Flat tire

“ They claim that this tire possesses great speed owing to the very slight frictional contact of the surface and that upon a loose or sandy road its broad flat surface will ride upon the top of the sand and not sink down in it like the ordinary round tread tire would. Side slip is also avoided by the use of the rib and the edge of the tread.
STRAUS
PROTECTED TIRE.
Every one actively interested in the subject of tires will readily admit that the puncture proof tire is the tire of the future. ”

“ If steam is discharged from the radiator, examine the fan directly back of it and the water pump, and see that there is no clog in the pipes leading to and from it.
Tires—Keep the tires free from oil and grease as they rot the rubber. Drive very carefully in wet weather because rubber cuts very easily when wet. Drive slowly around corners and start and stop without jerks; also be very careful not to rub the tires against the curb. Have all small cuts vulcanized so that moisture cannot get in and rot the fabric. Do not run on a flat tire unless it has been damaged beyond repair. ”

“ Curious things can happen in a brief absence. We returned to the car to find one of the back tires perfectly flat, the head of the family sitting serenely unconscious of her misfortune. We had picked up one of those flat-headed boot nails that Europeans love so well, and the tire had slowly and softly settled. There are cleaner, pleasanter things than taking off a tire and putting it on again in the rain, but I utilized a deep doorway on the corner for the dry work, and Narcissa held the umbrella while I pulled and pushed and grunted and pumped, during the more strenuous [Pg 167] moments. ”

“ In making tires, the strips of fabric are built together about a steel core to form the body or carcass of the tire. The beads are also added. The side strips, the breaker strip and finally the tread are applied. All of these pieces are sticky, and as they are laid together and rolled down by small hand rollers they adhere to each other, and when the tire is completed it looks very much like the tires you see on automobiles, but it is not yet vulcanized. The rubber is much like tough, heavy dough—there is not much stretch to it and in a cold place it would become hard and brittle. ”

“ In case of puncture of a bicycle tire, the inner tube is repaired by cementing a patch of rubber on the outside of the inner tube, a solution of india-rubber in naphtha or bisulphide of carbon being the cementing agent employed. Motor-car tires are best re- paired by vulcanizing, as solution patches usually come loose owing to the heating of the tire. In a single-tube tire, as its name indicates, the outer cover and the air-tight tube are vulcanized together to form a single hollow ring. To repair a simple puncture of a single-tube tire it is not necessary to detach it from the rim. ”

“ Tests recently made at the experiment stations in Utah and Missouri show that wide tires not only improve the surface of roads, but that under ordinary circumstances less power is required to pull a wagon on which wide tires are used. The introduction in recent years of a wide metallic tire which can be placed on any narrow-tired wheel at the cost of two dollars each, has removed one very serious objection to the proposed substitution of broad tires for the narrow ones now in use. ”

“ The foundation of a tire as every motorist knows consists of alternative layers of rubber, fabric, or cord, covered with a tread and breaker strip of rubber. The tread and breaker strip, however, are not worth the space they occupy if they are placed over a poorly constructed foundation of cheaply made fabric. Therefore, great care should be exercised in choosing a tire of standard make which has been tested, inspected, and guaranteed to be in perfect condition, and gives a mileage guarantee. ”

“ We have now reached in our discussion of the bicycle a part just as essential to the running ability as anything previously mentioned—the tires. On account of the wear and tear upon the tires, from one cause or another, they require much care. It is the tires that take up the jolts from the inequalities of the road, and upon their proper degree of inflation depends the easy running of the wheel. Quite a study may be made of this, the pressure varying for the different uses the wheel is to be put to. Without exception the rear tire should be harder than the front ”

“ The cords, tread and beads being all vulcanized together, the tire is practically impervious to moisture, and has therefore less tendency to rot than a canvas tire. Further, the threads, by the process of manufacture, are insulated each from the others by a layer of rubber, and there is thus less tendency for them to fray or saw each other as the tire yields during continuous running. ”

“ Among the old tire makers who are still in the field are the New York Belting and Packing Company. Their League Special single tube tire is a high speed road tire, constructed of precisely the same rubber and fabric used in the League racing tire, the quantity of each being practically doubled, to give the strength and wear required for road service. The rubber is fine Para, the fabric Sea Island, strong and light, woven so that each individual thread has free play in every direction. ”

“ Sudden application of the brakes, or the sliding of wheels on hillsides or the skidding of the car in making short turns at too great speeds, are the most destructive things for tires, however good they may be.
Tires For City Use.—A tire which may be of good service for country roads, might not be available for city work. The tendency of many drivers is to hug the curb too closely, and the result is a wear on the side, which is its weakest point. It (31) is like the side of a shoe, the upper of which can be readily worn through, whereas the sole will stand hard usage. ”

“ If either of these seemingly small details is out of order it may be impossible to pump the tires hard enough ; the bicycle being ridden, the tires may be nipped in many places between the rim and sharp edges on the road surface, and practically ruined. _ Tires for Motor Cars. — In the cost of upkeep of a motor car the tires are the most expensive item. For a slow speed vehicle an ordinary steel tire, shrunk or hydrauhcally pressed on a wooden wheel, is cheap and durable. ”

“ The outside of the tire is covered with a thick layer of rubber, which protects the fabric from injury by contact with the rough road surfaces. In full roadster tires this outer layer of rubber is thinner at the sides than at the tread (the part which actually rolls on the ground) , but still completely covers the fabric. In light roadster and racing tires the sides are not covered, and an appreciable gain in speed or ease of driving is due to the greater flexibility of the cover thus obtained. ”

