On Thursday, January 14, 2016 at 6:05:30 PM UTC-5, Mr. Luddite wrote:
Mrs.E. came home from running down to the local store this afternoon
and told me she thought she was getting a flat tire. Said she heard
something and car felt funny after that.

Went out to check. Yup. Flat tire alright.

She should stick to riding horses.


http://i802.photobucket.com/albums/yy303/Eisboch/tire.jpg

Back when the whole fiasco over Explorers being unstable when a tire blew, I had one.

I was doing 75 or so and encountered a chunk of 18 wheeler brake drum on the interstate. There was nowhere to go, so I centered it and hoped for the best. It hit the front diff shield (4x4 Explorer), flipped around underneath, hit the gas tank shield, then cut a big gash in the rear left tire sidewall, producing an instant flat at 75mph. It wagged around in the road, but I just let off the gas and coasted over to the shoulder. 20 or so minutes, and I was on my way on the spare.

After that, I saw a show where they tested the Explorer in sudden flat situations. They experienced the same as me... it is no big deal when you have a sudden flat. It is just the bad drivers doing stupid things, like jerking the wheel when it starts wagging around.

Glad your wife made it hone safely.

On 1/14/2016 9:28 PM, wrote:
On Thursday, January 14, 2016 at 6:05:30 PM UTC-5, Mr. Luddite wrote:
Mrs.E. came home from running down to the local store this afternoon
and told me she thought she was getting a flat tire. Said she heard
something and car felt funny after that.

Went out to check. Yup. Flat tire alright.

She should stick to riding horses.


http://i802.photobucket.com/albums/yy303/Eisboch/tire.jpg

Back when the whole fiasco over Explorers being unstable when a tire blew, I had one.

I was doing 75 or so and encountered a chunk of 18 wheeler brake drum on the interstate. There was nowhere to go, so I centered it and hoped for the best. It hit the front diff shield (4x4 Explorer), flipped around underneath, hit the gas tank shield, then cut a big gash in the rear left tire sidewall, producing an instant flat at 75mph. It wagged around in the road, but I just let off the gas and coasted over to the shoulder. 20 or so minutes, and I was on my way on the spare.

After that, I saw a show where they tested the Explorer in sudden flat situations. They experienced the same as me... it is no big deal when you have a sudden flat. It is just the bad drivers doing stupid things, like jerking the wheel when it starts wagging around.

Glad your wife made it hone safely.



Yeah, fortunately she was coming home from a store just a couple of
miles from the house and was driving at turtle speed (as she puts it)
due to recent snow and ice cover on roads. She heard a bang but didn't
put it together. Don't think she has ever had a tire go flat or
have a blow out before, so she just kept driving.

On Thu, 14 Jan 2016 22:18:05 -0500, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 1/14/2016 9:28 PM, wrote:
On Thursday, January 14, 2016 at 6:05:30 PM UTC-5, Mr. Luddite wrote:
Mrs.E. came home from running down to the local store this afternoon
and told me she thought she was getting a flat tire. Said she heard
something and car felt funny after that.

Went out to check. Yup. Flat tire alright.

She should stick to riding horses.


http://i802.photobucket.com/albums/yy303/Eisboch/tire.jpg

Back when the whole fiasco over Explorers being unstable when a tire blew, I had one.

I was doing 75 or so and encountered a chunk of 18 wheeler brake drum on the interstate. There was nowhere to go, so I centered it and hoped for the best. It hit the front diff shield (4x4 Explorer), flipped around underneath, hit the gas tank shield, then cut a big gash in the rear left tire sidewall, producing an instant flat at 75mph. It wagged around in the road, but I just let off the gas and coasted over to the shoulder. 20 or so minutes, and I was on my way on the spare.

After that, I saw a show where they tested the Explorer in sudden flat situations. They experienced the same as me... it is no big deal when you have a sudden flat. It is just the bad drivers doing stupid things, like jerking the wheel when it starts wagging around.

Glad your wife made it hone safely.



