<VV> Re: drive wheels - no corvair

[Ron]

If you need traction only when flooring it while going up a hill, you are a 
teenager or are remaining one mentally.  The Toronado had so much power that 
a driver with any sense of responsibility never had to floor it.
RonH

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "airvair" <airvair at richnet.net>
To: "Ray Rodriguez" <reray at echoes.net>
Cc: "Virtual Vairs" <virtualvairs at corvair.org>
Sent: Wednesday, August 16, 2006 3:43 PM
Subject: Re: <VV> Re: drive wheels


> Ray,
>
> Thanks for saying you "largly agree" with me. :o)
>
> A note about heading uphill in a front driver. Once had a FWD rental in
> San Francisco. Found one particularly steep intersection where I was
> headed uphill, so just for giggles, I floored it. Oh the squealing!!!
> LOL It was so funny, I had to go round the block just so I could do it
> one more time. (G)
>
> Also, I concur with your father. At the time when the decision to go all
> FWD with most all of the Detroit car companies' cars, I remember the
> word around the trade papers was pretty much of that opinion. Funny
> thing, the original Toronado had a totally flat floor (something even
> the Corvair can't claim) that was one of their bragging points. Yet all
> the front drivers since the Citation have a "hump" in the floorboards.
> Go figure.
>
> -Mark
>
> Ray Rodriguez wrote:
>>
>> I suppose its a bit late, but I have to put my 2 cents in here.....
>>
>>      I have to largely agree with mark.
>>      The primary reasons I feel front wheel drive is inferior are 1) When 
>> you accelerate weight transfers to the rear wheels, and traction is 
>> reduced, and 2) when you are going up a hill weight transfers to the rear 
>> and traction is reduced.  Obviously these are two of the main times you 
>> need traction!!
>>
>>      The one benefit of front drive I will give in to is that it is 
>> occasionally nice to be able to change the direction of thrust with the 
>> steering wheel.
>>
>>      On one final note, my father (now 80 and retired) was once a master 
>> automotive technician, he was even involved in writing the automotive 
>> tech certification tests that predated ASE.
>>
>>      According to my father (whose information is largely outdated) the 
>> primary reasons for going to front wheel drive were NOT that it was 
>> superior in any way, but that it allowed them to build smaller cars with 
>> more interior space, and that it was actually cheaper to build cars this 
>> way.
>>
>> Ray Rodriguez
>> CORSA member
>> 65' Corsa coupe 140/4
>>
>
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