Gov'ment law that cars are supposed to be abel to take a 5mph impact w/ almost no damange. They do notihing for high speed collisions.

 

Let's be careful here. Until testing has been done, we do not know the value of the structural steel part of the bumper assembly in the event of a crash. In my old Type I VW the front-mounted spare tire was an important part of the (albeit meager) front impact protection system.

IMO, the owner that removes the bumper should recognize that the vehicle's structural integrity may be less sound in a front or rear impact.

 

no way, when you take them off its perfectly clear. Or frame is not anything like a VW and comparing them is apples to oranges.

If anything the huge bar under the stock intake is going to make the difference. And the crumple zones have nothing to do with the bumper bars.

 

Of course the frame and technology are different between a 1968 VW and a 2000 Honda! The concept is the same. More frontal area helps to disperse impact energy better than none. Thus, the spare tire in the VW spreads impact area over a larger unibody surface just like the metal structure under the bumper cover in our Honda. This would be particularly relevent in an offset impact where forces are concentrated in a particular area. And yes, I agree that in the event of an impact I am MUCH safer in the Honda than in the VW because of the improved crash engineering in the newer car.

When I removed the bumper covers and looked at the underlying structure, it was perfectly clear to me that it aids in impact protection. So, I guess we have to disagree about this until a Honda engineer chimes in or comeone crash tests the car without the bumper support.

I completely understand why you removed the bumper supports and congratulate your competitive spirit, but I think it's important to alert people to the possible ramifications of this action.

 

It's my opinon they won't make any differance at high speeds, but like you said Neither of us know for sure.

Are you back in the states yet?

 

Yep! I wonder how well I'll drive after 5 weeks of just walking and swimming around.