Does trailer-hitch remove the “impact absorbent” safety feature?
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Member
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 183
Likes: 4
From: Portland, OR
S550 , S430
Does trailer-hitch remove the “impact absorbent” safety feature?
Does trailer-hitch remove the “impact absorbent” safety feature?
For most cars, there are bumper and impact-absorbent behind the bumper cover.
My understanding is the “impact absorbent”'s main purpose is to absorb the forces during impact as safety feature so that the forces will not all transferred to the car frame and eventually to the car passengers.
Now with the trail hitch that is mounted to the car frame and exposed outside the bumper cover,
Does it mean; at rear-impact collision; the impact-absorbent is bypass causing the impact forces at transferred directly to the car frame then to the passenger?
Can anyone shed some light? Thanks.
For most cars, there are bumper and impact-absorbent behind the bumper cover.
My understanding is the “impact absorbent”'s main purpose is to absorb the forces during impact as safety feature so that the forces will not all transferred to the car frame and eventually to the car passengers.
Now with the trail hitch that is mounted to the car frame and exposed outside the bumper cover,
Does it mean; at rear-impact collision; the impact-absorbent is bypass causing the impact forces at transferred directly to the car frame then to the passenger?
Can anyone shed some light? Thanks.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 6,189
Likes: 242
From: Albuquerque
'10 CL550, '12 GL550
Old folks remember the old 5 mph bumpers, but those don't exist anymore
Fronts are now 2.5 mph and rears are nothing.
These requirements NEVER applied to trucks, pickups, SUVs, etc.
Fronts are now 2.5 mph and rears are nothing.
These requirements NEVER applied to trucks, pickups, SUVs, etc.
Last edited by lkchris; Dec 11, 2009 at 04:54 PM.
Junior Member
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 36
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15 C300 Sport SOLD!!! :)
The factory hitch receiver is below and "behind" the bumper, so without the draw bar/ball it wouldn't matter as far as bumper performance (if any). With the draw bar and ball I doubt if much force would be transferred to the frame as that will just poke through the attacker's bumper/fascia, and the ML rear bumper once again will come into play. Of course if you back into a wall, that's a different story.
