The wheel has been such a perfect invention that no
one has been able to improve it.
The phrase “Don’t try and re-invent the
wheel’’ is prove positive of being perfect.
Whatever the material was used, the
shape had to be round.
The wheel has been around for 3,500 years and has been
through many avatars before it did duty on your car.
Originally they were made of wood which broke easily
and could carry little weight. The caveman switched to stone. Long lasting but
too heavy! Back to wood with leather binding to soften the ride. Later thanks
to the Romans and Ben Hur it was bound with a steel band for strength and
durability.
Then rubber was discovered. A rubber band replaced the
steel band. This held the wooden rim together and gave a softer ride. The first
automobiles had these wheels. The rubber was thick and solid. In India, our
tongas were using this contraption till recently.
The rubber-on-wood wheels did a tremendous job,
however they could not cope as speeds increased.
Sometimes in the mid-1800, Robert Thompson, a Scottish
engineer, patented an air filled tyre. The invention was ahead of its times and
no one had any use for it.
In 1888, John Boyd Dunlop, another Scotsman and a
veterinary surgeon reinvented the pneumatic tyre. It was for his sons bicycle.
As the new century dawned, automobiles were made a presence on the roads.
Speeds had increased and tyres were the weakest link.
Along came the pneumatic tyre. In my opinion, no
invention has made a greater contribution to the auto industry as the pneumatic
tyre.
Carburettors have come and gone. Brakes became discs.
The gear box became auto. But the air filled tyre is here to stay. Thanks to
Dunlop and Goodyear, their name liveth for ever more!
The pneumatic tyre wheel was a steel rim, the inner
tube cocooned in a tyre held the air. It gave the vehicle a very soft cushioned
ride. The tyre provided traction and safety for the tube.
In
1948, Andre Michelin came up with a revolutionary idea. The radial tyre! The
material was far superior; steel belts for strength, nylon, rayon and other
synthetic materials for durability. Thanks to its construction, it was
absolutely round.
Most
amazing feature! It was tubeless! The tyre was the tube! It held the air. It
had less rolling resistance, improved fuel consumption but was more expensive.
The
advantages of the pneumatic tyre are numerous. The air pressure measured in
pounds per square inch (PSI) can be changed at will. If carrying extra heavy
loads, the PSI can be increased to provide a stronger tyre. While driving
across sand dunes the tyre pressure can be dropped drastically to give a wider
foot print and better traction.
Every
manufacturer today has a variety of treads for every occasion, tarmac, gravel, snow,
mud and wet roads.
Enter
the low profile tyre. It negated all the advantages of a regular pneumatic
tyre!!
Why?
They ride on a smaller cushion of air, which means they absorb all the
irregularities of the road. They do lower the centre of gravity and give you
better road adhesion. They are made for high speed cruising on super highways
like the Autobahn and Autostrada in Europe.
They
are no good for pot-hole infested roads. Tyres will burst, rims will bend and
maybe damage the suspension.
If
you do get home safely, check tyres the next morning. They may have bulges
which say, “I am dead!”
Go
get a set of normal tyres.
Happy
Motoring!