Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-01-25

particularly for the lighter cars. but
there is still considerable speculation
as to the balloon situation with the
| heavy cars. Some are using a spe-
cial six-ply type Of tire that has less
| Of a bulge at the side and therefore
| less possibility for excessive friction
between the layers of the cord.
| Others are still being. offered with
\ conventional cords which, because of
their large size and lower imitation,
seem to be satisfying owners. This
| is doubtless due to the fact that our
! fine American cars are so well de-
| signed as to render the type of tire
a secondary consideration in the mat
| ter of riding qualities.
VIII Become Universal.
Here is where the balloon tire
portant trend of the automotive
| times. The balloon tire-the type
that gives the greatest possible ease
will become universal because the
car of the very near future Will be
| lower, shorter, smaller and lighter.
This is no new prediction. 1t has
been said a thousand times by those
engineers who are thinking in terms
| of 1885 You have excellent in
stances of the trend on the streets
| of any American or European city
But 1t is given new Vigor when
coupled with the balloon tire trend.
| When you can put a set of bal
| looms on a 81 800 car that is design
| ed for them, control the balloon and
spring action by means Of any one
| of a number of excellent devices for
this purpose, and then get ride
| that parallels what you thought
could only be had with something in
| the $4,000 class. the smaller car idea
| takes on a new meaning.
Looking Ahead DimcuIt.
It's strange how much difficulty
we all have in looking ahead. When
| the lighter car prediction first dawn
| ed upon motoring, wiseacres pointed
| to the trend toward closed cars, and
said that the latter would puncture
| the former completely. Just a few
years later we were to be shown
/ the coach type of closed model and
are now witnessing its immense pop
| ularity.
BY actual measurement the coaches
are a little heavier than open models
| mounted on the same chassis, but
they are lighter than the open models
we used to drive but few seasons
ago. They are trim, built like a
single unit and compact. And then
when you equip them with balloon
tires they display a certain fleetness
we are going to obtain wonderful
results from lighter cars, If we have
not obtained them already.
The most interesting feature about
| trends Is the way one influences an
| other. / have cited one instance,
| but if you will look at the steering
! gears on cars at the shows you find
| one of the best cases of this I know
| of. 1t isn't so much that ratios have
| been raised to II to l in order to
make 1t easy to park with balloon
| tires, but mainly that steering gears
have actually been strengthened at
a number of vital points. This was
done because the balloon tire has been
viewed as g. big, bulky article that
would STRAIN an ordinary steering
| gear assembly, whereas the fact is
| that in cushioninE the car the balloon
tire actually saves steering gear
| strain.
| Loosening is Avoided.
The balloon tire is having an even
| more interesting effect upon trends.
After driving new car several thou
sand miles the man with balloon tires
! finds that he does not have to go over
| the chassis with wrench and screw
| driver. Everything is tight. The en-
! Sireer observes it, too, and the result
! is that there is a definite trend in the
direction of efficiency devices on the
newer models.
When tires carried 90 pounds Of air
CONTINUED on Thirteenth Pa@e.<