Hi guys!

How safe in the Fiero in Rear and Front Crashes?

The gas Tank is in the middle of the arm rest, right?

Thanks!

www.billdetucci.com

The ONLY 5 star goverment crash test rating without an air bag.

The Fiero had 5 star crash ratings every year it was made. It was second only to Volvo.

For more info see:
http://www.fiercegt.com/safety.html

http://www.crashtest.com/pontiac/ie.htm

----Years-----------Vehicle-------------doors-------weight--------Driver-------Passenger
1984---1988---Pontiac Fiero-------- 2Dr---------- 3000-------- (*****)--------(*****)

We had a local member who was T-boned by a Ford F-150 pick-up truck. The Fiero broke in half. He walked away with minor injuries and was home that night. The driver of the pick-up spent 2 weeks in the hospital (he wasn't wearing his seatbelt). The story and pics are at: www.fierofocus.com
Select article's and then scroll down to "Fiero Safety Testimonial".

[This message has been edited by Oreif (edited 12-15-2008).]

pretty sure you can drive one off a cliff and walk away with a few scratches

much depends on the accident - but Fiero's are VERY safe - and VERY solid vehicles.
very resistant to rolling
you have box frame at your hip for side impact
you have dang near a "gaurd rail" inside your door
you have a long "crunch zone" in the front and rear

it is NOT a thin walled subcompact.

Can't comment on a front/rear ender but I flipped and rolled mine at 60 mph, walked away with hardly a scratch. No intrusion into the cabin at all, in fact the high sided center console helped keep me in the seat instead of doing an impression of an egg in a box.

Outside of car:



Cabin (hardly a mark on it):

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Dave

www.ltlfrari.com

my first fiero (88) Hit the first tree head on at over 50 MPH. The fiero bounced off and spun the driver side door around another tree. The back slammed into 4 more trees. The car was a complete loss, the driver (not me...) was not even scratched. he wasn't even sore the next day... ( I should have made him sore...)




added:
the engine was still good. It ended up in my next fiero for another 5 years.

[This message has been edited by IFLYR22 (edited 12-15-2008).]

There built like racecars. The exterior body panel carry no load and are only cosmetic. You can even still drive one without ANY body panels on it at all. Most other cars carry structural strength thru roof and quarter panels. Most now also spread the load thru bonded in windows.

quote Originally posted by ltlfrari: Outside of car:

It tears somethin' up inside me everytime I see this pic. There just aren't enough good lookin' Fieros left and to lose one like this just hurts.

Originally, Hulki sent the concept of the Fiero to Entech, which makes race cars, and they sent back a Monocoque type Chassis which Pontiac reverse engineered and mated to the 'ol mill & drill.

The best testament to the survivability aspect of the Fiero was when a prominent member of the NHTSA, upon reviewing data from the Fiero's tests and real life accident field investigations, decided to purchase one for is own DAUGHTER.

Pretty good endorsement for the safety aspect of the Fiero back in 84-85.

But still, try not to be a test crash dummy...

Of the 15 Fieros I've owned, Five have been totaled. All were 88s. All were notchbacks. My son totaled one of his cars twice but I'm only counting it as one totaled car. Of the worst accidents, son had a head on collision with a Ford F250 Van, combined speed of approximately 90 mph, all walked away. Daughter was rear-ended, the driver of the other car was cited, he admitted that his speed was around 60 in a 55 mph. My daughter was at a complete stop, the car was totaled, front and rear due to her being pushed into the car infront of her, chain reaction involving three cars infront of my daughter. She and her companion both walked away with only minor issues.

When it comes to car safety, for it's age, nothing competes with our little two seater, rear engined monsters for the dollar value.

Ron

quote Originally posted by Oreif: The Fiero had 5 star crash ratings every year it was made. It was second only to Volvo. For more info see: http://www.fiercegt.com/safety.html http://www.crashtest.com/pontiac/ie.htm ----Years-----------Vehicle-------------doors-------weight--------Driver-------Passenger 1984---1988---Pontiac Fiero-------- 2Dr---------- 3000-------- (*****)--------(*****) We had a local member who was T-boned by a Ford F-150 pick-up truck. The Fiero broke in half. He walked away with minor injuries and was home that night. The driver of the pick-up spent 2 weeks in the hospital (he wasn't wearing his seatbelt). The story and pics are at: www.fierofocus.com Select article's and then scroll down to "Fiero Safety Testimonial".

If you take an overall look, the Fiero actually beat the Volvo a few times, even in Volvo's later '90s models:

code:

---

1992---	Volvo 240------------	4Dr--	2980	(*****)	(**** )
1979---	Volvo 244DL----------	4Dr--	3374	(*    )	(*    )
1988---	Volvo 740GLE---------	4Dr--	3550	(*****)	(*****)
1983---	Volvo 760GLE---------	4Dr--	3560	(**** )	(**** )
1994-97	Volvo 850------------	4Dr--	3241	(*****)	(**** )	(**** )	( N/A )
1997---	Volvo 960------------	4Dr--	3521	(**** )	(**** )
1982---	Volvo DL-------------	2Dr--	3354	(**** )	(*****)
1985---	Volvo DL-------------	4Wa--	3590	(*****)	(*****)
1985---	Volvo DL-------------	4Dr--	3400	(*****)	(*****)

---

In short, yes, it is extremely safe. I hit an oil slick @ ~55mph on a curvy road due to a recycling truck losing a barrel, did about 12 donuts, and planted a tree square in the middle of the rear. My friend and I both were both a little dizzy, I think from the spinning, but that was it.
I also saw a fiero that a guy was going too fast in, slid off the road, and planted a tree in the roof (he hit it while the car was on it's side). He climbed out where the sunroof was, and didn't even go to the hospital.

