. At 80 MPH, or so, the dinner sized plate
located behind the
headlights and above the passenger front wheel slipped
down and
neatly shredded the tire. It peeled off the tread with ease
and
complete effectiveness. The noise was awful, as was the
shuddering.
John was kind enough to reply:
My reason for replying, however, is that it sounds to me that
you had an old tire seperate rather than a piece of car come loose and peel
the skin off the tire. If this is the case, you need to be concerned
about a similar fate for the other three tires. The conditions you
describe are perfect for an old tire to fail -- warm temp and high
speed.
And I add:
I do believe you are right. I spoke with a very good friend of mine
very late last night, and he pointed out the plate would have had to be
applied with great force. Mainly, it it had slipped, it would just have
bounced around, probably doing damage at the same time. Further, he has
seen the damage such tire separation can do, and, just as you describe, it can
be significant. It ate up the whole rear of a Camaro brought into his
shop, and the front fender of a Lincoln Town Car. He is impressed that
the only damage the Imperial sustained was to this plate.
So, I think I jumped to the wrong conclusion, but, as usual, kindly folks
such as yourself, were able to enlighten me. Thanks.
The tire was less than a month old on this car, but it was a used
tire. The tread looked very good. The other front tire is also new
to the car, but used. I will need to reconsider this policy.
Thanks again for indicating I should have this concern.
Hugh