>The corvair oversteered which makes it (in an engineering sense)
>unstable. If corrective action isn't taken, the oversteer causes
more
>acceleration of the backend which causes more oversteer, which,
etc.,
>etc., etc. In addition, the swing axles create wicked camber
changes
>that loads the tires in funny ways which allows them to loose
stability
>which causes oversteer which accelerates the rear end which.....
One thing that I think speaks volumes to this issue is what the SCCA
has to say about swing-axle cars. IIRC, they *require* all swing
axle cars that are going to be autocrossed to be fitted with a
panhard rod or some other device to keep the rear wheels from
tucking under.
My dad drove a corvair and dropped the right rear tire off the berm
of the road. The next thing he knew, he was in a field, upside
down. I wasn't even a mischievous gleam in his eye then, but he was
pretty convinced the Ralph Nader was right.
One thing I will say for good old Ralphy is that he's the biggest
one-trick pony of the 20th century. Anybody can gripe about bad
designs. If he really wanted something done, he should have made it
better himself. Wasn't he an automotive engineer before he wrote
his diatribe?
BTW, someone on this list once told me that he targeted a few other
cars as being more unsafe than the corvair. Number one was the VW
Bus, Number two was any MG. Don't ask me why his slander never
really hurt their sales...
Mike Lishego
http://www.mgb.bc.ca/virtualgarage/
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