Driving Corvairs/ rear engine cars

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Bard Beach
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Driving Corvairs/ rear engine cars

Post by Bard Beach »

I often hear people talk about American inexperience with driving rear engine cars. I'm new to driving the Corvair but I have plenty of driving experience in 60's front engine cars (not racing experience but my teenage years for sure). So it's pretty much me that people are talking about..
Curious to hear some thoughts on basic differences when it comes to driving and handling aside from tire oressure. Any basic fundamental differences in approach or thoughts on safe and effective driving habits in Corvairs.
I'm not much of a racer but I like to drive. And there are always those corners that creep up on you, sharp curves on highway off ramps etc.


Jerry Whitt
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Re: Driving Corvairs/ rear engine cars

Post by Jerry Whitt »

One of the biggest differences is brakes. Most (maybe all) newer cars have power assisted disc brakes. That makes the pedal pressure less.

The Corvair is lighter weight so the stopping distance is a little shorter.

Depending on the steering arm, effort to turn on the Corsa is usually greater.

I have been driving Corvairs for over 50 years and the biggest difference noted is the people asking, "What kind of car is it?"


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JasonL
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Re: Driving Corvairs/ rear engine cars

Post by JasonL »

From how I drive I have noticed that the weight in the rear tends to slide the back end in heavy
(over steer) cornering and if you hit a patch of gravel, water or ice look out. That is the main difference of the Corvair I've noticed compared to front engine cars.

The other thing I've noticed is while cornering with the "stock" tires and wheels you get some rolling or poor handling from the taller side walls and softer and narrow tires. That would have been common on the front engine vehicles as well.

I also like to push the car a bit more than I should. I have learned its limits and like to keep it near them within reason.
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bbodie52
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Re: Driving Corvairs/ rear engine cars

Post by bbodie52 »

The aluminum air cooled Corvair engine tends to run somewhat hotter than water cooled engines. The use of Premium gasoline will help to protect your engine on hot days and under heavy loads. The compression ratio in the Corvair engine is relatively low, so the engine will often tolerate the use of a midgrade or Regular gasoline under light loads (i.e. few passengers, around town driving, only a small amount of cargo, relatively cool ambient temperatures, etc.)

Image

But the Corvair driver must be sensitive to the sound of detonation (pinging) when climbing long uphill grades, especially with a full load of passengers and/or cargo and on warm days. If you hear the rattling sound coming from the engine as you climb a long hill, don't just press harder on the gas pedal. Doing so is a good way to damage an engine or even melt a hole in the piston. Instead, you may have to slow down or downshift to a lower gear to prevent the car engine from suffering potential damage from detonation (fuel-air mixture exploding in the combustion chamber instead of a progressive burn). An exploding fuel air mixture in the combustion chambers is a recipe for lost horsepower and engine damage if it is allowed to continue. If you are running a low octane gasoline and you find that this occurs you may have to switch to premium fuel. Rechecking your ignition timing and possibly retarding the timing a few degrees can also help. But a knowledgeable, aware Corvair owner can do a lot to protect the Corvair engine. There is no engine computer and sensor-based computer control of the fuel and ignition systems to protect the Corvair engine.

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azdave
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Re: Driving Corvairs/ rear engine cars

Post by azdave »

The understeer to oversteer transition is the #1 lesson to learn with rear engine cars like old Corvairs. If you go into a sharp corner or enter a freeway off ramp too fast, most people will let off the gas pedal abruptly. This quickly transitions the Corvair from understeering (like all basic drivers are aware of) to oversteering (which basic drivers don't know how to handle). That one item more than anything else is what get's you into trouble.

I highly advise learning what this feels like in your own car by driving in a local autocross event or even finding an abandoned parking lot on a Sunday morning when no one is around. Do some really hard braking. Throw the car around a little and feel it out. I did this with my children when they learned to drive so they would know the limits of the car they were driving and knew when to back off before they got into trouble. I gave my daughter an 87 B2000 10 years ago. The day I got it back as my daily driver I went out and (safely) did some panic stops and some hard corners to remind myself after 10 years how this little truck skids and slides. You can't learn that effectively by reading or watching online videos.
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terribleted
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Re: Driving Corvairs/ rear engine cars

Post by terribleted »

azdave wrote: Fri Sep 29, 2017 7:29 am I highly advise learning what this feels like in your own car by driving in a local autocross event or even finding an abandoned parking lot on a Sunday morning when no one is around. Do some really hard braking. Throw the car around a little and feel it out. I did this with my children when they learned to drive so they would know the limits of the car they were driving and knew when to back off before they got into trouble. I gave my daughter an 87 B2000 10 years ago. The day I got it back as my daily driver I went out and (safely) did some panic stops and some hard corners to remind myself after 10 years how this little truck skids and slides. You can't learn that effectively by reading or watching online videos.
Great plan. There is nothing like seat time to find the limits. My first early Corvair I took out and did some sharp, slow, fast and then faster corners to see where the inside front wheel would start to unweight. I then knew what could be done without tempting rollover.
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GasDaddy140
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Re: Driving Corvairs/ rear engine cars

Post by GasDaddy140 »

I remember that driving my 1967 Monza Power-glide in the Syracuse area snow was great fun! It seemed to move forward through almost any winter condition...but the steering got a little sketchy. It would tend to want to go straight and slip, even while off the brakes. A little throttle over-steer was needed. I'm pretty sure that god wants man to drive rear-engine, air cooled, cars though :)
Alan Duquette
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