Monday, April 29, 2019
Earle vs Elon
Earle MacPherson is most strongly associated with his eponymous and ubiquitous strut. But after he invented the strut for GM (who didn't use it) he moved to Ford where he perfected the balljoint suspension for the '52 LIncoln.
Why is this odd? Because the strut is the ultimate kingpin. Earle made the perfect kingpin, then eliminated the kingpin.
The change from kingpin to balljoint was NOT an improvement; at best it was unnecessary. The kingpin system is rugged because each rotation axis has its own bearing, and those bearings are nicely 'trapped'. When one of the bearings wears, it gives signs of looseness but doesn't simply pop off. When a balljoint wears it pops off suddenly and disastrously with no warning.
I drove VWs with both types of suspension and didn't notice any difference in handling or ride; but I did notice the complete failure when a balljoint popped loose on a ten-year-old Microbus.
This was a common problem on worn-out cars in the '60s, until metallurgy and casting techniques improved. The problem has returned on BRAND NEW Teslas, because Elon pays no attention to the EXPERIENCE of earlier carmakers. He miraculously picks up failure modes that used to be characteristic of rusted-out hulks and transports those failures to BRAND NEW cars.
He constantly talks about bringing the future into the present, and he's right! He timeshifts problems that should occur in 2029 all the way back to 2019!
Graphic apology: My attempted Elon figure looks more like Sam Donaldson. I didn't feel like spending much time on him. Graphics types are technoid cultists, so I assumed that one of the Poserites had already made a proper Elon character, but apparently not.
Graphic apology: My attempted Elon figure looks more like Sam Donaldson. I didn't feel like spending much time on him. Graphics types are technoid cultists, so I assumed that one of the Poserites had already made a proper Elon character, but apparently not.Labels: Alternate universe, Entertainment
¶ 3:16 AM
