Straight Sided Vintage Tyres

Brass Era Tyres

Straight-Sided Brass Era Tyres

• Straight-sided tyres, developed during the Brass Era of car production (before the use of nickel, when most radiators were made of brass), represented a significant advancement.
• Earlier Brass Era cars often used Beaded Edge or 'Clincher' tyres.
• Many European and budget American Brass Era cars, including the Model T Ford, continued to use Clincher or Beaded Edge tyres.
• Straight-sided tyres remained popular well into the 1920s, the vintage car period.
• Some commercial vehicles still use straight-sided tyres today.
• A major innovation of straight-sided tyres was the incorporation of wire in the bead, preventing them from slipping off the rim.
• Straight-sided tyres for Brass Era cars are also referred to as split rim tyres or high-pressure tyres.
• Straight-sided tyres from the Brass Era require a minimum pressure of 60psi, a standard for all tyres of that period.
• The split rims of Brass Era tyres (see picture) were detachable from the wooden wheel, allowing for diameter reduction during tyre fitting.
• Straight-sided wheels feature a removable flange on one side to facilitate tyre fitting.
• WARNING: When inflating straight-sided Brass Era tyres, exercise caution as the flange can detach with extreme force!