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Car Forum / Driving, Maintenance, Tuning / Maintenance and Repair / January 2006Advice on saftey cones vs saftey triangles?
I need to buy some kind of reflecting cones or triangles for my car I see they have collapsible cones now. Curious if there are better as they can be seen in all directions whereas the triangles are directional? you gotta be kidding me!.............if your question is: can cones be seen from all directions, while triangles can only be seen from 2 directions, would the cones offer more protection for my stalled vehicle? don't take a rocket scientist to figure that sh.t out does it? >you gotta be kidding me!.............if your question is: > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > >don't take a rocket scientist to figure that sh.t out does it? No but looking for someone who actually owns some cones and has used them The problem with the collapsibles is that when they are COLD they tend to crack. Want a more usable item, very visible. Use flares.  SignatureSteve Williams > >you gotta be kidding me!.............if your question is: > > [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > No but looking for someone who actually owns some cones > and has used them >The problem with the collapsibles is that when they are COLD they tend >to crack. Want a more usable item, very visible. Use flares. I've used flares, but you need something to stick them in *wood*, or lay them out flat like the State Police do, except on a snowy road, that can be a problem. The burn time of flares is limited, but it is probably the BEST idea, with backup being triangles and cones and whatever else you can set up, including flashing lights. Lg >>The problem with the collapsibles is that when they are COLD they tend >>to crack. Want a more usable item, very visible. Use flares. > > I've used flares, but you need something to stick them in *wood*, or > lay them out flat like the State Police do, except on a snowy road, > that can be a problem. You also need to give them a nice, plush, padded cushiony place to live, or over time the bumps will turn them into white powder all over your storage compartment. SignatureIf John McCain gets the 2008 Republican Presidential nomination, my vote for President will be a write-in for Jiang Zemin. >>>The problem with the collapsibles is that when they are COLD they tend >>>to crack. Want a more usable item, very visible. Use flares. [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] >or over time the bumps will turn them into white powder all over your >storage compartment. I had to use some on a busy expressway coming back from Mass. to upper NY State, at dusk. The stream of traffic was relentless. It felt like being in the middle of a shark attack, waiting for one of them to take you out. Not Fun. So I lit off some flares, burning holes in my clothes because spray comes off them in the wind and they go right through. Then I tried to set them in the tarmac, but that was damn near impossible to do. The nail wouldn't go in with hand pressure alone, and if I hit the thing, it would certainly break. Ergo: recommendation: Make a triangle out of 2x4 lumber, and drill holes at the angles just large enough to hold flare nails. That way nothing tips over, or blows over. I haven't done this yet myself, but...will get to it. NY State Police came to my rescue and helped me get going again. Those flares saved my Life? Highly probable. Considering the speed and density of the traffic, and the *twilight* factor. If you have to carry them in a *gym bag* make sure it is waterproof, and roll them up in towels or something so they don't get broken. Lg Get the ones with wire stands. 30 minute ones, then make a nice storage tube for them out of some 6" pvc pipe. SignatureSteve Williams > >The problem with the collapsibles is that when they are COLD they tend > >to crack. Want a more usable item, very visible. Use flares. [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > Lg >Get the ones with wire stands. 30 minute ones, then make a nice storage >tube for them out of some 6" pvc pipe. GOOD idea! (added to notebook) > I need to buy some kind of reflecting cones or triangles for my car > > I see they have collapsible cones now. > > Curious if there are better as they can be seen in all directions > whereas the triangles are directional? The answer to "Which is better?" is "Whichever has the highest coefficient of retroreflectivity over the widest range of angles". That is, which device reflects more light back to its source through the widest range of angles. Which means a less-retroreflective cone isn't as good as a more-retroreflective triangle. You really only need these devices to be visible from one main direction, that is the direction of traffic along the road upon which you've stalled. >The answer to "Which is better?" is "Whichever has the highest coefficient >of retroreflectivity over the widest range of angles". That is, which [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >visible from one main direction, that is the direction of traffic along >the road upon which you've stalled. Good analysis! Thanks Daniel! Id say the triangles have it over the cones per your analysis above >> The answer to "Which is better?" is "Whichever has the highest >> coefficient of retroreflectivity over the widest range of angles". That [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >> devices to be visible from one main direction, that is the direction of >> traffic along the road upon which you've stalled. > Id say the triangles have it over the cones per your analysis above I might not have made myself clear. What I was trying to convey is that *either* could be better, depending on the quality and specifications of the specific cones and triangles being compared. There are some good triangles on the market, and there's a great deal of low-quality trash. Try to find something that's E-marked; that is, it has the (E) approval marking on it. That will guarantee at least an adequate level of performance and durability. When I wanted some triangles for my own vehicles, I got 'em from a large-lots auto parts surplus place, Tran-Steer, phone 905-850-0402, for (I think) $10/ea. Extremely nice quality, E-marked folding triangle with wide, weighted base, in compact storage case. Originally made for OEM installation in European-market Ford vehicles. Tran-Steer is local to me, so I just drove 25 minutes up the highway and picked them up, but they have an in-house shipping department so phone orders are accepted. DS >>The answer to "Which is better?" is "Whichever has the highest coefficient >>of retroreflectivity over the widest range of angles". That is, which [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] >Id say the triangles have it over the cones per your >analysis above Depends on where you live. Example: I live in deep snow country. What that means, is within 60 seconds of setting up reflective triangles on the freeway, if they haven't been blown over by trucks going by, they are covered in road mud and slush, therefore, now invisible. If there is a strong wind blowing, ditto, off they go. Stick with long-burning flares if you really want to improve your odds. Then again, even police cruiser with their LIGHTS ON get hit by drunk motorists. So nothing is a guarantee of safety, except leaving the roadway altogether, which may not be possible. 30 minute flares are the _minimum_ I would recommend. If you can get longer burning ones than that, get em. Because the day or night you need to use them, your life will depend on them. As you can see from above, triangles are easily trashed by heavy truck traffic and slushy roads. Cones are next best. Flares are best of all. Flares are what the State Police use. If flares are their choice, they are also my choice. Lg |
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