Everyone says Fiero's are not safe, and we all know they the Fiero is one of the safest cars on the road. Even in 2004 at the Fiero Fest Hulki, explained that the Fiero was still one of the safest cars on the road safer than many current day econo box cars.

We tell everyone about the side impact beams in the doors. However to this day I don't think I have ever seen a pic posted of one. So I went in grabbed my Camera, took a few decent pics, resized them and posted them on my server. This will hopefully help many people dispel the believe our cars are deadly in a side impact. There seems to be 3 separate layers of steel in the beam. The main cross beam, a 2nd layer of folded steel and a top layer above that. This is one of the reasons a Fiero door weighs so much.

Well send this link or copy the pics and send them to all your buddies that worry about how safe our cars are in a side impact. We may have "plastic like" door skins. But there is steel under them.

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85GT 5spd ,93 Eldorado 4.9 Dual O2 Custom Chip, Archie Clutch. Custom Exhaust. MSD Everything 245/50/16's Not Your Average 4.9 Capt Fiero Com --- My Over View Cadero Pics Yellow 88GT 5spd Stock.

HEY! that's no way to treat a Fiero door Mr! At least put some plastic under that!
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Thanks for taking the time to take some pictures.

LOL. Sorry to say but that door is being gutted and tossed. The door itself is fine, but no one locally seems to be interested in it as a complete door. I gave the door skin to one guy, I am going to attempt to drill out the rivets for the glass and save the glass as it is in great shape. Not a single scratch on it, and save the power window motor as it works really well. The rest of the door sadly is going to the local scrape guy.

I'd like to see what the Hondas and Volkswagens look like under their skins. Probably nothing like that. Probably thin sheet metal and that's about it. Could be wrong.

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Whade' "The Duck Formerly Known As Wade" Duck
'87 GT Auto
'88 Ferrario
'84 Indy (8/26/06)

Relax! You've managed to suck all of the fun out of the room.

That's why these little cars are so darn heavy!

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#1112
Question my ability,question my intelligence,never question my integrity!
87drivetrain http://fieroaddiction.com/SBCTa.html

ya i couldnt beleve it when i pulled the skin off my door. i drive wrecker and have picked up 2 fieros after being wreck both cars had to be cut open with the jaws of life to get the driver out and thay walked away with only scratches

BTW do you have a pass. side power window set up

In the mid 80s, this may have been true. In todays world, I don't think that side beam is going to do me much good when a full size SUV t-bones me with its bumper at about my head level. There is a reason why all the new models of passenger cars have raised the "belt line" in there design.

While it is a safe car we have to remember it was safe for its time and standard. You can still die in one like this couple did. SC

I'm thinking there would be few cars in which the occupants would survive from an accident like that. I'm guessing massive cerebral trauma and internal injuries gallore.

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Whade' "The Duck Formerly Known As Wade" Duck
'87 GT Auto
'88 Ferrario
'84 Indy (8/26/06)

Relax! You've managed to suck all of the fun out of the room.

Ironically, the day I got the door panels off my car at the body shop, the owner (one whos painting it) and one of his customers loked at it and still thought it was unsafe in a side collision. The owner guy also does body repair, so I would have expected him to know the strength of corregated steel.

quote Originally posted by SuperchargedV6: While it is a safe car we have to remember it was safe for its time and standard. You can still die in one like this couple did. SC

ya.... but the door looks just fine.

quote Originally posted by SuperchargedV6: While it is a safe car we have to remember it was safe for its time and standard. You can still die in one like this couple did. SC

Actually in the same crash testing they do today it is still a very safe car. The pic just shows stupidity can always triumphs over any safely built car. Judging by the website marking, the moron was driving while intoxicated. They never test cars for drunk and slamming into trees.
NASCAR race cars are built to withstand a high speed slam into concrete walls and many drivers survive but as with anything in life, Some do not, Dale Earnhart is a good example.

There is not one car I can think of in a long time that did not have side impact door beams. So what is pictured is not anything you won't find most any car. There are goverment standards and side beams became common in the 70's.

The FIero can hold up well as I walked away or should I say drove away from a hard front end crash. I hit so hard I bent the steering wheel over the turn signal. For it's size the fiero holds up well but it has its limits. What saved me was I went under the van and the van flew up on the hood and over the A pillar and never hit my side mirror. It did not even break my radiator.

