The P5: What Would You Change?

[DeltaMike]

Don't you remember when they had track systems for the shoulder belts in the late 70's early 80's? When you would open the door, the belt would move from slightly behind the driver/passenger across the opening, and down the A-pillar? They got to the point of dangerous. The in the seat option is not that far of a stretch, and can be done by the seat manufacturer for a minimal cost. In my days of working on cars, moving those seats to other cars was not that difficult.

Yeah, I was too brief.... The goofy track solution of yesteryear was a disaster. Bet most are now disabled. The track (only in my mind) was about six inches across the roof ...no motor. Sort of an adjustable four-point minus one. Would be interesting to know if Lear vends a seat with in-seat shoulder belt and price delta compared to the stocko. If the tracks can meet the standard, might be a good choice. Unfortunately, real world crashes show car seat backs are notoriously weak (admittedly in the other direction). (Driver/front pax seat is catapulted into and kills child in back seat when car is rear -ended. Driver walks away uninjured.) Not sure who makes MB seats. Elio has opportunity to give us that option if engineered now.

 

[JEBar]

YElio has opportunity to give us that option if engineered now.

sure they could but my bet is, its not on the horizon .... at this point EM is making a maximum effort to cut every dime involved in the cost of designing and producing their trikes .... when thinking about options for an Elio .... I just don't see them expending resources engineering a solution to an issue that can be readily resolved with an existing single bolt ....

 

[DeltaMike]

sure they could but my bet is, its not on the horizon .... at this point EM is making a maximum effort to cut every dime involved in the cost of designing and producing their trikes .... when thinking about options for an Elio .... I just don't see them expending resources engineering a solution to an issue that can be readily resolved with an existing single bolt ....

Yep. Totally agree. 'The four'. Njoyed the chat, tho.

 

[Hartka47]

We've all had a chance to view the pics of the P5 and by now we all know what we like and don't like. So, let's see what we would change.... if it were up to us. I'll start the ball rolling.

1. Replace the Elgin dash with something that looks like an automobile dash.
2. Do something with that little instrument cluster to the left of the dash. It looks like an afterthought.
3. Change the rear end panel back to the P3 style.
4. Extend the exhaust pipe out a little so as to keep the exhaust away from the paint work.
5. Raise the back of the trunk some to give more trunk space.

The seat is too low to the ground ( 11.5 inches") making it difficult to enter and exit. My Smart car seat is 23" off the ground and is amazinlyg easy to get in and out. While raising the whole vehicle could be problematic, a simple lifting mechanism would solve the problem - is deployed only during entry\Exit. I will add one to mine when I get it.

 

[WilliamH]

There has been a lot of talk about where to put the seatbelt and everyone locks in on the only mounting points being the B-pillar on the left or right side; how about a different option? Why not build it into the seat? Mercedes did it in a lot of different models; there have been a number of domestic and imports that have used that type of design too; RV's also have seats with the belts built into them.
This way you can have it come over your left shoulder, it won't block the entry way for the passenger, and it's a viable option.

Guess you missed the previous conversation on pacemakers.
With the potential to get rid of that god awful inertial retractor pressing the seat belt on my pacemaker why would I want it to stay on the left B pillar?

 

[DanS]

I sure wish that was the case but sadly it isn't .... the process above will be carried out for factory approved options .... there isn't going to be an optional dash so it will have to come from some aftermarket source

JE..you make that statement with much conviction. All I can say is its not over till the fat lady sings. Anything can change

 

[Coss]

Guess you missed the previous conversation on pacemakers.
With the potential to get rid of that god awful inertial retractor pressing the seat belt on my pacemaker why would I want it to stay on the left B pillar?

No, I didn't miss it; mounting it on the left just gives it a common feel; the had them in the right for the passenger seat.
What happens with the belt mounted in the seat, the pull on the belt mounting is vertical rather than horizontal like the post mount. The belt also doesn't have to be "in" the seat, it can be mounted to the base of the seat (so you use a standard seatbelt assembly) you just run the belt up either the back of the seat or through the inside of the seat; the only modification you have to do is in the frame of the seat (minimal cost).

 

[NSTG8R]

JE..you make that statement with much conviction. All I can say is its not over till the fat lady sings. Anything can change

 

[Gizmo]

That horse ain't dead. I don't see any flies around it!!!

 

[DanS]

That horse ain't dead. I don't see any flies around it!!!

I don't know about anyone else but I am having a blast with this dash thing. I have never said I "Hate" the Elgin dash but I sure would consider another option if it were offered.