In a Feb. 21 crash test, a 2009 Honda Fit with a CAPA-certified reinforcement bar from Diamond Standard Parts performed comparably to an IIHS-tested 2009 Honda Fit, according to Diamond Standard Parts.
The company provided data showing that the recent 40-mph moderate overlap test – performed “to strict IIHS protocol” by MGA Design Research Corp. – produced results similar to an October 2008 Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) crash test of an unmodified 2009 Honda Fit.
The 2009 Honda Fit tested by MGA Design Research had 81,704 miles on it, according to Bartlett, Tenn.-based Diamond Standard Parts.
MGA tested 20 different reinforcement/absorber components from OEM and Diamond Standard in quasi-static and multiple-speed dynamic sled tests prior to the IIHS protocol test for Diamond Standard, according to the company.
“Here causality was isolated in a true scientific test protocol,” said Michael O’Neal, president of Diamond Standard. “Component testing for Diamond Standard was designed by the late Jim Hackney, former NHTSA director of crashworthiness and father of the five-star crash rating system still in use worldwide to this day.”
Diamond Standard noted that a local I-CAR technician installed the reinforcement bar at MGA’s request, and a current I-CAR board member witnessed the test.
“As a final note, one couldn’t help but notice the toughness of a 10-year-old Honda Fit in a violent 40-mph test,” O’Neal added.
