The Two Fathers of the Pneumatic Tire

It’s rare that two men invent the same thing decades apart. Yet that’s what happened with the pneumatic tire. John Boyd Dunlop developed it in Ireland in 1888 only to learn two years later that Robert W. Thomson of England had patented it 43 years earlier in 1845.

Necessity may have mothered its inventions, but the pneumatic tire had at least two fathers: The first was Robert William Thomson, of Middlesex, England, who invented and patented the air-inflated tire in 1845. The second was John Boyd Dunlop of Belfast, Ireland, who reinvented it in 1888 − launching today’s
worldwide tire industry in the process.

Unlike many inventions whose origins are shrouded in uncertainty, the birth of the air-inflated tire was carefully recorded in history. Yet the story of the pneumatic tire is by no means lacking in excitement, poetic irony or its share of unsolved mysteries.

To begin with, the air-inflated tire was invented twice over a period of 43 years, the first event apparently having been all but forgotten by the time the second took place. Largely because of his success in selling the pneumatic tire, Dunlop − actually the re-inventor of the air-inflated tire − has come to hold the more prominent place in history.

Thomson − the true inventor − had the misfortune of introducing the pneumatic tire too far ahead of its time. Unable to establish a commercial market for it in that horse-and-buggy era, Thomson’s name is little known by the general public and often appears as a mere footnote on the pages of history. Perhaps even more ironic is the fact that Thomson − while more confident than Dunlop in the future of the air-inflated tire − saw his hopes for the pneumatic dashed by an unresponsive buying public and his invention forgotten.

On the other hand, Dunlop − who had less faith in the pneumatic as the optimum means of dampening road vibration − saw his invention sweep the world and has since been honored as one of the world’s great benefactors. Unquestionably, both of the pneumatic tire’s inventors deserve credit for one of history’s most important and far-reaching technical achievements. Thomson dubbed his invention the “aerial wheel,” describing in his patent “the application of elastic bearings round the tires of wheels of carriages, rendering
their motion easier and diminishing the noise they make while in motion.” To accomplish this purpose, Thomson suggested using “a hollow belt (made from) India rubber and gutta percha and inflated with air. (Thus) the wheels will, at every part of their revolution, present a cushion of air to the ground, rail, or
track on which they run.”This elastic belt, as Thomson called his air tube, was made with several layers of canvas saturated with a rubber solution, after which the tire was vulcanized. Leather was used as a protective cover or outer casing, and the tire was inflated with a “condenser,” known today as a tire pump. Thomson’s version of the air-inflated tire was successfully tested on horse-drawn vehicles but failed as a commercial proposition.

Thomson died in 1873 − the concept of the air-inflated tire being temporarily set aside only to be reborn at the hands of Dunlop 15 years later. Though contemporaries, born approximately 60 miles apart in the northeast part of Scotland, apparently neither inventor was aware of the other’s work. In fact, had Dunlop known of Thomson’s previous patent, he undoubtedly would have selected a potentially more successful strategy when filing his patent application.Instead of unsuccessfully hitching his fortune to the principle of the air-inflated tire itself, Dunlop might have been better off to base his patent claim on some method of attaching the tire to the wheel. But since the Belfast veterinarian was unaware that the pneumatic tire had been previously patented, his attempt ultimately proved unsuccessful, depriving Dunlop of a monopoly on one of the most explosive markets in the history of mankind.

Matters were made worse when Thomson’s patent didn’t come to light until after Dunlop and several financial backers had floated a corporation to exploit his presumed monopoly of the air-inflated tire. Discovery of the Thomson patent in 1890 meant that Dunlop had no patent. And so his company − known then as the Pneumatic Tyre and Booth’s Cycle Agency and many years later as Dunlop Rubber Co. − suddenly was without the monopoly on which it had been founded. This obviously disappointed the venture’s participants and contributed to strained relations between Dunlop and corporate officials. Dunlop left the firm in 1895, selling his company stock in the process. In addition to inventing the first “practical” (commercially successful) air-inflated tire, Dunlop also contributed the words “pneumatic tire” to the world’s vocabulary.

