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45-515: Built on the H-body platform , the car was available in hatchback , notchback , wagon , and panel delivery body styles . The Astre shared the aluminum-block 2.3 liter inline-four engine with the Vega through 1977, while the final 1977 models offered Pontiac's all-iron 2.5 liter inline-four engine as an option. The Astre was cancelled with the Vega at the end of the 1977 model year, although

90-423: A catalytic converter . Power brakes and a tilt steering wheel were new options. The Astre panel delivery was discontinued the end of the model year. A unique Astre package was offered in 1975. Dubbed the 'Lil Wide Track, it was the creation of Jerry Juska of Dymar to help with lackluster Astre sales. Juska took his ideas to Dave Landrith of Motortown Corporation specializing in custom auto work. The package includes

135-502: A 1975 Astre road test, said, "For $ 180 over the price of a Vega ($ 1,019 in 2023 dollars ), the Astre features upgraded interior trim-primarily the items for which Chevrolet charges $ 134 in their custom interior ($ 759 in 2023 dollars ). You also have the opportunity to go one big step up in luxury if you choose the SJ line which is available in hatchback and wagon body styles." Car and Driver in

180-477: A 1977 Astre road test, said, "The Astre is the Vega-polished and refined and significantly improved, but still a Vega in perhaps its ultimate state of development. It remained for Pontiac to do what Chevrolet probably should have done in the first place: the substitution of the marvelous old Chevy II cast-iron four-cylinder econo-motor for the much-troubled aluminum-block Vega engine. Sliding in and starting

225-470: A cast-iron block and head with overhead valves (OHV) . Transmissions are the three- and four-speed manual , five-speed manual with overdrive (1976–1977 option) and the three-speed automatic . The Astre has a 97.0-inch (2,460 mm) wheelbase and a 65.4-inch (1,660 mm) width. The front suspension is short and long control arms with coil springs ; the rear suspension is a four-link design with coil springs. A torque-arm design rear suspension replaced

270-449: A front air dam, rear spoiler , appliance wire mag rims, window louvers, a chrome exhaust tip, and bright stripe decals for the hood, body sides, rear spoiler, door handles, and wheel centers. They assembled a couple of cars in Jan. and Feb. 1975 and took pictures to local Detroit dealers where the package gained acceptance. It added a little over $ 400 to the price of the Astre but dealers felt

315-411: A lower roofline and a fold-down rear seat. The notchback sedan had the lowest price and is the only Vega model with an enclosed trunk. The Safari wagon has fixed rear-side glass and a swing-up liftgate. A panel delivery based on the wagon was sold through the 1975 model year. It has steel panels in place of the rear-side glass, and an additional enclosed storage area. An auxiliary front passenger seat

360-432: A major investment decision regarding retooling for the radial tire, following the 1973 oil crisis . Despite heavy criticism at the time, Pilliod invested heavily in new factories and tooling to build the radial tire. Today, only Goodyear, Cooper , Titan, and Specialty Tires of America remain independent among US tire manufacturers, and the radial has practically replaced all other construction methods for automobile tires on

405-493: A new option. The "Formula" option was also introduced for the Astre's final year, which included the handling package, chrome valve cover, three-piece spoiler, Formula T/A steering wheel and special decals. The 1978–1979 Pontiac Sunbird wagon was a rebranded continuation of the Astre wagon, continuing with a modified 1977 Astre grille rather than taking on the Sunbird coupe's square headlights and flat hood. Car and Driver in

450-508: A revised grill. The 2.3 L engine, named Dura-built 140, received improved cooling and durability refinements, and a five years/60,000 mile warranty . The chassis received the new Pontiac Sunbird's upgraded components including the box-section front cross-member, larger rear brakes and torque-arm rear suspension, replacing the four-link design, and effectively eliminating wheel-hop on rough roads. The body received extensive anti-rust improvements. The final year 1977 models continued to offer

495-499: A slick, but with a radial construction for the Monte Carlo Rally winning works Stratos. Radial technology is now the standard design for essentially all automotive tires. Bias tires are still used on trailers due to their weight carrying ability and resistance to swaying when towed. For aircraft, the transition is happening more slowly, as tires are certified along with the airframe . A radial has less material in

