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Archive for the ‘Automotive’ Category

Not long ago Michelin Tire Company began selling their new Protek Max bicycle inner tubes. What’s different about the Michelin’s new Protek Inner Tubes is that they have a unique design which Michelin claims will reduce the chance of losing air pressure from punctures. Despite the fact that Continental released their ContiSeal tires that contain a fluid which permanently seals punctures up to 5mm in diameter in early 2008, the Protek Max Inner Tubes still represent a huge breakthrough for the industry.

Like many achievements Michelin’s latest success is built upon the work of others; Michelin has taken the best aspects of run-flat tires and Continental’s ContiSeal tires and combined it to form their Protek Max Inner Tubes.

The new Protek Inner Tubes are designed with textured surface which cause it to compress when fully inflated – normal inner tubes expand. Both the outer and inner edge of the the inner tubes are textured: the outer edge features a square shaped texture that helps the tubes properly align with bicycle tires, and the other edge consists of a series of small raised circular bumps. It’s these small circular bumps that cause the air pressure in the inner tube to form a compressive force.. Since the inner tubes are essentially shrinking rather than expanding any existing hole contract rather than enlarge. Additionally, all of the Protek Max Inner Tubes also come with a sealant that spreads out to close any existing puncture holes as well.

While traditional auto tires don’t have inner tubes like bicycle tires perhaps Michelin can still bring this technology over to standard vehicle tires one day. If Michelin were to adapt standard tires with the Protek Max technology then it’s likely that it could still be found in relatively cheap tires, as it only seems to require changing the tread, or lining, of the tire instead of implementing a completely new manufacturing process. Lastly, Michelin also claims that their new inner tubes are capable of maintaining regular pressure (i.e not leaking) longer than standard inner tubes. Michelin’s ProTek Max Inner Tubes are on sale now for about $9 for standard sized bicycle tires.

Via Michelin & GizMag

Photos by David Huang and jeff_golden

When buying a cheap, used car you need to make sure that it either comes with a Nissan manual , or else that you know where you can buy one. There are, of course, a number of places you can get both the used car and the repair manual for it. One place you may want to look is at government auctions. . They will usually tell you what kind of things are wrong with the car and why the car was taken away from the previous owner. If it is a super bad offense, like someone died in it, the price is likely to stay pretty cheap. Anything offending or potentially hazardous is going to have already been removed from the car, so you don’t need to worry about it. If the owner had a repair manual, it will usually also come with the car.

Another option you have is to hit up the local newspapers and see if there are any good deals in there. You will have to remember that while the repair manual may not come with the car already, if they are selling a Buick Le Sabre and have bought themselves a different type of car, if you ask for the manual to repair Buick Le Sabre s, they are pretty likely to hand them over to you, so don’t be ashamed or afraid to ask them for it.