Now on the other hand I know 2 people that were killed in a side impact of a Fiero with a pick up truck. They never had a chance as a larger vehicle will most times win Fiero or not. You just can argue with physhics of mass. The truck just punched into the passenger compartment and the car had little space to give.

quote Originally posted by Capt Fiero: Everyone says Fiero's are not safe, and we all know they the Fiero is one of the safest cars on the road. Even in 2004 at the Fiero Fest Hulki, explained that the Fiero was still one of the safest cars on the road safer than many current day econo box cars. We tell everyone about the side impact beams in the doors. However to this day I don't think I have ever seen a pic posted of one. So I went in grabbed my Camera, took a few decent pics, resized them and posted them on my server. This will hopefully help many people dispel the believe our cars are deadly in a side impact. There seems to be 3 separate layers of steel in the beam. The main cross beam, a 2nd layer of folded steel and a top layer above that. This is one of the reasons a Fiero door weighs so much. Well send this link or copy the pics and send them to all your buddies that worry about how safe our cars are in a side impact. We may have "plastic like" door skins. But there is steel under them.

Man I haven't seen grass that green in a looooong time. Only in B.C.

Heres another pic of a side-beam survivor. Dont know who's Fiero it is but I save most all of them.

Looks like the molding held up too.

Modern impact beams in car doors are nothing more than a rolled steel 1in diameter tube going front to back similar to what you'd make a roll cage out of.

Here's a pic of my 2003 Lincoln LS from last saturday night. My girlfriend and I were hit by a drunk driver in a BMW SUV that spun us out of control (rear hit); then we were hit again (driver's door ?) causing the car to go up an embankment and roll over and skid on its roof. One minute we were on the way to the mall and talking, and in less than 5 minutes we found ourselves upside down held in place by seat belts while we skidded on the front part of the roof wondering when and how it would stop. Since the guy was drunk, I think we were hit full force because he didn't know he was upon us. We were going about 50 mph entering a long exit ramp and he must have been at 90 or over. THANK GOD we were still moving in the direction of impact and not stopped. Neither the dash nor side airbags deployed. Luckily, we were not killed or hospitalized. I'm glad we were in my Lincoln instead of my fiero or her toyota.





This is the THIRD time I've been hit in 3 weeks by the animals infesting southern california. First time rear ended TWICE by a truck driver as I sat in traffic - said he didn't see me (but proceeded forward even after he felt his truck hit me the first time). Second time a woman in an SUV backed into me while I sat in traffic - she was "scared" by the siren of an emergency vehicle approaching in the opposite direction. Luckily these both happened in stopped traffic.





Don't be surprised to see my fiero for sale - mostly from fear but partly for money to get another full-sized car.

[This message has been edited by PaulJK (edited 03-01-2007).]

quote Originally posted by Scurvy: Modern impact beams in car doors are nothing more than a rolled steel 1in diameter tube going front to back similar to what you'd make a roll cage out of.

That is what we have now. The older cars are just a thick piece of ribbed stamped steel like in the photo.

Niether are race car quality but better than nothing.

If you were to compare the Fiero's side impact beam to what passes in today's cars as side impact beams, I think you'd be impressed.

There is a reason our doors seem to weight a 100lb's. I must say I feel safer in my Fiero then all of the newer cars I own.

quote Originally posted by Scythe: There is a reason our doors seem to weight a 100lb's. I must say I feel safer in my Fiero then all of the newer cars I own.

I share this feeling, I drive a cavailer, my mom drives a Tahoe and my dad drives a silverado HD. I feel safest in the fiero. Why? My cavailer seems extremely squirly during an emergency manuveur, more so then any other j-body i have drove. My moms tahoe cannot turn without feel like its about to tip over. The Silverado is a big ass truck crewcab with a factory lift kit. I just feel like a good hit from the side would roll it in a second, it handles 1000x better then the tahoe but still makes me nervous.

I feel safer being close to the ground I guess and being able to avoid collisons is also close to the top of my list.

quote Originally posted by ChopTop: If you were to compare the Fiero's side impact beam to what passes in today's cars as side impact beams, I think you'd be impressed.

In truth what we have today is stronger as standards for crashes are higher. The round tubes today give much more strength from a lighter peice of metal. Many times less is more if it is designed properly. A roll cage is round tubing for a reason.

Some trivia from the past. The late C3 Vette had more steel in it than the entire Chevette.

quote Originally posted by hyperv6: In truth what we have today is stronger as standards for crashes are higher. The round tubes today give much more strength from a lighter peice of metal. Many times less is more if it is designed properly. A roll cage is round tubing for a reason. Some trivia from the past. The late C3 Vette had more steel in it than the entire Chevette.

tubing is only strong untill you put a dent in it - then it folds like a thin flat sheet.
reinforced curragared structure will maintain its strength after being mangled.

see the impact resistance of a "modern" door of a friends saturn that got t-boned the other day. he has been through 3 surgeries and is still in the ICU. (they had to cut the roof, door, and dash off to get him out)



I personally had a woman in a stratus fold her bumper up over her hood when she ran into my passenger door. the door had almost no damage at all. just some plastic missing and about 1/4" of deflection in some of the flanges that were easily set back to place. 4000$ in damage to her car, 100$ ot mine.

newer cars are considered "safer" because they fill them with inflatable pillows to reduce insuries from bouncing arround inside, not because they are more crush resistant. they allow them to crush to "soften the blow".. which is all well and good intill things crush far enough to invade the passenger compartment.

