Omaha daily bee., 1910-02-20
COMMON SENSE AND TIRES
Careless Driving Responsible for
Much Unnecessary Outlay.
INJURIOUS FORMS OF ABUSE
FOIIowinG Car Tracks Particularly
clip In SWELLING the Tire
BuI-Method Of Care OAR
inE Storage.

Much has been written on the care Of
tires. but when boiled down, II might be
all summed up in three words-"use com
mon sense" SO few automobile owners
know how to apply this lotion that prob
ably a slight, application by way Of a
little explanation might be interesting,
and II the few cautions mentioned here
would be accepted and stored away in the
minds Of the readers Of this article IL
might not only save a lot OF contention,
but would go a great way toward saving
money and annoyance.
Did II ever occur to you that the tires
on an m are called upon to rem
der even greater service than the ordinary
iron or steel tire on a horse-drawn vehicle?
The latter, to render 5000 miles Of service,
would be driven at a rate of speed not ex-
ceeding five or six miles an hour, and to
avoid discomfort to the occupants all ruts,
holes or other distractions in the road are
avoided.
Not so with a pneumatic tire, for in use
on an utomobile It would be sent along
at a speed varying from twelve miles az
hour when In sight of a policeman TO any
thing up TO sixty miles when out OF line Of
the laws" vision, i'm ruts and out Of them,
across car tracks, in trolley slots. over
track switches, thank We ma'am' or
any other distractions which might ap-
pear too suddenly for the driver to avoid
because Of the speed OF the machine Is
being driven. The one is made of metal.
while the other is of only rubber and cot
ton fabric.
The heavier the load of a horse~drawn
vehicle the slower the progress, but with
the automobile the load is rarely consld-
cred, and II II is It is only to wonder
whether the car can pull it or not, or
whether the springs can stand the weight.
The one great cause Of tire trouble is the
tboughtless abuse to which they are sub
tected, not only as instanced above. but
from Overlooking and improper in
flating.
The Overload.
A manufactures makes a car to carry
two persons. He equips It with a tire
which, in his opinion, is strong enough to
carry the weight (but in the opinion Of
the tiremaker is invariably undersized.)
The car goes to the owner, who immed-
lately proceeds to load It down with trunk.
gas tank. lamps. top and other accessories.
This. in itself, Is bad enough, but he does
not stop there, but adds a rumble seat, or
even two seats, and then wonder why his
tires burst so easily.
- ooaAhf AAAANN1 q ~ - 1SNANo
Debated the owner rarely uses his pump.
Thu tire requires the air in order to up
hold tie weight. According to the size of
the tire, a certain pound pressure of air
is necessary, but seldom II ever is a gauge
used and nothing more than a>kick at the
tire Is made to determine whether it is
properly inflated.
Every conceivable trouble known to tires
is likely to occur when driven in a SEMI
Debated condition, the one most to be
feared being cuts known as stone
bruises" or breaks on the inside of the
fabric, but really occasloned by the head
of the steel rim striking the side, or wall.
Of the tire, thereby cutting the inside fab
ric, which, aided by the slight pressure
OF air in the tube, bursts the strands of
fabric In q sort Of half diamond shape
running In the direction of the weave.
How many drivers will view the front
wheels of their car to learn II they are
running true? When the wheels are out
of alignment 1t does not require many
miles Of riding to wear the rubber tread
smoothly down to the canvas and expose
the breaker strip No tire in the world
can stand this abuse, nor is any guaran-
teed against it. A casual glance at your
front wheels is all that is necessary to de-
tect this defect in your running gear, for it
VIII show Immediately on your tires.
WObbIy Wheels.
When the wheel is out Of alignment it
naturally ~obbles and that wobbllng Gre
atcs a friction between the tire and the
road exactly the same is II emery paper
was used on the tires. 1t Is the effect of
wearing the facing or tread of the tire flat.
leaning to the side and not directly in the
center OF the tread. A driver can detect
this condition to his front wheels while
sitting In his seat, for he will notice i'm
mediately the necessity for, steering in
order to keep his car going straight, as the
tendency is to go to one side OF the other.
according to which side the wheel is on
that 1t out OF line.
Never run your car through oil Of grease,
for nothing is more injurious to rubber
than oily substances, Should you in enter
Ing your garage carelessly get oil on your
tires wipe them off quickly with a piece
OF cotton waste molstened with a little
gasoline.
II would seem a waste Of time and words
TO caution a driver to avoid car tracks and
not to attempt to drive his car along them,
but from the number OF tires which have
come TO my notice destroyed, and abso-
lutely through no other cause, II might be
wise to offer here an A Il c example as
10 why car tracks are destructive to rubber
tires.
Tracks are made of steel and usually in
u" form. The tire. being wider than the
track, rides only on the top edges, which.
although not sharp, are compensated by
the weight of ear and passengers and
eventually "chews' the rubber down to
the fabric. After the fabric is exposed to
the surface OF the road, Il does not require
much driving TO wear through every ply
and thus destroy the casing even beyond
repairing II,
We are often asked. How many miles
should a tire goE' or, in other words,
What is the life OF a tree" and this
might be answered by asking another
question similar In nature, What is the
life Of a man2" IL man constantly abused
his body his life on this sphere would be
short; otherwise he might reach his allotted
time of three score and ten" So with a
tire. II ills not abused II may last for
for more than It's guaranteed life OF 5.OOC
miles. but II abused It may be destroyed
before % per cent OF its guaranteed mileage
Is obtained.
Economy in Use Of Brakes.
Avoid using brakes unless necessary. and