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540-402: A subcompact to sell when the Astre made its U.S. debut for the 1975 model year. The Astre used the Vega 140 cu in (2.3-liter) inline-four engine through 1977. The engine features an aluminum-alloy cylinder block and cast-iron cylinder head with a single overhead camshaft (OHC) . 1977 models also offered the option of Pontiac's 151 cu in (2.5-liter) inline-four engine with

585-634: A tire manufacturer (1915–1919), firearm designer and inventor in San Diego, CA - U.S. patent 1,203,910 . No actual products were created. Michelin in France designed, developed, patented, and commercialized the radial tire. The first Michelin X radial tire for cars was developed in 1946 by Michelin researcher Marius Mignol. There is no evidence that the former accountant turned researcher Mignol had knowledge of Hamilton or Savage's earlier work when he began his experiments in 1941. Michelin owned

630-482: Is "H". For 1971, the Chevrolet Vega was introduced in four body styles, including a two-door sedan, a three-door hatchback and a three-door station wagon and panel delivery. For 1973, the front bumper was relocated forward; for 1974, both front bumpers were redesigned. The Pontiac Astre was introduced for 1973, styled with a different front grille from the Vega. Initially exclusive to Canada, Pontiac released

675-573: Is an automobile platform used by subcompact cars from the 1971 to 1980 model years. The first subcompact car design developed by GM, the rear-wheel drive H platform initially underpinned the Chevrolet Vega and its Pontiac Astre counterpart. For 1975, the H platform was expanded from entry-level vehicles to sport compacts , adding the Chevrolet Monza , Buick Skyhawk , Oldsmobile Starfire , and Pontiac Sunbird . In contrast to

720-409: The heat buildup in the tire . By comparison, radial tires lay all of the cord plies at 90 degrees to the direction of travel (that is, across the tire from lip to lip). This design avoids having the plies rub against each other as the tire flexes, reducing the tire's rolling friction. This allows vehicles with radial tires to achieve better fuel economy than with bias-ply tires. It also accounts for

765-576: The 1980 model year. For 1982, the H-body vehicles were replaced by the front-wheel drive J-body ; while again shrinking in length, the interiors of the J-body vehicles grew in size, becoming compact-segment vehicles. From 1986 to 1999, the H platform designation was revived for front-wheel drive full-size sedans of the Buick, Oldsmobile, and Pontiac divisions. While primarily intended for the Chevrolet Vega,

810-425: The 2.3 L Dura-built 140 engine as standard equipment with Pontiac's new 151 cu in " Iron Duke " inline-four engine as an option. Both the cylinder block and cylinder head are cast-iron. Standard in the Astre and Sunbird, they were the first GM vehicles to utilize the engine which was widely used into the 1990s. 1977 Astre models also featured a new vertical design grill and aluminum wheels (13-inch) were

855-808: The Astre in the United States for 1975. For 1975, the Chevrolet Monza was introduced as a three-door hatchback, alongside the Buick Skyhawk, and Oldsmobile Starfire; a two-door notchback coupe was introduced during the model year. For 1976, the Pontiac Sunbird was introduced, sharing the body of the Monza notchback coupe; a Sunbird hatchback was introduced during 1976 (the Skyhawk and Starfire were only offered as hatchbacks). For 1978,

900-511: The Chevrolet Vega. Other styling differences compared to the Vega include — 1973 model Astres have a black-finish grill and clear parking lamp lenses on all models, and chrome headlight bezels on non-GTs. Taillight lenses (same as the Vega) have a chrome trim piece surround. The 1974–1977 models have first generation Firebird-styled taillights (also shared with the 1973–1974 Ventura) on the notchback and hatchback. The hatchback coupe features

945-526: The GM-rotary Wankel engine (GMRCA) was intended to be a key feature of the Chevrolet Monza hatchback and its counterparts; following its 1974 cancellation, the GMRCA was replaced by 262 and 305 cubic-inch Chevrolet V8s. Radial tires A radial tire (more properly, a radial-ply tire ) is a particular design of vehicular tire . In this design, the cord plies are arranged at 90 degrees to

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990-518: The H platform was not developed by the Chevrolet Division itself, but became the first vehicle architecture developed by a centralized GM design and engineering team. Replacing two subcompact cars separately in development by Chevrolet and Pontiac, development of the H-body began in 1968. In slightly over two years, GM sought to develop its first subcompact with a sub-2000 pound curb weight, an all-aluminum engine, and priced at or less than

