<VV> Corvairs in the National Post - my reply

[stan east]

Joel at "Western Canada CORSA" westerncanadacorsa at shaw.ca wrote:

 

 

Here's a beauty of the typical uninformed junk we see about our waterless

wonders.

 

http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/driving/story.html?id=f52edef3-d58c-

4eae-9e56-34586fe5cd3a

<http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/driving/story.html?id=f52edef3-d58c

-4eae-9e56-34586fe5cd3a&p=1> &p=1

 

I've already sent my .02 to the editor, please feel free to send your own as

well....

 

Regards,

Joel

 

Joel here's my reply to the editor:

 

To: The Editor National Post

 

In the October 27th edition of The National Post

 

David Menzies writes about:

 

"Halloween tales of hell on wheels"

 

"We're supposed to be having a "love affair" with the automobile. But,
sometimes, love isn't the word. Just consider these scary tales from autodom
during this fittingly frightful season.

 

SCARIEST DRIVE

 

...But not many cars have had an entire book devoted to safety shortcomings.
Such is the case with the Chevrolet Corvair (1960-'69). The rear-engine car
-- GM's answer to budget models of the era such as the Volkswagen Beetle --
was a design disaster for the ages. The Corvair embodied everything from bad
tires to over-steering tendencies and a woeful proclivity to spin out of
control. In 1966, the Corvair was immortalized (for all the wrong reasons)
in Ralph Nader's scathing indictment, Unsafe at Any Speed."

 

Where did Mr Menzies get his facts? And who did he verify them with like any
good newspaper columnist would? The reasons for my questions are the errors
in his reporting. 

 

Firstly, having several copies of Ralph Nader's book (one copy of which is
signed by the author); I take exception to the comment that the entire book
was about the Corvair. Comments like this lead one to believe the writer of
the article has not read Ralph's book. In fact Chapter 1 is about the
Corvair and the other chapters are about auto safety or manufacturer and
dealer mis-management from all North American manufacturers during the
fifties and early sixties. When is one chapter and entire book?

 

Secondly, Mr Menzies says the Corvair had bad tires, where did this
information come from? Having some experience with Corvairs the original
equipment tires of the day were in fact developed and specially supplied for
the Corvair. They were also in fact better in that they also rode on wheels
which were one and a half inches wider than the wheels of the day on full
size Chevrolets and Fords. It was important that the manufacturer's
recommendations for tire pressures where maintained. In many cases this was
the real problem in that unqualified individuals changed the tire pressure
from the recommended difference of 8 to 10 psi front to rear to equal front
to rear. This was not a Corvair fault but an owner or mechanic fault.

 

Thirdly, Mr Menzies contends that oversteering is a fault and that the
Corvair had a tendency to spin out of control. Perhaps in the name of fair
treatment he should read the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA) report from 1971 comparing the handling of a 1963 Corvair (a then 8
year old car) against the Ford Falcon, Plymouth Valiant, Volkswagen Beetle,
Renault Dauphine and a 1967 Corvair. The 134 page report (PB 211-015)
states: "The 1963 Corvair compares favorably with contemporary vehicles used
in the tests." And "The handling and stability performance of the 1960-63
Corvair does not result in an abnormal potential for loss of control or
rollover, and it is as least as good as the performance of some contemporary
vehicles both foreign and domestic." 

 

Further the NHTSA asked 3 independent professional engineers to review their
report and comment. The review panel then issued their own report (PB
211-014).  In their report the review panel said in even stronger language,
"It is the opinion of the panel that the Corvair quantitatively meets or
exceeds the standards set by contemporary cars in stability tests, cornering
tests, and rollover tests." And "For this reason the panel concluded that
the 1960-63 Corvair does not have a safety defect, and is not more unstable
or more likely to roll over than contemporary cars"

 

The copies of the NHTSA reports are available from the National Technical
Information Service (MTIS) of the US government. I suggest Mr Menzies should
have read and understand these reports before writing his comments. I
believe his reporting would have been very different.

 

Stanley East

Director

CORSA (Corvair Society of America) Ontario chapter

Bolton Ontario