The Washington herald., 1913-11-09
UNDERINFLATION LEADS
To MANY BLOWOUTS
F. A. Henderson Says Proper Pressure
Is VitaLTwenty Pounds for Every
Inch of Width.
AVOID NEGLECTED TREAD CUTS

mo doubt every motorist has had the
experience of the so-called blowout
This experience affects all in the same
way. 1t is nothing but an evaporation,
and although a blowout can often be
repaired, the motOrist cannot help pre-.
ferring never to have mad it in the first
place" said F. A Henderson, of the
Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, last
night
"A blowout is due to one of a few
simple causes. which If given the neces-
sary attention can be easily avoided. To
prevent the blowout We seek the cause
and eliminate it Accordingly we will
show and explain briefly the different
y causes of blow-outs.
The importance of Initiating tire to
the proper pressure is vital. The amount
Of air in a tire is just as important as
the tire that contains it.
What happens when a round stone,
brick a car track, or any blunt object
is encountered? If the tire is improp-
erly inflated the internal air pressure
not offering sufficient resistance, the OBJ
ject will sink into the tire, forcing il in
ward at this one place The tread comes
into actual contact, but its elasticity al
lows it to adapt its shape so that il
usually suffers no injury, unless the OBJ
ject be sharp and cuts il. But the effect
on the fabric is more serious. It isn't
elastic; ii can't stretch; consequentIy
If the object sinks in far enough to pro-
duce enough strain, it must break.
The natural bending Of the tire final
ly breaks the remaining plies, and then
the tube forces its way through, result
. ing in a blowout
This is the first warning the r,o-
torist receives that something is wrong
He didn't know the fabric was broken
some time before. He sees nothing bur
the immediate conditions, and doesn'r
realize that his misfortune is something
he could have prevented if he had only
known how.
THE reason the inside ply of fabric !
broke in the first place. was che result |
OF improper air pressure. Had the pres |
sure been of the proper amount it would |
not have been possible for the object |
to have made an impression The in
ternal air pressure would have offered /
the proper resistance, and the shock in
stead of being localized would have
been distributed all over the tire. and SO I
absorbed without injury.
Hence the remedy: Use the air gauge t
and carry the proper air pressure-twen.
ty pounds for every inch of width.
Again the tread may receive a cut. |
various foreign substances from the
road surface are forced through the cut
by the motion of the tire As a result
these impurities have a tendency to
spread, separating the tread and fabric.
This opening Of the tread lays the fabric
bare to road wear, and the action of
sand and moisture The latter rapidly
rots the fabric, weakening it until the
pressure can no longer be sustained, and
then the same aforesaid fatality occurs.
For this the remedy is repair gum.
Cuts repaired in time will grow no worse,
Dnd so these consequences are avoided.
In conclusion, there are two fmpor-
tant causes of blow-outs-underinfia
which results in the breaking of the plies
0f fabric, and neglected tread cuts. i
Avoiding these by means of a pressure {
gauge and can of repair gum, the mo- {
.orist will be able to avoid the trouble i
% which they lead-the blowout" "