1035-418: The SJ's performance and handling features. The 1974 model year brought the only major body design changes, due to revised front and rear 5 mph (8.0 km/h) bumper standards-A slanted header panel with a new split grill and recessed headlamp bezels complement the larger, front 5 mph aluminum bumper. Front and rear license plate brackets were relocated and a larger rear 5 mph aluminum bumper

1080-446: The Vega and Astre were discontinued, with the station wagon body style rebadged as a Monza and Sunbird wagon; the station wagon was dropped for 1980. The Chevrolet Vega was introduced with a Chevrolet-designed 140 cubic-inch inline-4 engine; while using an aluminum engine block, the cylinder head was of cast-iron construction. The later Chevrolet Cosworth Vega was fitted with a 122 cubic-inch all-aluminum inline-4. An advanced design for

1125-552: The Volkswagen Beetle; assembly of the vehicle was to be primarily automated. The unibody H-platform is rear-wheel drive, using a 97-inch wheelbase. Scaling down the design of larger GM platforms, the H platform uses unequal-length A-arm front suspension; the rear suspension is a coil-spring solid rear axle. The fourth character in the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) for an H-body car

1170-409: The cords in the tire to assume an S-shape from bead to bead. The angle under the tread, the crown angle, stretched down to about 36 degrees. In the sidewall region the angle was 45 degrees, and in the bead it remained at 60 degrees. The low crown angle gave rigidity to support the tread and the high sidewall angle gave comfort. To increase strength, the manufacturer would increase the number of plies, and

1215-567: The difference in looks was worth the price. Production was later switched from an old warehouse in suburban Detroit to a factory beside the Lordstown Assembly Vega/Astre plant. An estimated 3,000 Lil Wide Track Astres were ordered by dealerships. The package components were later offered as a dealer installed kit. Astres were confined to a single series for 1976, but they were refined with extensive engine, chassis, and body integrity improvements. A modest facelift included

1260-520: The direction of travel, or radially (from the center of the tire). Radial tire construction climbed to 100% market share in North America following Consumer Reports finding the superiority of the radial design in 1968, and were standard by 1976. The first radial tire designs were patented in 1914 by G. H. Hamilton and T. Sloper -patent № 467 filed in London , and in 1916 by Arthur W. Savage ,

1305-417: The engine was a revelation because its so quiet and smooth compared to the Vega." Also the Astre's interior trim was judged more plush than Vega's. Car and Driver in its 35th anniversary issue in 1990, amusingly recalled the Astre U.S. debut: "Detroit Fights Back - The Pontiac Astre is introduced. It's a Vega with better decals." GM H platform (RWD) The General Motors H platform (or H-body )

1350-485: The four-link design starting with the 1976 models. The Astre is a rear wheel drive vehicle with a live rear axle . Steering is of a recirculating ball type with a power assist option. The brake system features front disc brakes with solid rotors, and rear drum brakes . Power assist was optional starting in the 1975 model year. The Astre features Pontiac's trademark split grill, emblems and steering wheel with an upgraded interior trim to help differentiate itself from

1395-579: The globally-developed T platform (later sold alongside it), the H-platform was sold nearly exclusively in North America. Following the downsizing of its larger car lines (the B-body full-size, A-body intermediate, E-body personal luxury), GM moved to redesign the rest of its major model lines. Following the 1980 shift of the X-body compacts to front-wheel drive, the H platform ended production for

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1440-465: The leading automaker Citroën , so it was quickly able to introduce its new design, including on the new 1948 Citroën 2CV model. In 1952, Michelin developed a radial truck tire. Because of its significant advantages in durability and fuel economy, this technology spread quickly in Europe and Asia in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1968, Consumer Reports , an influential American magazine, acknowledged

1485-453: The market. Sam Gibara, who headed Goodyear from 1996 to 2003, has noted that without the action of Pilliod, Goodyear "wouldn't be around today." In 1974, Pirelli developed the wide radial tire on a request of the Lancia rally racing team for a tire to handle the power of the new Lancia Stratos and in the succeeding year, Pirelli introduced a wide tire with a reduced sidewall height like

1530-509: The mini-car market, it also decided to develop the car itself. It was a corporate car, not a divisional one. Ed Cole formed a GM corporate design team exclusively for the Chevrolet Vega headed by William Munser, who had worked on the Camaro . The Pontiac Division was given its own version of the Vega for the Canadian market, named Astre for the 1973 model year. U.S. Pontiac dealers finally had

