ok more description. a normal car with a layer of 4" dense nerf like foam, more like gymnist mat material.

might cut down insurance rates.

-no more door dings

-no problems with pushing your friends car when he's out of gas.

-great for layin out and gettin a tan (no skin sticking to metal)

-oh and it's easy to replace. just tear off old nerf and add new maybe apply different colors.

-no one worried about (Oh my nerf got a scratch!)
-- crispee, Aug 14 2003

some nerf stuff http://toys.giftvau...ID.798/sfmode.toys/
whistle football for mr burns [crispee, Oct 05 2004]

A two inch layer of Nerf is not going to help anyone in a 40 mph crash. [marked–for–deletion] no idea, unless you want to explain in more detail how this will cut down insurance rates, or otherwise appeal to our halfbaked sensibilities.
-- DrCurry, Aug 14 2003


It will cut insurance rates because Nerf is so cheap to replace.
-- DeathNinja, Aug 14 2003


if your car was covered in a 4" layer of dense nerf you don't think that would absorb impact? and if the other car has a layer as well?
-- crispee, Aug 14 2003


But Nerf sponge will absorb and hold water, make the car heavier in the rain, and if it doesn't dry thoroughly, it will start to smell. the wet sponge could even cause the body of the car to rust, unless the metal is very well sealed, or else only use it on fiberglass car bodies.

also, being out in the sun all the time, the color of the Nerf would probably fade.
-- -wess, Aug 14 2003


i guess I'm not sure what to call it but not nerf. a denser material. almost like a foam material covered. would keep out water and help with aerodynamics.

I'm so bummed I thought you guys would like this one.
-- crispee, Aug 14 2003


This sounds fun!

Only problem is, it *looks* like you can survive an accident, so there may be more accidents. This will negate your insurance discount.
-- phundug, Aug 14 2003


if you had a big pointy nerf front and a big pointy nerf rear it would certainly help in crashes and it would greatly help aerodynamics. It be like driving a big football! and because nerf is so lightweight, it wouldn't have a huge effect on your handling.

aaannnd... about nerf balls getting wet and holding water, there are newer nerf balls that have a denser 'skin' to them which is waterproof but still very flexible.

+1!
-- thejini, Aug 14 2003


yay! positive feedback! I agree it would not appeal to the BMW drivers but on my "cheaper" car I'd do it!
-- crispee, Aug 14 2003


hah...that would be great!
-- crispee, Aug 14 2003


The nerf will be easy to replace for cosmetic damage but if you make the car too much out of nerf you will find no nerf equivalent to replace the crushed parts of your body.

//I'm so bummed I thought you guys would like this one.//

Don't feel that everything we post here is exactly a gem. We get fishboned just like the newbies. Though, I am technically a newbie.
-- sartep, Aug 14 2003


being here a total of 2 weeks would make me one too.
-- crispee, Aug 14 2003


There are all sorts of body components made completely of plastic- I'm sure you could have a shell made of high-density plastic to cover the nerf, and add thick rubber in critical areas like the bumpers. For that matter, why don't we have some sort of bumper that goes all the way around the car?
-- Rubegoldberg, Aug 14 2003


basicly, that's what this is. a cheap, full bodied bumper.
-- crispee, Aug 14 2003


What the hell is nerf?
-- custardlove, Aug 14 2003


haha...are you serious? ok, hold on for link. obviously you don't have kids.
-- crispee, Aug 14 2003


I suppose the reason they don't do this is either (a) the government won't approve it as a safety feature or (b) it would make the car look so much like a toy that no one would buy it. (people want aggressive cars and trucks)
-- thejini, Aug 15 2003


[people want aggressive cars and trucks] I agree that's true mostly in america but have you ever seen a mini?

I'm sure if they wanted to, they could come up with a foamcar that looked stylish. but hey, maybe it's just a halfbaked idea. :o]
-- crispee, Aug 15 2003


A soft foam like nerf won't absorb any energy in a crash. You won't get lower rates. Other than that, not bad. +
-- oxen crossing, Aug 15 2003


//A soft foam like nerf won't absorb any energy in a crash. // I don't think you can claim that without testing. All that's in most bumpers is styrofoam, and I'd rather have compressed nerf between my car and the next than nothing. Now, I'm imagining this as an addition to other car safety features (bumpers, crumple zones, etc.), but I would imagine it would help.
-- Worldgineer, Aug 15 2003


I like this for the cost-cutting factor.

There is a great amount of expense tied up with existing body panels. Tooling is in the millions of dollars per vehicle to make the huge dies that punch out the panels, processing must be done with kit gloves, and any little defect is noticeable in the paint. Because of the susceptibility of the ultra-clean and therefore ultra-sensitive materials, the scrap rate is pretty high.

This is why you're seeing a larger and larger percentage of the vehicle's body with plastic panels, many of them with a grained finish; although the tooling is pricey, it's not nearly as bad as dealing with steel processing for class-A surfaces.

If you replace much of that with nerf, then hey, cars might be affordable again.