Yeah, fortunately she was coming home from a store just a couple of
miles from the house and was driving at turtle speed (as she puts it)
due to recent snow and ice cover on roads. She heard a bang but didn't
put it together. Don't think she has ever had a tire go flat or
have a blow out before, so she just kept driving.

Mercury?

On 1/14/2016 10:57 PM, wrote:
On Thu, 14 Jan 2016 22:18:05 -0500, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 1/14/2016 9:28 PM, wrote:
On Thursday, January 14, 2016 at 6:05:30 PM UTC-5, Mr. Luddite wrote:
Mrs.E. came home from running down to the local store this afternoon
and told me she thought she was getting a flat tire. Said she heard
something and car felt funny after that.

Went out to check. Yup. Flat tire alright.

She should stick to riding horses.


http://i802.photobucket.com/albums/yy303/Eisboch/tire.jpg

Back when the whole fiasco over Explorers being unstable when a tire blew, I had one.

I was doing 75 or so and encountered a chunk of 18 wheeler brake drum on the interstate. There was nowhere to go, so I centered it and hoped for the best. It hit the front diff shield (4x4 Explorer), flipped around underneath, hit the gas tank shield, then cut a big gash in the rear left tire sidewall, producing an instant flat at 75mph. It wagged around in the road, but I just let off the gas and coasted over to the shoulder. 20 or so minutes, and I was on my way on the spare.

After that, I saw a show where they tested the Explorer in sudden flat situations. They experienced the same as me... it is no big deal when you have a sudden flat. It is just the bad drivers doing stupid things, like jerking the wheel when it starts wagging around.

Glad your wife made it hone safely.



Yeah, fortunately she was coming home from a store just a couple of
miles from the house and was driving at turtle speed (as she puts it)
due to recent snow and ice cover on roads. She heard a bang but didn't
put it together. Don't think she has ever had a tire go flat or
have a blow out before, so she just kept driving.

Mercury?


Yeah ... a "Mountaineer" or something like that.
Another example of a basically decent vehicle with too many
doo-dad things like hydraulically operated running boards with
a windshield wiper motor for the hydraulic pump that
crapped out, motor driven rear seats that she never uses because
the thing is basically a hay wagon, and a bunch of electronically
controlled operator controls that are nothing but confusing. I think
I've driven it once since she bought it. Runs good, rides good, has
plenty of "pep" but too complicated for it and the driver's own good, IMO.

I am a believer that the more crap you put in front of a driver, the
more the crap takes away from the driver's attention to what he or she
is doing. That's why, after owning several "exotic" cars, I am happy
driving my plain jane F-250. I rarely even use the radio.

The only one I had that was an exception was the Porsche. Simple, fast,
and handled like it was on rails.

On Thu, 14 Jan 2016 23:21:06 -0500, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

Mercury?


Yeah ... a "Mountaineer" or something like that.
Another example of a basically decent vehicle with too many
doo-dad things like hydraulically operated running boards with
a windshield wiper motor for the hydraulic pump that
crapped out, motor driven rear seats that she never uses because
the thing is basically a hay wagon, and a bunch of electronically
controlled operator controls that are nothing but confusing. I think
I've driven it once since she bought it. Runs good, rides good, has
plenty of "pep" but too complicated for it and the driver's own good, IMO.

I am a believer that the more crap you put in front of a driver, the
more the crap takes away from the driver's attention to what he or she
is doing. That's why, after owning several "exotic" cars, I am happy
driving my plain jane F-250. I rarely even use the radio.

The only one I had that was an exception was the Porsche. Simple, fast,
and handled like it was on rails.




Sounds like the Lincoln. The damned owners book is an inch thick and I
know there are lots of things we have never turned on yet.

Mr. Luddite
- show quoted text -
"Yeah ... a "Mountaineer" or something like that.
Another example of a basically decent vehicle with too many
doo-dad things like hydraulically operated running boards with
a windshield wiper motor for the hydraulic pump that
crapped out, motor driven rear seats that she never uses because
the thing is basically a hay wagon, and a bunch of electronically
controlled operator controls that are nothing but confusing. *I think
I've driven it once since she bought it. *Runs good, rides good, has
plenty of "pep" *but too complicated for it and the driver's own good, IMO.

