SERVICE FROM TYRES

NZ Truth, Issue 1147, 24 November 1927, Page 15

SERVICE FROM TYRES

Simple Aids To Economy

It should always be remembered that the care of tyres involves a dual regard for the welfare of both tubes and covers, and the

ife depends as much on the driver as on the manufacturer.

faulty tube is a menace to the cover and a defective cover is a menace to the tube.

THE function of a pneumatic tyre m relation to a car ls, flrst and foremost, that of a shock absorber. The inequalities of the road surface would cause severe damage to the axles and chassis of the car unless the tyres working m conjunction with the springs were ready to take those inequalities.

It is, of oourse, the air-fllled tube which provides resiliency; the cover is to protect the tube from contact with the road and to take the wear and tear of running. Consequently, to secure the maximum resiliency, the cover, although strong, must be flexible.

To obtain the maximum degree of shock absorption, tyres should be properly inflated.

Insufficient inflation is, to a great extent, responsible for bursts and quick breaking-up of the cover.

When a tyre is under-inflated, the walls are continually and excessively bending at a point midway between the rim and the ground, and the result of this continual bending is that the walls become weakened, eventually give way and burst. Rim cutting, creeping, heating and puncturing are also brought about by running "soft."

On the other hand, care should be taken not to over-inflate tyres; to have them hard as boards nullifies the" property of shock absorption and the resiliency of the tyre is inappreciable.

f It is all- Important to watch for small cuts ln a tyre and to repair them when they are still small. A tiny cut, if neglected, may m time destroy a cover. Inspect the tyres weekly for bad cuts, signs of bursts (caused through the fabric lining being rotted by wet) or boils (caused by dust or mud between the fabric and the rubber covering). I

Remove with a sharply-pointed piece pf wood — not a knife — small pieces of flint, glass or other mat-

ter embedded m the tyre.

Small cuts should be filled up at once, with a special preparation obtainable for this purpose, although If the tyre should sustain a large out, or a small cut should have grown large before receiving attention, the repair must be vulcanized. To secure the best results, "then, tyres should always be kept sufficiently inflated.

They should be inspected dally and embedded flints, etc., removed. Cute should be repaired and no water allowed to enter, otherwise the fabric of the jacket will become rotted.