MODERN MOTORING

Auckland Star, Volume LIV, Issue 217, 11 September 1923, Page 12

MODERN MOTORING

BY SPARKWELL

NOTES and COMMENTS LOCAL AND GENERAL

TO CORRESPONDENTS. DISPUTE.—The price of the Chevrolet in Australia to-day Is £325. HAL. J. F. (W_ihli.—The D.F.P. oar is made hy a French firm—_orlot-Flandrlu —I'arout. K.K. (Auckland). —The .lapanese system of motor taxation Is based on hortselio—er. CORINTH (Hamilton) — Kxtra air attachments have been proved to be of sound utility, and good drivers approve their use. N'OTA BENE (Auckland).—The host policy is ro use the oil yon have proved most suitable, especinllv as yon say, after your inquiry: "The oil" I intend to use 1 have used in other machines, nnd have found it superior to others." Regarding the T.I. races, full details have been published —eefcs ago in these columns. TOPICAL NOTES. A branch of the A.A.A. has been formed at Huntly, with Mr. J. Watson as chairman, and Mr. \V. C. E. George as secretary. Motor fuel from sugar, made by what is known as the Foster formula, has been produced in Manila with good results. Commenting on a lightweight motor cycle which was advertised under the heading, "Musical Instruments," a London journal presumed that the machine was either going for a mere song or was in very good tune. A southern resident of Xew Zealand, who just returned from California, says the roads there are just like marble. The surfaces arc treated with a preparation resembling oil, which reduces friction on motor tyres. A 240-ton hydraulic tyre press for inflating giant tyres and tor putting solid tyres on heavy vehicles is operating in a new London "garage. Last month. Sir George Fuller, Premier of New South Wales, officially opened a new garage in Alexandria, where the new all-Australian car "Summit" is to be manufactured. The General Motors Research Corporation, L.S.A., has made a patent application which claims that certain metal compounds, mixed with petrol, increase the compression used without knocking. A new company recently registered at Sydney, with a capital of £100,000, is Overland Sydney Ltd., which will sell the products of the Willys-Overland Coy., of loledo, U.S__. _ Air. Selwyn Craig, of Auckland, has just landed his new racing model Stutz which will be seen in action here during the forthcoming motor racing season. A person who operates a motor vehicle in Ohio without the consent of the owner is imprisoned from one to twenty years for tho first offence and from "five to thirty years for subsequent oirences Oh! High! Oh! One of the queerest motor clubs in the world is the Desert Touring Club of Alexandria, Egypt. This club has fifteen members—including Albanian, British, French, Greek and Italians—and three cars. They tour thousands of miles over the Sahara. < One reason behind Henry Ford's gigantic industrial activities is"suggested In a recent interview. "You know farm work is drudgery of the hardest sort," he said. "From the time I left the front gate as a boy, until now, my only interest in a farm has been to lighten its labourss. To take the load off the backs of men and put it on to metal has been my dream." Mr. A. R. Townsend, late representative of Cycle and Motor Supplies Ltd., Wellington, has been appointed Auckland manager for the Firestone Tyres Distributors Company, whose wholesale headquarters are in Reliance Buildings, Khyber Pass Road. For keeping plated parts in their pristine condition there is nothing to equal a varnish made of whisking the white of an egg until a thin paste is formed. This is quite invisible when applied to the plated parts and rain simply runs off. Incidentally the anti-rust effect lasts for years. If the hood material is stained in any place, and the owner desires to clean it, he should be very careful to avoid the use of petrol or other quick-acting fluids. Petrol destroys the waterproof qualities of the fabric. The best method oi cleaning a hood is to use pure soap and water. Matters are simplified if the hood can he lifted off the car for the cleansing operations. The Auckland district agency for Bri-tish-made "Swift" cars has been taken over by Mr. J. Milne, motor engineer, who was for some years associated wilh Messrs. Dexter and -Oozier in Albert. | Street. Mr. Milne has a good garage at Dominion Road terminus. The latest model "Swiff ears are due to arrive in Auckland within the next few weeks. Kerb-side petrol pumps are .111 institution to-day. The first accepted type i of Bowser system was marketed by S. F. Bowser and" Co.. L.S.A.. in 188:2. and re- I cently completed the millionth article. The "whole plant was closed for half a day and 4000 people celebrated the event near the works. From the British Cycle and Motor Cycle Manufacturers'and Traders' Union, Ltd., I have received an interesting little booklet entitled. "The -Motor Cycle Owner containing articles and suggestions upon motor cycle matters. The brochure is being issued in connection with the display of motor cycles