Today Is Not Over Yet

Humans have always been fascinated with the heavens; whether through astronomy or astrology, men and women have looked to the skies and felt the influence of these paradoxical objects — stars and planets that appear incredibly small, but turn out to be fantastically large; it’s no wonder that even as the world changed from the horse and carriage era to the era of automobiles, that these manufacturers would want to incorporate the heavens into their Earth-bound vehicles.

In the 1930s, when interest in the solar system was growing, Edsel Ford, the son of Henry Ford, introduced a brand to be placed between the Ford Deluxes and the Lincoln Zephyrs. The new brand was known as Mercury , after the Roman mythological god, but also after the sun’s closest-orbiting planet . Later models in the Mercury line bear out this astronomical relationship, with the introduction of cars such as the Mercury Comet and the Mercury Meteor. Still later, the Mercury line began to reflect a more down-to-earth relationship with such vehicles as the Cougar and the Mustang. The first of these vehicles, though, the 1939 Mercury Eight, was a hit, selling 155,000 vehicles in the early 1940s.

In the 21st Century, Ford announced it would stop producing Mercury vehicles, pulling to a close in 2010 the 71 year history of this particular car-making venture. However, any owners of Mercury vehicles, especially those who need to consult their Chiltons or review their Mercury repair manual , should not worry. Ford also said existing owners will continue to have access to parts and services through the Ford and Lincoln dealerships, and that current warranties will be honored.

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The ways to live a more energy conservationist lifestyle, are not new. For many years we have been reminded to turn off the lights when leaving a room, to carpool to work, and to walk to the corner market instead of taking the car. And while these “oldies but goodies” are relevant and valid, there is a bit more too it. One of the aspects, a simple fact but a true fact, is that aggressive drivers are not only scary and annoying, but the havoc they wreak on the roads does not really compare to the havoc they wreak on the environment. Gunning the car engine not only will cause their brand new Falken tires to wear out, but it sends large amounts of exhaust up into the the atmosphere.

If these drivers could be put on a bicycle, and then told to ride it the same way that they drive, they would realize instantly the wasted energy they expend. Just riding a bike into a headwind makes the pedaling much harder, and what they do not realize is that this is same for an automobile. It takes much more energy and burns much more fuel to race around at 75 MPH than it does to just slow down a bit to 65 MPH. Each car is different, and just as there is not one single best speed for all cars, there is not one single best recommendation regarding air pressure of tires. Each tire is different, from the Toyo tires to the BF Goodrich tires, just as each make and model of car is different.

It is best to take care of the overall maintenance of your vehicle, taking into consideration all the factors that contribute to the use of fuel. Get oil changes on time and schedule regular tune-ups. Make sure that your tires are in good shape and do check the pressure of them once a week. And while it may be an obvious tautology, if you want to save gas–don’t use so much of it. If you want to protect the environment–don’t take advantage of it. If you want your vehicle to run at optimum performance levels–take care of it. You will find that in the long run, you not only save money, but you live a more efficient life all the way around.

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Today, wanting to fix it up a bit, I took a look at my light truck.  Tires and the windshield need to be replaced.  My Chevy has over 200,000 miles and she is starting to show it.  While the engine is rebuilt and still functioning, due to my diligent up-keep (fear of breaking down on the freeway at Midnight) and regular oil changes.  However, I noticed that these two aspects, the tires and the windshield, have been safety aspects on my truck that I have been overlooking.

The windshield was cracked when I bought the truck, and the crack is slowly getting bigger.  This was something I had considered all summer, as the heat of Phoenix has been known to shatter perfectly fine windows.  I, like some people, tend to let these things go on their cars, I think that a problem with a car or and engine is just too big to understand.  But a windshield?  Really, I just simply need to have it replaced.

And, the heat is a detriment to tires in the desert as well.  As I drive on the hot city streets in my truck, wheels turning cause friction between the road the tire, which will in and of itself, heat up tires, regardless of the outside temperature or environment.  I need to invest in new tires that will be able to sustain the weather conditions, and ensure that safety isn’t at risk.  In college I had a VW Bus.  I sold it to take a trip to the UK, and I hadn’t noticed until the day the man came to buy it, that the tires were so worn.  Not only was there no tread left at all, I could see the fibrous threads, it was as though my tires were fuzzy.  This is not good.

If you can see that the tires are bald and that the metal threads are poking through, replace them.  This sounds expensive but many cheap tires are available, and they are of good and safe quality.  If there is still tread, a great way to check it is the simple “penny test” my dad showed me years ago.  Turn a penny upside down, so that Lincolns profile such that when you insert the penny into the tread, if the tread does not reach the top of his head, then there is not enough tread, and it’s time buy new tires.  My truck is there.

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Ever wonder how your wheel and tire package came to be? Here is a rundown or brief chronology of the major influences made on wheels and tires to date:

* 1843 – Charles Goodyear announces vulcanization
* 1846 – Robert William Thomson invented and patented the pneumatic tire
* 1888 – First commercial pneumatic bicycle tire produced by Dunlop
* 1889 – John Boyd Dunlop patented the pneumatic tire in the UK
* 1890 – Dunlop, and William Harvey Du Cros began production of pneumatic tires in Ireland
* 1890 – Bartlett Clincher rim introduced
* 1891 – Dunlop’s patent invalidated in favor of Thomson’s patent
* 1892 – Beaded edge tires introduced in the U.S.
* 1894 – E.J. Pennington invents the first balloon tire
* 1895 – Michelin introduced pneumatic automobile tires
* 1898 – Schrader valve stem patented
* 1900 – Cord Tires introduced by Palmer (England) and BFGoodrich (U.S.)
* 1903 – Goodyear Tire Company patented the first tubeless tire, however it was not introduced until 1954
* 1904 – Goodyear and Firestone started producing cord reinforced tires
* 1904 – Mountable rims were introduced that allowed drivers to fix their own flats
* 1906 – First pneumatic aircraft tire
* 1908 – Frank Seiberling invented grooved tires with improved road traction
* 1910 – BFGoodrich Company invented longer life tires by adding carbon black to the rubber
* 1919 – Goodyear and Dunlop announced pneumatic truck tires
* 1938 – Goodyear introduced the rayon cord tire
* 1940 – BFGoodrich introduced the first commercial synthetic rubber tire
* 1946 – Michelin introduced the radial tire
* 1947 – Goodyear introduced first nylon tires
* 1947 – BFGoodrich introduced the tubeless tire
* 1963 – Use of polyester cord introduced by Goodyear
* 1965 – Armstrong Rubber introduced the bias belted fiberglass tire
* 1965 – BFGoodrich offered the first radial available in North America
* 1967 – Poly/glass tires introduced by Firestone and Goodyear
* 1968 – United States Department of Transportation (DOT) numbers required on new tires in USA
* 1974 – Pirelli introduced the wide radial tire

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