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High and
Mighty SUVs
The World's Most Dangerous
Vehicles and How They Got That Way
by Keith Bradsher
Abstract by Steve Blank |
About SUVs
DEFINITION |
- Qualities that make a vehicle an SUV are:
- 4-Wheel drive available
- enclosed wheel cargo area
- high ground clearance
- uses a pick-up truck underbody
- designed for and mainly to urban
consumers
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| ENVIRONMENTAL |
- Midsize SUV produces 50% more carbon
dioxide per mile than and average car
- Puts out 5.5 times the level of smog
causing gasses
- MPG is 114-18 vs. over 22-24 for the
average car
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| THE PROFIT MOTIVE
ENGINEERING |
Auto-makers earn
profits exceeding $12,000 per SUV. Money per vehicle saved
by adapting the body/frame of a light pick-up truck, without
needed safety enhancements needed for a much bigger and heavier
vehicle.
CENTER OF GRAVITY - "...
the higher center of gravity puts more weight on the front
tires... when they grip more (in heavy stopping) they have more
propensity to roll over. |
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| SAFETY |
Regulations for bumper
height allow SUVs to have bumpers that are many inches higher
than those of cars. Cars have a 16" - 120"
clearance and are subject to SUVs which ride up between 6" -
12" higher than many passenger cars.
As SUVs grow even taller, stability is
compromised. IN the late 80's internal memos show that Ford
had three options for addressing this problem. There were:
- suspension redesign to lower vehicle in
front and back.
- recommend a lower tire pressure
- re-engineer the vehicles' wheels wheels
to make them mounted further apart
Ford chose a and b only. The decision
led to a grater number of rollover deaths. |
