What speed are bumpers rated for?
NHTSA amended the bumper standard in May 1982, halving the front and rear crash test speeds for 1983 and newer car bumpers from 5 miles per hour (8 km/h) to 2.5 miles per hour (4 km/h), and the corner crash test speeds from 3 miles per hour (5 km/h) to 1.5 miles per hour (2 km/h).
How much impact can a bumper take?
Today, standard passenger vehicle bumpers have a rigid reinforcing bar under the outer cover, with sections of compressible foam or plastic underneath. In the United States, passenger car bumpers must absorb a five mph impact from another vehicle with no damage to the car body.
What counts as a bumper?
A bumper is a shield made of steel, aluminum, rubber, or plastic that is mounted on the front and rear of a passenger car. When a low speed collision occurs, the bumper system absorbs the shock to prevent or reduce damage to the car.
What qualifies as a rear bumper?
Rear bumper means the structure designed to prevent a vehicle or object from under-riding the rear of another motor vehicle. See 393.86 of this title.
Are plastic bumpers good?
Modern car bumpers are made from thermoplastic olefins, a blend of plastic molecules, rubber, and a reinforcing filler like carbon fiber or calcium carbonate. Plastic is also considered to be safer than metal as a bumper material since plastic does a better job of absorbing an impact during an accident.
Can I drive with a damaged bumper?
When you start driving a car after an accident, your car may no longer be street legal due to the damage it was caused. Driving a car with bumper damage, missing mirrors, headlight problems, and structural issues like hood damage is illegal.
Is my bumper plastic or metal?
Most OEM bumpers are made out of plastic and feature an aluminum or steel reinforcement bar hidden in the middle. Some bumpers may also contain polypropylene in order to help absorb energy during an impact.
Is it illegal to drive in California without a bumper?
State Laws Requiring Bumpers Most state laws require automobiles to have front bumpers. California’s law is typical. Article 11.5 of the Vehicle Code, section 28071, provides: “Every passenger vehicle registered in this state shall be equipped with a front bumper and with a rear bumper.
What are car bumpers made of?
Thermoplastic olefin elastomers (TPO) constitute the largest single market of the automotive field: excellent weatherability, low density, and relatively low cost make TPO as current material of choice for automotive bumpers and fascias.
Are front bumpers plastic or metal?
How can you tell if a bumper is plastic?
3 Ways to Identify Plastic
- Look at the color of the raw plastic. If it’s black or gray, generally it’s a thermoplastic.
- Look for the ID mark on the back of the bumper cover (pictured above). There should be a 2-3 letter ID that you can look up.
- Lightly grind the plastic to see if it smears or powders.
What happens to a car’s bumper at 5 mph?
The New Beetle sustained no damage in rear-into-full-width flat barrier and rear-into-pole impacts at 5 mph, and sustained only minor damage in the front-into-flat barrier and front-into-angle-barrier tests at the same speed. 7. What happened to tougher bumper performance standards?
What do you need to know about front bumpers?
It applies to front and rear bumpers on passenger cars to prevent the damage to the car body and safety related equipment at barrier impact speeds of 2½ mph across the full width and 1½ mph on the corners. This is equivalent to a 5 mph crash into a parked vehicle of the same weight.
Why did the government roll back 2.5 mph bumpers?
The principal argument used to justify the rollback of federal requirements was that 2.5 mph bumpers would weigh less — thus reduce gas consumption — and would cost $18-35 (1982 dollars) less per car. The government argued that consumers would spend more money on a car with 5 mph bumpers and on gas than they would save from lower repair bills.
What was the speed limit for bumpers in 1982?
In 1982, the federal government bowed to pressure from automakers and rolled back impact test requirements from 5 to 2.5 mph for 1983 and later model cars. The 2.5 mph standard also allows unlimited damage to the bumper and attachments.