Q&A: What are “self-sealing tubeless tires” , “torque converters” and “fuel injection”?

Question by Mae: What are “self-sealing tubeless tires” , “torque converters” and “fuel injection”?

Please answer in words a 7th grade girl who knows barely anything about cars can understand…I’m doing a history fair project on Preston Tucker’s Tucker mobile, and I want to be able to define these terms. If you know one but not all three, please tell me what you know anyways…Thanx

Best answer:

Answer by Rod Knocker
torque converter is the piece that lets the engine keep running when the car is at a light (stopped) It goes between the engine and transmission. They are only found in automatic vehicles. In a manual transmission vehicle, you would find a clutch.
Fuel injection is how the fuel is fed into the engine. In the old days, engines would receive their fuel via a carburetor (a mechanical device). Fuel injection is the same idea, but controlled by a computer to offer better gas mileage and tune-ability.
Self-sealing tubeless tire is a tire that is able to run over an object like a nail and not go flat. There is a chemical in the tire (liquid) that will find the hole and patch it if it gets punctured.

What do you think? Answer below!

Please read other answers to this question at the very bottom of this page, below you will find a video and related articles that will try to answer the question, if you have a proper answer please post it at the bottom.

Car Tyres – Safety Issue – Serious Defect

Serious warning – Car tires may have a hidden defect that could cause drivers to lose control on the road.

A lot of us think that if our car tires look good, are properly inflated and have a good amount of tread, that they are probably safe to go out on the road with.

But few drivers ever think about the age of their tires – as we are about to learn, this can be a tragic mistake.

Tires, especially the spare tire, could be up to a decade old, making them an accident waiting to happen. A ten year old tire can have deteriorated to the point of having rotted inside, when the tire is used at highway speeds the effect can be disastrous.

“In tires, the materials that hold the belts together — the rubber materials — will degrade and lose its elasticity, and those properties will get to the point where the tire can no longer hold together,” said vehicle safety advocate Sean Kane. Also, in warmer climates tires start to break-down even earlier. Six years, or older, is when we start to see a disproportionate rise in tire failures. An American government report on tire aging, analysing insured tire claims from several states, found that 84 percent of claims were for tires over 6 years old.Even never used tires, such as those bought from the showroom floor, in the same age bracket, are just as dangerous, as they may indeed have been sitting there for a decade or more, just waiting to be sold.

Many auto-makers now put warnings in their new-car manuals, warning against using tires more than 6 years old. What is really needed are expiration dates stamped on the product, similar to many other consumer products, from washing machines to yogurt .

The tire industry disagrees, stating that expiration dates will only give consumers a false sense of security, Dan Zielinski from the ‘Rubber Manufacturers Association’ says: “Consumers may view the use-by-date as the minimum service-time they can use that tire, no matter what they do to it – whether they care for it or not, or have worn it to the nub.”

Tire-makers say proper maintenance is the key to safe tires and that there is no reliable data available showing tires becoming dangerous after 6 years.

So, where does this leave the consumer? I have some invaluable information to pass on to you!

On the outer wall, or side-wall of the tire, the bit that faces away from the car, are a series of four raised numbers and letters (actually manufactured with the tire). The last series of four numbers actually shows the “birth-date of the tire”. e.g. if it shows 1501, this means on the 15th week of 2001 is the date of manufacture.

Safety experts advise that if a tire does fail, the driver should not slam on the brakes, this can cause the vehicle to swerve out of control, pulling suddenly toward the affected tire, nor should drivers jerk the wheel back, possibly causing the car to roll.

Drivers should immediately back off the accelerator and gently pull the wheel back to straighten the car applying the brakes carefully once the car has slowed to a manageable speed.

Other Interesting Articles can be found at: http://cartires.instantwhitewalls.com

An Introduction to Pirelli Tires

Serious warning – Car tires may have a hidden defect that could cause drivers to lose control on the road.

A lot of us think that if our car tires look good, are properly inflated and have a good amount of tread, that they are probably safe to go out on the road with.

But few drivers ever think about the age of their tires – as we are about to learn, this can be a tragic mistake.

Tires, especially the spare tire, could be up to a decade old, making them an accident waiting to happen. A ten year old tire can have deteriorated to the point of having rotted inside, when the tire is used at highway speeds the effect can be disastrous.

