PAGE FOUR
AUGUST 10, 1954
-t'.:
DURING TORTURE tests of the new Firestone “500”
tire at Akron Municipal Airport one of the cars of the
Irish Horan Lucky Hell Drivers was driven in tight circles
at maximum speed in second gear with rear tires deflated
to eight pounds pressure with no air loss and with the
tire remaining firmly seated on the rim. A double photo
exposure is utilized here to illustrate the tightness of the
circle driven to attain maximum side thrust.
SKIDDING ON the sidewall of his underinflated
front tire, a test driver demonstrated that Firestone tube-
less tires are unexcelled in their ability to stay on the rim.
At 55 miles an hour, the driver locked his brakes and
cramped his front wheels to the right. The car slid
directly forward to a dead stop. No air loss resulted and
the tire remained firmly seated on the rim.
o
WITH NAILS driven into the tubeless tires, the two
cars were driven over three hurdles at 55 m. p. h. Two
wheels on one side of each car hit the ramps and both
extreme forward and side thrust tests were indicated. This
demonstration with the conventional tire and tube com
bination is performed at 45 pounds pressure, but because
of better stability and handling, the tubeless tires need
only 24 pounds.
MOVIE MEN and still photographers themselves saw a great
deal of action as they caught the fast-moving demonstrations on film.
Automotive editors and other writers from newspapers, wire ser
vices, magazines, radio and television are shown too as they watched
the tests with Firestone officials.
Safety Director, Supervisors
Attend Safety Meeting
Safety Director L. B. McAbee
and a group of plant supervisors
attended a regular Blue Ridge
Safety Council meeting in Marion,
N. C., August 5. The group includ
ed, in addition to Mr. McAbee: 0.
K. Forrester, Hobert Aldridge,
A. C. Kessell, Paul Walker, Ernest
Bagwell, Alonzo Gettys, Henry
Wilder, and E. P. McArver.
The next meeting of the Council
will be a joint meeting with the
Gaston Personnel Association and
will be held at the Masonic Temple
in Gastonia. It is scheduled for No
vember.
Two Summer Employees To
Hike 364 Miles On
Appalachian Trail
Sweeper Dan Moss and Drafts
man Henry LeCroy (both summer
employees) are planning a 364-
mile hike-on-foot along the old
and famous Appalachian Trail,
starting August 24, The party,
which will include five others, will
begin the hike at Cumberland Gap
and continue to a turn-around point
182 miles northward.
The group consists entirely of
high school and college students,
many of whom like Messrs, Moss
and LeCroy have worked during
the summer months. They look
forward to the hike as a happy in
terlude before all must return to
books and study in September,
Miss Theresa Galligan
Completes Summer Session
At Conservatory
Miss Theresa Galligan, daughter
of Superintendent Francis Galli
gan, has returned from the sum
mer session at famed Peabody
Conservatory, College of Music, in
Baltimore, Md, There she was a
student of the renowned voice in
structor, Frank Bibb.
Miss Galligan, who lives with
her parents at 1301 Midwood
Drive, attended the Conservatory’s
summer session under a scholar
ship she won in state wide compe-
tion this spring at Chapel Hill.
Party At Girls’ Club Honors
Miss Elizabeth Draughon
A large group of friends of Miss
Elizabeth Draughon paid high
tribute to her when they entertain
ed at a handsomely appointed party
in her honor at Firestone Girls’
Club, Friday, July 30.
This was a farewell courtesy to
Miss Draughon, who has served
Loray Baptist Church for the past
four years in the capacity of di
rector of religious education and
assistant to the pastor.
3n iWemoriam
Mrs. Olf Rosdahl of Sauk Center,
Minn., died at her home Saturday,
July 17. Mrs, Rosdahl, mother of
Lloyd Rosdahl of the Bethany sec
tion, was a frequent visitor in the
home of Mr, and Mrs, Carl Stowe.
show the kind of punishment the
modern tire without a tube can
withstand. There was no room for
skepticism when the program was
over.”
Tom Kleene, Automobile Editor,
Detroit Times — “A motorized
vaudeville troupe driving at break
neck speeds through dare-devil
maneuvers gave a convincing dem
onstration here yesterday of the
stresses and strains the tubeless
tire will withstand ‘if you are crazy
enough to drive that way.’ ”
Press Representatives Witness Dramatic Torture
Tests That Prove Advantages Of Firestone '‘500’
IN A SERIES OF dramatic torture tests at the Akron Municipal Airport April 28, advantages of the
new Firestone “500” tubeless tires over conventional tires with tubes were clearly demonstrated by
professional test drivers of Irish Horan’s Lucky Hell Drivers.
Representatives of newspapers,O’
wire services, magazines, radio,
television and newsreel organiza
tions saw the dramatic tests on one
of the airport runways following a
press briefing at General Offices
with Firestone Development Staff
members.
The tires were tested in high
speed cornering emergency brake
stops, reverse spins and hurdles
and tight power circles at normal
and greatly reduced inflation.
Beginning with fast cornering
at 65 m.p.h. through a 90-degree
turn with tires deflated to 14
pounds pressure, the program con
tinued with emergency brake stops
at 60 m.p.h., reverse spins at full
speed in reverse and second gear,
tight circles at maximum speed in
second gear with air pressure down
to 12 pounds and over hurdles at
60 m.p.h. Before the hurdles test,
nails were driven into the tires.
* *
THE PRESS discussion and
demonstration brought out the out
standing points of superiority of
the “500” tubeless tire over the
tire and tube combination, marking
it definitely as the tire of the fu
ture.
Raymond C. Firestone, Executive
Vice-President; W, E, Lyon, Direc
tor of Development; J, J. Robson,
Development Manager, and M. P.
Hershey, Manager of Passenger
Tire Development, conferred with
the group during the press briefing
and answered questions from the
automotive editors attending. Dis
plays of all types of tubelsss tires,
tire sections and diagrams were
used to illustrate the points
brought out in the discussion and
S. E. Petrasek of the Development
Department demonstrated the ease
with which mounting and repair
ing of tubeless tires are accom
plished.
At a luncheon at the Firestone
Country Club other Company hosts,
in addition to Development staff
members, included H, D. Tompkins,
Vice-President, Trade Sales; E. B,
Hathaway, Sales Manager, L. G.
Fairbank, Assistant General Sales
Manager; G. V. Mead, General
Merchandise Manager; H. H.
Vischer, Manager of Passenger
Tire Sales; A, E, Brubaker, Retail
Advertising Manager, and mem
bers of the Department of Public
Relations.
* * *
AS A RESULT of the tests, fol
lowing are some of the comments
of the automotive editors in the
press:
Paul Masson, Automobile Editor
of Automotive News—“Last Wed
nesday at the Municipal Airport
in Akron, Firestone in a series of
dramatic ‘torture tests’, convinced
the writer that tubeless tires are
‘here to stay.’ ”
Joseph E. Kuebler, Business and
Industrial Writer for the Akron
Beacon Journal—“The dramatic
demonstrations were conducted by
Know Your Ca
(Continued From Page 1)
(2) If you have any unanswered
questions about your work or a-
bout the Company, ask your su
pervisor or department head.
(3) Help correct wrong impres
sions about your Company and be
helpful and courteous in all your
contacts.
(4) Good news bears repeating-
By saying a good word for your
Company, you are putting in a
good word for all of us. When you
go away for your vacation, “talk
up” for Firestone.
(5) And, finally, be proud of
your job. You are one of many
productive people whose daily work
results in a steady flow of pro
ducts and services to people
throughout the world. Our products
help to bring about a higher stand-
Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. to ard of living and happiness for all
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