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Journal of a concept: http://southeastfieros.com >>> Build Thread >>> Parts thread (for project funding)

A long time ago, I heard a rumor that the Fiero was dangerous in a frontal impact because the hood could sever the heads of the occupants. I have never been able to empiracally verify this.

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Farknocker's Superfly Yellow '87 GT
355ci Chevy
....chicks dig it, men fear it.

quote Originally posted by Mr. Farknocker: A long time ago, I heard a rumor that the Fiero was dangerous in a frontal impact because the hood could sever the heads of the occupants. I have never been able to empiracally verify this.

There are metal posts up front that prevent the hood from doing this.

Edit:

I also want to add another reason that the Fiero is safe; the engine is in the back. This frees up more space in the front to be a crumple zone and protect against head-on collisions, which tend to be more violent than rear-end wrecks.

[This message has been edited by Fiero Brick (edited 12-15-2008).]

back in highschool, i had a friend get rear ended by a 79 chevy truck on his 86 gt. only cracked the tail lights, and broke the spoiler. the truck needed extensive front end repair. the owner of the truck ( some dumbass highschool kid from a rival school ) was not very happy of the outcome.

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First LX9 Fiero GT, 1987
If you can't fix it with a hammer, you've got an electrical problem
Fiero's are people too. We pay just as much attention to them, if not more than our loved ones
My Fiero Fuel Economy
Videos of My GT
Google Videos of My GT

Seeing and hearing about all the crashed fieros makes me pretty sad. Especially since its so hard to find one out here, took me 9 months to find one

another bonus is that the fiero was designed to impact large, solid objects, very hard, and drive away with the headlights still working. the concept of crumple zone is limited to the headlight buckets(which ive reinforced with small bars to box them in, tacked to the main railings) and the frame rails bend up at the radiator so the front of the car will lift if you manage to hit something that hard(100mph). that said, ALL cars now are weak, plastic, full of styrofoam, and have extensive crumple zones. these cars are designed to save you wiplash, not the car. a 50 mph colision with another car in a fiero requires a hand operated frame puller to fix, a 50mph collision in a mercedes requires cutting and regluing half the car back togeather. the best safety feature of driving a fiero TODAY is that all cars have crumple zones so you dont need them. i saw one hit the back of a jetta and cavitated the entire trunk and bumper into itself with nothing but damage to the headlight bucket on one side, the frame rail was perfect, the subframe was perfect, the alighment was unchanged. our cars rule.

quote Originally posted by Oreif: We had a local member who was T-boned by a Ford F-150 pick-up truck. The Fiero broke in half. He walked away with minor injuries and was home that night. The driver of the pick-up spent 2 weeks in the hospital (he wasn't wearing his seatbelt). The story and pics are at: www.fierofocus.com Select article's and then scroll down to "Fiero Safety Testimonial".

Go directly to the article here.

quote Originally posted by pswayne: Go directly to the article here.

Be careful to link directly to the articles. We are going to be revamping our club website and some of the links will most likely change.

The guy who owned this Fiero drove into a bridge abutment and walked away. The used car dealer had sold the car to the guy, bought back the wreck, (low mileage engine) and sold him the next one, a Formula this time.

quote Originally posted by Old Lar: The guy who owned this Fiero drove into a bridge abutment and walked away. The used car dealer had sold the car to the guy, bought back the wreck, (low mileage engine) and sold him the next one, a Formula this time.

all i have to say is HOLY S#$%

Can we please restrain from posting pictures of Fieros in that condition?

Like many people here say "Our cars are like our kids"

You wouldnt want me posting a picture of a dead kid would you?
Especially not one that mangled.

My stomach cant take much more of this thread.

-Joe

quote Originally posted by joesfiero: Can we please restrain from posting pictures of Fieros in that condition? Like many people here say "Our cars are like our kids" You wouldnt want me posting a picture of a dead kid would you? Especially not one that mangled. My stomach cant take much more of this thread. -Joe

I happen to like the fact that every pic in this thread was when there was a survivor. I appreciate the sacrifices these fieros gave to save their drivers. Good to know these cars love us as much as we love them.

Moving on.........

I have a question along this topic. Most of us know that our cars were 5* rated, second only to Volvo in the '80s. HOWEVER, how do those tests compare to todays standards? Are they running the same tests, using the same key elements to rate how a car does in the tests?

