Ever notice - T's in vintage photo's

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Model T Ford Forum: Forum 2014: Ever notice - T's in vintage photo's
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Tyrone Thomas - Topeka KS on Monday, September 08, 2014 - 09:37 pm:

Ever notice the many vintage photo's involving T's have low or near flat tires? Do I have to much time on my hands? :-)


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By David Stroud on Monday, September 08, 2014 - 09:40 pm:

Yep Tyrone, I've noticed that too. Maybe they just got tired out before they got them pumped up to spec. I dunno. Dave


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dave Wells on Monday, September 08, 2014 - 09:56 pm:

I notice it a lot in the old pics. I've never pumped a car tire by hand but I certainly did bicycle tires as a kid. It was always hard to get much pressure by hand and you lost some when removing the hose. I can't picture getting a car tire to 65psi by hand pumping. Cars being new to people then, I bet many didn't know about proper pressure. I imagine many folks spun the rims in the tires and sheared the valve stems and drivers had to learn the hard way.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Steve McClelland on Monday, September 08, 2014 - 10:45 pm:

Check out some of the pics with them rolling out of the factory, you'll see the same thing.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Henry Petrino in Modesto, CA on Monday, September 08, 2014 - 11:05 pm:

I've noticed it too. I think the fact that so many cars had soft tires back in the day was the result of the things you guys mentioned. First, it was just too much work to pump them up by hand and second they simply didn't realize the value of proper tire air pressure due to lack of experience.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Burger in Spokane on Monday, September 08, 2014 - 11:20 pm:

Due to global warming, air now has 10x the pressure it had in 1910. Don't you guys listen to the news ??? :-)


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Warren W. Mortensen on Tuesday, September 09, 2014 - 12:11 am:

There is another possibility. I was told by a few old-timers that in sandy country the tires didn't sink in as much when they were soft. Added a bit of floatation.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mark Gregush Portland Oregon on Tuesday, September 09, 2014 - 01:01 am:

I was going to say for more traction on the soft ground. More tire on the ground.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Wayne Sheldon, Grass Valley, CA on Tuesday, September 09, 2014 - 03:32 am:

People drove cars slower, didn't stop as hard or as often. They simply didn't put enough force onto the tire and wheel to tear the valve stem like we do today with modern speeds, traffic, and asphalt.

Better grip in sand and soft soils was also a valid consideration, as was the effort to fully pump up a tire. (You wanna talk about fun? I hand pumped a 20X8 truck tire years ago. I was younger and more foolish then)

Another reason earlier cars may have flatter looking tires. Prior to the mid to late teens, some, if not most, tires were manufactured by a hand fed wrapping of the casing onto a slowly turning form. They were, in effect, radial tires. Just like modern radials, the casing tended to be less firm than the casing on a bias-ply tire. No matter how much pressure you put into it, it may not become "rock-solid". I remember when radial tires started becoming more common in this country (early '70s). People were often thinking tires were low on pressure. Sometimes people would pump tires up until they "looked right"! It wasn't uncommon to find tires with 80 psi in them. It is just the nature of the casing based upon the direction and type of weave in it. Given as comparable tires as you can find in bias versus radial design, and the same air pressure, on identical cars and road surface, the radial will appear flatter than the bias.
By about 1920, most tire casings were machine wound in a full bias pattern. And people in the early '70s thought radial tires were a new idea.
Drive carefully, and enjoy, W2


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Peter Kable on Tuesday, September 09, 2014 - 04:07 am:

The original tire valve was unlikely to be ripped out if the pressure was low. The valve stems were metal, secured by a nut at the felloe so they were firmly fixed to the rim and the wheel,

Modern rubber valve have no support so if the tire rotates it just grabs the tube and rips the valve out or destroys the seal between the rubber and the metal insert.

I'm 70 year old and still pump up my beaded edge tire with a hand pump, on the road you have little choice, had to do it 5 times on my trip in the USA in 2008 and 2012. With a good pump its not that hard, I usually pump them up to about 35-40 psi pound them with the rubber hammer to make sure they are seated in the bead and let them down again and pump up fully. Actually thinking about it the wife digs in and does a few pumps especially if the weather is really hot (was over 100F a few time )

You are not always right next to a compressor, usually you are miles from anywhere or anyone, how many of you actually carry a functioning hand pump?


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Andy Loso St Joseph, MN on Tuesday, September 09, 2014 - 07:24 am:

They have been sitting in that same position for 80 t0 a hundred years, you would expect them to loose some air!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Tim Wrenn on Tuesday, September 09, 2014 - 08:16 am:

LOL Andy!!! :-)


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ed Baudoux on Tuesday, September 09, 2014 - 09:55 am:

Most likely to improve traction and flotation. We drive our cars/trucks ect. on the dunes at Silver Lake in Michigan. I run 2 psi in the tires on my Geo Tracker in the sand.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Tyrone Thomas - Topeka KS on Tuesday, September 09, 2014 - 10:24 am:

Yes it is known when 4 wheeling on loose dirt, mud or sand you deflate your tires for traction. But I agree, to hand air up a high pressure car tire would be quit a work out. My road bicycle has one inch wide tires that pressure is
90-110 psi and that is a workout with a hand pump.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Warren Henderson on Tuesday, September 09, 2014 - 10:38 am:

Show me the photos.

Happy motoring,

Warren


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Tyrone Thomas - Topeka KS on Tuesday, September 09, 2014 - 12:45 pm:

Warren, for one see Sept 8th thread ww1 truck.


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