The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-05-18
The AUTOMOBILE
WHEEL PROBLEM
General Discussion Of q Sub
ject Which Often Confuses
90 Car Buyers. H..

Many purchasers of new cars are
asking the dealer about the kind Of
wheels they ought to get, whether wood.
wire or steel disc. Aside from consid-
ering the appearance Of any type, which
in the end Is a matter OF personal choice,
there are important points to be rsmem-
,pered In the selection OF wheels. The
average buyer at this time and perhaps
later on will take wooden wheels boz
cause they come with the car and don't
cost any extra money. but In some cases
he is warranted in paying more and get
ttcular hazard in using wooden wheels
II they are made out of second-growth
hickory, but where cheaper wheels are
used az that fact can be found out) the
owner will be buying safety II he spends
little more and gets wire wheels OF
good make or disc wheels.
Wooden wheels have Of course been
used on the earliest types OF vehicles
and give satisfactory service when good
wood is used arS the manufacture, Is
right, but not. a few makers see In
wheels place to save a few cents
Wheels don't cost much. some makers
paying less than $40 set for wooden
wheels, but some of them are willing
TO save a few cents even on such vital
part. You have heard of cars the
wheels OF which squeak. due TO loose
spokes There 10 actual danger in
this because a good side thrust due TO
a skid or a quick turn might cause
tho loose spokes to tear out. Wooden
wheels properly made give as great q
measure of safety as any kind. but
the buyer cannot tell by looking at
wooden wheels whether they are good
or bad 1t Is quite true that some Of
our heaviest trucks use wooden wheels,
but the wood Is OF the best and the
wheels are well made |; looseness Of
spokes Is at once taken care of.
do not believe that wooden wheels
will ever go out of use so long as
there is a good supply of second-gro1th
hickory, but wire wheels and disc
popularity. =.
wire wheels and disc wheels and
metal spoke wheels rs used abroad. cast
steel wheels used in trucks and other
metal wheels are not in every case bet
ter than wooden ones. We have had
years of experience with wooden wheels
and know their worth when they are
made right. 1t is claimed for wire
wheels that they are lighter in weight
more resilient and easier on tires than
wooden wheels. This is not always SC
even though the racing car is pointed
out as an example. The primary reason
int nf mir xyha To-
racing cars came when there was
brought about a need for quick tire
change and not because they saved tires
or were lighter. If wooden wheels could
be changed as quickly as wire, many
drivers would prefer good wooden
wheels. OF course the easy tire change
Is an advantage even for the ordinary
driver, but 1t should not be thought
that there Is a marked difference In
weight or safety. In fact a wire wheel
is more easily injured than a wooden
one. 1t is easier to bend or tear out
some spokes OF a wire wheel than Il Ia
to break a spoke of a wooden one
Alignment of epokes Is absolutely essen.
tial TO any wheel whether wooden or
wire, and in the case OF disc wheels the
disc must be in alignment.
The one objection that the tourist will
ind to the wire wheel is that II, quickl,
Will Collect lot OF Hluu, anu tnon tnt
wheels are not easy to clean. Alst
spoke bending and rusting and breakin4
Is not uncommon.
In Europe wire wheels and disc spok,
wheels and other metal ones are IL
greater use than in this country. mo-
so much on account OF the supposed bet
ter qualities OF the metal over goo,
wooden ones, but because on the othe
side they cannot get the right kind o
wood. If they could get 1t they woult
use more wooden wheels.
1t is advisable II wire wheels ar
used to employ disc covering of SOM
sort so as to avoid the trouble cause,
D. picking up mud. These covers ma.
easily be made of thin metal, wood o.
even cloth.
The disc steel wheel, which came int
being few years ago on passenge
cars, seems to be getting more popula
principally on account OF its appearance
and the fact that 1t is easy to clean