BALANCE

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 768, 14 September 1929, Page 9

BALANCE

THE APPLICATION TO TYRES “You ask me about balance in tyres. ’* said Air. F. I’idgeon, the local Goodrich distributor, in reply to a question by a representative of this paper. “A juggler balancing a fifty-foot pole on the end of his nose illustrates one kind of balance, let us call it static, balance; but, there is another distinct kind of balance w r e should call dynamic balance. It is well illustrated in the mechanism of the automobile. The revolutions of the crankshaft in response to the action of the pistons, the suspension of the body on the chassis, and that all-important function of front-w'heel control, illustrate the necessity for constant dynamic balance. “In the steering apparatus of the automobile any one of a number of factors may destroy tlie necessary balance. This may cause excessive play in the front wheel, resulting in . the ‘shimmy.* | “Although ordinarily the tyre being i slightly out of balance will not cause i this condition, still it may increase ■ it, if this condition already exists. j “Realising this, the B. F. Goodrich • Company, which has pioneered the tyre ■ industry since Goodrich built the first ! cord tyre in the Western Hemisphere ! over a quarter-century ago, has per- | fected the modern-day Goodrich Sil- ! vertown Balloon. Is is as nearly an example of perfect tyre balance as ; can be produced by the most uniform method and accurate machinery | known. “If you were to look underneath the tread, and into the layers of thousands of cotton cables crossing and re-cross- ; ing each other, like the cables in a * suspension bridge, you would see a beautiful example of this principle. The factory experts call this stretchj matched cords, because of the fact t-hat . the cords are carefully chc*oked in elabj orately equipped laboratories to deter- ( mine exactly how far they will stretch, i and what weight is required to stretch ; them a given distance. I “In fact, the whole process of building Goodrich tyres is nothing mor« nor less than a development of bal- ! ance Without fear of contradiction, I can say that that very fact is largely responsible for the unequalled product the Goodrich Company is making today. ‘ The experience of years has truly made it possible for Goodrich to produce the best tyre that can be built by j men and by machines. After all, it’s I nothing more than a story of dynamic balance that progresses constantly, surmounting all obstacles that come its way.” ••