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Comments
You're in the wrong line of law Marsh- class action where lawyers get millions and clients get a coupon!
I remember having one of those roll over Explorers. I didn't join any lawsuit, but regardless everyone apparently got a settlement - yes, a $500 coupon off of another rollover Ford Explorer! The Democrat congressmen take care of the bar association like the Republicans cover for the bankers.
Do those 3 roll over easier than other vehicles with a lower centre of gravity? Yup. So?
Life, and living it, is not about free-rides and lawsuits. Take some friggin' responsibility is what I say.
I guess since I was a normal person before becoming a lawyer, I just don't think that way, even as a lawyer...I still see things the same as when I was a nonlawyer...
Never rolled it, but it was one of the biggest POS I've ever owned, something was always breaking even though it just drove on suburban streets and Interstates. It was tipsy though even after I put Michelin LTX tires on it, although they improved its ride and handling a little bit. Didn't keep that vehicle but a few years because I got sick of the problems. Quality was definitely not Job #1 and I think it was pretty apparent the vehicle was a rush design job. Unfortunately, I also owned a Windstar! I'll admit Ford is a much better company today though.
While I am sympathetic to the problems you had with Ford (I am presently still exercising a personal boycott against Ford since 1990) those issues are (technically) off topic in relation to the point i was making.
So while we are off topic a bit... did you have the head gasket issues on your 3.8 l Windstar? And did the recall for a badly corroded rear axle affect you?
Ford may be in the limelight lately, but MY memory is still intact enough that they aren't about to benefit from any pass from me..
So, because of Ford's recommendation to let some air out of the tire, they were probably held partly at fault. And, weren't those Firestone tires fairly defective, too?
But, I think you're right about driver responsibility. I think the problem today is that blowouts are such a rare occurrence, people just don't know how to react to them anymore.
I can't even remember the last time I had a blow-out. I think it might've been in the summer of 1995, and had one of the rear tires on my '68 Dart blow out. No big deal, really, just sort of a pop, and then the car started leaning funny, so I pulled over and stopped, without making any sudden moves. I was only doing around 45-50, though.
Thus, Ford puts stability control and roll over protection on all of their SUVs. Not that it can defy physics, but it does work pretty well. I think vehicle stability control is or will be mandated on all passenger vehicles.
I bought a new 75 Bronco and it came with Bias mud and snow tires and ran just fine. Then a few years later I put radials on it and it just never handled right again. Too much sway and it was top heavy. It was dangerous to drive on curvy roads at high speeds.--55-70mph... Good vehicle otherwise. Put 125000 on it with little or no problems. It just rusted out but boy could it go in the NE Winter snows.
Scared the bejeesus out of me but it scared the person along side me even more. They slammed on their brakes!
The Explorer was advertised as do-it-all utility vehicle. Ads showed it loaded down with people and stuff on the roof and towing an RV. Yet payload on this 'great utility vehicle' was a a very limiting 800 lb or some such low number. And that included tongue weight of a trailer. So you take a tire that has been down pressured for a more compliant ride and all all the extra weight on it and factor in that people don't check their tire pressure but maybe twice a year, and the drywall screw that let the tire leak down to 8 to 12 psi, and it makes for a thankless task that no OEM tire fitment could possibly live up to.
All of this ended a relationship that went back to the days of Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone.
Of course Bridgestone owns Firestone now so what the heck. Is it e or does Bridgestone sound like what Fred Flintstone would have on his car?
On blowouts - last one I had was on a bias ply tire - in 1974!
I think you hit on the biggest issue. I also think it was a bit too narrow. The next gen went with a wider track. As for tires, the Firestone's I had weren't all that impressive, but the Goodyear Wranglers they replaced them with rode stiffer and seemed worse in slippery conditions. I finally ponied up myself and bought Michelin LTX which was noticeably better than the other two, but the vehicle still was still tipsy and top heavy in sharp turns and the like.
in the USA because of POLITICS , it gets great miles per gallon ). My wife wanted the car at the dealership just the way it was, I wanted those tires off the car !! I replaced one tire that was not round and would not hold air. The transmission has been rebuilt 3 times already and the Master Tech. and I figured out that it was the contact of the tires to the road surface ( I'm a diesel tech. trained at UTI ), nothing but front end issues with those tires, and
yes the tires have been balanced and a 4 wheel alignment was done. When the wife has time to give up the car I have to get the 3rd and last Communist
tire off because I have to air it up twice a week ! She does not want a new tire because it still has good tread that is in spec. of OEM. The Communist Chinese also make tools that the company bought and make us use, but
they constantly are broken because of the very poor quality. Mechanics and real Americans are getting real tired and unhappy with the junk. Lets
not forget that the Communist Chinese factories just dump waste where they want ( no OSHA there ) and pollute the world, and are the largest importer of IVORY and promote the extinction of elephants, lets not forget that they make no secret of using child labor where ever possible. It is almost to the point where we are being forced to buy the Communist junk
because of the very high profits, BUT be careful my friend because the low
priced products will carry a big price tag latter on down the line. Do the math from a historian point of view, if you can't figure it out right now.
don't know what their problem is but most real car and truck people won't buy them.
I see this week that Ford signed some kind of mega contract with a Korean company for tires. Hope they are better than the Chinese crap.
This time I was more alert and found Fuzion tires made in Mexico. These are so far much better than the TOTO tires. I agree that products made for our vehicles made in China often are lacking in quality and are undependable.
How about those engines made for GMC that come from China? There is no way I would buy such a risky deal.
