Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1917-07-21
LIFE OF Tires is
SAVED BY CARE
Each Year Sees $lO5.OOO.-
600 Wasted; Imitation Is
First Essential of Care

The car owner of today is fast com
ing to the realization that the mileage
be gets from his tires depends upon
the treatment they receive. BY scien-
tific methods mileage is built into
tires at the factory. The user can get
every inch of that in-built mileage
out Of the equipment by the proper
use of it.
Motorists ordinarily place so much
confidence in tire equipment, probably
because of its rapid development and
wonderful performances, that it does
not receive the attention considered
necessary for the car. Hence the
average loss of 80 cents on every dol
lar spent for tires, and the opportune-
ness for this article, which is designed
to enable every ear owner, who reads
it, to save his share of the $l05, ,OOO,-
900 wasted on tires each year.
1t aptly has been said that the
| pneumatic tire is of the most para
doxical construction in the entire field
of automobile engineering. 1t must
| be resilient, yet withstand punishment
worthy of armor plate.
Two tender substances, rubber and
cotton fabric, must be so blended and
built up that they will resist the air
pressure within, the weight of the au-
tomobile, the thrust of the motor, trans
verse strains on turns and the blows of
thousands of obstacles And upon the
successful construction of the tire has
depended the entire success of the auto.
mobile.
Initiation is Chief Concern.
Though the selection Of the right |
type and size, correct application and |
proper treatment of tires are all nee |
cessary to obtain the best results, the |
simple matter Of initiation is probably
the most important point in the care
of equipment, as its abuse is the prin-
cipal cause of the wastage.
Judicious use of air will 90 a long
way toward giving the tire user the
maximum mileage, because the resili-
cncy and long-wearing qualities of a
tire depend almost as much upon proper
initiation as they do upon the rubber
and fabric Too much air will cause ex-
cessive vibration, traction slippage and
loss of power; too little win bring on
excess friction between various parts
of the tire and cause them to break up.
There is a definite relation between
the air pressure within the tires and the
load on them. The heavier weight or
reduced air pressure causes more def
lection of the tires, gives wider tread
on the ground and increases the action
on the sidewalks. This adds to the com
fort Of the ride, as more of the road
vibration is absorbed by the tires.
Bending Breaks Side Walls.
But when soft, tile tire runs against
wave in the tread rubber, which
from excessive stretching and heating
pulls away and separates from the car
cass or body. The side walls bend
back and forth, back and forth, millions
of times as the wheels revolve and the
result is the same as when a piece of
wire is bent back and forth--it be-
comes hot and finally breaks.
In tire the heat from the increased
action of the side walls of underinflat-
cd tires softens the rubber cement OF
ldhesiveness between the fabric layers
and a certain degree of devulcanization
takes place. AS result, when the tires
strike particularly hard bump, loud
explosion rends the air and it is time to :
put on q new casing.
A soft or flat tire on q front wheel
always can be noticed by difficulty in
steering the car in a straight course; I
he steering wheel naturally favors the
Hat or soft tire. II on rear wheel, ::