Are they that really bad or it was just a stunt by Top Gear.
Millions of 3-wheeld auto-rickshows travel in South & South East Asia and they don't topple that often!
Would the other car (with 2 front wheels and 1 rear but no reverse gear) have done any better?
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They are probably more likely than a 4 wheel car to topple over, just like they are more stable than a motorcycle... but you drive them within their limits, just like any vehicle...
It was just a stunt, done for laughs... nothing else!
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Drove a three-wheeler for some years-two at the front and FWD.Very stable-handled well-it was very low but hardest part was avoiding manhole covers.
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The haynes data book says almost 10 degrees of positive castor at the front petrila.net/peugeot/HAYNES%20-%20Data%20Book/RELIANT/REF456.PDF so that means a fair bit of unfavourable (EDIT: in this chassis) dynamic camber at the front encouraging this to tip over.
The rickshaws i've seen have no castor, the front wheel is on a complete horiztonal steering plane.
Last edited by: CraigP on Mon 12 Jul 10 at 12:35
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3-wheeled vehicles are inherently more unstable than 4-wheeled.
However they usually have the advantage of a smaller turning circle. It all comes down to what the vehicle is designed for.
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I did 10k in my Reliant Rialto and frankly, it was one of Clarksons dumber moments because driven normally, you never even get close to tipping them over.
If you had to compare it, maybe you would be as cautious as you would in a separate chassis 4x4.
The bigger danger in a Reliant is crosswinds because they weigh so little, anything above 60 requires concentration! That said, later models were more aerodynamic and a smoother shape, so these perhaps werent as affected as my 80's version.
Putting weight in the back certainly aided stability - something heavy where the back seat was helped alot.
You could quite confidently hustle one if you were used to how they drove and the steering was very direct with lots of feel.
You have to own one for a while to really adjust to them though - the first time I drove mine I was terrified :-) I still miss it though, I want another someday.
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They have no place on british roads. Very badly designed. They should all be banned.
I mean what sane person put all the weight over the single front wheel?
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Never mind the castor angle.... it always fell over on a left hand corner with the pie filled Clarkson's weight being a big factor.
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saw a reliant 3 wheeler race at Autosport several years ago, when these ones fell over they just reached out and pushed them upright again
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I would not touch one of the Reliant three wheelers with a bargepole .
I am not keen because I remember seeing one that had been rolled over on the A217 and the fibre glass body looked crazed just like my breakfast hard boiled egg after a good hit with a spoon .
I quite liked the Messerschmidt with two wheels at the front and one at the back which one of my schoolteachers had.
Now the Scimitar GTE which I used to drive ( when I could persuade my brother ) was a different matter altogether
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I saw one after a crash. There were bits of what looked like wet cardboard scattered around - that had been the bodywork!
JH
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anyone who has ever had the displeasure of fitting themselves into these contraptions never mind driving one on the queens highway
needs a check up from the neck up
end of.............
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Given that a motorbike is more dangerous still, thats alot of people who need to get off the roads.
>needs a check up from the neck up<
Coming from someone who thinks incinerators come in plastic, glasshouses old boy.
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The Reliant overturned because JC deliberately overturned it. Why do you think he was wearing a full safety harness and a lid?
TG is getting to be a bit of a bore now.
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TG is getting to be a bit of a ----bore -------now.
>
>>>yes but he-- gunned-- the 3 wheeler
bum bum
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>>,,and frankly, it was one of Clarksons dumber moments because driven normally, you never even get close to tipping them over>>
No it wasn't. Two wheels at the front and one at the rear, OK....:-)
I've only once drive a Reliant Robin (under pressure to do so) and I don't think I've been more terrified in my life...
Yet I can't forget at least one occasion (in fact there might have been two) when a Reliant Robin driver doing at least 70 mph (somewhere in the Peak District) led advanced police drivers a merry, and somewhat embarrassing, chase all the way into the heart of Sheffield.
Last edited by: Stuartli on Mon 12 Jul 10 at 23:38
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A common misconception that they were slow - they werent, just most owners were well past their sell-by date and so drove slowly. They have 40 bhp which is about the same as a Mini, but they weigh maybe 2/3 of that a Mini weighs, so they shift more than expected. Around town I used to be 1/4 mile down the road by the time everyone else had found 1st gear.
I had mine at an indicated 80 once or twice but it was like doing 140 in a normal car in terms of concentration :-) not that ive ever one 140...maybe.
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The bodywork may be glassfibre but there's a hefty steel chassis underneath.
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>> The bodywork may be glassfibre but there's a hefty steel chassis underneath.
