Bingo!! Ackerman stress plus added weight of the Tiger vs. Alpine. Materials
all have a fatigue limit- stay below it and the part should last forever.
The fatigue limit of aluminum is zero, as the people aboard Aloha Airlines
Flight 243 found out. The 737 was rated to a maximum of 75,000 takeoffs and
landings. Flight 243 had in excess of 80,000. Steel has a high stress limit,
depending on the alloy. It would seem that a beefier fulcrum pin that
compensates the added stress would make them last as long as on an Alpine,
but no one has studied just how much beefier. However, as has been pointed
out, a bullet proof fulcrum pin just moves the point of failure somewhere
else. All of this can be fixed, but you are still left with a car that's
inherently not nearly as safe as a Honda Civic. In which of these would you
rather have you or your loved ones have a crash? Those of us who drive
Tigers are consciously (or unconsciously) trading safety for fun. I will not
be giving my Tiger to any of my kids.
Bob
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