small history lesson on headlamps from 1880 to present can be read at these two sites:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headlamp#History_of_automotive_headlamps

and

http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/49367/1/UMTRI-98-21.pdf

Cutting through this to just look at the timeline of headlamps from 1950 through present might be easier, but if you understanding the evolution of light over time in both lumen output and beam spread helps to give a clear picture of what is defined today as safe for the road! Many headlamps in 1960’s era cars were still Lucas or replacements. Three problems I see with these:

The reflectors yellow over time giving a lamp that is already yellow and dim compared to modern bulbs and even more unfair disadvantage.

The tungsten or other element inside has stretched/sagged because they have had their time of use already and are commonly within the end of their completed life span.

The amount of power actually reaching the lamp is nothing close to what modern cars receive because there is no relay in the system with wires that are too long and an overloaded switch.

Shall I mention that modern cars also have the benefit of alternators that put out maximum charge a few hundred RPM above idle and about two or three times the potential charge? The repair a few years ago was to simply switch the bulbs to Halogen. Although this is the easiest and quite needed, it is even better if relays can be installed in the system. If your willing to update a bit more, better light fixtures can be installed fairly affordably. Lights like this are everywhere. The most common for any type of 1940’s through 1980’s vehicles are the seven inch round headlamps. Some vehicles continued to carry these in to the 1980’s and 1990’s such as some American consumer trucks and cars such as the Austin Mini. Where was I in all this? Oh yeah- use a better headlamp that matches your requirements along with relays to power the headlamps up best possible and please take note that LED headlamps are going to be the next big thing. Expensive but lower power requirements and bright.


Brake and Parking Lights

If you frequent our site often, you knew I was going to say this: Safety is a big deal. So is speed but safety even more so! Please understand- rear brake and parking lamps, just like headlamp technology, has changed and your vehicles brakes lights are not obsolete. Not yet anyways. Look around next time your on the road- within 2 or 3 model years, all 1156 and 1157 type Edison technology will be completely obsolete. No more wires that burn red hot inside a ballooned up piece of glass deprived of oxygen but a type of gas to keep the tungsten from burning itself up. Now a panel of diodes that emits light at 85% lower power requirements and a lifespan that can exceed the vehicles life. Did I mention brighter? Two, three and even four times brighter.

Rather than saying- ‘Poppycock! My classics don’t need the upgrade because I say so’, remember, your doing the braking but your NOT the emotional 16 year old girl (Not politically correct but no one ever accused me of that) text messaging about her EX-boyfriend to her girlfriends while travelling down the road in her dad’s SUV that keeps her eyes (at Stock ride-height) about four Feet above YOUR tail lamp level and on top of that, no third brake light. She can Not see you and will not react in time. Bam!!

Improved brake and parking lamps do two things:

For you it cuts your power usage down which is a plus for old wiring harnesses, switches, dynamo powered cars or cars with lower amp alternators (under 40 amps) give the car an advantage. It also allows less power to be pulled through the parking lamp switch which may give a couple percentage points (tenths of voltage) to the headlamps for intensity- albeit minimal it is measureable on some cars.

For the sixteen year old girl or anyone else behind you, the lights come on instantly and need not ‘warm up’ to come on and show an average of 3 times brighter. You could say this is an ATTENTION GETTER! For many of the tail lamp designs on cars (such as MGB) that have tail lamps that are split into sections such as separate turn and separate brake, the entire tail lamp is tastefully filled with LEDs on a PCB that allow for more lighting area which also gives relevance to the driver behind. Although LEDs will not stop you from having a $2,751.71 invoice for bumper and rear bodywork repair/replacement, it will lessen the likelihood and/or potentially give that driver behind you a little more time to stop with that much less overall damage.

We provide LED Products for British cars on our website. Please note- if you do not see it, email us with details and we’ll see if we can help.