World's Largest Tire

Allen Park, Michigan

The Statue of Liberty has its fans, but perhaps a more fitting giant symbol of America stands beside I-94, near the Detroit Metro Airport. It is the World's Largest Tire and it is an automobile tire, thank you, not a tire to some fruit-loopy pivoting windmill or solar cell.

This 12-ton, 80-foot-tall behemoth was built to withstand hurricane-force winds, and served as a Ferris wheel (and a huge advertisement for Uniroyal) at the 1964-65 New York World's Fair. Twenty-four gondolas circled the tire where the treads are today, carrying nearly two million people. The tire was moved to Allen Park in 1966 and, although urban legends tell of it breaking loose and rolling across I-94, there's no evidence that this has ever happened.

In 1998 Uniroyal stabbed the tire with a 11-foot-long, 250-pound nail -- another "world's largest" -- to promote their puncture-resistant Tiger Paw Nailgard tire. The big tire withstood the assault and the nail was eventually removed and given to Allen Park, which then put it up for sale on eBay in 2003 to raise money for a local historical society. The city hoped that someone would pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for the nail, the final price paid by local businessman Ralph Roberts was $3,000 (Roberts lends out the nail for local events).

The original tire was a bias-ply whitewall with a mid-1960s hubcap. It has undergone several renovations over the years, and we hear that it is again being updated.

We believe that it has a patriotic destiny. Let's go, American auto industry! Build three more of these big babies (and maybe a spare), attach them to a suitably proportioned car, air-drop the juggernaut overseas, and show the rest of the world what the U.S.A. is all about!

Our enemies would throw up their hands in humility and go home, while everybody else would see how terrific we are, and concede that we really do need all of their oil.

Flat Tyres To Become a Thing of the Past

Airless tyres could make cars puncture proof

Small US company outsmarts the world's biggest tyre makers

Originally designed for the military, it's for the public from 2014

It's not quite reinventing the wheel but it's close. Flat tyres could soon be a thing of the past, the airless tyre is just around the corner.

The sci-fi solution hasn't come from one of the world's biggest tyre companies – which have been working on similar technology for almost a decade – but a company that makes off-road buggies.

French tyre maker Michelin first showed an airless tyre in 2005 and Japan’s Bridgestone followed in 2011, but a US maker of all-terrain vehicles, Polaris, appears to have pricked their hopes to be first to market.

Polaris says it will have airless tyres available for the public to buy in 2014, while Michelin and Bridgestone are yet to even confirm if the technology will make it into production.

Polaris recently bought a company - Resilient Technologies - which had originally developed the airless tyres for military and off-road buggy use. But Polaris has been so encouraged by validation testing of the technology it wants to make it available to the public.

A "honeycomb" web of hexagon-shaped partitioned rubber makes up the tyre's core and prevents it from collapsing. The key differences in the designs of the three tyre makers are the shapes of the webbing and the type of rubber used.

The airless tyre is also effectively bulletproof and road-spike proof, which could be a boon to security forces - and a headache for police if the tyres ever become widely used.

No price has been listed yet, but industry experts forecast the tyres will initially cost up to $1000 each - and the tread will still wear out at the same rate as a regular tyre.

There is no sidewall on the demonstration tyres but those made available for the public to buy will likely have sidewalls and look like normal tyres.

The company claims its airless tyres provide a smoother ride over bumps than conventional tyres, and they’re quieter.

"There is nowhere for the sound to pool, so there’s no humming or drumming like there is with a standard pneumatic tyre," Polaris business development representative Joaquin Salas told Fox News in the US.

According to the Star Tribune newspaper, Wisconsin inventor Ali Manesh sold the 12-man Resilient Technologies firm and the airless tyre technology to Polaris so they could sell them on the mass market.

"We developed the idea, had a design and proved that it worked. But we could not take it into full production," Manesh told the newspaper. "So Polaris took it from there. I am grateful because that is my baby. I am glad that somebody grew it."

How to Check Your Car Tyres

With the recent figures showing that motorists are waiting longer before replacing their tyres, we thought this would be an opportune moment to make sure that you don’t fall foul of the law.  So how do you go about properly and thoroughly checking your tyres to make sure that they are safe?

