Michael McAleer answers your queries
From Seamus Hughes:
I recently changed two tyres on a BMW 5 Series rear wheel drive using Continental 225/60/R15s. Should I have the two new tyres on the rear or on the front?
A mechanic recommended the rear, however I thought it's always best to have the best tyres on the front. The rear tyres are well within the limits and I will replace them well before they go below the limit. I drive 35,000 miles a year.
Most manufacturers offer a sequence for rotating tyres on a car. This should be in the handbook.
Normally it is the driven tyres that wear most - in this case the rear - but if as you say they are above the limit, then we would suggest you put the new tyres on the rear.
However, it is worth noting that most experts in the field believe the current Irish tread depth limit of 1.6mm at the centre to be a joke.
A far more suitable measure would be about 3mm. While you may be above the legal tread dept, you may not be above what many would consider to be the safe depth.
From Denis Duggan:
There has been a lot of correspondence recently about distances and speed limits, whether in miles or kilometres.
An interesting anomaly in all this is that for some years now the norm for Japanese imports has been speedometers in kph only.
So, thousands of citizens have been driving about in vehicles incapable of measuring speed as defined in mph by our national speed limits.
Is there no law that says you must know how fast you are driving? It now seems, however, that speed-limits will be changed to kph.
So, if you break the law for long enough, it will eventually be changed to accommodate you. It could only happen in Ireland.
According to a Garda spokesperson, it is not an offence to only have a kph clock, but the Garda are keen to point out that not being able to accurately read the speedometer will not be recognised as a defence for speeding offences.
So, in the end, it's up to the motorist to ensure they are doing their calculations properly and know what the relevant mph limit is in kilometres.
From Brendan Byrne:
Your article on the Gumball Run last week mentioned that some of the participants were topless ladies. This reminded me of a case reported in the Pacific Northwest in the late 1950s.
A man drove a convertible, with the top down, sedately over the interstate bridge between Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washngton in a state of complete undress; to put it indelicately, in the local patois, "bare-ass naked".
Some persons complained. The police could not get him for indecent exposure since his person was largely covered by the car body. However, they found a way to placate the complainants: he was given a ticket for not carrying his driver's licence on his person. A tip for any naturists who may wish to follow suit suitlessly.
We really don't think we should encourage such things. The thought of Irish motorists sitting in traffic au naturel is enough to put us off motoring for good.
From Terry McGrath:
Just a word to say that your answer to question 4 in Motors Quiz No 27 last Wednesday was wrong. The Aston Martin's plate indicates it was registered in Oxford in the first half of 2002. The last three letters are random.
Apologies from our chastened quizmaster whose number is clearly up! Our reader is correct.
Here's how the plate in question, OY02 URW, works:
O indicates Oxford; Y indicates the local vehicle registration office which issued the plate; 02 indicates that it was registered between 01/03/02 and 31/08/02; URW is a random sequence which is specific to the vehicle.