Evening star., 1920-02-08
BL0W0UTS WHEN
CARS STAND STILL
Explanation Of Mystery, With
Instructions for Repair
of the Breaks.

Have you ever had a blowout
when your car was standing still aft
er coming from a drive on a smooth.
level road?
"Or have you had the experience of
going out to your garage and finding
when you drove in the evening be-
fore. Something had happened to it
overnight.
You removed the tire and tube,
found the tube torn and clean break
on the inside fabric of the tire.
What caused the fabric to break?"
In rapid fire the above questions
were asked of a well known Wash
ingtonian who but recently has taken
up motoring with a vim by former
proprietor of a large service station
in the city as the two sat in the
lobby of a downtown hotel the other
afternoon.
Questiener Gives the Answers.
On being informed by the motorist
that he had experienced just such
| service man continued, well, it is
very probable that it was started
week or even a month before. when
you ran over a brick. a rut or hole
in the street, while running at high
speed.
! Then. again. it may have been
caused when, in turning around in
the street, you allowed the front or
rear wheel of the car to bang into
the curbing. OF course. this is more
likely to happen il the brakes are not
in good working order.
"At first the break in the fabric
may be small. but the broken threads
at the place of injury chafe each
up an internal friction that quickly
causes the break to enlarge.
The other plies soon break, the
tube is pinched and a blowout re-
suits. Generally this occurs some
| time after the original break and
when circumstances point to no ap-
parent cause.
Seldom Indicated on Outside.
"It is unfortunate that the bruise or
fabric break is seldom manifested by
any indication on the outside OF the
tire. for the tough tread rubber
stretches when the tire strikes the
stone or curb. but the fabric can
stretch only a certain limit. and when
| taxed beyond that point will break.
Often only the innermost ply is in
jured."
"How is one to know such a condi-
tion exists" asked the motorist-
ut is good practice to examine the
inside of your tires for fabric break
every time they are removed from the
rim" replied the service man, "or
for you whenever he removes your
tires.
Sometimes small fabric break
that cannot be found by ordinary ex-
animation causes tube puncture.
These small breaks may be located in
this manner: Mark the position of
the valve at the mark and measure
with the tube around the tire. Thus
the puncture in the tube locates the
break in the fabric.
| Is to avoid hitting the stones, the
bumps and the ruts in the road as
| much AZ possible"
Another Phase Discussed.
"But suppose you are in a position
| that practically compels you to repair
your own tires?" inquired the mo-
| torist.
1T far from . service station. run
ming without spare tires, q bruiSe or
blowout comes and . repair il nee
essary." replied the service station
man. T would suggest the following:
tho tire foot farther than is neces-
sary. but Immediately put in a tenn
porary repair or change tires. and as
soon as possible take the injured tire
to the vulcanixer for permanent re-
pair.
For an emergency repair on the
road use a rim-cut patch. It should
be applied without cement. SO that
it can DO removed later. under less
stressful conditions. and q permanent
vulcanixed repair made.
| If tho tire Is too old to be worth
vulcanizing q permanent repair can
be made that will allow tho tire to
be used many moro miles by using
| the rim-cut patch and cementtng It in
with patching cement
Special Difect1ons.
TO do this follow these direc-
tions: First, be sure the fabric at
the break is dry. then clean the in
side Of the tire thoroughly at the
break with gasoline for. a space
slightly larger than the patch: after
| it is dry apply two coats of patching
cement. allowing time for each coat
to dry and become tacky. Give the
outside Of the patch the same num-
Der of coats. and after this cement
has dried insert the patch by seating
the toe of the tire bead in the crease
in the patch wing. Now work the
! patch down all the way across the
! tire. pressing it down firmly and
smoothly. and then adjust the other
| bead.
"A repair Of this nature is often
the means Of enabling you to use
the tire Immediately. of securing
| many hundreds of additional miles.
or the tire may be carried as a spare.
|