At 2:27 PM -0500 1/22/00, [email protected] wrote:
In a message dated 1/21/00 7:45:24 PM Eastern Standard Time,
[email protected] writes:
<< But come on: pushrods and solid
axles are dated technology; >>
Correct me if I am wrong but didn't Mercedies win Indy not too long ago with
a push rod motor. OHC motors have again been around since the 30's ever since
the Offenhauser indy motors. Dated my butt. How much different is a solid
axel from a torsion beam rear axel. How long ago do you think solid axels
and torsion beam rear suspensions have been around. Try since horse and
carriages. Hell you want to talk about modern suspensions the Ford Tempo and
Taurus from the early 80's has a fully independant suspension. Oh look at
that the the MK 4 golf still has a torsion beam type suspension that is
based on the '74 Golf mk1 talk about dated. Please check if you're the pot
before you call the kettle black.
I think the conversation has gone on long enough; neither of
us are going to change the other's opinion. Sorry if you got offended
when I insulted the Impala by calling it 'low-tech', but I still feel
that way. I know that a lot of people feel paissionately about the
Impala, and miss the days of big V8 RWD sedan, I'm just surprised
that a VW owner would ;)
I never said that my, or any other, VW is much more
technologically advanced, but most people on the list would strongly
agree that it's a more 'modern' car, for whatever that's worth.
Besides, when compared to a fully independant rear suspension, a
torsion beam rear suspension doesn't degrade the ride and handling of
a FWD drive car like a solid axle does to a RWD drive vehicle. In
general, VW's with torsion beams perform as well as, or better than,
a comperable FWD vehicles with a fully indepentant rear suspension.
Compare the ride and handling of the Caprice/Impala to a RWD car with
a multi-link rear suspension and you'll see my point.
Of course you can pick out specific examples of high-tech
pushrod motors and old OHC motors. It was never my point to say
pushrods are bad and OHC are inherently better, that was my fist,
off-the-cuff response as to why the car is 'low-tech.' But really,
how much technology does M-B's indy car motor share with a Chevy V8?
Apples and Oranges. The fact is that the vast majority of new engine
designs are OHC, and OHVs, with few exceptions, are a dying breed.
IMHO, the Impalla is still a big, ugly, traditional American sedan.
My grandmother had a Caprice; I've driven it; I, for one, am glad
it's gone.
W. Lee Hendrick
[email protected]
http://soliton.ucsd.edu/~hendrick/
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