The evening times., 1911-07-25
MOTOR CAR UPKEEP
Is BEING REDUCED

MoSu VI Iue expenses OF operating
a motor car is useless cost, which
can be avoided by little care and
caution. In one season many dollars
can be saved in the tire upkeep if the
driver will act sanely and use hu-
man judgement. The grandstand
driver, who drops in the clutch and
spins the rear wheels when starting
has Ito pay for his whistle" as the
boy terms it. The spinning Of wheels
wear out the tires more than 100
miles of driving on brick pavement.
This same driver when stopping slaps
on the brakes and skids the wheels
producing as much destruction to the
tire as spinning the wheels when
starting.
But these are only one or two ex-
amples of extravaganza in car up
keep; there are many other examples,
many of them not quite so apparent.
1t is common practice to see a driv-
er steer so close to the curb when
stopping that the sides of the tires
are dented in where they rest against
the stone curb. This is expensive
practice. The stone rubs the edge of
the tire casing, and although it does
not appear to cause much damage,
yet it cracks the surface and allows
the water to get in, and once water
gets in the fabric is soon rotted and
the end of the tire is near, because a
blowout will soon bring about the
retirement of the casing.
Foolish Acts
A foolish act Of many drivers is to
leave car standing with the two
right wheels in a gutter along the
rises nearly over the wheel fell. This
is certain to result in water getting
between the casing and the inner tube
and If there is the smallest opening
or crack in the casing it will find its
way in and cause damage to the fab
ric. Hand in hand with allowing a
tire to stand in water is that of
leaving the car standing in pool of
oil on the garage floor Oil is the
great enemy of rubber and the car
owner who does not keep the garage
floor clean of oil will have to pay
more in his extra tire bill in a year
than it would cost him to keep a
boy to clean the oil off the floor.
Driving tires without proper 1nfla-
ton is another luxury, if the term
may be used, and one of which "a. big
percentage of the drivers are guilty.
Keeping the correct imitation is a
difficult thing, particularly when it is
remembered that "a car is sometimes
driven with two passengers. some
times with four, sometimes with sew
en-, sometimes on rough, hard roads
and sometimes through mud. The
driver should first of all get table
of the proper imitation from the tire
company whose tires he is using. The
inflations are given in pounds and
are useless unless tire pump, with "a
pressure gauge is used. If a tire
gauge is not employed then it is best
to study the amount Of dent there
should be in the tire when the car
is standing with its load on. This
dent varies according to the tenn
perature of the day and also the load,
so that the driver should not be con-
tent to initiate his tires when they are
put on and then neglect them entirely
until puncture or blowout calls a
halt. Tires should be examined fire.
quently for pressure and If the best
ISSullS 0Ic " NC dSCOlnpllShCu ChO
pressure may have to be increased at
times and reduced at other times.
Determination is one of the most dis
agreeable things about car and
as the front tires, and the danger
of cutting them is greatly reduced.
If the stretch is very long, slow down
as much as possible and let the car
roll along as easily as possible. Many
new tires have been so badly cut by
driving rashly over such stretches of
should be avoided, as it racks the car
and is quite unnecessary.
An Old Adage
With tires it is a case of stitch
in time saves nine. Examine the tires
every few days; if the car is being
driven great deal examine them
every day. Whenever little surface
cracks appear fill them with som sort
of the many filling preparations that
are on the market You flll them not
that the tire msy look better, but in
order to keep the water out and 70