Other Technologies That Will Need To Adapt

[WAYNE]

Overall, I liked it a lot. I saw the P4. There were a few things that gave away the fact that it's a prototype, but most of those are easily addressed. Actually, it was quite a bit more 'finished' than I expected almost a year before official production is scheduled to begin. I can tell you that tooling up to build the engine and transmission won't be trivial. When you hear of that happening, the reality of full production will be very likely.

Zipper, you are 100% correct.

 

[WAYNE]

Wow! That is an amazing tire. Do you think they will make it in orange? Z

LOL

 

[Marv Cohen]

Note to autoexdriver I have a three wheeler resembling TREX and I have not encountered this if you think this will occur where you are located then perhaps injecting a can of FIXAFLAT as a preventive measure will work for you. The part of SE Florida I live in never has seen road salt or gravel applied for snow or ice. The only pot holes I see are in older parking lots that are not maintained well.

 

[gio]

I've been considering the fact that the rear tire will be constantly traveling in "no man's land" that is not swept clear of road debris nearly as much as the traditional tire paths, therefore it is the most likely of the 3 wheels to be punctured and also the most difficult to change, If it is even possible to do so on the road side. Not the best situation. I think they should look into a non-pneumatic rear tire if there is anything at all that will give close to an acceptable ride and tune the rear suspension to deal with it. The rear tire does not need as much traction as the front tires, like in most FWD cars it's just supporting weight and "along for the ride". Not entirely of course, it has to have some lateral traction for cornering but compared to the fronts it's pretty much just getting towed around.

Bingo! That's what I was thinking about.Autoxdriver said it all.They have to come up with a good rear suspension & tire.You can't miss a pothole.You have to literally target one with the front wheel to save the rear wheel.I still like the car for that price as long as they don't come up with an idea that the price is for the ugly prototype with the covered front wheel and boxy rear.It want it just like the T-shirt they sent me.

 

[JN2Wheels]

Also relevant to this discussion is that the rear wheel and tire appear to be a smaller size then the fronts. Check out the "Elio inside out" thread for images. Smaller wheel could be even more susceptible to pot hole damage.

 

[Ty]

Not to mention the dead skunk that appears from beneath the vehicle in front of you. You can't swerve into oncoming traffic of course so you do what you've always done - made sure your front tires were on either side of it. This time, though, you'll feel the bump and know that you'll be hosing guts off the back of your Elio after smooshing the skunk with that rear tire... Yes, smooshing is a word. Okay, maybe not a real word.

 

[zelio]

Not to mention the dead skunk that appears from beneath the vehicle in front of you. You can't swerve into oncoming traffic of course so you do what you've always done - made sure your front tires were on either side of it. This time, though, you'll feel the bump and know that you'll be hosing guts off the back of your Elio after smooshing the skunk with that rear tire... Yes, smooshing is a word. Okay, maybe not a real word.

I wonder how much tomato juice it takes to get the skunk smell off the back tire and fittings of an Elio. :-) Z

 

[Tomg3rd]

Peeps have been driving trikes for years and years and of course t-rex and can-am's out there now also and I havent heard them complaining at all about harsh roads and pot holes. Is this even a real issue?? Go Elio lets get 'er done...!

 

[karl]

I drive a narrow car now. Straddling things like manholes doesn't work very well. You can drive around most of them. At other times you will have to choose which wheel takes the shot. From my seat at the moment that will probably be one of the fronts.

Driving this vehicle will require us to adapt to the unique requirements it presents. I can't wait.

 

[DBN477]

Also relevant to this discussion is that the rear wheel and tire appear to be a smaller size then the fronts. Check out the "Elio inside out" thread for images. Smaller wheel could be even more susceptible to pot hole damage.

I have to admit, I rarely see a pot hole in the middle of the lane. If there is one, it is the width of the lane. The center of the lane is the smoothest part, and yes the slickest. Fronts are for braking. I'm not worried about hitting a pot hole with the rear wheel.

EDIT:Spelling correction