<VV> Re: Corvair speeds?

[Bryan Blackwell]

Just a note - the brakes on a Corvair are only as good as the tires.  
Assuming decent rubber and up to snuff brakes, a Corvair will easily 
outbrake most new cars.  I will give you the ABS does offer control 
advantages, but that's not as great an improvement as some might 
believe, raw stopping power does matter.

I'm not clear on steering.  Again, disregarding electronic assistance, 
a Corvair in good repair should not have any steering/stability issues. 
  I don't disagree that the new car would be more survivable in a high 
speed crash, but even so, the safest thing to do is avoid it in the 
first place.  Compared to most average cars and SUVs (really just 
overgrown wagons) a Corvair does just fine in this regard.

That's not to say that today's cars aren't better - they are - but a 
good Corvair should be comfortable cruising at about 75 - 80.  I find 
higher speeds that than irritating mostly because of engine RPM with 
the gear/tire combo I have, and the fact that I'm no longer 25 :-)  My 
personal speed limit is around 100 (law permitting, of course, officer) 
simply because most *other* drivers are not prepared to deal with 
another car going that fast.  Even the Greenbrier is fine at 70.  
Again, brakes up to snuff, good shocks, alignment, tires, and nothing 
worn out in the suspension.

--Bryan

On Jan 10, 2006, at 1:28 PM, Eric S. Eberhard wrote:

> I don't like any of the Corvairs all that well at speeds over 65 -- 
> brakes and steering and air bags are not what they are on a modern 
> car.  They have all made occasional 120 mile trips, the Spyder and 
> Judson sedan can cruise all day in that 75-80mph range, the wagon is 
> 10mph slower over long distances.