Kizashi Has a Good Bloodline

[redmed]

But of course. we knew that already.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzuki_Ji ... 80%931998)

On April 21, 2007, the Chilean duo of Gonzalo Bravo and Eduardo Canales drove their modified Suzuki Samurai (SJ413) up Ojos del Salado, past the previous record set by a Jeep at 6,646 meters (21,804 ft), setting a new record for the highest altitude attained by a four-wheeled vehicle at 6,688 meters (21,942 ft).

The Samurai in question benefitted from wheel, tire, and suspension changes, and a supercharged G16A 4-cylinder underhood. It was the third attempt for the two man team, after encountering weather difficulties on the first attempt and an engine fire in the second. The previous record holder's team led by Matthias Jeschke driving a Jeep Wrangler, left a sign reading "Jeep Parking Only: All others don't make it up here anyway". The Chilean team found the sign, blown down by strong winds, and brought it back to civilization as a souvenir.

This record was duly certified by the Guinness World Record in July 2007.

[Ronzuki]

Cool read...thanks.

It's noteworthy that the type of gov BS that caused Suzuki to bail entirely from the continent was mentioned specifically:

The rear seat was removed from 1994 and 1995 Samurai models with rear shoulder safety belts becoming mandatory, and the partial roll cage not having the required mounting provisions, unlike the larger Jeep Wrangler. Low sales and pending stricter safety legislation prompted the withdrawal of the Samurai from Canada and the United States markets after 1995.

Motorcyclists are exempt from having to wear helmets and seat belts. No seat belts on buses (of all things), why aren't purpose built utility vehicles exempt from the incessant government over-regulation?

[KuroNekko]

Motorcyclists are exempt from having to wear helmets and seat belts. No seat belts on buses (of all things), why aren't purpose built utility vehicles exempt from the incessant government over-regulation?

I think it's largely because motorcycles and buses serve a different purpose. Motorcycles are relatively unpopular and pose a low risk in harming others in an accident. It's the rider that's most vulnerable. While PA doesn't have a helmet law, most other states do. A rider from PA riding in neighboring MD can get a ticket for not having a helmet on. Most interstate riders from PA at least carry a helmet due to these varying laws. It also doesn't make much sense for a motorcycle to have a seat belt given the small mass of a bike, the lack of a cage safety structure, and the fact that motorcycles often go airborne on high speed impacts.

As for buses, there are a number of reasons why they don't have seat belts. For municipal buses, they often travel at low speeds with frequent stops. Buses also have a huge mass, making them less susceptible to serious damage when hit by other vehicles as most other vehicles on the road are smaller than a bus. As for school buses, the seats lacking seat belts were specifically designed for children to keep them in place in an impact. This is why they are upright and rather skimpy on legroom but also padded on the rear of the seat. The seats themselves essentially trap the child in place hence seat belts aren't as necessary as in other vehicles.

As for vehicles like the Samurai/Jimny, it's a challenge for an automaker to make them US road-compliant but it's possible if they really wanted to. However, it was not worth it for them given the decline in popularity. While vehicles like these may be purpose-specific by design, their use by consumers won't be for the most part. Most Jeep Wrangler owners don't take them offroad regularly and rather use them for normal driving like commuting. Hence, there should be every expectation of safety compliance given this reality. What's more important here is not design but actual usage.

The US also seems to have stricter safety laws given our higher speeds of travel and population density. Given small cars like the Jimny would be sized and priced to attract young, inexperienced drivers, having these vehicles not comply to safety standards would likely yield a high vehicle model fatality rate which would then affect sales and popularity, even without government intervention. Even a controversial claim of a high risk of roll-over in unusual and deliberate maneuvers went to hurt the Suzuki Samurai's sales in the past.

Lastly, vehicles like the Jimny aren't designed for the US in mind. Suzuki is a global manufacturer but interestingly one that didn't really take the US market very seriously until the very end when it was too late. Unlike rivals from Toyota, Honda, etc., Suzuki didn't bother making vehicles specifically for America and preferred to sell global models or even rebadged vehicles as their own here. The Kizashi was actually the very first one they really seemed to create for the US specifically in mind but it was met with bad timing, bad luck, and a limited dealer network.

