To add to D^2 comments below, a tire that has a low
profile will tend to lose traction a lot more suddenly
than a relatively high (70 or 75 series) profile tire.
The handling of the Imperials is not terribly
stellar, at least in comparison with modern cars,
however it is extrememly predictable. Riding with
Dimitris through the windy mountain roads of Austin,
even in the pasenger seat I could feel the onset of
understeer as the car began plowing through the
corner, and with a slight tap of the brake D^2 was
able to bring the rear end around and execute a nice
apexed turn. Similarly, if we came into a turn with a
lot of power to the rear wheels, you could feel it
start to fishtail and a little steering correction was
all that was needed to keep a nice line through the
turn.
While I don't argue one could make an old Imperiual
handle better, ride quality would certainly suffer.
And don't forget, the laws of physics do apply; a 5500
pound brick on wheels will never handle remotely close
to a Porche. Enjoy your brick.
> can be said that the suspension of these cars was
> never designed for this type
> of wheels and tires. Our old cars were designed to
> lean a bunch in corners
> compared to modern cars, and this type of super wide
> and low profile tires will
> not like that, and the handling may suffer. For
> certain cases, the traction
> forces may be too high, far-far higher than the
> original bias ply tires that
> the suspension was designed for. As a result, you
> can expect that the ball
> joints and bushings to wear out a lot faster than
> normal. Finally, the rolling
=====
--Mike Pittinaro
One point eight litres
Stromberg carburators sing
Loose nut at the wheel
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