Life, 1912-09-19 · page 6 of 44
Life — September 19, 1912 — page 6: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is **not a political cartoon or satire** — it's a straightforward **advertisement for Goodyear No-Rim-Cut tires** from around the 1920s-1930s. The page presents two marketing questions addressing consumer concerns: 1. **"Do You Want Tires That Rim-Cut?"** — argues against cheaper tires prone to damage 2. **"Do You Want Them Just Rated Size?"** — promotes Goodyear's oversized tires (10% larger) as more durable The ad emphasizes that Goodyear's innovation prevents rim-cutting (a common tire failure), claims 200,000 satisfied customers, and promises cost savings through longer tire life. The "13-Year Tire" reference boasts durability from their manufacturing process. This is purely commercial messaging, not satire — typical of early automotive advertising emphasizing technical superiority and reliability.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
No -Rim- Cut Tires—107% Two Questions Oversize Four-fifths of the whole tire question, among standard tires, centers around these queries. Do You Want Tires That Rim-Cut a With clincher tires — the hooked-base tires—one must always risk these rim-cuts. Such tires, when punctured and run flat, may rim-cut in a moment. And under-inflation may lead to rim-cutting. This has never been avoided, and can never be avoided, with the old-type tires. Our latest statistics, cover- ing most makes of clinchers, show that 23 per cent of all ruined tires are rim-cut. Our own experience with Goodyear clinchers confirms this general average. And rim-cut ruin is beyond repair. Pernaps 200,000 motor car owners now use Goodyear tires. And the num- ber is growing faster than we can supply them. The users have multiplied twelve times over within the past three years. They double now once in eight months. It requires over 100,000 tires monthly to supply the demand for these premier tires. No other tire has ever com- manded anywhere near that sale. r This is largely due to a growing rebel- lion. Men have rebelled against rim- cutting—rebelled against skimpy tires. The 13-Year Tire Goodyear tires are the final result of 13 years spent in tire making. For years we have used a tire-testing machine to guide us in the making. So tire users must suffer that worry and expense—that utter waste—else buy new-type tires. The New Type The new type means our patent tire—the Goodyear No- Rim-Cut tire. Rim-cutting with this type is simply impossible. It has never occurred on one tire of this type. It never can occur. So this tire expense can be wiped out forever by simply adopting No-Rim-Cut tires. And that means an average saving of 23 per cent. On your answer depends, under average conditions, half your tire expense. Do You Want Them Just Rated Size « Tires of rated size will prove all right if the tire size is suffi- cient. But most tires are over- loaded. Sometimes by extras added to the car, sometimes by over-weight passengers. Blow- outs are largely due to this overloading. Every 5 per cent which you add to the tire load deducts 15 per cent, it-is estimated, from the tire mileage. This being so, every 5 per cent which you add to the tire size should add 15 per cent to the mileage. 200,000 Men Say No Hundreds of tires have been worn out in our factory under all sorts of road con- ditions. Thus we have compared about 240 formulas and fabrics. We have com- pared every method and process—com- pared rival tires with our own. After all these years, all the actual tests, we have brought Goodyear tires pretty close to perfection. Back of our special features lies a ity which has never been excelled. (j00D,“YEAR No-Rim-Cut Tires With or Without Non-Skid Treads Goodyear pneumatic tires are guaranteed when filled with air at the recommended pressure. When filled with any substitute for air our guarantee is withdrawn, 10 Per Cent Oversize No-Rim-Cut tires, to meet these conditions, are made 10 per cent over the rated size. That means ro per cent more air, 10 per cent added carrying capacity. And that will add, under average conditions, at least 25 per cent to the tire mileage. Add these savings together —23 plus 25 per cent. That means about half of one’s tire expense. And they are not theoretical savings. Legions of tire users have already proved them — proved them tens of thousands of times. The average is pretty sure. How We Do It ‘You will ask how tires of this quality, and oversize tires, can be built at the Goodyear prices. The answer lies in our margin of profit. Last year it averaged per cent. Our output is the largest in the world. All our machinery is up-to-date. So our costs are reduced to the minimum. We have modest capitalization—no water in our stock—no bonded debt. And our earnings are divided among an output of 100,000 tires monthly. Thus tires that can't rim-cut—over- size tires—tires of the maximum quality —are sold at the Goodyear prices. The Goodyear Tire Book—based on 13 years of tire making—is filled with facts you should know. Ask us to mail it to you. THE GOODYEAR TIRE & RUBBER COMPANY, Akron, Ohio Branches and Agencies in 103 Principal Cities More Service Stations Than Any Other Tire We Make All Kinds of Rubber Tires, Tire Accessories and Repair Outfits Main Canadian Office, Toronto, Ont.—Canadian Factory, Bowmanville, Ont. 797. 1298 comicboo!