>From: Ken Miller <kdmiller44@xxxxxxxxxxx> >Subject: IML: Tire Expiration Dates > >There is an article in the Wall Street Journal today stating that Ford >Motor Company is saying that tires have a life expectancy of 6 years and >should be replaced after that time interval. > >Those of us with Imperials that don't get driven very often may need to >at least consider this point of view. The tires on my 67 Convertible >look practically new and probably have less than 5,000 miles on them, >but when I checked the sales slip I realized that I bought them in >1988! That means that these guys are about 17 years old. Other old car >collectors tell me they are changing their tires every ten years or so, >worn out or not. I'm beginning to think that there is something to this. > >Any thoughts? Replacing tires due to age instead of wear is probably an excellent idea. However, if you only drive the car 250 miles a year, do you really hammer it over those 250 miles? It's hard for me to imagine someone keeping a car pristinely safe in a garage 99.9% of the time, and for the other .1% punching it through S-curves at 90mph... Under most driving conditions, if you get a flat, it's merely annoying. Last time I had a highway blowout in an Imperial, my '62 lost a front tire and deviated so little from it's course that I initially didn't know what was making the noise - I immediately put it in neutral, and slowed it with the drive-shaft brake. If when you drive you car, it's short trips at moderate speeds on good roads, then I wouldn't much worry until the sidewalls start cracking. If you drive it long distances, or in other more aggressive ways, then you might want to change them more often. -Kle. '69 Crown 4DHT ----------------- http://www.imperialclub.com ----------------- This message was sent to you by the Imperial Mailing List. Please reply to mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx and your response will be shared with everyone. Private messages (and attachments) for the Administrators should be sent to webmaster@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx To UN-SUBSCRIBE, go to http://imperialclub.com/unsubscribe.htm