Jerry Carl White 1931-2010

Jerry Carl White, 79, died on December 20, 2010, in Beaumont, Texas.

Visitation will be from 5pm to 7pm on December 21 at Broussard’s Mortuary, 2000 McFaddin.

Funeral services will be held at 11am on Wednesday, December 22, 2010, at First Christian Church, 5290 North Caldwood Drive, the Reverend Brenda Warren officiating. Internment will follow at Magnolia Cemetery.

Jerry was born in Beaumont’s Hotel Dieu to Jacob Carl White and Thenoba Gwendolyn Boyett White on May 8, 1931. He graduated from South Park High School, and was vice-president of the first full four-year class at Lamar College of Technology. He married the former Norma Ruth Plettman on September 8, 1963. He was President Emeritus of White Tire Supply, having worked there from the age of eleven. He served on the board of directors of the Texas Tire Dealers Association, the National Institute of Automotive Service Excellence, and the National Tire Dealers and Retreaders Association. He received numerous awards, including the very first Lifetime Achievement Award from the Texas Tire Dealers Association, and was just inducted into the Tire Industry Association’s Hall of Fame. He was an active member of the Beaumont Rotary Club, and a Sunday School teacher and elder at First Christian Church.

Jerry loved learning. He always tinkering and asking questions, often to the confoundment of those he questioned. He had a passion for travel, and he and Norma were always looking forward to their next adventure.

Jerry is survived by his wife, Norma; son Joe Carl White, his wife Anne, and their daughter Kate, of Houston; son David Bruce White, his wife Lauren, and their daughter Rebekah, of Houston; brother Walter White, of Austin; and sister Gwen Kunz, of Houston.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be directed to Some Other Place,PO Box 843, Beaumont, TX 77704.

ati - CEI Releases Grid-Connected Vehicle Primer

ati - CEI Releases Grid-Connected Vehicle Primer:

Honeymooon Getaway car

(http://www.flickr.com/photos/txtireman/1428783603/)

"DSCN0731.JPG" by txtireman

Stan at the Wheel

Stan Merrill behind the wheel

of his rod.
(http://www.flickr.com/photos/txtireman/215464345/)
"Stan at the Wheel" by txtireman

neat flight-checking site

Natca: Avoid Delays - Check Your Flight
this page is very handy.

Stroke of tires

One reason for increased ride harshness in low-profile tires is the reduction of "stroke", a term used by tire designers to denote the effective bump absorption of a given tire size. If we consider the 225-15 millimetric tire as featured on the Lincoln MK III

more to follow

WSJ.com - Burning Rubber Gets Expensive

WSJ.com - Burning Rubber
Gets Expensive:

The new tires are shorter and wider than most standard tires, and can be considerably more expensive. Cars with fashionably giant wheels also usually require tires like these.

High-performance tires provide a quicker, crisper steering response and a more tenacious grip on dry and wet surfaces than most common tires. But not only do they cost more, they also tend to wear out faster, and perform worse in snow.

[...]

The high-performance trend is catching many car buyers off-guard, particularly after years of growing accustomed to increasingly longer-lasting tires. Part of the problem is that many people don't pay much attention to the tires when buying a vehicle, so they don't realize their new car comes with high-performance tires. Manufacturers such as Michelin and Bridgestone have a term for it: the "accidental performance customer."

When the rubber eventually wears out and needs to be replaced, it can be a double-whammy for the owner, says Eugene Petersen, an engineer at Consumer Reports' tire and automotive test center in East Haddam, Conn. "The first shock is how long it lasts. Next is cost." He says he has seen a stream of postings on the discussion boards at consumerreports.org about short-lived, high-priced tires.

This article (subscription required) is fine, as far as it goes, but Michelle Higgins should have consulted with a few retail tire dealers to learn more ugly facts about the problems posed with the introduction of low-profile high performance tires. She did not mention the vast increase in rim/wheel damage because the shorter stiffer sidewalls can no longer absorb a pothole or bump that would pass unnoticed in the past. She did not mention that the extra wide tread profiles are much more susceptible to hydroplaning, even with sophisticated new tread designs.