VTECaddict wrote:AHTOXA wrote:Really, if the BOF was more prone to twisting, would the offroad community use it as much as they do?
BOF gives you a higher margin of error before the car is totally trashed.
and im not saying BOF is like a limp noodle or something. its stiff, but unibody is stiffer.
in other words, a BOF is more durable and has a higher 'margin of error' in terms of flexing. a unibody is stiff, but unforgiving.
Not quite. Have you ever ridden in a BOF vehicle? Compare the ride to a unibody. BOF is very unforgiving on bumps. It's got
less of a margin for bending and flexing, thus not absorbing the bums as well as a unibody car.
Unibody is more flexible, less stiff and more absorbing. Thus unibody SUVs are more popular than BOF SUVs, simply because unibody rides better.
The stiffer something is, when it comes to a vehicle's suspension or body design, the harsher it will ride.
BOF is very stiff and durable, but it trades off ride comfort on the road. Meanwhile the unibody gives you more comfort but it's by far not as durable as BOF.
My suggestion: google BOF vs unibody and you'll see multiple articles that back up my point of view.
You're saying that BOF gives a greater margin of flex before structural damage occurs, however this is not the case. I've seen people bend unibody SUVs (cherokee) offroad while BOF vehicles never flexed as much and got away unscathed.
So if the BOF twisted less and never deformed while unibody deformed given the same conditions, how come you say that unibody is stiffer? It does not make sense... I see your point that everything flexes, sure, however unibody was simply never designed to flex in a condition such as taking the vehicle offroad, that is all. It's like taking a knife against a machine gun in a fight, you know?
Bottom line: Unibody is for road use with advantages like improved crumple zones, quieter ride, safer with lower center of gravity and so on. BOF is more rugged, more durable, more solid/rigid foundation designed for hard use in pick-ups and offroad vehicles. It trades off conford and some safety for the durability and stiffness needed in extreme cituations.