How These Lifetimes Work
Assuming that the particular crypto map entry does not have lifetime values configured, when the router requests new security associations it will specify its global lifetime values in the request to the peer; it will use this value as the lifetime of the new security associations. When the router receives a negotiation request from the peer, it will use the smaller of either the lifetime value proposed by the peer or the locally configured lifetime value as the lifetime of the new security associations.
The security association (and corresponding keys) will expire according to whichever comes sooner, either after the number of seconds has passed (specified by the seconds keyword) or after the amount of traffic in kilobytes is passed (specified by the kilobytes keyword). Security associations that are established manually (via a crypto map entry marked as ipsec-manual) have an infinite lifetime.
A new security association is negotiated before the lifetime threshold of the existing security association is reached, to ensure that a new security association is ready for use when the old one expires. The new security association is negotiated either 30 seconds before the seconds lifetime expires or when the volume of traffic through the tunnel reaches 256 kilobytes less than the kilobytes lifetime (whichever comes first).
If no traffic has passed through the tunnel during the entire life of the security association, a new security association is not negotiated when the lifetime expires. Instead, a new security association will be negotiated only when IPSec sees another packet that should be protected.
http://cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/doc/product/software/ios122/122cgcr/fsecur_c/fipsenc/scfipsec.htm