The condition of your tyres is integral to the performance, and more importantly the safety of your vehicle.  Inevitably with all the wear and tear they will degrade over time.  With this in mind you should never use any tyre which is more than 6 years old. It doesn’t matter if the tyre hasn’t even been used – make sure that you purchase new ones. Tyre age is determined from the date of manufacturer, NOT the date of sale.  In order to check the age of any tyre you should look for the DOT number which is stamped on the sidewall of the tyre.  It should take the following form:

DOT XXXX 2109

In this example the tyre will have been manufactured in the 21st week of 2009.

Car tyres are deemed unsafe once their tread depth wears below 1.6mm across the centre three quarters of the tyre.  The main function of the tyre tread is to improve traction and to push water from beneath the tyre so once they become worn there is a significant danger that your car could hydroplane if the driving conditions aren’t dry.  It is for these reasons that you should check the following aspects of your car once a month.

1, Tyre Pressure

Ideally, you should check your tyre pressure on a weekly basis – especially if you are driving an older used car which has been through several owners.  Checking tyre pressure is extremely easy and only takes a couple of minutes.  You should first consult your car’s manual to determine what the correct pressure rating for your vehicle is.  Failing that you should also be able to find the pressure rating on the inside ledge of the door on the driver’s side or inside your petrol cap.  When you find your pressure chart you will see that the car tyre pressure will vary depending on how substantially the car has loaded.

All you need to measure the pressure is an accurate tyre pressure gauge.  These are relatively inexpensive and simple to use.  Once you have removed the dust cap, apply the pressure gauge to the valve and look at the reading.  If the air pressure is below the recommended level then inflate it using an air pump.  You might like to overinflate the tyres ever so slightly to compensate for the air which leaks out when replacing the dust cap.

2, Tread

In order to check the tread on your tyres you must first get the vehicle into a position where you have clear access to the tyres.  The best way to do this is to park your car on a flat even surface which is well away from busy roads.  It should be common sense already, but make sure that the engine is turned off and that the handbrake is on.

Now that you are in a position to check your tyres safely, take a look at the pattern of the tread.  Look for signs of tread wear bars which are the small bars which form between the treads across the tyres.  These bars will become more and more even with the depth of the tyre tread as it becomes worn.  If the two are getting close then this is a strong indicator that the tyres need replacing.

A sure fire method of checking the tread depth is to use a tread depth gauge.  This is an extremely simple device to use and will allow you to measure your tread accurately and quickly.  Check the depth across different grooves around and across the tyre.  You may find that the tyres are not worn uniformly, which may be an indication that your tyre tracking may need seeing to.  Whilst inspecting the tread, take a look for any objects which may have become lodged in the tyre as they may lead to further damage being caused.

3, Cracks and Bulges

Because the tyre tread requires some much attention, the tyre sidewalls can easily go overlooked.  Make a point of inspection the tyres for any cracks or bulges as this will be indicative of damaged tyres.  Bulges in particular may occur as a result of underinflated tyres which cause the sidewalls to be compressed outwards by the weight of the vehicle.  In this situation you run the risk of the tyre blowing out and causing a potentially serious accident.  In less noticable cases,cracks or bulges on the tyre will be an MOT failure and as such should not been an area which goes overlooked.

Tire Sizing

Tire sizes are written on the tires and consist of a coded mixture of metric and customary measurements.

For example:

P215 55 R16

Width Height DiameterP Stands for Passenger Tire, if it had a LT at the beginning it would stand for a light truck. 215 stands for tire width in millimeters. The higher the number, the wider the tire tread. The width of your car’s wheels will determine just how wide your tires can be.

R Stands for Radial Tire

16 stands for the wheel diameter in inches. You cannot change your tire diameter unless you change the wheels on your car. Average wheel diameters range from 13 to 18 inches and the most common sizes are 15” and 16”.

55 stands for the height of the tire or how high it is from the surface of the road. This measurement is also referred to as the side wall height.

