Anyone here ever actually lose the back on a swing axle car?

[t walgamuth]

I had two fintails, one in Europe for most of a year and then one here, back in 1973 through 1976ish.

I towed with the one in Europe, a small camper about 900# maybe. It did fine though grossly overloaded when towing with four adults and luggage and the trailer.

The 62 I had here I forced the rear to slide a few times. It did not like it at all, Sortof hopped sideways then if you kept forcing it it would hop again. Much more satisifying to push it to the limit and corner hard only with the gas being applied vigorously.

[Tony H]

Here's one that's going pretty hard and no evidence of trouble

[Robert25]

I know this is an old thread but I just came across it. I had also heard from numerous sources that radials were a bad idea with swing axles. There was even a Mercedes newsletter cautioning that radial tires make the "breakaway" of the rear worse, and to take curves slower.
Years ago I was driving my 1966 Mercedes 250S W108. It had the newer hydro-pnuematic compensator on the axle rather than the older spring, and I was running radials. I never had an issue before, but... One day I was getting off a parkway exit with a decreasing radius turn. Halfway through I realized I had taken it a bit too fast and instinctively let up on the gas. Bang! The car did a 180 and I ended up in the grass.
If I ever own another swing axle Mercedes, which I hope to some day again, it will have bias ply tires for sure!

[Tony H]

I drove my W108 250SE very aggressively while in Europe well before I had knowledge of possible ill handling and never had an issue. Radials. Pretty sure it had the spring.

[cth350]

Originally Posted by Robert25

If I ever own another swing axle Mercedes, which I hope to some day again, it will have bias ply tires for sure!

So Robert, what brings you by? -CTH

[Robert25]

Originally Posted by Tony H

I drove my W108 250SE very aggressively while in Europe well before I had knowledge of possible ill handling and never had an issue. Radials. Pretty sure it had the spring.

It could be that the hydropneumatic compensator in my 250S wasn't working properly/

[Robert25]

Originally Posted by cth350

So Robert, what brings you by? -CTH

Just the fact that I love vintage Mercedes....I've owned a 1960 220S, a 1964 220b, a 1966 250S. a 1977 300D and my daily driver is a 2003 CLK320 convertible.

[t walgamuth]

Originally Posted by Mark DiSilvestro

I believe the movie is 'The Driver', 1976, starring Ryan O Neal as the one demonstrating his a getaway driver skills in an underground parking garage. The car is a W108, I'm thinking 250S or early 280S, with a crappy canary-yellow repaint.
You can see the original cream color after the rear bumper gets torn off during one of the 'stunts'.

I have a late '60s Chilton Mdrcedes manual that states "radial tires are not recommended for Mercedes models with swing-axles."
Though having driven an early Fintail 220S, with Pirelli radials, for a few years, I never had issues with the handling, and believe the Mercedes low-pivot axle, coupled with not having an engine in the rear, did not have the potential cornering problems of the early Corvairs and Porsche 911s.

Happy Motoring, Mark

I had a fintail, two actually. If I had worn out bias ply tires I could urge the rear end to slide a little, especially if the surface was a little slick. When I put new radials on it the cornering loads were enough bigger to make the axle to fold under a bit, then the back end would leap sideways. That is why they did not recommend radials I bet.

[Tony H]

Many swing axle cars came from the factory with radials.

[rumb]

Originally Posted by Tony H

Many swing axle cars came from the factory with radials.

The 70's is when radial tires became popular. Dont know exactly when MB started using them though.


by 1972 W108 had them but not w114.
https://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/vintage-mercedes-forum/282528-w108-tire-sizes-print.html




1970 did not have radials w108
https://www.automobile-catalog.com/tire/1970/1465160/mercedes-benz_280_s.html




1946 is when michelin developed radials.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radial_tire







That said, radials outperform bias tires in every aspect. Losing grip on a tight radius is more likely a driver fault, not the tires.