car windows???

[SparticleBrane]

Once the vehicle is flooded the PSI equalizes and the doors will open and close unless crash damage jams them.
Gary D.

Actually--
If you can get your hands on the 3rd episode of the 3rd season of Top Gear ( bbc.co.uk/topgear ) they tested this theory.
They dropped a car with one of the presenters of the show inside it--into a ~40ft deep pool. Thankfully there was a diver in the car with him and divers in the pool at various depths. Richard was unable to open the door untill he was on the bottom of the pool--and he had to be given air by the diver inside the car before he hit the the bottom.
As it turns out, the pressure inside the car is always LESS than the pressure outside the car (even if it's fully flooded!) when it is still sinking. The pressure never has a chance to truly equalize until the vehicle is resting on the bottom--and who knows when that'll be?! Could be 10 ft...could be 130ft...
They did the test again but instead of waiting for it to fill with water he pushed the door out as hard as he could--he struggled but he finally got it open before the car totally flooded.

So as it turns out the myth of "wait for the pressure to equalize" is BS--get out of the car AS FAST AS YOU CAN, no matter how.
As long as there is no damage to the window and the key is in the igniton, car windows will still work even if the car is flooded.

 

[james croft]

So as it turns out the myth of "wait for the pressure to equalize" is BS--get out of the car AS FAST AS YOU CAN, no matter how.
As long as there is no damage to the window and the key is in the igniton, car windows will still work even if the car is flooded.

Better yet-Don't drive your car into a body of water.

 

[Gary D.]

Better yet-Don't drive your car into a body of water.

That seems to be the entire state of Idaho.

Gary D.

 

[Gary D.]

Actually--
If you can get your hands on the 3rd episode of the 3rd season of Top Gear ( bbc.co.uk/topgear ) they tested this theory.
They dropped a car with one of the presenters of the show inside it--into a ~40ft deep pool. Thankfully there was a diver in the car with him and divers in the pool at various depths. Richard was unable to open the door untill he was on the bottom of the pool--and he had to be given air by the diver inside the car before he hit the the bottom.
As it turns out, the pressure inside the car is always LESS than the pressure outside the car (even if it's fully flooded!) when it is still sinking. The pressure never has a chance to truly equalize until the vehicle is resting on the bottom--and who knows when that'll be?! Could be 10 ft...could be 130ft...
They did the test again but instead of waiting for it to fill with water he pushed the door out as hard as he could--he struggled but he finally got it open before the car totally flooded.

So as it turns out the myth of "wait for the pressure to equalize" is BS--get out of the car AS FAST AS YOU CAN, no matter how.
As long as there is no damage to the window and the key is in the igniton, car windows will still work even if the car is flooded.

If it's still moving it isn't going to equalize. I'm sure the water movement over the doors and body will add to the problems. I agree, I has to stop.

Gary D.

 

[SparticleBrane]

Heh they kinda mentioned that in the show...

"Now...imagine you're driving along one day and SUDDENLY you veer off into a lake. It DOES happen...seriously....it DOES happen!!...every year in Britain more people drown in cars than on boating lakes."

 

[bridgediver]

Actually--
If you can get your hands on the 3rd episode of the 3rd season of Top Gear ( bbc.co.uk/topgear ) they tested this theory.
They dropped a car with one of the presenters of the show inside it--into a ~40ft deep pool. Thankfully there was a diver in the car with him and divers in the pool at various depths. Richard was unable to open the door untill he was on the bottom of the pool--and he had to be given air by the diver inside the car before he hit the the bottom.
As it turns out, the pressure inside the car is always LESS than the pressure outside the car (even if it's fully flooded!) when it is still sinking. The pressure never has a chance to truly equalize until the vehicle is resting on the bottom--and who knows when that'll be?! Could be 10 ft...could be 130ft...
They did the test again but instead of waiting for it to fill with water he pushed the door out as hard as he could--he struggled but he finally got it open before the car totally flooded.

So as it turns out the myth of "wait for the pressure to equalize" is BS--get out of the car AS FAST AS YOU CAN, no matter how.
As long as there is no damage to the window and the key is in the igniton, car windows will still work even if the car is flooded.

If this is a TV show like mythbusters or something similar then they are certainly entertaining enough but they hardly prove or disprove anything scientifically. You said they olny did the test twice and a different type at that? There has been REAL studies done by real experts on this and what you're talking about doesn't make sense. Gary's explanation of the water flow preventing doors opening is the only valid explanation for a fully flooded car to have "less pressure" in it than the surrounding water. Not really a pressure differential at all, you're simpily fighting against the force of the water.
Remember basic scuba physics - water is essentially incompressible?


What the show should have shown (if it was done properly) is that you usually can't open a door until the car is flooded. Soooo, always open a window up asap and get out that way. If you can't squeeze out a window, allow the car to fully flood to get out. Don't wait or look for an air pocket that won't be there; the air pockets last mere seconds unlike what the movies portray - they also won't let the car float for any length of time.

 

[SparticleBrane]

Perhaps you should watch the show before you make a judgement call.


They did the test twice, yes. The first time they waited for the car to completely flood before he tried to get out, but he couldn't, no matter how hard he tried.
The second time he started to get out of the car as soon as it hit the water--he was out before it was half-filled.

 

[bridgediver]

Perhaps you should watch the show before you make a judgement call..

Maybe you're right, but I've also seen 007 breathe underwater from a car tire valve stem. So maybe I should just go for the spare tire if I find myself crashing into a lake?

They did the test twice, yes. The first time they waited for the car to completely flood before he tried to get out, but he couldn't, no matter how hard he tried.
The second time he started to get out of the car as soon as it hit the water--he was out before it was half-filled.

Niether of which proves anything...
Scientific study requires the same test do be done the SAME way many times not just once - you said they altered it the 2nd time so its not the same test. Doing something once for a TV show doesn't make it a fact. Like I said, REAL experts have studied and practiced these scenarios NUMEROUS times and they don't agree with what you're saying

give me a link and I'll gladly watch this show but I'm not searching for it myself because from what you've told me its the wrong information anyway.

 

[Wildcard]

Rember when we had handles to crank the windowns down?
I have pulled one or two people out of UW cars and untill the car is 100% full of water. full to the top, all air out, the doors are not going to open.

 

[Gary D.]

OK guys, lets not get into a whizzing match over this.

The first thing to remember is no two accidents or submersions are going to be exactly alike. Even identical vehicles will not react exactly the same every time.

In a submerged vehicle the psi is going to have to be equal before you can open anything rather it goes up and down or in and out. Windows may still work with a slight pressure differential but not a bigger one. Just a few ounces make a big difference.

Current can make a bigger difference yet. A very slight current created from water or vehicle movement creates enormous force on anything the current contacts.

The pounds per square inch, from a current or psi differential, do not have to be that high to generate tons of force on a car door. Look at how hard it is to open the upper car door when the vehicle is on its side and that is just with a slight gravity change. Water compounds that.

Try this. Go to a body of water that has some movement. Put your hand in it so that movement hits the side of your hand. It’s easy to resist the pressure being exerted on it. Now turn your hand flat so the current hits the palm or back of your hand. It exerts much more pressure. Now imagine the increase in force if your hand was the size of a car door. It doesn’t take much.

Air pockets are for the movies, I haven’t seen or even heard of one yet that was big enough to get a breath from.

We must be like GB because we have many more vehicle submersions and vehicle-related deaths than we do boating or swimming incidents.

Gary D.