I am a believer that the more crap you put in front of a driver, the
more the crap takes away from the driver's attention to what he or she
is doing. * That's why, after owning several "exotic" cars, I am happy
driving my plain jane F-250. *I rarely even use the radio.

The only one I had that was an exception was the Porsche. *Simple, fast,
and handled like it was on rails. "


Yup..if she was driving a basic compact car she would probably have had a better feel for what was going on.

On Fri, 15 Jan 2016 05:05:07 -0800 (PST), True North
wrote:

Yup..if she was driving a basic compact car she would probably have had a better feel for what was going on.

The Mountaineer is basically the same vehicle as the "Roll Me Another
One" Explorer so it could get exciting.

On 1/15/16 11:09 AM, wrote:
On Fri, 15 Jan 2016 05:05:07 -0800 (PST), True North
wrote:

Yup..if she was driving a basic compact car she would probably have had a better feel for what was going on.

The Mountaineer is basically the same vehicle as the "Roll Me Another
One" Explorer so it could get exciting.



About six months ago, we got my wife a new car, maybe one step up from
your basic compact. We shopped five or six dealers, looking at several
brands of four door sedans, including two "fancy lines." She ending up
liking the Toyota Camry best because "it's a simple car, well-made, nice
ride, and peppy." I was pretty surprised at how well it performs, since
she opted for the naturally aspirated four cylinder engine.

On 1/15/2016 11:09 AM, wrote:

On Fri, 15 Jan 2016 05:05:07 -0800 (PST), True North
wrote:

Yup..if she was driving a basic compact car she would probably have had a better feel for what was going on.

The Mountaineer is basically the same vehicle as the "Roll Me Another
One" Explorer so it could get exciting.

Depends on the year of the Explorer or Mountaineer. Both evolved from
the Bronco II which also had roll over problems. The Explorer was
introduced in 1991 and it's basic, original design continued to the 2001
model year. The roll over problem affects these years. Ford engineers
determined what the problem was and recommended a design change to
increase the track by 2 inches and lower the center of gravity. In the
meantime the problem was addressed by lowering the recommended tire
pressure to 26 psi. Tires were supplied by Firestone at the time and
that's where the finger pointed began.

In 2002 the Explorer and Mountaineer were completely redesigned which
included the recommended increase in wheel base width by 2 inches and
lowering the vehicle overall to reduce the center of gravity. Those
produced in 2002 and after don't have any higher incidence of rollovers
compared to other SUV's.

Wife's is much newer than that.

On Thu, 14 Jan 2016 18:28:35 -0800 (PST), wrote:

Back when the whole fiasco over Explorers being unstable when a tire blew, I had one.

I was doing 75 or so and encountered a chunk of 18 wheeler brake drum on the interstate. There was nowhere to go, so I centered it and hoped for the best. It hit the front diff shield (4x4 Explorer), flipped around underneath, hit the gas tank shield, then cut a big gash in the rear left tire sidewall, producing an instant flat at 75mph. It wagged around in the road, but I just let off the gas and coasted over to the shoulder. 20 or so minutes, and I was on my way on the spare.

After that, I saw a show where they tested the Explorer in sudden flat situations. They experienced the same as me... it is no big deal when you have a sudden flat. It is just the bad drivers doing stupid things, like jerking the wheel when it starts wagging around.

That was always my impression.I have lost tires suddenly in some
pretty unstable vehicles like a 72 Jeep (CJ chassis), a 78 E150 and a
71 Gremlin. In all of the cases I just feathered the gas and drove the
car until I could use a little brake and get off onto the shoulder. It
will stabilize and you can still drive if you don't do anything silly
in those first few seconds.
When I lost that tire in the Prelude, it wasn't even exciting, just an
"aw crap" moment.
Spoiled my trip to the range to take a little more money from the
electrical contractors.
I wasn't even going to use my skeet gun. I took the 97 riot gun.