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CARELESSNESS—AND YOUR
TIRES
By ALBERT MARPLF
T H E average motorist is not a
millionaire and for this reason
the tire question is very important.
The majority of
folks haven't time nor money
to spare to be buying and repairing casings
all the time, and for this reason it
will be found to be a wise move for the
car owner to give a little thought and
study to the few rules which govern the
care and repair of the modern automobile
tire casing.
Overloading and under-inflation of
tires are short cuts to trouble. These
have about the same effect on the casing.
Symptoms consist of wavy condition of
the tread, rim cut, and a host of other
Watch for Rim-Cuttinjc of the Fabric; Your Carefulness
Will Save You Many Tires
154
"high sign s".
Keep the pressure
of the tire
at the mark set
by the manufacturer—he
ought
to know. Use a
tire gage—it is
cheaper than a
new c a s i n g—
don't kick the
tire and say,
"Oh. that's tight
enough!" The
rim-cut tire is
an easy victim
to blow-outs,
then too, do not
over-inflate. A
This Stone-Bruise — Shown
on the Right Side of theTire
—Is Invisible from the Outside,
but Is the First Symptom
of a Blow-out, Nevertheless
tire carrying too much air is liable
to stone-bruise if it connects sharply
with the boulder or the curb. Stonebruises
cut the fabric, but not the
tread, so that, not being seen from the
outside, they are often overlooked and
nearly always result in blow-outs. Faulty
alignment of the wheels should also be
guarded against. Running a tire out of
true alignment may ruin it in as little
as 50 miles—ordinarily it takes longer,
but ruin it, it is bound to do. Misalignment
may result from a bent axle or
steering knuckle, or improper adjustment
of the steering apparatus. Running
against a curb at an angle is sometimes
sufficient to knock the wheels out of line.
Remedy: have the wheels put in line by
an expert at a reliable garage.
Another source of trouble is running in
ruts and car tracks as well as running
the tires against the sides of curbs. The
result of this is the wearing of the rubber
from the sides of the tires, thereby
exposing the fabric to its many enemies