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AUTOMOBILE LETTER By Barney Oldfield WHAT WILL BECOME OF THE DISC WHEEL Note—Next week. What Will Become of the Wire Wheel. During: the past year or two the,'^.isc wheel has come into wide usel\ At first it was thought that the \lisc would very quickly dis plac [both wood and wire wheels, but [the public was somewhat hesyant. On some cars the discs did/not look so well. On others, us/ally large vehicles, it was just tl// thing. So fast did the disc eel take hold at first that prac cally every manufacturer start id production on some form, irst all disc wheels had inside alve stems, then angle valves came in, then' outside valve stems, all in quick succession. First there were disc wheels with one curve, then two curves, one still - remains shaped like a dish. One maker brought out de f mountable wheels, another used four wheels with demountable rinjp, another designed the wheels to take wood wheel hubs. All of this development was very rapid because-ear manufacturers quickly saw the advantages of this form of wheel especially for sport cars. Quickly even closed cars were - equipped with such wheels as standard equipment, but not until the price has conSe down nearly to the level of the wood wheel with demountable rims. A very interesting question has presented itself on' the disc wheel proposition, that is, will , a four-wheel or five-wheel set come into general use. The four wheel equipment has been stand ard with wood wheel industry for manufacturing reasons. The advent of the wire wheel prac tically introduced the five-wheel set, which led to the demountable hub type with its fifth wheel, and brought out the development of the single nut and flick change detachable feature. The disc wheel is favored in its construc tion and can be made either way. The first sets were made de mountable at the hub to invite comparison with the wire wheel. The five-wheel equipment of that type met with some objections from manufacturers, on account of special carriers being re quired. A -disc was, therefore, designed to take wood wheel rim and hub, making the least change in factory production. However, ■ the quick change features of this wheel equipment are in demand and on the increase. One of the early objections was the trouble experienced in infla tion of the tire. .At first it was the practice to use a standard air valve, which passed to the rear of the dise, making it nec essary to get behind the wheel to inflate it, which was awkward and unsatisfactory. Rather than go to the trouble of inflating the tire, it _was customary to allow WILLIAM MALL ■''Antdisckilo Rebuilding imj Auto Coaches Built to Order 130-132 N. FLORIDA AVENUE Atlantic City Parkway Garage WALTEB T. BEW, Pro*. Boston Ave. and Parkway Atlantic City, N. J. ATTRACTIVE MONTHIiT KATES ELECTRO PLATER AND SILVERSMITH CUM, SUrer, Nickel, Ce^er Palis hiss and LaeqaaHa* Osa Matsh All Oslsss Wat Oeamate« WM. UDLE t» S. TENNESSEE AVE. < them to -become quite soft, to the deteriment of the tire. Due to the many difficulties .encountered, a demand for tire inflation from the face of the disc was the nat ural result and the angle valve was introduced. The chief ob jection to this valve was the ques tion of service, all sorts of angle valves were- placed on the mar ket. A number of manufactur ers have sought to overcome this i objection by designing their wheels to use the standard i straight valve now used on wood ' wheels and good results are be ing accomplished along these lines. A load impact in the disc wheel, at any one point causes the deflection of the disc at that point. The more the disc is de flected, the more load is trans ferred by the rim around the wheel and thereby absorbed. It is therefore, possible to design a disc wheel with greater lateral resiliency than in any other type. It is possible to get ex treme lateral resiliency with the resistance to deflection building up rapidly, as deflection is caused by impact, and this is particu larly noticeable in turning cor ners. It thus affords material relief to tires, the strain being absorbed more in the disc itself and rim, with a substantial re duction in skidding. It has been found that a well designed disc wheel weighs slightly less than a wood wheel in the 32x4 size, and in the larg er sizes, the saving increases rapidly in favor of the steel wheel. In the 30x3% size, there is still a slight saying in weight in favor of the wood wheel. A great deal is yet to be done in the design of disc wheels-to bring them to common usage. The essential features of this type of wheel requiring careful study from a technical stand point are: strength, resiliency, fatigue, weight, noise and ap pearance. The first four are in terdependent. Resiliency is secured by first getting proper strength at the hub portion and weakening the disc outwardly until this strength is proportional at each • point. The stiffer the disc, the quicker the transmission of the blow throughout the car, causing ex cess shock to the mechanism. On the other hand, the greater the movement of a disc of the same strength, the less the fatigue at Rim» - Fenders - Bendlx Starters Roller and Ball, Connecting Rod, Crank Shaft BEARINGS Engine Valves for All Make Cars COLUMBIA SALES CO. 201* Atlantic Areas* Ever Ready Convertible Tops for Winter-Summer Faf-ds, Chevrolet and Dodge Cars ALBERT E. W00TT0N 21 N. IOWA AVE. Phone the hub, because with the greater movement, the more uniform is the transmission of the load through the rim to the disc. -The greater the distortion at the rim, the less the localizing of the stress at any point of the hub. No wheel on the market lends itself more to color schemes than does the disc. The fact that a car has disc wheels on it is one of the outstanding features and it -Will always merit careful at tention from the standpoint of color value as regards decorative effects. THE FRIGIDAIRE is the last word in Electric Refrig eration for the home. It’s sani tary and economical and keeps food as it should be kept. “From a Fuse to a Power Plant” STOCKINGER (ELECTRIC MOTOR WORKS) 123-25 S. NEW YORK AV. Telephone—Marine 1683-W Call at Our Show Room and See a Complete Frigidaire in Operation Whenever You Think of Machinery Say to Yourself MACK MACHINE COMPANY Specialists in Elevators and Refrigeration 327 N. INDIANA AVENUE Telephone—Marine 3742 Radio and Automobile Supply Headquarters Scientific Experts BURT’S SUPPLY AGENCY 401-07 ATLANTIC AVENUE Phone—Marine 4234-W Electrical Aids for Washing ; it Ironing Cleaning Sewing “Doing the Dishes” ■ ’ • .j;, _■. All Help to Preserve Youth and Good Looks Therefore, Learn to “Twitch-the-S witch” and Smile The Atlantic City Electric Co. Electrical & Storage Battery Repair Station I sell, repair, recharge and rent storage batteries. I sell, install or repair anything electrical in your home, automobile or motor boat. „ Official Authorized Service Stations ATWATER KENT — LEECE NEVILLE — DYNETO Francis J. McCaffrey 11 N. Boston Avenue Atlantic City, N. J. Established 18 Years Phone Marine £541 Official Agency—ATWATER KENT RADIO and PACKARD MAZDA LAMPS Have You Seen The 1923 Oakland? You must see the 1923 Series of the New Oakland Six to fully appreciate the great value of this six cylinder car at the new bw price of $995. When you come in to examine its many refinements and improvements you will discover exclusive features of great value to be found in no other car at any price. See the 1923 Series Oakland today. OLIVER H. GUTTRIDGE CO.. Inc. 805-7-9-11 BALTIC AVE. Marine 1273-W ALL WE DO IS Paint Automobiles Pierson Harris & Son 1219-1221 Baltic Avenue Continental Motor Parts Timken Axle Parts Gears for All Cars Cuskaden Auto Supply Co. 2006—Atlantic Avenue—3606 ANYTHING NEEDED TODAY IN Sporting Goods Golf, Baseball, Basketball, Tennis, Fishing Tackle, Guns, Ammunition, Etc. You’ll Find It At Currie’s Our Rule of Faith and Practice: “He Profits Most Who Serves Best” LET US SERVE YOU CURRIE CO. ESTABLISHED SIXTY-SEVEN YEARS AGO 1232-34-36 ATLANTIC AVENUE Between North and South Carolina Avenues