On 30/09/11 03:02, Phil W Lee wrote:
Tom Sherman considered Sun,
17 Oct 2010 18:43:30 -0500 the perfect time to write:

Leave the rear-wheel steering to the forklifts and other low-speed
vehicles, as it is almost impossible to make a rear-steer vehicle that
handles well at speed.

I know this is a bit of thread necromancy, but really, weren't you
aware that the fastest land vehicle ever built has rear wheel
steering?

http://www.thrustssc.com/thrustssc/E.../rearster.html

It handled the transonic region pretty well, which is probably way
faster than anything you were thinking of.

I think if we substitute "difficult" for "almost impossible" we're at a
fair place.

I recall an answer Mike Burrows gave in print to a question asking why a
rear wheel steer recumbent wasn't the obvious thing to do (combined with
front wheel drive) in one of the rags (C+?). It suggested while it was
possible such vehicles tended to be ridden by people with names like
Koko who possessed particularly large shoes and red noses... I imagine
MB was basing that on practical experience as well as theory as he's an
excellent engineer quite unafraid of the unconventional.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/