BALLOON TYRES

NZ Truth, Issue 1152, 29 December 1927, Page 13

BALLOON TYRES

Inflated Ideas Which Cause Trouble

Is your car really equipped with balloon tyres, or are you taking it for granted because of the words moulded on the side-walls of the tyres?

A LITTLE thought on this matter re- ** veals to the owner just why the set of balloon tyres on his new car has failed to give satisfactory service. To illustrate the point clearly we shall quote a concrete instance. A man bought a car after some study of the merits and demerits of a number in the competitive price Held, and finally decided on a Bitza. The car gave him absolutely no trouble, but he was at a loss to understand why on getting his first puncture the tyre was broken in the casing. ' '

He sent the tyre to the car agents and they referred him to the tyre manufacturers, who, after examination of the casing and also the car, disclaimed responsibility, informing the owner that he was not entitled to an adjustment as the car was \mdershod, and recommended that he should fit larger-sized tyres that would suit the same rims.

The owner was perplexed and inquired ,jvhy the car was equipped with a tyre which was admittedly undershofl. The tyre company's adjuster said this was a matter for the distributors of the car.

In the first place the tyres are supplied in bulk to the distributors in accordance with their orders, but the manufacturers do not recommend that particular size as the most suitable for the cav in question.

Thus the question arises: Are the majority of cars at present on the road really, shod on. balloon tyres?

Are you obtaining the results you were led to expect from your tyres and can you further reduce your running costs by equipping 1 ■ a more sensible size tyre in proportion to the weight and size of your car?

The fallacy is at once obvious. A smaller tyre is expected to do the work of a larger size, resulting in a condiv tion of overloading or under inflation, the consequences of which are exactly similar in effect to the casing. It is not a matter of who is responsible for this — rather is it in the hands of the owner to remedy the same. By his own actual experience must he determine if he is obtaining most satisfactory results, and if there is a defect he should have it' immediately rectified by using the correct size#

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