Mustang Conv. Gets 5-Star Crash Rating
By Zack
October 5, 2007 12:20 AM
Filed Under: Ford
The Ford mustang Convertible can add one more accolade to its list. The top selling convertible is now the only convertible to be named a five-star safety vehicle by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Apparently, the car breezed through the New Car Assessment Program, passing crash testing and rollover resistance tests.
The NCAP tests for driver and passenger front crash safety, side impact safety for driver and rear driver-side passenger, and the car's resistance to rollover. Ford's new Mustang convertible was also highly rated in side-impact performance by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
Ford Safety Director Jim Vondale was pleased that the official results were in line with company testing. “The Mustang convertible is another example of working at all levels to offer a vehicle that is both sporty and safe," he said.
"It was developed with a dedicated focus on safety, making it the highest rated Mustang ever built."
The 2008 Mustang has standard side air bags, seat-mounted thorax side air bags, and their own Personal Safety System, a comprehensive restraint system that works by determining a crash's severity. And although they are annoying as hell, the Beltminder bell-chime that reminds drivers and passengers to put on their seat-belts is also standard. The NHTSA and IIHS claim this to be a "significant life-saving technology," according to Ford.
The Mustang Convertibles structure is itself built to resist impact. Its body was designed to take in and disperse all crash energy to keep the passenger compartment as secure as possible.
The new Ford Mustang is America's best selling convertible, helped in part by the auto rental industry. Ford also points out that nearly half of all sports cars sold in the U.S. is a Mustang.
Press Release
NEW MUSTANG CONVERTIBLE STANDS ALONE IN ITS CLASS
DEARBORN, Mich., Oct. 4, 2007 – The Ford Mustang convertible, the best-selling convertible ever, is now the first specialty sports car in history to earn the highest possible safety ratings in all New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) test modes performed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).The iconic 2008 Ford Mustang convertible stands alone as the only convertible of any type that can be called a five-star safety vehicle, having aced all NCAP crash testing and rollover resistance evaluations.
To achieve five stars in all categories, vehicles must earn the highest possible safety ratings in:
* Frontal crash evaluations for both driver and front-seat passenger
* Side impact evaluations for both driver and rear-seat passenger directly behind the driver
* NHTSA's rollover test, a two-tiered evaluation used to gauge a vehicle's resistance to rollover
The new Mustang convertible also earned the highest side-impact performance rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).
“The five-star ratings confirm our own analysis of the safety performance of this excellent vehicle,” said Jim Vondale, director, Ford's Automotive Safety Office. “The Mustang convertible is another example of working at all levels to offer a vehicle that is both sporty and safe. It was developed with a dedicated focus on safety, making it the highest rated Mustang ever built."
For 2008, Mustang adds standard side air bags to an already comprehensive safety package. Along with the addition of seat-mounted thorax side air bags, safety features include the Personal Safety System – a suite of restraint technologies designed to tailor their response to the severity of the crash and other factors. The system includes dual-stage driver and front passenger air bags, safety belt pretensioners, seat weight sensing system for the passenger seat and crash severity sensing.
A vehicle occupant's best line of defense in crashes remains the safety belt. Ford Motor Company's industry-leading technology, Beltminder, reminds the driver and front-seat passenger to buckle up. The technology has been installed in more than 20 million vehicles. Both NHTSA and IIHS have noted the effectiveness of Beltminder as a significant life-saving technology.
Mustang convertible features a crash-optimized structure designed to help absorb and dissipate crash energy and maintain occupant compartment integrity. Ford designs all of its vehicles with the objective of reducing the risk and severity of injury in a crash. Ford safety engineers and experts use the most advanced computer modeling technology in the industry to ensure its vehicles meet or exceed our stringent internal crashworthiness standards. Ford incorporates an array of other stringent safety testing in the development of its vehicles, including frontal offset, side impact and rear impact.
Mustang remains one of the greatest automotive sales success stories of all time and is America’s best-selling convertible. Nearly one out of every two sports cars sold in this country is a Mustang. The 2008 Mustang intends to hold on to that sales leadership with new available features that will add personal appeal, including High Intensity Discharge (HID) headlamps, 18-inch wheels on the V-6 coupe, and an interior ambient lighting system.
