Tires

[Mohoender]

Does anyone has any ideas on tires in T2K.

Gazoline problem is adressed either with alcohol or vegetable oil, vegetable oil can also replaces lubricants but what about tires?

Where to find them?
How about retreading them (recapping)?
What about tire recycling? Do you think this can be done in cottage industries?
Could they be replaced by some form of iron tires such as the one you find on some rare vehicles (such as the Skoda RSO of WW2, max speed about 20 mph)?

[Rockwolf66]

I've worked in a tire distribution center a couple years back and you would be suprised at how many tires fit in the back of a 53 foot trailer. Unfortunatly such distribution centers are in industrial areas.

Bob: "Hey Sam what's that glow comming from under your Humvee?"

Sam: "Don't know Bob, I just pulled a new set of tires out of that distribution center we found."

[cavtroop]

Track shoes for tracked vehicles are another concern - they wear out fairly quickly, and if not replaced can either come apart or lead to lots of thrown tracks.

Though I can imagine track shoes wouldn't be too difficult for the right metalshops to make, it's still pretty specialized.

[kalos72]

I would think there are alot of civilian sized tires out there, how you fit a 235 r15 on a HMMWV is a good question for your maintenance section.

[jester]

Remember, alot of military vehicles use "runflat" tires. So that would lessen the need for some tire need. And tires and also be scavenged from other vehicles, I mean if you blow the front of a humvee to bits with say a 30mm, there is a good chance the two rear wheels will still be good to go.

And then we have retreading which is not difficult technology to do. I would say "YES" it could be cottage industry, I know of a place in town litteraly around the corner from me, and a half dozen places in LA that does it. Of course the question is, where do they get the materials to make the retreads?

[Mohoender]

Originally Posted by jester

And then we have retreading which is not difficult technology to do. I would say "YES" it could be cottage industry, I know of a place in town litteraly around the corner from me, and a half dozen places in LA that does it. Of course the question is, where do they get the materials to make the retreads?

Could it be through the recycling of tire materials? For exemple, when a tire is blown up to pieces, couldn't it be reused? I have read it's an highly toxic process but in T2K, what the hell?

[pmulcahy11b]

Originally Posted by jester

Remember, alot of military vehicles use "runflat" tires. So that would lessen the need for some tire need. And tires and also be scavenged from other vehicles, I mean if you blow the front of a humvee to bits with say a 30mm, there is a good chance the two rear wheels will still be good to go.

Run-flats will only get you so far. They get hot fast once flat, the flat tire will shred and eventually fall off if you drive far enough on the run-flat part, and then you get rim damage, which in a Twilight 2000 context would be very hard to repair. Some run-flats basically get you only far enough to get you to the nearest tire store in a city, and most will only get you out of a jam if you're on a highway within a reasonable range of a garage. Military run-flats are rated for in some cases as little as 50 miles, and some may go as high as 500 miles. You'll be driving at 50-80% speed at max, and the vehicle (depending upon how many wheels it has) will pull to the side that is flat, increasing driver fatigue and making steering more difficult. And the ride will be rough, making life difficult for the passengers as well. Run-flats may save your life in an ambush, but you won't run very far.

[kalos72]

Long term this question is down to a few options. You either find a source of new tires through salvage or you find a source for rubber and start cottage industries to retread tires.

With all this talk about oil, I think it will be the smaller things that will stop the mechanized soceity that we live in today. The spare parts for crucial, seemingly insignificant now, systems, the highly specialized production of those parts and the foreign companies we deal with to get them.

Perhaps an trade route to Sri Lanka or Malaysia for new tires in exchange for oil?

I believe once rubber is hardened, it cant be melted down to it pure liquid state again...