Life, 1913-04-10 · page 31 of 48
Life — April 10, 1913 — page 31: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is primarily a **tire advertisement**, not political satire. It's a full-page ad for Diamond Vitalized Rubber Tires from an era when tire quality and rim fit were significant consumer concerns. The ad addresses "tire bill payers"—car owners frustrated with frequent tire failures—claiming Diamond tires solve the problem through "perfect 3-point rim contact." The copy explains that poor rim contact causes uneven pressure, leading to bead separation and tread failure. Diamond's solution is mechanically superior rim grip. The page emphasizes consumer appeal by addressing the "hard-headed, shrewd tire buyer" who wants comfort and mileage, positioning Diamond as the sensible choice. The "No-Clinch" design and "Safety Tread" are marketed as technical innovations. This reflects early automotive-era advertising that educated consumers about mechanical specifications while building brand loyalty through technical superiority claims. The 25,000 dealer network suggests Diamond was a major national brand at the time.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Tire bill payers! ‘You have demanded a vise-like rim-Srip - with no cutting or breaking above the rim-and here itis Vitalized Rubber Cross Section Diamo nd Safety Tread Tire with Perfect 3-Point Rim Contact It’s the v7 as much as the road that wears out your tires. So we said to our Engineers: ‘‘You must build usa tire with perfect 3-point rim contact. ”’ They did—and now we offer you a sane, sensible, No-Clinch tire that will appeal to you, as a hard-headed, shrewd tire buyer—a man who insists on easy riding comfort and good liberal mileage. Each point of rim contact in a tire is a point of support. Where the points of contact are not perfect, undue pressure is brought to bear at an unsupported point of the tire. Then what happens ? The result is a terrific stram on the tire that will cause rim troubles, breaking above the * bead and separation of the tread from the carcass. All this is overcome in the ‘‘Diamond” because the three points of rim r contact are absolutely mechanically perfect—the annealed steel cabled la goed coe wire bead holds with a vise-like rim-grip. This is only one Diamond advantage. You get additional More Mileage advantage without extra expense in the moved in whole or part Diamond Vitalized Rubber—a scientific combination of pure, lusty, young rubber and a secret toughening compound—nothing inferior in IS als rubber, fabric or workmanship—the No-Pinch Safety Flap inner tube protector—and, if you desire, the now famous Safety (Squeegee) Tread. So this time buy Diamond Vitalized Rubber Tires— you can get them to fit your rims at any of the 25,000 Diamond Dealers always at your Service comicbooks.com