“In tires, the materials that hold the belts together — the rubber materials — will degrade and lose its elasticity, and those properties will get to the point where the tire can no longer hold together,” said vehicle safety advocate Sean Kane. Also, in warmer climates tires start to break-down even earlier. Six years, or older, is when we start to see a disproportionate rise in tire failures. An American government report on tire aging, analysing insured tire claims from several states, found that 84 percent of claims were for tires over 6 years old.Even never used tires, such as those bought from the showroom floor, in the same age bracket, are just as dangerous, as they may indeed have been sitting there for a decade or more, just waiting to be sold.

Many auto-makers now put warnings in their new-car manuals, warning against using tires more than 6 years old. What is really needed are expiration dates stamped on the product, similar to many other consumer products, from washing machines to yogurt .

The tire industry disagrees, stating that expiration dates will only give consumers a false sense of security, Dan Zielinski from the ‘Rubber Manufacturers Association’ says: “Consumers may view the use-by-date as the minimum service-time they can use that tire, no matter what they do to it – whether they care for it or not, or have worn it to the nub.”

Tire-makers say proper maintenance is the key to safe tires and that there is no reliable data available showing tires becoming dangerous after 6 years.

So, where does this leave the consumer? I have some invaluable information to pass on to you!

On the outer wall, or side-wall of the tire, the bit that faces away from the car, are a series of four raised numbers and letters (actually manufactured with the tire). The last series of four numbers actually shows the “birth-date of the tire”. e.g. if it shows 1501, this means on the 15th week of 2001 is the date of manufacture.

Safety experts advise that if a tire does fail, the driver should not slam on the brakes, this can cause the vehicle to swerve out of control, pulling suddenly toward the affected tire, nor should drivers jerk the wheel back, possibly causing the car to roll.

Drivers should immediately back off the accelerator and gently pull the wheel back to straighten the car applying the brakes carefully once the car has slowed to a manageable speed.

Other Interesting Articles can be found at: http://cartires.instantwhitewalls.com

Pirelli Tires is the world’s 5th largest operator in terms of turnover on the tire market, with the highest levels of profitability in the sector. In 2006, the activities today under Pirelli Tires generated around 3.94 billion Euros of revenues, with growth of about 8.7% compared to the previous year.

Pirelli Tires is involved in the design, development, marketing, and production of tires for various types of cars, light vehicles and motorcycles, buses, trucks, agricultural and construction machineries. Within this market, Pirelli Tires concentrates on the high-end segments characterized by elevated techno-logical contents and high performance. Pirelli has established itself in positions of leadership in car and motorcycle tires. Today, Pirelli tires are perceived as quality, emotion and ultimate performance tires.

Pirelli Tires has built working relationships with the world’s leading car and motorcycle makes through its technological expertise and has became the role model for all the leading automotive firms.

Pirelli Tires has a great industrial heritage. For over 10 years, Pirelli Tires has developed as an international enterprise that has a presence in many international markets. Their competitive strength is founded on advanced technologies, research capabilities, and professional skills of their staff.

As a tire company, Pirelli pays close attention to the tire market, which allows them to produce and market complex tires of high quality and to operate in various nations.

Innovation and research represent the distinct traits of Pirelli Tires, a company that has taken on the challenge of new technologies to create value. They focus on improving performance while minimizing the environmental impact of their manufacturing processes.

Pirelli Tires’ manufacturing capability is divided between 24 factories, 5 of which are located in Italy, 5 in Brazil, 2 in the UK, 2 in Germany, 2 in Turkey, 2 in Romania, 1 in Argentina, 1 in China, 1 in Egypt, 1 in Spain, 1 in the US and 1 in Venezuela. This structure allows them to cover all the primary geographic markets and reaches over 160 countries and around 10,000 distributors and retailers. The most important part of Pirelli Tires, which is R&D, is located in Milan.

In the car tire sector, Pirelli provides a range of tires for cars and SUVs, focusing on high and ultra-high performance tires that combine stability and safety during all driving conditions with elevated grip and road holding even at high speeds. Pirelli tires are particularly made for high performance cars that are powerful, and to bring out the qualities they are designed to carry out.

They are a manufacturer of tires for two-wheelers from the early 20th century; within the motorcycle sector, Pirelli offers the industry’s most comprehensive ranges of tires. Motorcycle tires from Pirelli are manufactured in the two factories located in Breuberg in Germanyand at Gravataì in Brazil. Pirelli Tires is represented the Pirelli and Metzeler brands: the first is characterized by strong sporting personality and is made for a clientele generally associated with the world of racing competition, while the second is more for everyday driving, which is comfort-oriented and is made for intensive road driving and long distances.

Related Car Tire Articles

Tags: cartires, converters, Fuel, injection, p, selfsealing, Tires, Torque, tubeless, used tires, what are tubeless tires?