Bumpers are typically filled with an expanded polystyrene material.
-- RayfordSteele, Aug 15 2003


WorldG--Plenty of testing has been done. Look at motorcycle helmets. The soft layer of foam is for comfort. The hard non-rebounding foam does the energy absorption. The soft foam is about as good as a piece of paper in an accident. You can squeeze a nerf ball flat with your hands. That's not a significant percentage of the energy in a moving car.
-- oxen crossing, Aug 15 2003


Super-soft motorcycle helmet foam <> nerf
You can't squeeze anything flat in your hands
The thickness left is much larger than a sheet of paper
No tests have been done using nerf
If testing does show what you claim, change this idea to "Styrofoam Car", which will change little but your arguement
-- Worldgineer, Aug 15 2003


Right, not flat, but whatever is left will put a dent in my fender if your bumper hits it. Soft mc helmet foam is exactly like some nerf. Nerf balls vary in density, but they're mostly just polyurethane foam.
-- oxen crossing, Aug 15 2003


As easily as without it? //vary in density// but are always far more dense than helmet padding, in my experience.
-- Worldgineer, Aug 15 2003


Technically, no, but about 99.8% as easily as without it. If there was 4 feet of foam, then you might have something.

//far more dense than helmet foam// not the original small basketballs.
-- oxen crossing, Aug 15 2003


Great in the rain too.

World--I know you just want me to go put dents in my car to prove my point. I might. My old beater Chevy pickup wouldn't look any worse if I did.
-- oxen crossing, Aug 15 2003


Wahoo! I love demonstrations. I suggest the following list of materials:

Sledge Hammer
Rope
Some sort of structure to tie rope to
Ladder to climb up and hold sledge hammer
old beater Chevy pickup
Nerf ball
Friend with digital video camera and ability to upload to a web page (please? I'd love to see it, but will take your word for the results if not possible)
-- Worldgineer, Aug 15 2003


//You should be able to find one that would be sufficient.//

add to list of materials:

Rubber
Kevlar
Cotton Candy
Marshmallows
Those sheets of plastic packing bubbles
Down Pillows
Raw Meat
Water Balloons
A sheet of paper
Peanut butter
-- Worldgineer, Aug 15 2003


Nice list. I'm trying to find a tree I can run into with 4" of high desity polyurethane foam on the fender. I might resort to the hammer and ball if necessary.

I can upload small mpegs (see Easy As Pie Server), but the Easy as Pie Server stuff will have to come down. Don't know when I can get this done. Check back after the weekend.
-- oxen crossing, Aug 15 2003


Why does it feel like this video is going to end up on some "stupid things people do with their cars" tv shows? Just keep it safe - it would take a whole lot of nerf to hit a tree at 50mph safely.
-- Worldgineer, Aug 15 2003


The kids are both napping, the laundry is folded, so I can argue this a little more. You concede the foam will not help at 50mph. How slow do you think I have to go for the foam to help? The foam doesn't really absorb energy, but spreads the impact over a larger area, which up to a certain point, the sheet metal of the car can withstand. The question is where is the point where damage occurs? My guess is about a quarter or a half a mile/hour. Crying baby. Gotta go.

ps I'm reminded of Project Grizzly, the Canadian documentary.(typing one handed, baby in the other)
-- oxen crossing, Aug 15 2003


I just said it would take a whole lot of nerf to keep you safe at 50. I think it will absorb energy at any speed, just not enough energy with a 4" piece to keep your car undamaged in a fight with a tree at 50.

As for the effects, I think it would both spread out the impact and absorb energy. Sure, it doesn't take much force to squeeze nurf to half it's size, but at some point it will take a lot of energy to squeeze it further.

Now for my prediction. With the tree model, I'm going to guess 3 mph. Not quite up to a 5 mph bumper, but close. For the hammer model, I'm going to give it 25 mph, due to the reduced mass of the hammer compared to your whole car. (these are both complete guesses)
-- Worldgineer, Aug 15 2003


//Put it in as a lining to the passenger compartment.// Now that's just plain silly.
-- Worldgineer, Aug 15 2003


okok...wait I don't think you understand. I conceeded the fact that nerf is too soft. But consider what they use for gymnastic mats, or the harder stuff they use for nerf footballs. They both absorb energy and are smooth for painting.
-- crispee, Aug 15 2003


I still don't think it'll be much help for anything other than door dings. My brother crashed my Golf at 6 miles an hour and it smashed the bumper, the grill, headlight, hood, both fenders, radiator, power steering, bent the front crossmember, and its mounting points. Four inches of any foam would have done squat to stop that. (insurance totalled it)
-- oxen crossing, Aug 15 2003


Insurance totalled it?!  How old was it and how many miles?

The dense foam used in wrestling and gymnastics mats is extremely good at absorbing energy but those wrestling mats are fantastically, incredibly, eye-poppingly expensive.  A 10x12 mat can run $4,000 and more.  It's also heavy as heck but I think that at in-city speeds cars covered in a material like that would save a lot of pedestrian injuries.

So: + from me.

I don't see why it's mfd, either.
-- bristolz, Aug 23 2003


i just want thoes little whistles that used to go on the sides of some of the Nerf balls. my car would sound like a banche <sp?> at speed.
-- auricom_mech, Aug 09 2006


//Rubber Kevlar Cotton Candy Marshmallows Those sheets of plastic packing bubbles Down Pillows Raw Meat Water Balloons A sheet of paper Peanut butter//

I'm getting hungry. Can we just pull over and have a barbecue with this stuff? (Lay out rubber sheets, pillows, bubble wrap on the ground, cook and eat the meat, candy, marshmallows and peanut butter, do... er, something with the paper, kevlar and water balloons).

btw, I quite like the original idea [+]
-- pertinax, Aug 10 2006


Slightly under(?)baked: 1972 Mohs SafariKar
-- Ned_Ludd, Dec 22 2006



random, halfbakery