A few Imperial-related observations:
West Virginia uses the nifty trailerable speed-readout
devices to "calm" traffic. As I drove past one, my
speedometer reading 82mph, the readout was 77. On
another occassion, I registered 65 on my speedo and 60
on the machine. So, my speedometer appears to be off
by 5 mph.
However, the odometer was very accurate- a hundred
miles worth of mileposts yielded a reading of 102.2
miles on the odometer. this 2.2% discrepancy can
probably be attributed to the 235/75/15 tires, which
are slightly smaller in diameter than the stock tires.
The Budd brakes worked great, but after one
particularly treacherous downhill section I pulled off
the road to see a nearby stream and noticed the right
front wheel smoking, smelling of brake pad. Normal?
Oil consumption was poor, but then again I wasn't
driving conservatively. For the 1100 mile trip, I
poured 3 quarts of Mobil 1 15W-50 into the 440. Then
again, fuel mileage was between 13 and 16, which I
consider acceptable.
Finally, I think new shocks would probably help the
suspension bottoming out issue. The car wallows and
floats excessively, even for an Imperial. ;)
Would I ever do another trip of this length in my
Imperial again? I think we know the answer to that
question. :)
=====
--Mike Pittinaro
Piles of pitted chrome
Hubcaps along the floorboard
My junkyard-bedroom
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