Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 54, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 March 1918 — TERRIFIC STRAIN PLACED ON TIRES [ARTICLE]

TERRIFIC STRAIN PLACED ON TIRES

Many People Who Buy Cars Are Ignorant of This Subject. ECONOMY TOPIC MOST VITAL Adding One Mile for Each Tire to Enormous Mileage Piled Up Each by Great Number of Cars, Would Save Big Fortune. When motor cars were rare, tire mileage costs made little difference. But now, when men are buying cars as they would a suit of clothes or a pair of shoes—when our annual car bill is more than $1,000,000,000, and for tire about s333,ooo,ooo—tire economy is a matter of great concern. About 4,000,000 cars are now registered in this country, wearing 16,000,000 tires. Addiug only one mile for each tire to the enormous mileage piled up each day by these cars would save a handsome fortune for the motorists of the country. Much Mileage Lost A. E. Hertzig, manager of a big tire and rubber concern, in commenting on the various kinds of abuse innocently Inflicted upon motor tires, preventing them from attaining their alloted three score and ten, declares that much of this mileage is lost through the fabric breaks caused by hitting stones imbedded in the road.

“So many people are now buying cars who know comparatively little about cars or tires that it is not surprising that merciless abuse is heaped upon them,” he says. “Hardly one motorist in 100 appreciates the terrific strain placed on tires when traveling at high speed over ordinary roads. Your tires may withstand a shock equal to ten tons weight while running at a speed of- 25 miles an hour over country roads, and a little later you have a blowout while running over a perfectly smooth street Cause of Blowout “This is what happened. The terrific impact of the tire and the stone Imbedded in the road did not visibly affect the exterior of the tire. Had you looked it over you could not have found a mark. But on the inside of the tire a break in the tire fabric was Started when the blow strained it beyond Its limit of stretching strength, Perhaps only one layer of fabric was injured. The other layers soon followed suit and the blowout resulted.

“It is common practice for car owners to bump front wheels against the curbstone when parking their cars, especially if the brakes do not hold properly. Many drivers make no pretense of slowing up for street car tracks or bridge approaches. There is much fraternizing with ruts- and stones in the road. All these make for fabric breaks, which rob the tire of many miles that were built into it at the factory.