This thread is most likely going to be moved, deleted, or bashed on for being in the wrong place. Nonetheless, after watching iihs crash test videos. What happens to the dashboard and the plastic trim? Havent been able to find a picture because of the airbags blocking most of the view.
Oh, and what happens to the engine too? Does it crumple up into twisted metal? Does it stay intact? Will it enter the dashboard like in the game? I need answers. Curiosity has taken over me!
The engine block itself usually stays intact, but weak pieces on it like valve covers can crack if it's a really hard hit. The engine itself usually doesn't push the firewall back. Radiators bend, plastic parts crack. Interior plastics crack and bend, seats bend like metal with foam wrapped over them.
I would explain the physics going into what happens to a car in the event of a crash, but this video by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety explained it very well.
It kind of depends, the engine will stay in-tact in smaller crashes, but some larger crashes can break parts off (like the hoses, pumps. . .) the block will probably never break in a crash. The engine cannot enter the compartment because of the firewall, and because of all the points where it is mounted inside the vehicle. If you want to know more, look up some YouTube videos, pictures, and perhaps go to a junkyard or auto dealership to look at vehicles that have been in a crash.
In older cars, you could quite likely get crushed by the engine entering the passenger compartment, in modern cars, the engine is designed to drop under the car in a crash, to lessen the chance of it intruding past the firewall.
That's the airbags, mate. They help to slow you down with the vehicle so you don't end up breaking your neck.
After half a year and reading these responses, I'd say that your post is irrelevant to the topic. I asked what happened to the interior of cars in crashes. Not the physics behind them.
That's quite the bump. Well, it depends on if you have anything in the car and the severity of the crash. When I wrecked my Regal, the airbag dust made it REEK like burnt wires mixed with the dirt off of a potato (odd, but surprisingly accurate). I had my 20-30 lb backpack on the seat behind me, and it slammed into the back of my seat, and under closer inspection it was such a hard blow that the metal inside the seat warped. I'm not sure why but it seems that after the crash, my interior seemed to turn a little gray when compared to the taupe color it was. My windshield cracked because of the passenger airbag cover slammed up against it. It also had a thin crack going across the dashboard closer to the windshield.
