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Firestone develops tubeless truck tire: lighter rim out, too
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| Title | Firestone develops tubeless truck tire: lighter rim out, too |
| Transcription | Firestone Develops Tubeless Truck Tire / Lighter rim out too /
By JOSEPH E. KUEBLER /
Business and Industrial Writer /
Development of a tubeless truck tire and a new one-piece rim was announced by Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. Saturday. The Akron firm already has a tubeless auto tire on the market.
This latest achievement will make changing of truck tires as simple and as easy as the mounting and demounting of passenger casings, Raymond C. Firestone, vice president in charge of research and development, explained.
A major producer of truck rims, Firestone redesigned the steel unit as well as the tire in developing the new and lighter tire-rim assembly.
The tread, body and sidewall construction of the new tire are essentially the same as tires now in use. It has a special rubber innerliner which is vulcanized to the walls of the casing.
THE TUBE and flap, often a source of trouble, are eliminated. Firestone pointed out that the difficulty normally encountered in mounting a truck tire, tube and flap on a two or three-piece rim has been reduced to a minimum.
One of the principal advantages of the new tubeless, he added, is that it runs "appreciably cooler which means more durability of tire body and longer tread life."
Tests now in progress show the drop-center rim and tubeless combination would be practical for truck tires in the largest "over-the-highway" sizes.
For those applications where bigger and stiffer types of tires are normally used, a removable flange rim has been developed. This utilizes a rubber ring for holding the air pressure.
Greatest departure from conventional truck tire design in the new product is in the bead construction, Firestone said. The normal truck tire is held on the rim by flanges of substantial height.
IN THE CASE of the tubeless, it is supported on the rim by a tapered fit so that the customary high flanges are no longer necessary. Lowering of the flange permits the new tire to be mounted on the one-piece rim.
"The forced taper fit permits a lighter construction bead" he added. "The combination of lowered flange plus the taper fit radically reduces the forces on the rim so a substantially lighter rim is now possible."
A 9:00x20 size tire, tube and flaige weighs 104 pounds and a conventional rim 66 pounds, making the total weight of the assembly 170 pounds. The comparable size tubeless tire on the new rim weighs 134 pounds, reducing the weight on one wheel 36 pounds and cutting 360 pounds off the weight of a tractor-trailer unit equipped with 10 tires.
PHOTO CAPTION: A new tubeless truck tire and lightweight rim developed by Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. is substantially lighter than the conventional tire, tube and rim now in use. In the 9:00x20 size, the tubeless is 36 pounds lighter. Chairman Harvey S. Firestone Jr. (right) and Raymond C. Firestone, vice president, point out the difference in weight between the new development and the standard casing. |
| Description | Firestone Tire and Rubber Company manufactures a new tubeless truck tire and rim. |
| Date | 1953-03-15 |
| Subject | Firestone Tire and Rubber Company
Tires
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| Creator | Kuebler, Joseph E. |
| Publisher | Akron Beacon Journal
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| Contributors | Akron-Summit County Public Library
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| Type | Text
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| Format | 6.75 x 9.5 inches |
| Source | FT_Tubeless truck tires.jpg |
| Language | English |
| Relation | Business & Government pamphlet files
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| Rights | Copyright owned by the Akron Beacon Journal |
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