GTSLEX

iTrader: (2)

Since IIHS and other agencies don't crash test porshces and other high end cars I was wondering how safe are Porsche 911's, Cayman & Boxsters when it comes to car accidents?

Crash test are probably the last thing on your mind when buying a Porsche, but really, how safe are they?

PhilipMSPT

iTrader: (5)

James Dean and Paul Walker died in Porsche accidents.

Just sayin'...

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Neither of which died in a 911, Cayman or Boxster though..

Porsche 550 and Carerra GT respectively

mikez

Probably pretty safe, Porsche after all, is a volume manufacturer that sells cars all over the world.

I would be more concerned with limited production hand built cars like Aston, caterham etc

mmarshall

As to the safety question, there's a BIG difference between older and newer rear-engine Porsches.

Older rear-engined Porsches, being tail-happy, naturally required care in aggressive cornering. What worked with many other cars simply didn't work with them. The natural reaction to nailing a corner too fast is to let up on the throttle, and sometimes jab the brakes. That could lead to real trouble in early Porsches. Let up too quickly on the throttle once you have actually started the turn, and you went into a classic case of what was called drop-throttle snap-oversteer. The heavy rear end, added to the twisting effect of the turn, suddenly wanted to swap ends with the light front end, and you quickly spun out in the direction you were steering.....into the opposite lane, into a ditch, or off the side of a mountain if there was no protective barrier. Counter-steer could easily lead to over-correcting, where you then spin out in the opposite direction (note the attached video-link, which illustrates this). The versions with the swing-axle rear suspensions (similar to some early Beetles, Corvairs, and Corvettes) had another hazard in addition to the spin-outs...the tendency, under pressure, during the spin, for the outside tire to tuck under and flip the car over on its side or upside down (and remember, early convertibles/roadsters had little or no roll-over protection). In addition, the air-cooled engines meant that the cabin air was exhaust-heated rather than coolant-heated by heater-core like in most cars. So, unless the exhaust system was perfectly sealed with no leaks, even a small leak could allow carbon monoxide to mix in with air coming through the heater or defroster ducts into the cabin, with obvious effects on the driver and passengers.



Fortunately, the conversion to liquid-cooling in later Porsches cured the heating-system hazards (and the notoriously long wait for the heater to warm up in the winter), and improvements in suspensions, tires, brakes, chassis-design, and electronic traction-aids have all but eliminated the tendency to swap ends and/or flip over during botched-up cornering. Indeed, today's Boxsters/Caymans and 911s are some of the best-handling sports cars in the world, and very high on almost any enthusiast's list. So, for the most part, you can't compare those earlier Porsche to newer ones. But those old ones could be a real handful, and, in some cases, dangerous, if you were careless or didn't know what you were doing.

Byprodrive

iTrader: (1)

I say they are safer than any other vehicle their size & price range. They use high strength steel in critical areas like windshield frames in case of roll over. Convertibles have rollbars, either fixed in place or popup when needed. They are designed for autobaun travel & have outstanding brakes. I have avoided several collisions in my 2000 Boxster S that would not have been possible in other vehicles.
I believe any passenger vehicle must pass crash safety standards to be sold new in the U.S.

Megafast13

Yeah literally every celebrity who died in a car crash was driving a Porsche so...

I guess any car going 100+ on the streets isn't safe though.

Ryan Dunn was in a GT2 or 3 if I recall.

mmarshall

Here's an interesting website on that subject.

http://oppositelock.jalopnik.com/i-w...ion-1475394385

Of course, other vehicles have also played a role, such as Princess Diana and her boyfriend in the Mercedes S-class, and Grace Kelly in a Rover 3500.