1575-432: The past, the fabric was built up on a flat steel drum, with the cords at angles of about +60 and −60 degrees from the direction of travel, so they criss-crossed over each other. They were called cross ply or bias ply tires. The plies were turned up around the steel wire beads and the combined tread/sidewall applied. The green (uncured) tire was loaded over a curing bladder and shaped into the mold. This shaping process caused

1620-494: The sidewall, so it weighs less, runs cooler and lasts longer. For smaller planes, bias tires afford more stability at higher speeds and have stronger sidewalls. A series of plies of cord reinforces a tire. Without this, a tire would be flexible and weak. The network of cords that gives the tire strength and shape is called the carcass. Since the 1960s, all common tires have a carcass of cords of polyester, steel, or other textile materials, inlaid with several layers of rubber. In

1665-417: The slightly "low on air" (bulging) look that radial tire sidewalls have, especially when compared to bias-ply tires. With only radial cords, a radial tire would not be sufficiently rigid at the contact with the ground. To add further stiffness, the entire tire is surrounded by additional belts oriented closer to the direction of travel, but usually at some "spiral" angle. These belts can be made of steel (hence

1710-510: The superiority of the radial tire design, documenting its longer tread life, better steering characteristics, and less rolling resistance, which improves fuel economy . In 1970, Ford Motor Company produced the first American-made vehicle with radial tires as standard equipment, Michelin tires fitted to the Continental Mark III . In 1974, Charles J. Pilliod, Jr. , the new CEO of Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company , faced

1755-399: The term steel-belted radial), polyester , or Aramid fibers such as Twaron or Kevlar . In this way, low radial tires separate the tire carcass into two separate systems: Each system can then be individually optimized for best performance. Radial tires have different characteristics of springiness from those of bias-ply tires , and a different degree of slip while steering. A benefit

1800-480: The time, the Cosworth Vega engine used dual overhead camshafts, 4 valves per cylinder, and electronic fuel injection; in total, 5000 engines were assembled for 1975. For 1975, the introduction of the Chevrolet Monza saw the introduction of V8 engines to H platform (not offered in the Vega and Astre). In 1975, the H-platform also adopted a Buick-designed 231 cubic-inch V6. For 1978, the 140 cubic-inch inline-4

1845-472: The wagon continued for 1978 and 1979, rebadged as part of the Pontiac Sunbird line. The word " astre " is Catalan for "star", a shared naming convention for the Vega. In 1968 GM chairman James Roche announced that General Motors would produce a new mini-car in the U.S. in two years. Pontiac's own small car program had been rejected. Not only did corporate management make the decision to enter

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1890-408: Was optional. The SJ hatchback and SJ Safari wagon models feature soft nylon upholstery, cut pile carpeting, padded and cloth covered door panels, and a fabric headliner, plus rally instruments, the higher-output two barrel engine, four-speed or automatic (over a three-speed manual) gearbox and radial tires . A GT package option for the hatchback and Safari wagon combined the lower-line interior with

1935-475: Was replaced by a Pontiac-designed 151 cubic-inch inline-4 (later known as the "Iron Duke" engine ). In addition to the Cosworth Vega engine, the H platform served in the development of several advanced GM engine designs. In 1972, a prototype Vega powered by a 302 cubic-inch aluminum-block V8 (derived from CERV I ) was tested, but did not progress to production. While the Vega served in its development,

1980-414: Was that cars could now be made lighter because they would not have to make up for the deficiencies of bias-ply tires. However, motorists were not accustomed to the feel, hence the suspension systems of cars had to be modified. Ford Motor Company engineer Jack Bajer experimented in the 1960s on a Ford Falcon , by giving it less tight steering, and adding both isolators to the drive shaft and bushings to

2025-582: Was used increasing the overall length three inches compared to the 1973 models. A revised rear panel on notchback and hatchback models had new Firebird-styled taillights and ventilation extractor grills were eliminated on trunk and hatch lids. The 1975 Astre, introduced in the United States September 1974, gave U.S. Pontiac dealers a needed fuel efficient subcompact. A budget "S" series was added during 1975. More than 267 changes were made including new High-energy electronic ignition system and

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