Share Pics of People Hauling or Towing Something Wrong

[Jstpssng]

Were they really that bad or did Nader just find a way to create a name for himself?

 

[bcp]

Were they really that bad or did Nader just find a way to create a name for himself?

Unsafe at Any Speed - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Federal study refutes Nader's Corvair charges, July 20, 1972

On this day in 1972, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released the results of a two-year study that concluded that Chevrolet's 1960-63 Corvair models were at least as safe as comparable models of similar cars sold during in the same period. The report contradicted charges...

www.politico.com

Bruce

 

[rangerfredbob]

all hooey, just like the Pintos blowing up... fuel tanks are in the rear of dang near everything and were before the pinto... sure shortcuts were made but if you do almost anything wrong enough something stupid will happen...

 

[goeduck]

2nd generation Corvairs were cool looking (65-69). Pintos, not so much IMHO. A Corvair rear engine station wagon was quite a vehicle.

 

[3Ts]

I saw one crash report (don't remember the vehicle) where they were showing the vehicle burst into flames when it was run into. They included the video in the report, but if you looked closely, the car caught fire before the impact. Something like 6" from impact you can see flames beginning. Turns out there was an explosive squib to force the results they wanted. Don't remember who did the "testing".

 

[KennyG]

The original Corvair had only one CV joint per axle so the rear wheel would tend to tuck under in hard corners. This is less than optimum for handling but is the same as the Volkswagen bug. Nader went after GM instead of VW (in spite of the VW having a lot more cars on the road) because GM was such an attractive target. The original Corvair wasn't all that bad but the second generation corrected it by adding a second CV joint making it handle very well. But by that time, with the safety campaign and the existing cooling problems, limited production volumn, etc. it was doomed.

 

[Xfaxman]

2nd generation Corvairs were cool looking (65-69). Pintos, not so much IMHO. A Corvair rear engine station wagon was quite a vehicle.

Especially this one: https://www.youtube.com/@MattsOffRoadRecovery

It was rear engine, but not now!

 

[Oaktree]

Bottom of tires look flat. Suspension hanging as if the car is resting on its wheels, wheels not hanging low as would be if the car was jacked up.

The tires were my first clue, didn't really notice the suspension until you mentioned it. Also, those straps don't seem to be tied to anything on the truck.

The original Corvair had only one CV joint per axle so the rear wheel would tend to tuck under in hard corners. This is less than optimum for handling but is the same as the Volkswagen bug. Nader went after GM instead of VW (in spite of the VW having a lot more cars on the road) because GM was such an attractive target.

Speaking of old VWs, don't forget they also had the gas tank in the front of the vehicle with only the spare tire in front of it. I don't know how much protection the tire would give in a front end collision.

 

[old and tired]

....I don't know how much protection the tire would give in a front end collision.

The bug never got going fast enough to be a problem....

 

[California]

The bug never got going fast enough to be a problem....

VW's initial response to safety criticism was 'rear engine'd, tail heavy, so they always spin and go off the road tail-first'. Really!

Slower than the Bug was the Transporter, the no-windows version of the VW van. Compound gearing between the axles and the hubs. Speedometer redlined at 54 mph! BTDT.