Buy the way Indonesia imports lots of tires under some funky names, most likely made of gum rubber.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
I'm on the fence regarding the new design, but then I have a 1996, which only has one 7" headlamp. I love my bike, but the ergos are a bit aggressive for my 54 year-old bones. If I had the money I think I'd get a new Tiger 800 XC. According to the reviews I've read it compares very favorably to the R 1200 GS.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
And we are similar age. My knees give out, and the ST is relatively roomy.
That Tiger would give you some room to stretch out. I do like the bug eye look the twin piercers give it.
And I love that triple sound. Not a lot of dealer exposure up here though.
Best bargain out there for a middle/light weight sport is the 675 Daytona, IMO. Gobs of mid range torque, good hp and super light and lower insurance rates than the gixxer cbr rr crowd and that sweet little triple. What's not to like? Fairly aggressive ergos though.
I guess we shouldn't chat about bikes here though...but i just thought i'd throw that out and see what you thought. Things like bug eye beams have become a bit of a trademark for Triumph and I think it will prove to be a mistake to go away from them in the big bore bike.
But thanks!
I shudda known..will give it a good read after I bring in a bunch of wood before the (another
We took the FWD minivan with lousy all-seasons and just ran into a couple of flurries. Figures.
Er, the van was assembled in Ohio, even if it's not an "American" car. And I got some sweats made in Honduras. That's part of the Americas, right?
ROTFLMAO!!!! Though, those poor guys probably had to pickup the droppings (emissions) from the dinosaur powered excavator.
Separate, But Unequal
Hyundai's Swift Growth Lifts Alabama's Economy
I'm not poor! If you work hard, you'll win! Really!
They will prosper with rising gas prices due to small car mileage, and the Detroit guys will bleed..Hope that makes you happy..It's only our country going down the pipe...
Lots of former Southerners are moving from Detroit (and Chicago) back to the South.
I have to wonder if you actually read the article. Hyundai has created thousands of good-paying jobs with benefits in a state where good jobs were never easy to find. Moreover, some of this prosperity is flowing to local suppliers that also employ Americans.
Why does this bother you? Do you think that Midwesterners are somehow entitled to these jobs? You speak of "our country". Has it occurred to you that Alabamans are just as much citizens of "our country" as Midwesterners are?
Sorry, but I don't get your attitude.
Detroit is not my worry, the decline of that city began with the riots in the late 1960s and has been downhill every since, so I won't give that subject any more verbage for the website could turn on fire..
I lived in Grosse Pointe Woods for 35 yrs with short stays in Crystal Lake, Ill, and Kalamazoo, Mi, owned 3 different home in the Pointes and left there in 2002 for Fla..
Most suppliers to the Asian assembly plants in the USA are Asian owned and operate on a very tight basis cost-wise..The traditional automotive supplier to the Big3 was at a disadvantage on pricing to the Asian car companies back then, however that has probably changed due to the struggling Big3..
I did get involved with Honda briefy with some hot-forged items, suspension parts and crankshafts, but lost interest because of the nit-picky
Asian attitude of quality and pricing..I should have known that after 2yrs with a Japanese in Michigan as their VP of Marketing/Sales..
My last 17 yrs in the auto business was as a self-employed commissioned rep and one takes the high road for the easy sale and the instant commission check, didn't have time to plan for projects five yrs down the road..need time to golf and warm winters in the south..With the cell phone, computer, and fax machine you could be anywhere and respond to any customers concerns..Don't forget, one is not on this earth for a long time, but for a good time..
No Chryslers in my future, No GM cars made after Govt takeover, so Ford gets my business......2010 Mustang GT is a blast, track Pkg..in the garage and the old S/C 2006 GPGT..
Nothing from any ASIAN producer....I promise..
Have a nice day, steve........Maybe I am a little baised, you think????
Let me get this straight: you don't like it when some poor slob trying to make ends meet spends $16K on a Hyundai Elantra, but it's perfectly OK for Richie Rich to spend $60K on an E-class Mercedes Benz instead of $45K on a loaded Cadillac CTS. Is that right?
Am I missing something here?
Simple...they apparently make the type and quality of product that we want to buy...don't forget, the Big 3 squandered a half century of goodwill by selling us junk that wasn't fit for a boat anchor...to buy Big 3 out of blind loyalty is beyond foolish...if you want blind loyalty, how about ignorant UAW workers wanting to make something we want to buy, not loaded with loose screws, missing screws, third-world workmanship, and a militant attidue that makes them think that they entitled to be paid even more for making trash???
If we had a UAW that cared about the PRODUCT and the CUSTOMER instead of solely furthering the UAW, we could have buried Honda, Toy, and Japan, Inc and Korea, Inc...but they were, and are, just too damn ignorant and stupid to figure that out...if they gave an IQ test to the membership of the UAW, they would probably come in with an average around 60, making either scientific morons or mentally handicapped idiots...and THAT is what showed up for years to make those cars...and you wonder why they lost market share???...it is a miracle that they didn't die around 1990-1995...
Asian attitude of quality and pricing..
Heaven forbid someone make cars will quality well proced materials...
Bad Decision. Now they play catch up.
Hyundai wins when the energy markets get nervous.
Live with it. :P
Regards,
OW
It's Hyundai for me...or that nice Optima... :confuse:
Regards,
OW
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
Mercs, for some reason I've seen quite a few of the early 2000's with bubbles popping up around the body side moldings and around the rocker panels. Some E-class and CLK models so bad that I cringe at how a beautiful, stately car that rolled off the showroom floor could look like a clapped out 70's rustbucket.