Brakes

If brakes haven’t been beaten into your head, where have you been? Brake upkeep is usually all it takes, big brake kits are cool and seldomly required; More of a bragging point but never a bad thing IF set up properly. If not, you can get yourself in trouble. On older vehicles with four wheel drum brakes, it is very important to adjust everything up on a very regular basis. On cars with front disc brakes, it is less often but still required on rear brakes on many of the cars we see. The common culprits would be the rear wheel cylinders, rubber hoses and master cylinders that go bad. Commonly, the steel lines are in okay shape for the first 40 years or so- not always but often. Commonly, front callipers are still in working shape. The brake issue is large and reading above you can see suspension and other items that effect your stopping distance which is highly important. I leave you with this homework- look for information on why brakes are the Most important item for your car and what you can do to improve them.

How Airbags Work

For years, the trusty seat belt provided the sole form of passive restraint in our cars. There were debates about their safety, especially relating to children, but over time, much of the country adopted mandatory seat-belt laws. Statistics have shown that the use of seat belts has saved thousands of lives that might have been lost in collisions.

Like seat belts, the concept of the airbag -- a soft pillow to land against in a crash -- has been around for many years. The first patent on an inflatable crash-landing device for airplanes was filed during World War II. In the 1980s, the first commercial airbags appeared in automobiles.

Since model year 1998, all new cars sold in the United States have been required to have airbags on both driver and passenger sides. (Light trucks came under the rule in 1999.) To date, statistics show that airbags reduce the risk of dying in a direct frontal crash by about 30 percent. Then came seat-mounted and door-mounted side airbags. Today, some cars go far beyond having dual airbags to having six or even eight airbags. Having evoked some of the same controversy that surrounded seat-belt use in its early years, airbags are the subject of serious government and industry research and tests.

In this article, you'll learn about the science behind the airbag, how the device works, what its problems are and where the technology goes from here.
Laws of Motion

Before looking at specifics, let's review our knowledge of the laws of motion. First, we know that moving objects have momentum (the product of the mass and the velocity of an object). Unless an outside force acts on an object, the object will continue to move at its present speed and direction. Cars consist of several objects, including the vehicle itself, loose objects in the car and, of course, passengers. If these objects are not restrained, they will continue moving at whatever speed the car is traveling at, even if the car is stopped by a collision.

Stopping an object's momentum requires force acting over a period of time. When a car crashes, the force required to stop an object is very great because the car's momentum has changed instantly while the passengers' has not -- there is not much time to work with. The goal of any supplemental restraint system is to help stop the passenger while doing as little damage to him or her as possible.

What an airbag wants to do is to slow the passenger's speed to zero with little or no damage. The constraints that it has to work within are huge. The airbag has the space between the passenger and the steering wheel or dashboard and a fraction of a second to work with. Even that tiny amount of space and time is valuable, however, if the system can slow the passenger evenly rather than forcing an abrupt halt to his or her motion

Why & How EBS works

Have you ever encounter a situation where:
1. You met an "emergency" situation
2. You slammed the brakes and turn your steering to avoid the obstacle(s) ahead.
3. BUT... your car just won't turn! It's still going straight even tough you have turned your steering.
(From the outside, you will see your wheels actually already turned, but why does it still going straight?)

So, why does your car never response to your steering input? You already turn your steering and the wheels already turn, logically, it should turn, but why doesn't it turn and still going straight?
This is because your wheels are locked.

Some definition found about wheels lock:
"When wheels lock, they no longer have traction with the road and in turn cannot steer/stop a car efficiently."
"When wheels lock, the vehicle can no longer react to the driver's steering because the lock wheels can no longer convey the optimum braking power and necessary turning force to the street."

This is where ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) comes in; It is actually a SAFETY FEATURE meant to help preventing situations like the above, wheels locking and allows you to maintain steering (remains steerable, stable, while fully applying the brakes)
Do not mistaken or neglect this FEATURE as some fancy feature to show off; It is a SAFETY FEATURE meant to help prevent or minimize the problems resulted from wheels locking and also drivers in panic situations especially situations where human reflex conquers all (yes, even profesional drivers (racers, rally drivers) makes mistakes or looses their conscious/control, there's nothing to be shy about).

