Life, 1916-05-25 · page 31 of 40
Life — May 25, 1916 — page 31: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page is a **United States Tire Company advertisement** from Life magazine. It promotes "Balanced" tires by explaining their engineering concept: all components (tread, carcass, rubber, fabric) wear equally, so the entire tire lasts longer rather than failing in one weak spot first. The image shows a close-up of tire tread labeled "Nobby Tread—One of the Five," referring to five tire models the company offered: Nobby, Chain, Usco, Royal Cord, and Plain. There is **no political cartoon or satire here**—this is straightforward product marketing using technical claims about tire durability and efficiency to appeal to cost-conscious consumers. The "balanced wear" concept is presented as a practical engineering advantage distinguishing U.S. tires from competitors.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
SE PEES Matted Dial ‘Balanced’ Tires Give ‘Balanced’ Wear Every United States Tire is a ‘balanced’ tire. It lasts and lasts, no part giving out first, until finally, after a long life of service, the whole tire wears out as a whole. Tread and carcass, rubber and fabric—all elements give equal wear—no part is weaker or stronger than any other. Each part does its work fully—to the limit—helps every other part to last longer, and thus gives the whole tire long- er life and the user longer service. United States ‘Balanced’ Tires last and last and last— that is why they have such wonderful efficiency and low- mileage cost. Ask the nearest United States Tire Dealer for your copy of the booklet, “Judging Tires,” which tells how to choose the particular tire to suit your needs. 2. “ey United States Tire Company Nobby Tread . + ins ‘Nobby’ ‘Chain’ ‘Usco’ ‘Royal Cord’ ‘Plain’ Ge of the Five ‘Stee q st “INDIVIDUALIZED TIRES” comicbooks.com