TIRES, BUILD, QUALITY, AND CARE
Building a tire is like building a house or laying a cement sidewalk;
the foundation must be right or the job will not stand up.
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.
The cheaper grades of tires may be very deceiving in looks, but the
point remains, that beneath the tread and breaker strip there must be
something that is cheaper in quality than the material used in building
a standard tire or it could not be sold for less, as tire building
material sells at a market price obtainable to all; and the standard
tire is usually produced in large quantities at a small profit, which
may be seen by comparing the production records and the dividends paid
on capitalization.
This point alone shows the wise economy in purchasing tires of standard
build and avoiding all so-called low priced tires as they usually cost
the motorist considerable more before the average mileage of a good
tire is obtained.
Tires given close attention will usually give from one to two thousand
more miles of service than those that do not receive prompt attention.
Therefore, close inspection should be made frequently for cuts, rents,
stone bruises, or a break in the tread which exposes the underlying
fabric to wear and dampness.
When a break is discovered in either the tread or breaker strip, it
should be slightly enlarged and well cleaned. A coat of raw rubber
cement is applied and allowed to dry. Another coat of cement is
applied, and when this coat is fairly dry, fill the indenture with raw
rubber gum and cook for thirty minutes with a small vulcanizer. The
cement, rubber, and vulcanizer may be purchased at any accessory store
for a couple of dollars.
=Tire Care.=--Always keep the garage floor clean and free from oil,
grease and gasoline, in order that the tires may not come in contact
with it or stand in it. All three are deadly enemies to rubber. This
is easily accomplished by spreading a thin layer of sawdust or bran on
the floor and dampening it. This not only makes floor cleaning easy but
also keeps the air moist and causes the dust to settle quickly.
When a tire comes in contact with either grease, oil, or gasoline, it
should immediately be washed with warm water and castile soap.
Mud must not be allowed to dry and bake on the tires as it causes the
rubber to loose its springy elastic qualities, and dry-rot or rubber
scurvy takes place immediately, and the tread begins to crack and
crumble.
=Tire Chains.=--Use tire chains only when they are absolutely necessary
to overcome road conditions, as the use of chains under the most ideal
conditions results in a certain amount of damage to the tires, and
also causes destruction to improved roads. Chains are easily put on by
stretching them out at the rear of the car and rolling the car on them.
The clamps should be placed forward in order that the contact with the
road may serve to keep them closed.
Adjust the chains to the tire loosely in order that the cross chains
may work around and distribute the wear evenly.
=Cross Chains.=--Inspect the cross chains occasionally for wear and
sharp edges.
Do not use springs across the front of the wheel to hold the chains,
as they prevent the cross chains from working around on the tire and
the opposite side chain is often drawn onto the tread, and as these
chains are not continuous, the link connections wear and cut the tread
exposing the underlying layers of fabric to dampness and wear.
=Tube Care.=--When an extra tube is carried with the car shake some
tire talc or soap stone on it and wrap with tissue paper. It can then
be carried in a small box with the tools without being damaged from
vibration.
=Tube Repairing.=--A tube should always be vulcanized to make the
repair permanent; but in case you must make a road repair and have not
a vulcanizer with you, an emergency repair can be made by sticking on a
patch. The surface of the tube and the patch is cleaned and roughened
with a fine file or piece of emery paper. A coat of cement is applied
next and allowed to dry. Another coat of cement is applied and allowed
to dry until it becomes tacky. The patch is then pressed on the tube
and held under pressure fifteen or twenty minutes until the cement
is dry. This repair will serve for a short time but should be made
permanent at the first opportunity.
=Tire Storage.=--When the car is to be stored for the winter, the tires
should be left on the wheels and deflated to thirty pounds pressure
(that is, after they have been relieved of the weight of the car),
except in cases where the garage is cold and very damp and subjected to
weather changes. In this case remove the tires and hang them up in a
cool dry place (store room or cellar).
Always remove the old valve cores from the valve stems and replace
them with new ones before putting the tires back into service, as the
rubber plungers deteriorate very rapidly when inactive. Valve cores
can be purchased at any service station in a small tin container for
thirty-five to fifty cents per dozen.