[This message has been edited by Kohburn (edited 03-02-2007).]

Let's compare apples to apples shall we? Sure a Fiero will get in big trouble in a collision with a semi-trailer or one of these "monster truck" pickups people feel they need, but so will a BMW, S2000, Miata, RX8, Corvette, Ferrari, Lambo etc. etc. See my point? I bring this up everytime someone calls a Fiero a deathtrap, and I say "I hope your not driving one of these either..." and list the cars. Shuts up a "wanna own a Corvette" guy pretty fast.

In additon, there will always be "freak accidents" where cirumstances of the accident will make it impossible for a person to survive no matter what they were driving. Agreed, the guy dying in an accident from hitting a tree with in Fiero may have survived hitting that tree while driving a truck, but even driver's of semis get killed in accidents. If you're in an accident chances are very high that it will be with another car where the Fiero does extremely well. The odds that you're going to be hit by a semi is less, and by a train is very remote.

All you can do is use the "Drive Defensively" philosophy - where you "watch out for the other guy" and make sure he knows your're there, and keep out of his blind spot, or keep your distance so you can get out of the way if he does something stupid. YOU have to pay attention in case the other guy isn't. I have to drive exactly the same way when driving my motorcycle.

As they say, "the most important part of the car is the nut holding the steering wheel".

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3.4L S/C 87 GT www.fierosound.com
2002/2003/2004 World of Wheels Winner &
Multiple IASCA Stereo Award Winner

quote Originally posted by hugh: That's why these little cars are so darn heavy!

could you take that beam out for drag racing purposes? would the door become floppy, or would it still open and close like normal if this beam was taken out? thanks

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1986 Silver 5 speed Fiero 3.4 DOHC
Bored .30, Fully balanced and blueprinted
13.93@101mph as it is on the street.
... ... !
350ci 400hp/tq SBC, 4 bolt main
Spec Stage 3, Nitrous Oxide, many extras.
87 GT 5-speed Getrag, power everything.

quote Originally posted by Kohburn: tubing is only strong untill you put a dent in it - then it folds like a thin flat sheet. reinforced curragared structure will maintain its strength after being mangled. see the impact resistance of a "modern" door of a friends saturn that got t-boned the other day. he has been through 3 surgeries and is still in the ICU. (they had to cut the roof, door, and dash off to get him out) I personally had a woman in a stratus fold her bumper up over her hood when she ran into my passenger door. the door had almost no damage at all. just some plastic missing and about 1/4" of deflection in some of the flanges that were easily set back to place. 4000$ in damage to her car, 100$ ot mine. newer cars are considered "safer" because they fill them with inflatable pillows to reduce insuries from bouncing arround inside, not because they are more crush resistant. they allow them to crush to "soften the blow".. which is all well and good intill things crush far enough to invade the passenger compartment.

A fiero would have faired no better as the same kind of crash climed the lives of two people I know in a 1984. It was a pick up and not a van but much worse results.

Crash standards on cars today are to crush but protect the passenger space. Rigid parts transmit force and inflict injuries. With or with out airbags todays cars will let people have a better chance of walking away.

Now on the other hand todays cars pay a price in weight. The Mustang is near or at 3900 pounds and the new Camaro will be around 3800-3900 pounds. The weight comes from structure to protect in a crash. Steel is cheap and to keep cost down they use a lot of it vs Aluminum and Titanium as they do in more expensive cars. One only needs to look under the dash of many of the new cars and see structures that were never included in cars.

The bottom line is small cars crush and big vehicles have madd and don't as easily. The Fiero was great in its time but as with everyting else things have improved.

Prove it.

quote Originally posted by Spoon: Heres another pic of a side-beam survivor. Dont know who's Fiero it is but I save most all of them. Looks like the molding held up too.

This is my car that was T-boned about a year ago by a Honda that was trying to make a U-turn and didnt see me. As you can see it did a number on the door but I crawled out the T-Top and walked away. It pushed the door in about 10-12 inches up against my leg and then stopped. I can say that the door support does its job and should never be taken out on a street driven car for any reason.