Interesting Tyre Facts

We all know that tyres are very important components of cars and vehicles. With insufficient tyres, our vehicles will not run or operate well on the road. Tyres need to be maintained properly not just to make our vehicles’ sake but for our safety as well. In order to take good care of our tyres, we then should learn more about tyres to better understand them.

If you want to get the accurate or real measurement of your car tyre, you need to place a mark on the bottom of the tyre. Roll the tyre until it has completed one revolution. Measure this and divide the amount by 3.14 (rounded off value of a pie radian) in order to get the real diameter of the tyre. 
Do not be deceived by the physical look of your tyres, car tyres,motorcycle tyres or any other tyres for that matter. Keep in mind that even if tyres look okay physically, you’ll never really know if they are overinflated or underinflated. The best way to check the tyre pressure is not through visual inspection but by actual measuring through the use of a gauge. Tyres that are installed on the vehicle, as well as spare tyres have to be checked regularly, especially their pressure. For instance you got a flat tyre on the road, another flat tyre will definitely not be of any use.

Some vehicle owners think that by reducing the tyre pressure they can also achieve better traction on a snowy or icy road. Maximum traction of 4 x 4 tyres, motorcycle tyres and other types of vehicle tyres are affected by several factors such as the tyre type, suspension design and the rubber compound used in making the tyre. In wet weather, what you need are tires that are not worn out. Better traction on such weather is achieved through sufficient tread grooves that help control away the water. Using worn out tyres on wet roads will put the driver’s and passenger’s lives at risk.

Some car owners who wish to save on money will settle on using mismatched tyres thinking that as long as the vehicle has tires, their vehicles will already run. Yes, they would run but this can affect the vehicle is handled. Chances are you will have a difficult time handling the car with mismatched car tyres that could result to serious damages that will cause you to spend money on repairs.

There are different types of tyres in the market and it is recommended to use the kind of tyres specified in the user manual. In general, passenger cars are suitable to use all-season type of tyres because these tyres have good grip on dry or wet or even lightly snowed roads. Almost all manufacturers of tyres have models of all-season tyres. These models may differ based on the warranty for tread wear. There are economical tyres that have warranty of tread wear for below 40,000 miles. The most popular near premium tyres, the wear warranty is from 60,000 to 70,000 miles. Premium tyres will have wear warranty from 80,000 miles and more.

Tyre rotation is something that most car owners disregard as they believe that this task is not at all necessary. However, tyre rotation is significant in making your tyres wear uniformly. Each tyre supports a specific weight that may not be equal to the amount of weight the other tyres support.  By rotating car tyres, you allow them to wear evenly and effectively extend their life span.

Proper Storage

Proper storage can slow down the ageing of tyres

1. Temperature 
The storeroom temperature should be below +25 ºC, it should preferably be dark and below +15 ºC. The properties of rubber may change, affecting the final service life of the tyre, if the temperature is above 25 ºC or below 0 ºC. Cool storage does not have any adverse effect on rubber products.

2. Humidity 
Extremely humid conditions should be avoided. Humidity in the storeroom air must not be so high that condensation occurs on the tyres. Tyres must not be stored in conditions where they are exposed to rain, splashes, etc.

3. Light
Tyres must be protected from light, particularly from direct sunlight and intense artificial light with a high ultraviolet content.

4. Oxygen and ozone
Ozone has a very strong deteriorating effect on tyres. The storeroom must not contain any ozone-producing equipment, such as fluorescence lamps or mercury vapour lamps, high-voltage electrical equipment, electric motors or any other electrical equipment that may generate sparks or silent electric discharges.

5. Deformation
If possible, tyres must be stored freely in their natural form, so that they are not under stress, pressure or torsion. Strong deformities developed during long-time storage may break when pressurised.

6. Solvents, oils, greases, heatTyres must be particularly protected from any contact with solvents, oils or greases, however short-term. Tyres must also be protected from powerful emitters of light and spatter from electric welding.

7. Tyre handling 
When handling tyres in warehouse don`t ever drop tyres higher than 1,5 m. Tyres could   damaged  on drop from bead area. Typical consequence could be kinked bead. 
If you find a tyre with kinked bead we do not recommend to mount such a tyre to a rim.