2009 Ford Flex Limitied: A Tiring Task Made Easy
Monday, April 5th, 2010
This weekend, I had to mount some tires on rims as part of my Miata restoration project. The tires in question are old — 20 years old. Understandably, no tire shop would touch them. But in the interest of accurate display, I needed to have the "correct" BFG T/A R1 tires on the car. What to do?
I loaded the four thoroughly used tires I got from a fellow racer and some bare rims into our 2009 Ford Flex and hauled them to another friend's race shop, where he agreed to let me have access to his mount and balance machines so I could do it myself.
I was done in 20 minutes. It all went smoothly because the sidewalls were remarkably free of cracks and the rubber was still pliable due to indoor storage in a dark, climate-controlled space.
Still, I don't dare do anything with these old BFGs but use them for static display. They're not going to see any track time. But that's no problem because my buddy was kind enough to loan me a mounted set of Toyo 15" Spec Miata race tires, plus a spare, should I want to lap the car.
In all, I had 8 mounted wheels and tires and one extra unmounted donut to haul home. The Flex's cargo sapce and fold-flat third row made easy work of it. Four of them fit standing up behind the tumbled second row while the rest fit flat in the back for the short ride home. The rear fridge/console was a bit of a pain, however, as it sticks up above the floor and gets in the way. I don't think I'd order one equipped this way.
Dan Edmunds, Director of Vehicle Testing @ 53,367 miles
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