As much as I'd love the Jimny here in the US, it's really not suited for American roads unless used as a Off-Highway vehicle unless Suzuki modifies the design and the powerplant for the US. We all know that's not happening so the best hope is that Toyota or someone else partners with Suzuki to make a USDM model or gets inspired by the new Jimny to create a similar kind of vehicle for sale in the US and Canada.

[Ronzuki]

Just highlights how much BS various gov agencies at all levels decree their "we know what's best for thee" attitude. helmets here, no helmets there. seat belts in cars, none in school buses. As many school buses as I've seen on their side in the woods horribly wrecked on the Philly and Lanc news in the past year or so, you would think at least ONE all knowing political god would be screaming bloody murder about the safety of the children. Nope. Obviously, nothing to gain monetarily for them to bother. What do roads have to do with a Jimny being on them? I still see Samurais on the rad, old bugs mixing it up with the same idiots driving insanely go approved 'safe cars'. traffic.

[redmed]

"As for buses, there are a number of reasons why they don't have seat belts. For municipal buses, they often travel at low speeds with frequent stops. Buses also have a huge mass, making them less susceptible to serious damage when hit by other vehicles as most other vehicles on the road are smaller than a bus. As for school buses, the seats lacking seat belts were specifically designed for children to keep them in place in an impact. This is why they are upright and rather skimpy on legroom but also padded on the rear of the seat. The seats themselves essentially trap the child in place hence seat belts aren't as necessary as in other vehicles. "

I heard that years ago teams of engineers worked on developing a seat belt system for school buses. They thoroughly reviewed each teams design then used the best from all the designs and came up with "what they thought" was a safe kid proof design. Then trialed the design on a school bus with a randomly selected group of kids and within minutes those seat belts where used in ways the engineers never foresaw. After multiple changes and tests with kids, the decision was made that not putting seat belts in school buses was the safest rout to go.

[redmed]

We had a big field with hills behind our house and my son would jump his new F150 off those hills. All four wheels in the air, I would cringe watching. When the F150 was a year old I borrowed it and promptly returned it within a mile or two because the steering was so loose it was hard to control the truck. My son later traded in the F150 for a Suzuki Sidekick. He leaped the Sidekick higher than the F150. When the Sidekick was three years old I drove it expecting another sloppy suspension, but the Suzuki drove like new. I was really surprised & impressed. That was a major reason I bought my Kizashi.

[Ronzuki]

good story red. Despite its appearance, my Samurai still retained much in the way of stock OE factory parts. Surprising, stock axle shafts, front birfield joints and hubs were all still in it when I sold it. Spinning wheels and tires that were far larger and far heavier than stock. The only spare parts I carrier around routinely in case of failure. Never needed them on the trail. The abuse the machine as a whole tolerated was insane. A testament to the engineering, materials and workmanship.

lol..Your son's airborne adventures reminds me of a butt ugly 1969 Toyota I had as a kid that flew extremely well. A covered bridge entrance ramp near where I grew up was a particular favorite launch. Got a ticket one day flying through there. That citation made a great conversation piece for a long, long time. Man that just took me back a long ways. I can still quote what the cop wrote on the offense portion...It stated "defendant operated vehicle at such a speed causing vehicle to become airborne clearing 5' speed check tape strips". People apparently bitched to the local PD about everyone driving through there too fast. Sneaky bastard had his cruiser parked behind the opposite side's stone wall along the exit ramp side. Never saw it. Scared the crap outta him when I came bouncing out the other side. The look of astonishment on his face was almost too funny.

Now I think about it, I've been a fan of Japanese engineering ever since really.

[KuroNekko]

Just highlights how much BS various gov agencies at all levels decree their "we know what's best for thee" attitude. helmets here, no helmets there. seat belts in cars, none in school buses. As many school buses as I've seen on their side in the woods horribly wrecked on the Philly and Lanc news in the past year or so, you would think at least ONE all knowing political god would be screaming bloody murder about the safety of the children. Nope. Obviously, nothing to gain monetarily for them to bother. What do roads have to do with a Jimny being on them? I still see Samurais on the rad, old bugs mixing it up with the same idiots driving insanely go approved 'safe cars'. traffic.

