The sun., 1919-09-21
GIVE. THOUGHT TO
THE CARS WHEELS
They Are Among the Hardest
Working Parts of the
Machine.

the car, and yet so well has II been per-
fected that It rarely gives trouble, ana
the average car owner is almost ooiiV-
ious to anything except its bare exist
ence And yet strange as u may seem,
Il looks as IL We were on the verge OF
.op,e change In the wheel field. though
II Ia not likely 10 be the complete reVo-
,u,ion that some authorities seem 10
imagine.
Wheels at the present time in use may
he divided into four major classes !:
wood, wire, disk and steel spoke wheels;
The latter type is practically conineo
70 motor truck construction. but cannot
be entirely neglected In any, comprehen-
sive view Of the wheel situation.
The predominating type Of wheel at
the present time is the wood wheel
made Of second growth American nick.
ory. There is no real cause OF complaint
AGAINST the service rendered by this type
OF wheel, although many academic fiaws
are picked in 1t by experts who favor
other types. Until recently 1t was as
su,ped that failure OF the supply oil
5 second growth hickory would eventually
compel orr wheel makers TO switch 70
another type Recent Government Tor
estry figures, however. seem TO snow
that we have supply OF this wheel
material sufficient 10 last for some time.
This being so It is scarcely likely that
any other type OF wheel will Dust the
wooden wheel from Its position OF pre-
eminence in the American motor car
industry.
while the wooden wheel is generally
efficient in service, occasionally this
type has been known to go to pieces
under excessive strains. Wire wheel
advocates claim that this can never
happen with their favorite type. The
commonest failure of wooden wheels
is the development OF annoying squeaks.
This trouble may be remedied by driv-
ing wooden wedges into the spiders
where the spokes have become loosened.
Car owners frequently neglect to give
due attention to the hub bolts OF their
wooden wheels. These bolts pass through
the wheel and hold the hub plate In
position. In the case of the rear wheels
the hub bolts also hold the brake drums.
II these bolts are permitted to become
loose, the wheel will be thrown out Of
alignment. This will make driving dif-
ficult and inevitably tire wear will be
enormously increased.
Next In popularity to wooden wheels
comes the wire type. Strangely enough
the wire wheel was the original automo-
bile wheel, but 1t was simply lifted bod
lily from sthe bicycle and was quite in
adequate to stand the strains of its new
service. Later considerable changes in
design were effected and the wire wheel
was made entirely practicable for the
motor vehicle. In Europe, where no sec
ond growth hickory was available and
no other wood efficient for wheel con-
structioh at hand, wire weels became
standard and still are. Here in this
country. with our supply of hickory, we
early abandoned the crude wire wheels
of the early days and switched to wood.
AS a matter OF fact the modern wire
wheel has certain undoubted points of
superiority over its wood rival. The
wire wheel Is somewhat stronger In re-
sisting shocks than even the best wood
wheel The latter, too, 1t is claimed,
with continual service becomes some
what distorted. condition that increases
tire wear. The wire wheel. supported at
the rim by a greater number of Spikes.
is not liable to this distortion trouble.
A further point of advantage claimed
for the wire wheel Is that the metal
more easily dissipates the heat en-
eendered by running. Wood is un-
doubtedly a poor heat conductor and
steel is an excellent one. The wire
wheel never gives annoyance by de-
veloping squeaks. But the wire wheel
demands a considerable amount of care
to keep 1t in good condition. The
enamel must be watched, and whenever
it cracks on. as 1t does occasionally. the
spot must be painted over, or else
moisture will cause rusting. This is par
ticularly dangerous around the nipples
where the spokes join the rim. Wire
wheels must be kept clean II they are to
continue to be an ornament to the car.
The mud must be vigorously cleaned out
from between the spokes after every rum
Car owners using wire wheels should
give these parts of the equipment a
thorough inspection once every three
weeks or oftener to see that no spokes
ARE loose or bent, and that no rust has
formed around the nipples. In one type
of wire wheel serrated drive is used
and these serrations must be kept per-
fectly clean. II nicKs should develop
in the serrations there will be difficulty
in mounting the wheel. Should rust
form on the driving surface it should
be removed Immediately with kerosene.
The tendency toward covering the
wire wheel with steel disks is of COM
paratively recent origin. The disk wheel
Is considered a distinct addition to the
appearance of the car and 1t serves to
keep the wheel beneath from dirt. rust,
sc.
In France and England they are using
eiAC SNSel ofOhS WuSSlS passenger car
service, and they are giving excellent
results. They are even lighter than
wood, and stronger. and their heat radi-
ating qualities are better. In appear
nnce these wheels are Just the same as
our familiar artillery type wooden
wheels 1t is not impossible that the
steel spoke wheel may be the type of
the future.
There are certain details OF care
which must be given alike to all types
Of wheels. Every wheel runs on a bear
ing. and this must be kept packed with
grease. Once n month each wheel on
the car should be lacked up and turned
TO see that 1t moves freely. At the same
time the spokes at top and bottom should
be grasped and the wheel be pushed and
pulled to see whether excessive play has
developed. Wear in the bearings or hub
may cause this trouble. In the case
OF wooden wheels, distortion of the wheel
sometimes makes Il difficult 10 mount
the rim, or the rim may get out OF
shape and the same trouble win result.
When this occurs, It is an easy matter
TO force the rim into place by placing
the jack against the hub and the
troublesome place in the rim. Occasion