Date:         Tue, 23 Mar 1999 04:19:50 +0100
Reply-To:     Per Lindgren <lindgre@ONLINE.NO>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Per Lindgren <lindgre@ONLINE.NO>
Subject:      Re: Car-top carrier advice needed
Comments: To: Max/Joyce Wellhouse <maxjoyce@IPA.NET>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Max/Joyce Wellhouse wrote:

> I must admit, I've never seen a sears sbox on top of a vw
> bus/vanagon/eurovan.  Although it wouldn't be a bad idea for carry all our
> wet smelly paddling gear after a river trip.  I've never understood how
> those things stay on the average car with just those littlle rain gutter
> hooks.  Anyway, I digress....
>

Many cars drive around with these boxes here in Northern Europe. Nicknamed
"Ski-boxes", they were originally designed to allow for an aerodynamic way of
bringing your skis on a roof rack, in addition to the fact that your skis are
locked inside the box. What very few people consider, is the altered driving
characteristics of a fully packed box on the roof. I saw a swedish car mag's
tv-programme, where they tested the effect such a box has on a cars stability.
With the test car, a Volvo 850 Wagon borrowed from the Volvo factory, they put
it through a slalom test, without the box. The car did about 75 kmh. Second,
they mounted the box on the roof, leaving it empty. This particular box weighed
in at about 25 kgs, if I remember right. The speed through the cones fell to 72
kmh. Third, they loaded the box up to Volvos specified roof load limit, which
were 100 kgs. They entered the cones at 70 kmh, and to everybody's surprise, the
car rolled over, coming to a halt on the roof after one and a half roll. The box
was shattered, and the sand bags used for weight were everywhere, and the car
was totaled. Still these boxes are allowed for use on cars. I've never seen
these boxes tested in a head-on collision, but I fear a projectile coming from
the top of your car, if the box is fully loaded. I will not say that you must
never use these boxes, and that all of them are dangerous, but I want to put the
light on the car's altered driving characteristics, and that you keep in mind
that you have the box on the roof of your car, and drive safely.

PerL
88 Syncro