at the Empire Exhibition in October. An important new concrete toad of .'U miles, with an asphalt carpet, is being made from Hounslow to Harrow, in England. The carriageway is 40ft wide. The cost is £160,555. The firm undertaking the work has similar projects in hand for the Ministry of Transport between Farningham and Wrotham on the 1 main Dover Road, and at Dartford and ' Northfleet. Paul Remaley has been at it again. ' Word received on Saturday states that on an Indian Scout last week he broke I : the American coast to coast motor cycle I 1 record hy 22hrs, :imin. covering the distance in 5 days, 17hrs, lOmin. averaging i 27 miles per hour over the route. Remaley | i is the rider who recently broke the | ; three-flag record, which Wells Bennett I < subsequently cut down on a Henderson, j ! What next! j I Word also comes to hand of a good ; light car performance by the "Gray" I f at Rockport, U.S.A. Twelve entries were j f received for this automobile economy [ < test based on the mileage obtained on | , an American quart of petrol. Tlie order ( in which the competitors finished were as follows:—Gray 5.3 miles. Willys-I Knight 7.9 miles, Oldsmobile 0.8. Dodge I * 0.7, Driggs 6.6. Overland 6.1. Buiek Four ! [ 5.9, Willys-Knight coupe 5.7, Willy.Knight touring ear 5.0 Buk'k Six 4.7,' c Dodge 4.0 < _ Owing to trouble in the gasoline feed- a ing tlie Dodge and Chevrolet cars did not v get the entire consumption of gas. and | s thus were placed at a disadvantage nt t the actual test. The weight of the Urav I c car was approximately 1500 and that : n ot the runner-up 4000. £

Information reaches mc that a standard model Oakland car (6/44) recently won the Los Angeles-Yosemite Valley v economy contest, an annual event of 360 miles over hilly country, repeating last year's success. The most interesting feature of the performance, from the n meagre details available so far, is that i- the Oakland averaged 44.3 miles to the Imperial gallon of petrol, using one ': pint of oil and one pint of water for ' r the distance. Ideal weather prevailed during the test of the American Auto- „ mobile Association, though all road con,'t ditions, from sea level to 6000 ft elevar tion, were encountered. The winning car <j also established record figures, in its c class, on the ton-mileage basis. Despite the efficiency of the presentday motor car engine a considerable portion of the fuel that goes through the carburettor is wasted and has no beari ing on the propulsion of the vehicle. . The losses which ocrur are of two kinds, s viz., heat losses, and losses due to friction and driving of auxiliaries. A conj. siderable amount of the heat energy 1 generated on the firing stroke is dissipated in radiation, heating the cooling water and losses in the exhaust, so that i only about a third of the energy is * available to drive the pistons downwnrds. Only a certain proportion of the , horsepower is actually delivered to the clutch, the remainder being expended in various directions in the engine itself. ' Take an engine of 20 indicated horse- „ | power. Of this power about 16 h.p " would be available at the clutch—known n as brake horsepower. Out of a gallon of petrol it is estimated that about 70 per cent is dissipated in heat losses, 5 per 7 cent in friction waste and that only 25 per cent is actually available for transmission of power to the driving wheels. r ~~~~~ [ ROAD PROGRESS. i The spell of dry weather up to Sunday last had left the country roads somewhat hard with rough surfaces. This was particularly so on the Muriwai i road and en route to Henderson. The . Rangiriris had also benefited. The week- . end rain was not altogether unwelcome, (. even from a road point of view. i The road from Tuakau bridge to the > Waikato Heads is to be metalled, a loan f of £0000 having been raised for the purpose. The Raglan County officials hope i to obtain a substantial subsidy on the amount raised. J It is gratifying to observe that Titirangi residents in Waitemata County are pressing demands for a concrete road between New Lynn boundary up to Titirangi summit, one of Auckland's most beautiful short-distance resorts. The residents urge that 90 per cent of the traffic is from outside, and therefore suggest the adoption of toll-gate collection to recoup the county upon the money (expended in the work, which is estijinated to entail £ 12,000. The proposition of these progressive residents, who are no doubt prompted by a due sense of pride in their scenic heritage, is a businesslike and sensible one, and it would surprise '•Sparkwcll" if the council authorities do not get 'busy. A good concrete road to Titirangi "will make that resort a 100 per cent more attractive venue for city motorists and visitors. It is certain that the regular hus service people, no less than other motorcar owners, will not grudge the few pence extra in order to have a pleasant and safer journey to that already popular place. FOUR W___E_. BRAKES. REGAINING