Basically, if you were to take a Fiero to be tested using the criteria for new cars, how would one be rated today?
My brother in law (a cop) was poking fun at the Fiero the other day. He was saying how unsafe it looks and yada yada yada. Obviously I told him about the crash test ratings to which his reply was "Yeah back in the 1800s it might have passed, everything was more unsafe back then."

Im not sure how to answer that. If anyone knows of solid evidence, let me know.

-Joe

PS the 1800s is obviously a joke, he knows its an '85.

My understanding is they did a 35mph solid barrier test. Not sure how they tested the side impacts. Never have seen any rear impact tests.

Speaking from personal experience I'd say that structurally it's fine but obviously it lacks some safety issues like air bags. I think the biggest problem with the Fiero is the crappy brakes so you just cannot drive it like a modern car and expect the brakes to get you out of some situations. Of course if you 'upgrade' the brakes you leave yourself open to all sort of liability issues should you have an accident, even if the upgraded system is superior to the originals.

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Dave

www.ltlfrari.com

quote Originally posted by joesfiero: Moving on......... I have a question along this topic. Most of us know that our cars were 5* rated, second only to Volvo in the '80s. HOWEVER, how do those tests compare to todays standards? Are they running the same tests, using the same key elements to rate how a car does in the tests? Basically, if you were to take a Fiero to be tested using the criteria for new cars, how would one be rated today? My brother in law (a cop) was poking fun at the Fiero the other day. He was saying how unsafe it looks and yada yada yada. Obviously I told him about the crash test ratings to which his reply was "Yeah back in the 1800s it might have passed, everything was more unsafe back then." Im not sure how to answer that. If anyone knows of solid evidence, let me know. -Joe PS the 1800s is obviously a joke, he knows its an '85.

Joe,
Obviously, safety standards and testing have changed and/or improved. I can't say how our cars would do today and be anywhere close to accurate but, I can testify to the crashworthyness of our cars. My kids have done their part to make all 88s rarer, thusly, increasing their value. If testing was done without air bags, I believe our cars would do very well in comparasion but, until we add airbags to our cars, we would fail. But, bang for your buck, the Fiero is still one of the safest cars on the road.

Ron

quote Originally posted by blackrams: Joe, Obviously, safety standards and testing have changed and/or improved. I can't say how our cars would do today and be anywhere close to accurate but, I can testify to the crashworthyness of our cars. My kids have done their part to make all 88s rarer, thusly, increasing their value. If testing was done without air bags, I believe our cars would do very well in comparasion but, until we add airbags to our cars, we would fail. But, bang for your buck, the Fiero is still one of the safest cars on the road. Ron

Let's have some comparisons... I don't have any valid data to back up the speeds of these vehicles, so this is just for illustration purposes...

Volvo, side impact, fatality:


Fiero, side impact, survived:


Hummer, frontal, fatality:


Fiero, frontal, survived:


Unknown, trapped by semi, fatality:


Fiero, trapped by semi, survived:


The simple point is that the Fiero is very uniquely made. Where GM shortchanged, using parts bins, they more than made up for it in safety. In a modern crash test, I personally would still pit the Fiero against any other car in any crash test. I would bet all $12 in my checking account that not only would you have a better chance of survival, your Fiero would also have a better chance of repair. Please also note that in the above images, not only did the Fiero owners survive, they didn't even need serious medical attention... That's my 2 cents...

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Journal of a concept: http://southeastfieros.com >>> Build Thread >>> Parts thread (for project funding)

Don't forget Fi Ero. That's him on crutches:

[This message has been edited by Hudini (edited 12-17-2008).]

quote Originally posted by Hudini: Don't forget Fi Ero. That's him on crutches:

Darn, forgot that one... sorry. But it bolsters my statement... He survived, and with what, a broken ankle?.
Thanks hudini!

[This message has been edited by fieroboom (edited 12-17-2008).]

I think theyve only added a front corner collision. To me , those are the most damaging and I dont know if anyone doing testing has ever tried a Fiero.

quote Originally posted by rogergarrison: I think theyve only added a front corner collision. To me , those are the most damaging and I dont know if anyone doing testing has ever tried a Fiero.

With images like I posted above, and a guard rail in your door, I don't think we have anything to worry about, even with corner collisions. I don't have any pics of my white '86 GT when I planted the tree in the back, but I hit that mofo h-a-r-d... It was hard enough that it pushed the entire drivetrain forward, shattered all the windows, and cracked the windshield. And my friend and I got out to survey the damage. He bumped his head on the seat belt retainer in the B-pillar, so he was a little goofy, and repeating himself, but he checked out fine.

Unfortuantely for the Fiero and the Fiero enthusiast, these cars, although finally appreciating in value, are still cheap enough to be bought by any young punk kid with a job at McDonalds. As a result, I can only see them becoming even more scarce as they are wrecked by drivers with no respect for the Pegasus and no appreciation for its quality and history. There is no greater crime than to protect a fool who would feel neither regret, nor loss, for killing off one of a dying breed. But I personally, have no doubt, that should the day come when I am forced to ask my Fiero to breath its last to keep me safe, I will walk away and mourn the loss of a friend.

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My Fiero ate an import. No, seriously.