The cause of buses crashing and kids getting hurt in them are two different things. Statistically, children have a high survival rate in school bus crashes, even without seat belts due to the seat design. While it might be difficult to prevent a school bus from sliding around on ice, seat designs have made kids relatively safe in these buses. Active safety vs. passive safety.

As for older cars on the road, that's because they once met the standards of the time. However, they are like tin cans compared to modern cars and in an accident, you certainly would want to be in the newer, safer car. It's only expected that a new car sold today should meet the minimum standards for today's cars. While it would seem that other countries have looser regulations to allow cars like the Jimny to be sold and enjoyed, many actually have much stricter regulations, taxes, and fuel costs that would make popular American vehicles like large pick-ups and SUVs expensive and burdensome to own and operate. It's really a trade-off. While Japan may have these Jimnys running around in both 660cc and 1.5 liter variants, the country imposes vehicle classification taxes, high fuel costs, low speed limits, tolls on just about every single highway, and limited and costly parking. In comparison, the United States is like a driver's heaven.

Now I think about it, I've been a fan of Japanese engineering ever since really.

Not sure if you saw the video I linked in the thread dedicated to the new Jimny but it goes into the engineering of the new Jimny. It's in Japanese given it's an official release video from Suzuki Japan but it's rather detailed. The Japanese like to go into detail in their promo videos and often discuss the engineering of the chassis and powertrain, much to my delight. For example, at the 4:30 mark, the video discusses now the new ladder chassis has specialized body mount bushings that are designed to be soft on vertical vibrations and shock, but firm in lateral movement to reduce body sway while in turns and curves.

[Woodie]

As for buses, there are a number of reasons why they don't have seat belts. For municipal buses, they often travel at low speeds with frequent stops. Buses also have a huge mass, making them less susceptible to serious damage when hit by other vehicles as most other vehicles on the road are smaller than a bus. As for school buses, the seats lacking seat belts were specifically designed for children to keep them in place in an impact. This is why they are upright and rather skimpy on legroom but also padded on the rear of the seat. The seats themselves essentially trap the child in place hence seat belts aren't as necessary as in other vehicles.

I get a huge kick out of the mental gymnastics you go through trying to justify what is, in reality, government oppression. Only a lawyer could actually write such things with a straight face.

Not trying to pick a fight here, just good-natured ribbing from someone who disagrees with someone he respects.

[Ronzuki]

Not sure if you saw the video I linked in the thread dedicated to the new Jimny but it goes into the engineering of the new Jimny. It's in Japanese given it's an official release video from Suzuki Japan but it's rather detailed. The Japanese like to go into detail in their promo videos and often discuss the engineering of the chassis and powertrain, much to my delight. For example, at the 4:30 mark, the video discusses now the new ladder chassis has specialized body mount bushings that are designed to be soft on vertical vibrations and shock, but firm in lateral movement to reduce body sway while in turns and curves.

It saddens me terribly to know marvelous things in detail about that which I deeply desire and can never own. Transfer case mounting is virtually identical to that of the Samurai. If it ain't broken why fix it aye?

Free country? Let's think about that one for a long hard minute. A Jimny apparently is 'safe' for the vast majority of the rest of the world's population to own and enjoy...just not here. The machine, or most any machine, is extremely safe if properly maintained and operated within its design parameters, under the guidance of good old fashioned common sense. The fools that can't understand the requirements and dynamics of operating anything correctly shouldn't be protected by regulation, dictating design, at the great expense of everyone else. Those fools should be left to their own demise. I've stated many times, my wife and I owned a dangerous 30mpg stock 1986 hard top Samurai and we both drove it everywhere and anywhere enjoying over 100k miles of reliable, trouble-free, dirt-cheap ownership. In fact it was the only vehicle we owned for over 2 solid years while we saved to buy our first place to own, a condo. Never let us down, never left us stranded. By far the single best, most practical vehicle I/we ever owned. And we've owned many, many vehicles over the decades new and used. Much to the gov's surprise, it never ever came close to rolling over , it never needed rear shoulder seat belts, or air bags or any of the now mandatory can't-live-w/o-it BS crap that priced Suzuki clean out of the country. It was never hit, nor did it ever hit anything, on a road that is . We strapped our first son's infant car seat in the middle of the back seat of the thing and went everywhere. He loved bouncing around back there...that was his sleeping tonic when he was cranky.