In Sounds of Silence we made tremendous progress on the interior – but weren’t quite ready to really drive the car.
I didn’t trust the tires that came with the car. They weren’t the right size for the car, were who knows how old, were rather worn, and two of them had slow leaks. Not confidence inspiring for running a 5,000 lb. behemoth down the Interstate! Or for driving on twisty New England roads.
With the Imperial ready to go, it was time for new shoes. The Imperial came with 8.20 x 15 tires. This is an obsolete size, which was replaced by L78-15 (not an exact fit) and later by modern metric size tires.
Somewhat surprisingly the original 8.20 x 15 tires are now available, even in the original whitewall. This wasn’t the case a few years ago. Companies like Coker Tire offer tires such as American Classic Radial that is basically an improved version of the original factory tires. They also offer bias ply tires which are the same as the original factory tires and offer a factory experience including a smooth supple ride, poor handling, and rapid tread wear. The bias look radials are expensive.
I’m planning on taking some long trips in the Imperial, so a modern radial tire is attractive. The closest size is P235-75/15; this tire is ~3% smaller than the factory tire and has a wider footprint. Several companies make this tire. I’ve had good luck with Michelin, and ultimately decided on Michelin Defender LTX.
The Defender is designed for light trucks and SUVs, so it has the weight capacity for the Imperial. Today’s SUVs are basically luxury cars and expect a smooth and quiet ride, so this should work. Reviews of this tire indicated that it is quiet and has a good ride, as well as good ratings for traction on dry roads, in the rain, and in light snow. It is also half the price of the Coker radials. The Defender isn’t available in whitewall, but I can live with blackwall.
BJ’s had the tires on sale. As far as I can tell, BJ’s always has tires on sale… In any case the Imperial is now sitting on four new tires.
I’ve only had the chance to take a fairly brief test drive, but I think I’m going to like these tires. With the new suspension, new sway bars, and front end alignment, handling was already improved even with the old tires.
With the Michelins the handling is more positive. The tires respond more sharply to steering input, there is less roll in corners, and the overall feeling is more secure. The ride is quiet (thanks to all the sound insulation), and smooth. There is some roughness going over bumps, which I think is largely due to the new shock absorbers; will see how it feels after I have a few thousand miles on the car.
At this point I would say the work has turned out well. Changes include all new suspension parts, front disk brake conversion, heavier front sway bar, added a rear sway bar, rebuilt power steering box, new shock absorbers, and new tires.
Previously the car was scary to drive – leaning and lurching in the corners, vague steering feel, considerable roll when turning, pulling to one side when braking, and noisy. It now corners flatter, is smooth, doesn’t make noise, and brakes straight. It isn’t a sports car, but it is much more confident and comfortable to drive.