Rollover Rating: 4runner = 3 stars

[Thai]

Link:

Rollover Ratings

Toyota 4runner got 3 stars. Only the Murano and Pilot did better, with 4 stars.

Not bad for a truck-based SUV, with good ground clearance.

 

[deniss]

at least it beats the Ford

I wonder why Pilot is a 4... it looks taller. maybe it sits lower...

 

[Thai]

The "ratio" looks at a lot of things: track, wheelbase, height, ground clearance, weight, etc.. So, notice that both Pilot and Murano are unibodies, low ground clearance, wide track, and relatively low curb weight.

 

[deniss]

I certainly agree with you Thai - I know that Murano and Pilot are different class of an SUV. Those are car-based for sure, whereas 4Runner is certainly a truck no less.

4Runner has good safety ratings as well. unfortunately not all 5 stars, but still good.

 

[JungleJim]

I wonder what the rating would be without the Standard Electronic Stability Control?

 

[deniss]

probably the same... it isn't always THAT effective... i doubt it enhances handling that much. traction maybe...

 

[Thai]

I think all stability control may help in roll-over prevention. Just look at Volvo XC90's claim...they claim that it's stability control can prevent rollovers.

However, i am not sure if the rollover rating takes stability control into consideration.

 

[deniss]

yea, i'm very much aware of that claim for XC90. i've driven it a few times, and i loved it, but its price bites a big one... and some build quality issues scare me a bit.

somehow i doubt that the stability control has that much to do with roll-over... roll-overs are tough to control! if it isn't low to the ground and doesn't have a real wide track, i doubt electronics can do much.

 

[Thai]

Well, stability control brakes individual wheels to counteract oversteer and understeer. And it usually acts BEFORE the driver even notices it. Therefore, at least in theory, it can prevent the events leading up to a rollover.

 

[PA 4Runner]

Was the 4Runner tested with XREAS or not?

 

[Thai]

I believe this rating is purely MATHEMATICAL. That is, it is NOT based on actual driving performance. So, i am not sure if stability control or XREAS would affect this rating.

 

[makakio]

Thai nailed it.

Purely mathematical in calculation. No real-world factors, not even suspension stiffness, etc are taken into affect. It's just a bunch of body spec/dimensional stuff crunched together into a 'rollover ratio' and it does not take into account stability control, traction control, electronic brakeforce distribution or other nannies that might help avoid a rollover.

Thus, Volvo and every other mfgr can advertise that their electronics actually make the vehicles even safer.

I've seen a post on Edmunds where the author claimed an automotive publication tested the same SUVs with bigger and smaller overall wheel packages (as compared to stock), as well as bigger/smaller wheel/tire examples (same total circumference). The ratio numbers changed quite drastically, with some vehicles ranging from 2 to 4 stars. Not really surprising, but SUVs with bigger tires (and a higher center of gravity) get lower rollover ratings and SUVs with 20s and low-profile street tires have a far better rollover rating than the same SUV equipped with 15" wheels and big-aspect rubber.

I think this data is pretty much marketing BS. I suggest taking stock OEM models of every SUV out on the same day, get them up to the same speed on the same stretch of road, hang two wheels off the pavement at the same spot and onto a soft shoulder and then crank the wheel and mash the brakes (uh - the only real situation in which SUVs tend to roll). THEN give them ratings *on the number of times* they roll.

But then of course the best cars would have zero or one roll and that's not a powerful, confidence-inspiring marketing figure...

And let's not forget that you'd have to head to Poland to find your testers...

 

[Thai]

Re: Thai nailed it.

And let's not forget that you'd have to head to Poland to find your testers...

Hey, is that a Polish joke??

Disclaimer: This forum does not support any racial jokes, unless they are aimed at the French. :biggrin2: :jk:

 

[gaslight]

hey up yours! I'm French Canadian be decent.

 

[Thai]

":jk:"

 

[PA 4Runner]

Gauging Rollovers on a Track and Not Just on Paper
By DANNY HAKIM

Published: October 8, 2003

EAST LIBERTY, Ohio, Oct. 7

 

[RL Lemke]

I have seen the video of the the 4Runner tests on local TV, over and over. Big news here in bubba land. What a difference between the 4th generation & 3rd generation!!!

The federal requirement for static testing of roof strength is frightening. How many roll-overs occur where the vehicle is carefully set on the roof by a crane? NONE!! I am glad Toyota has taken the risk of injury by roll-over seriously, and a lead in helping the feds understand real world testing. Maybe dynamic testing of roof strength will come next.

I would like to see information on the structural strength of the 4th generation in a roll-over. Maybe a video like that offered by Volvo with their XC90. I have seen way too many crushed A pillars on American trucks and SUVs, with the understanding that the collapsed roof means a dead or severly crippled driver.

 

[makakio]

Wow - big numbers.

"61 percent of fatalities among S.U.V. occupants and 45 percent in pickups were because of rollovers", and "rollovers represent less than 3 percent of all light-vehicle crashes ... they account for 33 percent of all occupant fatalities".

What I'd like to see added to 'journalism' like this are the numbers behind the numbers (ie: 90% of fatalities in rollovers occur to occupants NOT wearing a seatbelt) etc etc.

I'd seriously consider selling my 4Runner for something safer as it's a wife-and-kid daily driver if I were to find out that, say, seatbelts have no impact on survivability.

I would be willing to bet that in this age of numerous air bags, crumple zones, collapsable interiors (etc) it has become safer (not safe but safer) to encounter a standard wreck from front, side or rear without a belt and that all of those factors have lowered the death rate in accidents of that type. There has been no protection added for rollovers though except the belt.

I'm left wondering about what is left unsaid here though. Anyone out there have an idea as to what the *whole* story is on rollover statistics?

 

[PA 4Runner]

In the link provided in the article:

While the total number of highway fatalities has remained relatively stable over the past decade, the number of rollover deaths has risen substantially. According to NHTSA

 

[makakio]

Great addition - thanks!

I found it interesting that 78% of the people killed in rollover accidents were not wearing seatbelts. Not surprising, but interesting.

Of course it stands to mention that 83% of rollovers happened after the vehicles "left the roadway".

I also found it interesting that in "about 95%" of the cases, there was a "trip" that caused the vehicle to roll over (ie: "curbs, soft soil, pot holes, guard rails, and wheel rims digging into the pavement).

So I guess we should

1) wear our seatbelts,
2) keep the 4Runners on the road, and
3) avoid sliding sideways into curbs, guardrails, soft shoulders, potholes, etc

and our chances of suffering a rollover should be greatly diminished.

I feel much better now. Thanks PA