The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1934-06-28
GOODYEAR TIRE
HAS AMAZING
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= Along with the DEVELOPMENT
and improvement in tire service
stations, as indicated by the
elaborate layout of Goodyear
Service, Inc, Connecticut Ave
nue. and N Street Northwest, con-
traSted with the service station
of a quarter of a century ago.
interest also is attached to the de-
velopment and evolution Of the
automobile tire during the last
IS years and the fact that the
consumers dollar today will pur-
chase the equivalent Of about
$50 spent for tires in 1909.
This striking comparison Of
tire values is based on several
facts that seldom are considered
by the motoring public. Twenty
five years ago about $500 trouble
free miles from an automobile
tire was considered a real &C.
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES for the
user to boast about. Today $4,000
to $4,000 miles of reliable service
is not regarded as unusual for
passenger automobile castings.
Bought For Sc
The tire applied in 1909, tax
ing the then popular 30x3R
clincher fabric for purpose of
comparison, represented an in
vestment of about $3.50 by the
consumer. The 30x31a tire to-
day, in the same comparable
quality class, while no longer in
such popular demand, can be
purchased for Sc.
Thus the motorist speeds mer-
rily along his way on rubber tires
that can be depended upon to de-
liver an average of 1000 miles
for each 80 cents he has invested
in them, while the 1909 automo-
biliSts were highly pleased to get
1000 miles for each $14.40 in
vested.
The year 1918 saw the intro
auction of the first cord tire for
passenger gasoline automobiles.
Cord construction had been used
for some time before for electric
automobiles but it was not be-
lieved practical for the gasoline
car because of the latter's higher
speed.
In the beginning cords" for
paSsenger cars were referred to
aS thread fabric" or warp fab
ric," but soon after Goodyear be-
gan building tn e m the name
"cord' was applied to differenti-
ate from the square-woven fabric
type Of construction.
In 1915 it was discovered that
carbon black was a better COM
pound for toughening rubber
than zinc oxide, and then the
first black tread tires made their
appearance.
In 1916 Goodyear made cord
racing tires to prove the superior
ity Of thread fabric" but it was
not until 1917 that racing drlv-
ers were persuaded to try the
Straight-Side cord tires.
Then Balloon Type
BY 1928 the cord type of con-
Struction had almost entirely sup
planted the square-woven fabric
construction, which incidentally
was the same year in which the
balloon tire was introduced by
Goodyear to the motoring public.
The balloon in reality is merely a
tire Of Is percent increased cross
section and decreased air pres
sure, compared with the high.
pressure type.
The balloon tire met instantane-
GUS acceptance, despite a few
early objections, and within two
years was standard or optional
equipment on all cars manufac-
tured in the United States.
BY 1925 balloon tires showed
some weaknesses, among them
premature tread wear and crack
ing. Improvements in compound
ing, however, quickly eliminated
these difficulties.
The original Airwheel was intro
duced in 1929 for airplanes, and
its notwithstanding qualities were
quickly recognized as ideal for ap-
. plication to automobile tires.