Quote:
Originally Posted by DGthe3
Just because there is space under the hood does not mean that GM can fit a larger supercharger. There are regulations in Europe for pedestrian impact. One of the requirements are that pedestrians can't hit solid engine bits (such as a super charger) with their heads during a collision. The simplest solution is to leave a bit of extra space between the hood and the engine, a bigger supercharger would require the hood to be even taller -which could mess with aesthetics and/or aerodynamics.
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This is why many cars are getting chunky in the front end.
In some countries like Japan, you are more likely to get killed from being hit BY a car than being killed while IN a car.
So Front Engine low cars like the Corvette are at a slight disadvantage in this regard.
There are some people proposing things like airbags on the hood and hood hinges that will pop up during a pedestrian impact to create more space between the hood and the engine compartment.
http://www.patents.com/us-6415882.html