Outrigger Steering And Brake Line Safety?

[goofyone]

Has that rig ever sat outside in an ice storm? I live in an area where that can happen. Wouldn't want to have to chip away at both the windshield and the suspension just to drive. I'd probably improvise some covers if it was predictable weather.

The tendency in this thread has been to dismiss the issue but I'm science-minded and looking for all details.

You would have to have a pretty thick layer of ice on the suspension so that the weight of the vehicle moving the suspension would not be able to break it off. Some covers may come in handy to save you some hassle but even if you had an extra thick layer of ice hot water would work well on the suspension as you would not need to get rid of ice completely just bring it down to a manageable level which would then allow the weight of the vehicle moving the suspension to fracture the remaining ice.

 

[JEBar]

motorcycle and ATV break lines and such are exposed to the elements and I don't remember hearing or experiencing any concerns .... we used to install knobby tires on the rear of my bikes and hit the back woods trails in snow, mud, dirt, rocks and all manner of surfaces .... I currently have two 4-wheelers that have been in heavy off road use for well over 15 years .... over that time I've broken and had to replace a bunch of different parts but none of the parts mentioned as being a concern .... if a person is really bothered about the possibility of a problem with a vehicle that isn't in production, it seems to me that they shouldn't buy one until it hits the roads and real world experience determines if the problem really exist or not

 

[LillyMayPatterson #1685 & #5648]

Glad I found this this thread. Welcome JCar and Thanks for asking this question. It is something I might have worried about. Thanks everybody who answered. Ya Know, I am not worried about parking my vehicles in my own drive as much as when I park at the grocery stores and malls. I am thankful to be able to park close to the entrances because of my disabilities. I've seen what punks do to pretty things because they don't own them. It is nice to be advised about the mechanics. Thanks.
.....Z's posts were like getting whispers in my ear from an angel.

 

[JCar]

Actually, not really. Fenders allowed for deflection of whatever was kicked up by the tires away from the car body, and the open windows used before AC. They became more popular when used to assist with body lines and designs.
I ask you to understand, no one is minimalizing your concerns. They are serious to you, that is obvious. However, fenders by themselves only effect direct contact by minimal objects. Anything heavier or larger drives those fenders into the tire assembly. When sitting in the Sun, the control arms, brake lines and such will probably get warmer, but not enough to cause damage. In the cold it doesn't really matter, the temperature is the same, fenders or not! Ice and snow can be an issue, but not causing any more harm than with fenders. I "hope" for some sort of deflectors for the backside of the disc brake assembly. Water and Ice can defiinately effect braking, again, fenders or not.
I guess the best way to state it is, something heavy or large enough to damage the control arms, rims and such, won't care if the fenders are there or not. Fenders just might add to the damage!
So, I recognize your concerns, I have thought about what you've stated, and came to my own conclusion, there is no need for a deflector for the front suspension. IMO
You can disagree, and that is what makes the World go round. It is up to "us" to observe and draw our own conclusions..

I'm going to view it in the same way I wonder how horses can run on such spindly looking legs; obviously they do. I mainly want to see this contraption get to market and get on with the business of saving fuel and money. This is the very sort of car I'd design on my own.

 

[JCar]

motorcycle and ATV break lines and such are exposed to the elements and I don't remember hearing or experiencing any concerns .... we used to install knobby tires on the rear of my bikes and hit the back woods trails in snow, mud, dirt, rocks and all manner of surfaces .... I currently have tow 4-wheelers that have been in heavy off road use for well over 15 years .... over that time I've broken and had to replace a bunch of different parts but none of the parts mentioned as being a concern .... if a person is really bothered about the possibility of a problem with a vehicle that isn't in production, it seems to me that they shouldn't buy one until it hits the roads and real world experience determines if the problem really exist or not

Good point about ATV exposure to worse stuff than most cars see. I'm not going to sweat about much except vandalism. It reminds me of exposed engines (e.g. Baja Bugs) where some cretin can just walk by and tear off a part; visual temptation, not just ease of access.

Carry on with the positive notes and don't take my comments too gravely. Mr. Elio is doing a great thing if this ends up working.

 

[JEBar]

I'm not going to sweat about much except vandalism.

well understood .... the motion detectors with 360 degree camera and alarm notification components of Skyz option has me giving it serious consideration .... that's something I wouldn't of believed when I first heard about it

 

[JCar]

The way I look at it is that the suspension components are made from fairly heavy steel, and steel braided brake lines are incredibly strong, so any debris strong enough to damage or break these components would also cause serious damage to the plastic front bumper cover or thin sheet metal fenders on a normal vehicle. This is of course possible but how often does this actually happen to cars? From my experience these are comparatively rare events so Elio vehicles being damaged this way should also be rare events.

The biggest problem is of course these vehicles have not hit the road yet so this is all just theory. Everyone can choose to believe whatever they wish and there is no way to actually prove anything one way or another other than just waiting to see what happens when they hit the road.

It's a tougher looking vehicle than the Aptera people waited on, but it's still prone to the vaporware curse like anything this radical. It's also dependent on a shortsighted buying public whom mass marketers must appease.

Geologically-ignorant people are being fooled by this temporary shale oil boom and low prices due to slacking global demand, which translates to "who cares about MPG now?" for box-store zombies. Oil gets physically scarcer each day no matter what the price is. Wasting it will be perceived as criminal at some point, with no simple substitutes for its energy density and easy transport. I could get heavily into that topic but I'll close it there.

 

[JCar]

well understood .... the motion detectors with 360 degree camera and alarm notification components of Skyz option has me giving it serious consideration .... that's something I wouldn't of believed when I first heard about it

I hadn't heard of that - good concept.

http://www.eliomotors.com/press-rel...-84-mpg-elio-into-connected-internet-vehicle/

 

[JCar]

I hadn't heard of that - good concept. Also, getting good stereo sound in that small cabin will be an interesting test. Not much room for too much extra gear. The narrow cabin might be like a pair of headphones.

http://www.eliomotors.com/press-rel...-84-mpg-elio-into-connected-internet-vehicle/

 

[Folks]

NOt interested. I'm not going to pay the exorbitant prices for G4 usage for the internet.