Explanation of ABS:
Without being too technical, ABS is basically a system of a computer and sensors monitoring the speed of each wheel. When you press down on the pedal, the system kicks in and it takes over how each wheel should slow down to prevent unnecessary skids.
In short, ABS prevents wheel(s) locking when applying full brakes and promotes Steerability and Stability with the shortest possible braking distance.

The feeling when ABS kicks in:
When you slammed the brake and the ABS kicks in, you will feel occasional pulsing of the brake pedal; Do NOT panic or be afraid especially if you are not used to vehicles with ABS, just brake firmly and allow it to do its job.
If you're going pretty fast and brakes firmly on the straights, you might actually feel/experience your car "straightens" itself during the course of ABS function; Hence, you can guess what will happen if your car is without the ABS.

How to apply the brakes in a vehicle with ABS:
Should I pump the brake pedal when stopping in slippery conditions?
You absolutely should not pump the brake pedal in a car with ABS. Pumping the brakes is a technique that is sometimes used in slippery conditions to allow the wheels to unlock so that the vehicle stays somewhat straight during a stop. In a car with ABS the wheels should never lock in the first place, so pumping the brakes will just make you take longer to stop.
In an emergency stop in a car with ABS, you should apply the brake pedal firmly and hold it while the ABS does all the work. You will feel a pulsing in the pedal that may be quite violent, but this is normal so don't let off the brake.

Advantages or Key Features of ABS:
1. Prevents wheel(s) locking.
2. Shorten braking distance.
3. Ensures the vehicles remains steerable and stable.

Something you should know too:
However, this isn’t a foolproof system that would guarantee that skids won’t ever happen. Definitely, you have to consider other factors like the condition and grip of your tires. The road surface will also be a factor. Oil and tar on the blacktop will definitely give you less grip than a paved concrete road. Your speed and direction would also play a factor. The ABS doesn’t necessarily shorten the stopping distance of your car too.

So then, what's so good about it? Well, nothing is perfect. Remember, this is a SAFETY FEATURE designed to HELP prevent situations like wheel(s) locking mentioned above.

So what about those "MANUAL" ABS I heard about?
These are the "technique" when ABS wasn't available or you can call it "simulated" ABS. Have you ever heard about let off the brakes and re-apply again (or pumping the brakes)? If yes, this is the theory/technique; you release the brakes and re-apply to prevent the wheels from locking.

As many people are crazy about Initial D anime, which talks about the main character Takumi with his "manual" ABS; don't be too over-confident or "carried away" with "manual" ABS just because some anime shows off about it.
First of all, it's an anime, secondly, we're driving on the streets not tracks, and finally, we're all humans; we makes mistakes and in panic situation, sometimes, your reflex overwhelms and the "mean time between accident" is just too short for you to react in time. (don't be afraid or shy to admit, even profesionally race car drivers makes mistakes or overhwhelm by such situations)
Also, don't forget ABS works much much faster and efficient than a human, it can monitor the wheels, speed and also apply and release braking pressure up to 20 times in 1 second; It is supposed to be a SAFETY FEATURE to help the driver.
Manual ABS are useful when your car doesn't have ABS, and it often is an important technique for the driver; but don't be mistaken that one can master this technique and think they can prevent all the situations mentioned above.
Don't "play a fool" with your life and others.

Additional Information about "MANUAL" ABS:
Recently, I was told about another definition for "MANUAL" ABS - Aku Brake Sendiri. (It's a Malay word which means "I Brake Myself". Coincidence huh?

What about ESP (Electronic Stability Control) or TCS (Traction Control System) or those "techie" SAFETY FEATURE?
Well, those are more advanced SAFETY FEATURE, which consist of ABS (or includes ABS). It provides further traction control by making use of ABS and few other SAFETY FEATURES.
It can be another topic, so we will not "write" about it here.