“ Sometimes a difficult part of a puncture on the road is its location. After examining the tire and noting the likely places, apply saliva at these spots, and when the right one is found, bubbles will be noticed.
The permanent repair of a double-tube tire is to patch the inner one. Let the air out, and if the tire is "cemented" pull it off, and, if the "clincher," spring off, being careful in pushing the valve through the hole in the rim. If it is the "clincher" pattern the inner tube may be readily removed, but if a "cemented" tire, it is a trifle more difficult. ”

“ There are several new kinds of tires suggested, and one seems to be quite a good idea. It is to be composed of a series of inflated balls, with an outer rim to protect them from the stones, nails, etc., which are the nightmare of the bicycle-rider. In this way, should an accident happen to one ball, the others need not be in any way injured, and the horror of a punctured tire would be greatly lessened.
Sewing-Machine that will Cut and Make Button-Holes.—Here is an invention that will delight the girls. ”

“ Now, having the car ready for the grind, we will consider some suggestions touching on the actual work of handling it on desert roads. When you come to the point where your road map tells you that you will encounter several miles of deep, fine sand, you should deflate your tires to fifteen to twenty-five pounds pressure, according to your load and tire size. Four and one-half inch tires should carry twenty-five pounds ”

“ Rim cutting from running motorcycle tires underinflated is the commonest abuse. Dents in the edge of the rims cause undue wear on the tire, the fabric being worn through by the constant rubbing. Bent rims are often caused by insufficient air pressure in tires, the liability to injury being increased when crossing tracks or bumps with an improperly inflated tire. ”

“ It was the hind wheel of a wagon. The wagon itself was standing in front of the shop, with one end of the hind axletree supported by a block.
"What do they heat the tire for?" asked Marco.
"To swell it," replied Forester. "It is necessary to have the tire go on very tight, so as to hold the wheel together with all the force of the iron. Now when iron is heated it swells, and then shrinks again when it cools. So they heat the tire hot, and put it upon the wheel in that state. Then when it cools it shrinks, and binds the whole wheel together with a very strong grip." ”

“ At higher speeds over uneven roads it is less satisfactory; the wheel, forming with the tire one rigid body, receives violent accelerations vertically, due to the uneven road, and is being continually shot upwards into the air out of contact with the ground. Thus excessive noise and vibration are caused at all but very moderate speeds, and for passenger cars an elastic tire is a necessity. _ The solid rubber tire, not being liable to puncture, is trustworthy if made of sufficient sectional area, but it is expensive and lacks the comfort and easy running of the pneumatic. ”

“ While there is little friction between a wheel and the roadway upon which it travels, the roughness of the road is a very important factor. Every time a wheel goes over a stone the entire vehicle must be lifted; this represents so much wasted energy. The advantage of the pneumatic tire lies in the fact that it absorbs small inequalities without making it necessary for the entire vehicle to rise over them. This means less load lifted and hence less work done. ”

“ In running the wheels with a ‘traveller,’ a wedge must be driven in one of the joints of the felloe for the purpose of tightening the other joints in the rim. Then get the length of the felloe, and in running the tire cut it 1⁄8 inch shorter than the rim measures. In this explanation we are supposed to have steel tire, and we have a kind of steel tire now that is very high and difficult to weld, and there are many smiths that will profit by this lesson if they attend to the precaution we give. ”

“ It appears of little importance therefore, so far as relates to the Engine, whether the requisite amount of friction be spread over a broad surface of tire, or be concentrated to a small point; but as the wheels, by being too narrow, would have a tendency to bury themselves in every soft or newly made road, and thus raise a perpetual resistance to their own progress, it actually becomes an advantage to adopt that form, which is least injurious to the road. The proprietors, who have been examined on this point, seem to be quite indifferent as to the breadth of tire they may be required to use. ”

“ Pneumatic tires are formed of alternate layers of heavy canvaslike fabric and soft rubber, and the processes through which they are put in manufacture are supposed to effect their perfect combination; but as it is not the nature of rubber to be absorbed by the fabric, the layers are only bound together by its tenacity. The bending of the sides of the tire under the weight of the car tends to separate these layers, and water or dirt entering between them through cuts quickly brings ruin ”

“ A hole is swedged through its center; and it is then hammered on the horn or beak of an anvil, thereby expanding its circumference, and forming a grain or fiber in its circumferential direction, and, when intended for tires of driving-wheels, the rudiments of a flange are formed or swedged also upon the outer periphery of the circle. In this form, these blooms are ready for rolling, and are imported at this stage of development. ”

“ The best tools are half-leaves of carriage springs. At any carriage shop one can get halves of broken springs. They should be sixteen or eighteen inches long, and are ready for use without forging filing or other preparation. With three such halves one man can take off a tire in fifteen or twenty minutes; two men will work a little faster; help on the road is never wanting.
Let the wheel rest on the tire with valve down; loosen all the lugs; insert thin edge of spring-leaf between rim and tire, breaking the cement and partially freeing tire ”

“ At first the injury may be a small cut down to the fabric, which, after being neglected for a time, permits sand to enter, and a grinding takes place, each movement of the parts causing a further separation, and pressure expands the rubber, until, finally, it bulges out and gives an unsightly appearance, as well as starts the tire on its road to destruction. ”

“ Light and heat are the worst enemies of rubber; spare tires should be kept in a cool, dark place, and protected from dust and moisture. French chalk, or some similar preparation, should be well dusted over the shoes and tubes, and if the tubes are folded, they should occasionally be opened and refolded in fresh places, to prevent the formation of creases. The spare tire that is carried on the car should be kept in a casing, and because a dark surface will absorb more heat than a light, the casing should be tan, gray, or white rather than black. ”