>> .>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>which part?
the bit that held the complete front suspension on that rotted out causing cars to crash on a bend
or the outriggers that used to rot and were nigh on impossible to weld because they were located underneath a plastic garden waste incinerator
did i mention the amount of car fires caused because earthing problems were a major problem on these things
evil horrible dangerous rubbish .............
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The chassis was galvanised from early 80's. My '86 Rialto had a solid original chassis, never been near a torch. Of course, if you dont know what your buying, you could buy something in bad shape and clearly some did.
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ah well therin lies the rub
by 1980 i realised that 3 wheelers were rubbish and never bought one newer but obviously since then i did sometimes have to take one on but they didnt have the fiesta mk2 lights fitted so maybe after 1980 with their galved chassis the torsional ridigity was vastly improved and maybe reliant fitted bilsteins as standard too with progressive road springs?
:-)
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>> I had mine at an indicated 80 once or twice
Fast in a straight line in a three wheel reliant is not exciting, just noisy and uncomfortable.
They are slow round corners. Its a fundamentaly flawed design, putting the single wheel at the front, the same place at the engine.
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Indeed it is, but then so is a motorbike - it has two wheels missing :-)
I can tell you, 80 in a Reliant is pretty exciting if your a thrill seeker. And no they arent slow round corners if you have decent tyres on. On a sweeping A-road they could maintain speed round the bends more than adequately. On the limit handling was suspect for sure, but in general driving, if you had confidence of experience, you could make them roll along very nicely - in the same way that 2CV owners knew how to get the best from one despite the obvious limitations.
Of course, you have to actually have had the experience to know what your talking about.
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I have, much prefered the bond bug tho.
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Of course, you have to actually have had the experience to know what your talking about.
>>>>>.
>>>>>>.i would suggest you are either a masochist or you still have your beer goggles on
ive driven these thinga and they are the worst thing ive ever driven
i would rather go home on a 3 wheeled trolley jack
:-)
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Id prefer a Reliant to the original Mini. They were the worst small cars ive driven. Horrid, heavy to drive and uncomfortable on a good day. All economy/budget cars in those days were a compromise in one way or another, you just had to pick what mattered to you. We are spoilt these days with all cars being very competant all round. 25 years ago they werent.
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i hate minis but you must have been in a bad one if you didnt enjoy its race kart skills
even one with masses of play in the knuckle joints and the rear subframe held in with yer mams washing line made you an Italian job driver
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I was in a low miles Cooper, used to work for Rover garage so I drove loads and they were always carp.
Steering wheel was at stupid angle and steering too heavy to chuck it about and on the big-wheel Coopers the tramlining was terrifiying. A Metro GTA was far more fun, even better the GTi.
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yes i preferred the driving of metros
but you mention tramlinning surely even you have to admit thats the most dangerous thing those old 3 pin plugs ever did?
im sure i once posted on here that it took me all night to get home in one one night because it was snowing and all i could do was go where the bus in front had been
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Like any vehicle the Reliant was only as dangerous as the nut holding the wheel. Understand how they worked, don't exceed their limits and they were fine.
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My Rialto was 'sorted'. It had been owned by a Reliant dealer as a run-around/loan car so it was spot on underneath. Mine never tramlined at all, but I was very particular about the oily bits.
I drove mine in the snow and it the lack of weight meant it drove over the snow rather than through it. My misses couldnt get her car out the car park. Me - I went to work - stuck my heaviest valeting gear over the back wheels and off I went :-)
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One of the local old school motor cycle and three wheeler dealers ( you know the sort where the guys wore brown overalls and smoked roll your owns ) used to have a Reliant 3 wheeler with a bike trailer to attend breakdowns ........ how stable was that I wonder ?
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A motorbike and sidecar were better, at least it would go round roundabouts.
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This is what the M25 would be like if everyone drove Reliants......
www.stupidvideos.com/video/stunts/Three_Wheel_Racing/#174726
Last edited by: retpocileh on Tue 13 Jul 10 at 11:37
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sometimes it looks like that even if none of them are reliants......
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It surprising just how much punishment they are taking and still going!
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kwakker engine fitted me thinks
brilliant videos by the way guys
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Whenever 3 wheelers are discussed it always reminds me of that classic Mr Bean episode in the car park... Mini vs Reliant!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECeRhqqVGT0
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I take it the engine was in the middle and the driver under the bonnet!
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The Bond 875 never seemed to have these problems, I wonder why Reliant bought them out?
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3-wheeled vehicles - hobby
