Nader's criticism applied to the early models with swing axles. They had bias ply tires that would roll under and break the bead from the rim. The later models added a second CV joint to minimize camber change. Unsafe at any Speed referred to American cars in general in the early 1960's and led to padded dashes, seat belts, and a lot of other safety features that today are taken for granted.
Coming of age in the 1960's I recall a lot of cars crashing from blowouts. DOT tires of the period were rated for 85 MPH and were tubeless bias ply. They would pop the tire's bead from the rim and immediately lose air. I remember friends having a 356 Porsche and a beautiful Austin Healey 3000 with the factory racing windscreens crashing in this way in addition to a lot of muscle cars. It is a misunderstood book due to a massive PR campaign by the Detroit automakers.
Coming of age in the 1960's I recall a lot of cars crashing from blowouts. DOT tires of the period were rated for 85 MPH and were tubeless bias ply. They would pop the tire's bead from the rim and immediately lose air. I remember friends having a 356 Porsche and a beautiful Austin Healey 3000 with the factory racing windscreens crashing in this way in addition to a lot of muscle cars. It is a misunderstood book due to a massive PR campaign by the Detroit automakers.
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