TP's smart fortwo blog

[hyo silver]

Yeah, I guess the climb to Pennask Summit is longer, especially from the lake. I used to think Vancouver had hills, but not after cycling that.
It sounds like the little Smartie does alright on the hills, but I'd still be nervous trying to maintain 110 in those typically gusty winds of the plateau.

[Tideland Prius]

mm not sure where that is.

Yeah it does alright. The ride is very firm though, much more so than the Prius.

Yes you would and so would I lol. I barely maintained 100km/h between Medicine Hat and the Drumheller turn off because of very strong southerly/southwesterly winds (I'd wager 50-60km/h). I pulled over at one point and had some difficultly opening the driver's door. But then again, I don't think the Prius would fare any better as we all know it is slab-sided but I probably wouldn't have to turn the wheel as far as left in the Prius as I did in the smart (just a guess because of the extra weight and wider tyres).

If I had to do a trip again, I'll probably use the Prius mostly because of cruise control.

[hyo silver]

Originally Posted by Tideland Prius

mm not sure where that is...

You had mentioned the Okanagan connector earlier. Pennask Summit is the high point on that road between Merritt and Peachland.

Given the choice, I'd take the Prius, too, even though I rarely use cruise control. Hopefully you can just trade cars when the time comes for a road trip.

[Tideland Prius]

Originally Posted by hyo silver

You had mentioned the Okanagan connector earlier. Pennask Summit is the high point on that road between Merritt and Peachland.

Given the choice, I'd take the Prius, too, even though I rarely use cruise control. Hopefully you can just trade cars when the time comes for a road trip.

lol. I never knew that. Now I know!

Ahh. Yeah part of it was to bring the car home. The pedal on the smart is a lot stiffer too so no cruise on a Prius isn't as bad as no cruise on the smart.

[jayman]

Originally Posted by Tideland Prius

Winnipeg seemed ok to me. I went straight into town. It was the same night the incident occurred on the Greyhound at Portage-La-Prairie.

Eastbound on Portage, you had to turn off on to Broadway. Especially past Great West Life at Osborne, it gets bumpy. So is St Mary's south of the Norwood Bridge. St Annes is no fun either. But once you get on to Fermor, it's ok. The new surface at the Floodway is very nice.

You should have gone down Wellington by going south on Maryland, left at Wellington, and taken Stradbrook all the way to St Mary's. Bouncy-bouncy

For harsh bumps, it's hard to beat Dugald between Lagimodiere and Plessis

How did it make you feel to find out later about the guy who went bonkers, chopped the head off that unfortunate passenger, and started nibbling on him? Too bad the RCMP didn't have a convenient excuse to cap him right there on the side of the road

Now the Canadian taxpayer will generously keep this nut in a smile-in ward for the rest of his life. Didn't take long for the various mental nutjob organizations to defend this kook: poor fellow, he's a "victim" in this, the stigma of the Mentally Ill, etc etc

I have no problem with the Mentally Ill, and really encourage them to seek proper help and medication. I have a HUGE problem with them snapping and going monkeys*** on us

[hyo silver]

Originally Posted by jayman

...I have no problem with the Mentally Ill, and really encourage them to seek proper help and medication. I have a HUGE problem with them snapping and going monkeys*** on us

Not to take this thread in yet another direction, but yes, mental health is a big issue. Locking people up and keeping them heavily sedated wasn't very successful, but turning them loose to wander the streets in search of 'medication' isn't working so well, either.

[Tideland Prius]

Pretty shocked... I mean, ok fine you stabbed him... then continued to stab him... and then decapitate him. Seriously.

[jayman]

Made me think of Soylent Green. You too??

Anyhooser, back to topic: how is that Smart working out for you??

[Jack66]

I've been seeing a lot of Smarts in the NO VA and DC area. I even saw a covertible that I didn't know existed. They seem like a good choice for many. My main concern would be safety. An earlier post had a link to a damaged Smart. The car rolled but I didn't see any front-deployed airbags -- maybe what looked to be a side airbag in one picture. Also, any crumple zones for the car would seem to include the passenger and driver seats. How can the Smart absorb damage and not transfer much of it to the people inside?

I have a lot of respect for you, TP, and I can't imagine you purchasing the Smart without some information that reassured you about the car's safety. Just curious what that information was.

P.S. Do you have something like a Condo Association with covenants covering bad guests and the people that hosted them? If so, do the hosts realize their guests might be bringing them trouble?

Enjoy your Smart and good luck against the night pranks.

Jack

[Tideland Prius]

jayman - smart's working out good. Just like the Prius back in 2004, people here obviously have varying opinions on it. Unlike the Prius, the majority (friends/family) like it. Sign of the times perhaps?

Jack66 - It's hard to spot the convertible because the roof rails are removeable and sometimes the owners won't even remove them. They'll only adjust the soft top and leave the rails in place.

Well several things

1. In the city, the highest speed is 60km/h. A head-on is 120km/h at the most. (knock on wood). Most likely, it'll be an offset so I'll be spun off somewhere, rather than taking the full brunt so I should be ok.

2. A normal car has crumple zones taking care of the crash force. In the smart, you have the crumple zones, the suspension, the wheels and the seat (incl. the seatbelt) all taking part plus the tridion safety cell. So hopefully all of that will lessen the force on my chest. (4-star from NHTSA, "good" from the IIHS)

3. Side-impact ratings is good. 5-star from the NHTSA, "good" from the IIHS. There are two steel beams in the doors, side-airbags with head protection (because there isn't a side curtain airbag) and plus you're sitting above the wheels, so you're decently high up (I'd wager around Outback/Forester or RAV4 level).

4. Handling isn't the best for obvious reasons. A tall height and skinny front tyres leave little to be desired. The suspension is quite firm (firmer than the Prius) so at least it doesn't lean as much as say a RAV4.

5. Weight is nearly 50/50 (I think it's 46/54). There's traction control, stability control (ESP), corner brake control (CBC), ABS w/EBD and Brake Assist all as standard equipment. There's also a Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (helped when the bandits flattened my tyre)

No I don't. That was just a temporary place that's all. They got evicted so all's well.