POPULARITY. " The motor car of to-day, though perfected to a remarkable degree, wins close attention for the constant changes and improvements that are effected in design, construction and mechanical development. We see a new model in Queen Street attracting curiosity for some novel refinements, and the next day another appears ottering a further departure in details, until 11 is pedestrian, whether motorist or not, betrays voluntary interest in this arresting evolution. Of course, drastic changes are rare, but the enterprise of motor manufacturers is being constantly exercised by reason of world competition. It is a healthy sign of scientific progress which spells benefit to the increasing army of motor huyers. Now the tocsin sounds the advent of the four-wheel brake. Common sense tells us that four-wheel brakes would be better than the two-wheel system which has satisfied for recent years, hut such a new phase is accompanied by various considerations. The fourwheel system is not entirely a new proposal, for it was introduced initially by British manufacturers over ten | years ago. and to a large extent was i discarded. However, like the advance iof battery ignition as against the efficient magneto, the four-wheel brakes seem to have been revived chiefly through their value as demonstrated by Continental manufacturers, who tested them in big track-racing events about eight years ago. WHAT THE CHANCE MEANS. The braking of volition of a car is dependent on the grip available between the tyres and the road surface. Then there is the matter of weight and distribution. Herein lies a vital matter. Most modern cars with brakes applying to the rear wheels only are constructed to meet that contingency. The fourwheel brake, by reason of its greater effectiveness, will automatically transfer through the steering heads a greater pressure of retarding force on the front axle, springs and wheels. The reaction resulting from such a straiv must be severe. It will be realised that tbe four-wheel system is not a simple application when the power and momentum of a loaded car are considered. Undoubtedly four-wheel brakes wilj aid in giving smoother nnd quicker retardation, but the method of applying irictional resistance to wheel rotation entails skilled attention, and thin is (eing done. Some authorities hold | that the bulk of responsible contact j must be imposed on the rear wheels, allowing some freedom for four-wheel steering, whilst other experts declare that it is difficult in some cases to ensure equal pressure on the brakedrums, si ne<-i'ssarv condition if the main claim of four brakes to prevent skidding, is considered. They all agree that a stronger front axle is imperative to withstand the torsional stresses exerted by the application of brakes to the front wheels, and that shockabsorbers are essential to prevent tbe wheels bouncing on tbe brakes when . suddenly applied. These are positively technical problems, hut are being over-1 come. The four-wheel brakes, it is j noted, are making their appearand on the heavier cars for a start. i

r O_R-SFEEI> GEARBOX. 1 rpie four-speed gearbox is at __t -__,tr> its own. It was at one | 'ii' small-powered j »Tm should have turee speed? and gbjpowercd vehicles four. It seems I fL__r_able fact tn»t it is only re-j * tw that the advantages or four , ■ _!_ for the small-powered vehicle — .been recognised. Obviously the Z~ e narrow the margin as between L, W er and work tiie more ute necessity T nr the inclusion of a fottrtn speed, and ■th the more general use of the small !Lj n e _i_ has been 'borne in upon the S-nufacturer and designer. If a driver _ii. U se hie pe ar changes intelligently, the more ratios he has roe more efficient ,c_i his power transmission become and tie more economically will he be able to uK his fuel. Keeping in a low gear ,_o long because the step up to the next j. i s ;c-o high result* in inefficient *£ D j_g. Also there is a tendency to B _v l-oo long on top wtore changing ,j ovrn . whit* means much disrress to t :. r engine. More gears and narrower ; sie ps between rhem allow of The better rirting of the power to the load, and although more gear changes may be required, the average Travelling rate will be increased and the petrol consumption decreased. Three-speed gears Ibev be simpler and cheaper. Kourgpeed gears are certainly more efficient _1_ more economical in fuel and medianical wear and tear. DESTRUCTIVE VIBRATION". Vibration is the often unsuspected cause of the failure of parts which appear to be adequately strong for the loads which they have to withstand. In many cases, persistent fractures of certain aotor ear i.iuponents hate been cured fcv a reduction of the size of the part concerned, because the reduced mass lessened the stresses caused by the vibration. The teting of the swaged wires used in aeroplanes during the war afforded an interestin'' example of vibrational defects. These wires were tested in tension, and it wis found that a vibrating