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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - steering column

I am looking for a collapsable steering column. Is it interchangeable with the straight bar that I have now an where can I look? There are none on E-Bay.
Flip Brühl

Flip

Mail me

daveo138 at yahoo co uk
Dave O'Neill 2

Flip,
Let us know how you get on, this is something i'm considering as the iron spear aimed at my chest does worry my somewhat......
Andy Phillips (frankenfrog)

A good safety feature though - that iron spear... Reminds me not to drive like a tw*t....
Dominic Excell

I don't normally agree with anything that Clarkson says, but he did once say that if a sharp spike shot out of your steering wheel on impact, rather than an airbag, you would drive much more carefully.
Dave O'Neill 2

Does anyone have any statistics at all, for the number of injuries/deaths, caused by the non-collapsible columns used in the earlier Spridgets?

Does anyone have any personal knowledge of someone being spiked?

Should we all be really worried and rush to convert our solid columns to collapsible types?

And, does anyone have any performance stat's to prove how efficient the collapsible type in Spridgets actually is at doing it's safety job?
Lawrence Slater

Lawrence,
Are you volunteering to be the test subject ?
I suggest we start with the collapsible type test first....
Andy Phillips (frankenfrog)

I hear that the splines of the collapsable are different from the ' Spear". What splines?: the steering wheel side or the rack side? And how to solve this. I have a very special nice wooden steering wheel made by Lemperd USA...
Flip Brühl

Flip

As I said in my email, the steering wheel spline is different. The rack spline is the same.
Dave O'Neill 2

Hi Dave,

Is the diameter bigger or smaller. Can we change the splines on the new column or the boss?
Flip
Flip Brühl

It's the other people driving like twats that I worry about when out on the road!

I can't see an impact that would be big enough to drive the steering column that hard and far at your chest not buckling the column anyway. And such an impact would probably give you other problems like smashed legs etc.

I just wouldn't want to crash in a midget full stop!

Malcolm.
M Le Chevalier

You'd be surprised Malc. I hit a tyre wall at a slight angle to head-on at about 50 mph, even with a 4-point harness my chest hit the steering wheel and bent it! The steering column plastic pins broke and did their job. The hit on the chassis was actually on the LH leg, the right leg and rack were not displaced. These days I check my belts are uber-tight!
David Smith

No, not volunteering to be a test dummy. I'll stick to being a plain dummy. lol.

I've never given any thought to the column in the event of a crash, but it would be a bit of a surprise if the column came right through the boss, and spiked you. More likely you get your chest smashed in by the steering wheel, as David describes. So if you have a collapsible column, shouldn't you also have a "safety" steering wheel too?

David was wearing a full harness. Just how much use -- against a steering wheel --, is the conventional lap and shoulder seat belts most of us have?

I guess if I'm that worried, I should get rid of the Spridgets, since a head on in one isn't likely to be a pretty result even with a collapsible column.
Lawrence Slater

A Spridget has still got to be safer than a motorbike, Two lads 19 and 20 killed near here a couple of weeks ago, collision with a Range Rover. No further details yet.

Dave
Dave Barrow

As a kid I saw the collision of a 2CV and a silver ghost. The gearchange of the 2CV stuck out the rear window. (the driver of the 2 CV walked out!)
Flip Brühl

If you are driving a MKII I don't think you will notice when the steering column enters your chest. Before that the bonnet will ride up over the cowl and sever your neck. No crumple zones here.

I think an early Midget is less safe than a motorbike. Safety Fast is a Midget oxymoron, but I drive mine anyway. Drive responsibly!
Paul Noeth

This thread was discussed between 21/10/2014 and 28/10/2014

MG Midget and Sprite Technical index

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