Nissan Patrol 4x4 (Africa)

We went away this wekend to a place called Al Thandiwe.
I can highly recommend it.
Close to where we stayed there is a 30 deg incline on a dirt road. Nothing too serious, but worthwhile driving up and down to test one's ability not to slip.

Anyhow, on our way back, we had a bit of a ding.
The N1 South from Limpopo toward Gauteng has a way of slowing down at places.
The Hyundai behind us did not allow much of a following distance.
Next thing we felt a bit of a thump from the back. Nothing remotely enough for whiplash, but enough to know something happened that was not intended.

The car behind us hit the tow bar, as well as my left recovery point at about the same time. The left recovery point is exactly in line with the left side of the chassis frame.
Had the insurance quotes done this morning.
The damage as can be seen from the picture is minimal, although as many can attest, panel beaters do tend to make a meal of these things.
The central aluminium rear step cannot be bent back and costs a fortune to replace (you would not expect anything different from Nissan).
Be that as it may, my car is still in near perfect condition. No chassis or axle bent. Rock solid.
Besides the aluminium step, there is also the right rear dow slight damage, and the electricity points that got damaged.

The Hyunday however is written off. The radiator is completely meshed into the engine.
I feel sorry for the guy. He is not insured. But there is little I can do about that.

So to make a long story short.
I feel very safe in my truck.
I also had to stop quickly. With the 2" suspension lift, 2" body lift, 33" tyres, lots of steel all round the car, including on top and fully loaded, I was able to stop quick enough without swerving to either side (I did have the duck walking sorted out last week).
The weight of the car and the strength of the chassis proved itself, given the damage to the platkar.

Phew Alex... It is unbelievable on how strong these Patrols actually are. Pleased nobody was hurt!!....

I am still waiting for this type of thing to happen to my Patrol.... then I can get a real nice bumper !!

Alex,
Not nice to hear of such things.

Do you have the working inserts in the upper back lights or only the bumper ones?

I have heard that the extra brake lights "wake up " the tail huggers better and can help avoid accidents.

Glad to hear you are all alright, they don't build cars like they used too, I had a taxi (venture) go into the back of my defender a few years ago, little dent in the chassis on the defender and his motor was sitting where his gearbox should have been, asked if he had insurance (of cause not!!!) so I just smiled and walked away!!!

Hopelik gaan jy nou 'n baie mooier agter bumper kan kry!

Bly julle is ok

Alex ek is bly julle is ok. En moet nie vergeet hoe hard is n Hardbody se towbaar nie moes nou die dag ook verdydelik hoe kom my towball so biekie skuins is

Bly jy is oraait!

Alex Roux wrote:I feel very safe in my truck.

Big mistake! The guy in the Huyundai can say so even more. He crashed into, for all practical purposes, a truck. The engine meshed up nicely, bodywork crumpled extensively and all the energy from the impact got nicely dissapated reducing the decceleration he was exposed to.

To design a car that does not deform in an accident is easy, exhibit A = Nissan Patrol. At low speeds you are OK, as you will be in almost any car - other cars will have significantly more damage.

But crash into anything like: Another Patrol; A real truck, A concrete barrier; A tree et al, and you will mostl ikely not be able to retell the story. Even the GU's with the airbags, after a frontal impact at merely 60km/h, your unlikely to walk again.



Overall Score 22.17 out of 37
Offset crash test 6.17 out of 16
Side impact crash test 16 out of 16
Pole test (Optional) 0 out of 2
Bonus points 0 out of 3

It is also a good thing to point out these tests are for a bog standard Patrol. A steel bullbar will reduce the safety, helping to directly transfer as much as possible of the impact shock to the occupant. The standard weight is ±2.4 tons. Accesories and lugage etc. increases the GVM easily by 20% -30%, which will have a significant influence on these safety results.

The Australian NCAP ratings for the Patrol GQ is one and for the airbag GU is two stars, the latest GU's (2004 onwards) with the multitude of side airbags etc. 3 stars. 3= 2 = Marginal and 1 = Poor. Also bear in mind these results are skewed by the exellent side impact ratings, where the Patrol scores full marks. For the frontal offset impact, tested at only 60km/h, the GU with airbags scores a miserable 38.5% (consiting of 0% for leg protection!)

The best safety feature of a Patrol is fitted to other cars, you have to rely on the impact absorption and crumple zone technology of the other vehicle to reduce the impact energy on the occupants. That it withstand accidents with minimal damages sounds great, but the ladderframe-chassis's ability to transfer impact shock to the occupants can produce medical bills that quickly eclipse the value of a replacable Patrol. That, whilst occupants can't be replicated.

Driving a truck requires a different and much more proactive and defensive paradigm than when driving a platkar - this requirment increases logarithmically with speed.

To feel safe in a Patrol would be unwise. To drive with this in mind will be advisable.

Bly jy is oraait!

Alex Roux wrote:I feel very safe in my truck.

Big mistake! The guy in the Huyundai can say so even more. He crashed into, for all practical purposes, a truck. The engine meshed up nicely, bodywork crumpled extensively and all the energy from the impact got nicely dissapated reducing the decceleration he was exposed to.

To design a car that does not deform in an accident is easy, exhibit A = Nissan Patrol. At low speeds you are OK, as you will be in almost any car - other cars will have significantly more damage.

But crash into anything like: Another Patrol; A real truck, A concrete barrier; A tree et al, and you will mostl ikely not be able to retell the story. Even the GU's with the airbags, after a frontal impact at merely 60km/h, your unlikely to walk again.



Overall Score 22.17 out of 37
Offset crash test 6.17 out of 16
Side impact crash test 16 out of 16
Pole test (Optional) 0 out of 2
Bonus points 0 out of 3

It is also a good thing to point out these tests are for a bog standard Patrol. A steel bullbar will reduce the safety, helping to directly transfer as much as possible of the impact shock to the occupant. The standard weight is ±2.4 tons. Accesories and lugage etc. increases the GVM easily by 20% -30%, which will have a significant influence on these safety results.

The Australian NCAP ratings for the Patrol GQ is one and for the airbag GU is two stars, the latest GU's (2004 onwards) with the multitude of side airbags etc. 3 stars. 3= 2 = Marginal and 1 = Poor. Also bear in mind these results are skewed by the exellent side impact ratings, where the Patrol scores full marks. For the frontal offset impact, tested at only 60km/h, the GU with airbags scores a miserable 38.5% (consiting of 0% for leg protection!)

The best safety feature of a Patrol is fitted to other cars, you have to rely on the impact absorption and crumple zone technology of the other vehicle to reduce the impact energy on the occupants. That it withstand accidents with minimal damages sounds great, but the ladderframe-chassis's ability to transfer impact shock to the occupants can produce medical bills that quickly eclipse the value of a replacable Patrol. That, whilst occupants can't be replicated.

Driving a truck requires a different and much more proactive and defensive paradigm than when driving a platkar - this requirment increases logarithmically with speed.

To feel safe in a Patrol would be unwise. To drive with this in mind will be advisable.

andredurand wrote:Alex ek is bly julle is ok. En moet nie vergeet hoe hard is n Hardbody se towbaar nie moes nou die dag ook verdydelik hoe kom my towball so biekie skuins is

Andre, eendag in ons oudag by die oue-tehuis, gaan jy nog kla dat my loopraam gaan bots met joune as ek agter jou aan loop.
Jy sal dit ook NOOOIT vergeet nie.