wire broke at averv much lower load than a stationaryone. " Brake rods are particularly liable to fracture from vibrations set up w"hen wear occurs at the ends. In one case it was found thai rods made of wrought iron were less liable to failure than those made of the strongest alloy steels; this was due to the fact tha; in wrought iron the strccture contains layers of slag which prevent cracks from spreading through the material. Caibles are less liable to failure fri•_. this cause for a similar reason—a crack cannot spread from wire :•> virc. However, a progressive failure i- possible, especially if the cable be suojected to ruboing or acute tending. GOOD JUDGMENT. Howare you to learn tbe art of judginjr distances and speeds on a motor car' And how can one best acquire a knowledge of ;:ie way in >>hich the car speed varies the distance-'.' ,ask- a writer in in English exchange). Once again the best answer of all is careful observation during practical mad experience. But there are certain factors which should be recognised by all drivers, which have id important bearing on the problem. One of these relates to braking efficiency. Toa often hear people say, "Oh! 1 pulled Dp in the length of the car."' Get that right out of your mind. It's a silly misitatement. and can only be substantiated irhen running a: abnormally slow speeds. A car uith good brakes in thoroughly «_eient condition and operating on a dry road with good tyres can be stopped about as follows: —At 10 m.p.h.. in 10ft; a; 15 m.p.h.. in 22ft: at 20 m.p.h.. in 3Sf;: it 25 m.p.h.. in HOft; at 3H m.p.h.. in Soft: it 35 m.p.h.. in 120 ft: nt 40 m.p.h. in 150 ft: and at 50 m.p.h.. in about 240 ft. In tha; statement ' have assumed everything to be in good order—brakes, road surface, tyre treads, and weight distribution. The figures are based on dull technical facts— co-efficient of friction, and lo on. MOTOR DEE-VERY. HOW TO CALCULATE COSTS. When considering motor delivery vehicles as a business proposition, it i- a mistake to calculate, or attempt to calculate, their \ early operating cost. The correct basis is—What does it cost to shift a ton of merchandise one mile. If business houses kept accurate figures, which would disclose from month to month /not year by year), the cost per ton-mile, then tlie figures would shnw whether the vehicles operated were being properly used, tiiat is. used to secure the lowest cost per ton-mile. Such figures would show also that horse haulage is usually the more costly. Tonmile means, of course, tlie weight multiplied by the miles. To the layman the term may he confusing. If a motor vehicle carries 2_ tons five miles, then a job done is 12j ton-miles. TOX MILES EXPLAINED. Assume, for example, that a business house transport, -ay. 4000 tons of goods in a year, and the miles run hy the vehicles mo matter whether horse drawn or motor i, total, say 8000 miles, then the ton miles would be 32,000,000. Now, if by new methods of organisation, the vehicles carried the same tonnage, but only 6000 miles, owing to a better lay-out of routes, to save waste of miles and time, then the tonmiles would be reduced to 24.000,000 ton-mile- without reducing the tonnage actually carried. A great deal of waste occurs through badly organised delivery and delays at terminal points. It is known that in well organised businesses, where close statistics are kept, it is the delivery department which is allowed to run wild, apparently because business men do not yet realise that statistics in this department are as important as all others. The business manager, finding decreased or increased milage in relation to tonnas" "amed. would know at once that some imestiaation was needed. It usually occurs that when a change over from horse to motor transport, takes place there is a marked increase in the area of delivery, and the cost of the two systems is compared without delving into the relative ton-miles. To secure maximum efficiency from any form of transport, the definite principle is—full capacity, loads carried at the highest permissible speed, and the reduction of time to luad and unload. A( CI 'R ATE COM PI TATFOX. To arrivn a- accurate calculations, so that the head of the delivery department ran always be on the alert io immediately discern a break away from the has:- of maximum efficiency, tons and mile-- run should be calculated dnilv. Assume, for example, that daily figures show a tendency to increase niile« run for tonnage carried, the que-tion to he answered i-—are the vehicle.- following the most economical route, or would ii pay to have certain deliveries cut nut by placing them ill public carriers' vans'' The figures would also indicate whethei the load- were maximum or whether the delivery department manager \vu«ending the vehicle out half loaded. „r whether he was not speeding up loading or unloading. Hie establishment o? motor organisation must be carried onf »ith speedier handling methods to produce maximum efficienc.r.