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TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
BODY Construction Unitized welded steel body, aluminum hood Final assembly location Flat Rock, Mich. POWERTRAIN AND CHASSIS ENGINE V-6 V-8 Type 4.0-liter 60-degree V-6 4.6-liter 90-degree V-8 Manufacturing location Cologne, Germany Romeo, Mich. Configuration Iron block and aluminum head Aluminum block and head Intake manifold Composite shell-welded with internal runner pack Composite shell-welded single runner, charge motion control valves Exhaust manifold Cast iron Cast iron Redline 6,100 rpm 6,250 rpm Throttle body 65-mm single-bore electronic 55-mm dual-bore electronic Valvetrain SOHC, 2 valves per cylinder SOHC, 3 valves per cylinder, variable camshaft timing Valve diameter Intake: 46.0 mm Intake: 33.8 mm Pistons Cast aluminum Hypereutectic aluminum Connecting rods Forged steel Cracked powdered metal with floating wristpins Ignition Distributorless with coil pack Coil-on-plug, high-thread-insert spark plugs Bore x stroke 3.95 x 3.32/100.4 x 84.4 mm 3.55 x 3.54/90.2 x 90.0 mm Displacement 245 cu. in. / 4,009 cc 281 cu. in. / 4,606 cc Compression ratio 9.7:1 9.8:1 Engine control system PCM PCM Horsepower 210 @ 5,300 rpm 300 @ 5,750 rpm Horsepower per liter 53 65 Torque 240 lb.-ft. @ 3,500 rpm 320 lb.-ft. @ 4,500 rpm Recommended fuel 87 octane 87 octane Fuel capacity 16 gallons 16 gallons Fuel injection Electronic returnless sequential Electronic returnless sequential Oil capacity 5 quarts with filter 6 quarts with filter Coolant capacity 12.5 quarts 14.2 quarts DRIVETRAIN Layout Rear-wheel drive Rear-wheel drive TRANSMISSION Standard 5-speed manual 5-speed manual Gear ratios 1st 3.75:1 3.38:1 2nd 2.19:1 2.00:1 3rd 1.41:1 1.32:1 4th 1.00:1 1.00:1 5th 0.72:1 0.68:1 Final Drive 3.31:1 3.55:1 Optional 1st 3.22:1 3.22:1 2nd 2.29:1 2.29:1 3rd 1.54:1 1.54:1 4th 1.00:1 1.00:1 5th 0.71:1 0.71:1 Final Drive 3.31:1 3.31:1 SUSPENSION Front Reverse-L independent MacPherson strut, 28.6-mm tubular stabilizer bar Reverse-L independent MacPherson strut, 34-mm tubular stabilizer bar Rear 3-link solid axle with coil springs and Panhard rod 3-link solid axle with coil springs, Panhard rod and 20-mm solid stabilizer bar STEERING Type Rack and pinion with power assist Rack and pinion with power assist Ratio 15.7:1 15.7:1 Turning circle curb-to-curb 33.4 ft. 37.7 ft. BRAKES Type Four-wheel power disc brakes with optional 4-sensor, 4-channel anti-lock braking system (ABS) Four-wheel power disc brakes with optional Front 293 (11.5 in) x 30 mm vented disc, twin-piston 43-mm floating aluminum calipers 316 (12.4 in) x 30 mm vented disc, twin-piston 43-mm floating aluminum calipers Rear 300 (11.8 in) x 19 mm vented disc, single piston 43 mm floating iron calipers 300 (11.8 in) x 19 mm vented disc, single piston 43 mm floating iron calipers TIRES AND WHEELS Standard P215/65R16 A/S P235/55ZR17 Performance A/S Optional 17-inch wheel P235/50ZR18 DIMENSIONS (inches unless otherwise noted) EXTERIOR Wheelbase 107.1 107.1 Overall length 187.6 187.6 Overall width 73.9 73.9 Overall height 55.4 55.7 Track, front/rear 62.8 / 63.0 62.3 / 62.5 INTERIOR Seating capacity 4 4 Front headroom 38.6 38.6 Front legroom 42.7 42.7 Front shoulder room 55.4 55.4 Front hip room 53.6 53.6 Rear headroom 34.7 34.7 Rear legroom 30.3 30.3 Rear shoulder room 53.4 53.4 Rear hip room 46.8 46.8 WEIGHTS AND CAPACITIES SAE passenger volume 97.9 cu. ft. 97.9 cu. ft. Cargo volume 13.1 cu. ft. 13.1 cu. ft. Maximum towing capacity (properly equipped) 1,000 lbs. 1,000 lbs.
Exhaust: 39.0mm
Exhaust: 37.5 mm
(Tremec T-5)
(Tremec 3650)
4-sensor, 4-channel anti-lock braking system (ABS)
(TYPE, SIZE)
17 x 8.0-inch wheels
18-inch polished aluminum wheels or 18-inch premium aluminum