j THE MAGNETO. The wonderful drielopmrnt of the magI neto into an instrument as reliable and ' ' long-lived as a good watch has rendered : many thousand- of motorist* somewhat I neglectful of liic ignition, ir hardly over j gives trouble, therefore why bother about lit. If the electric, lighting or starting ap- j paratus goes wrong there in not a great l deal in worry about- at any ra:c. during V daylight. lienerally Sheh trouble.- are j trivial, and may :..'■ Traced to a worn wire or dirl ;*>n a distributor; but occasionally overwork is ihe cause. The care needed to keep a battery in good condition is in no way irksome. Surely every owner-driver has time once a Heck to take the lid ofl the hattery-box and see tiia: all terminals are -crewed up tirmly. and ibai the batteries are free from dirt on t.he lop. and mat no sulphating is ;ak;ng place': Once a month, or so. a littlc'distilled water, obtainable cheaply from a chemist, -iiouid he added to each ccli, and at far longer intervals, say, every six months., a little fresh electrolyte'nlay be needed. If these simple rule? he observed- as a matter of routine, tlie life of a good battery should be a term nt vear-. Manufacturers who design their cars to rely entirely on the battery for ignition, starting, and lighting, ought to take great rare in the mc; hud adopted to can;, tlie battery. Al the same time it should be a ••e—i■■!•• that there is no possible excuse lei ihe bi/ie-t ownerdriver shirking a regular examination. EFFICIENT AIR COOLING. ! Air-cooling has he.onic ,< very imIportant factor in gimral automobile practice and maker- in Kugiand and i elsewhere, realising advantage >ueh as |the saviDg of weigh; ur.d the corapliI cations of water • onnectinii-. are now producing in quantity thi- lype of car. !The latest Knglish mail brings evidence lof this advance in the fact that the I Daimler Company has received official 'certification covering the performance of la B.SA. 10 h.p. car which was tested lin open competition under the strict I rules of the R.A.t'. The car, selected | from stock, was placed on a trial to demonstrate, in addition to fuel and oil j consumption and tyre wear, its general | reliability over 0000 miles, followed by a speed test at Brooklands. The average speed for running time—of tlie 5000 ■ mile course —on the road, was set at I'J.C ' ! m.p.h., and on Brooklands .ii mile track, pace was just under 45 m.p.h. The \ ! petrol consumption was 37.15 m.p.g.. 'land oil consumption 3202 m.p.g. For ' a continuous performance these figures are good and a tribute to air-cooling. The tyres used were reported to be en- . tirelv sound at the end of the tc-a. Xo \ mechanical defect* were found, the onlyincidents being with a sparking plug and a broken speedometer cable. r j ENGLISH! APPEAL CASE. ' | The damage committed by certain forms of traffic on road surfaces was lithe subject of an important appeal in ' j the House oi Lord- in Britain in July. '■ The appeal arose out oi an action by 1 the Glasgow City I orporation against : Barclay. Curie "and Company. Ltd.. 1 Glasgow, to recover £460, the cost ot ' ! executing certain repairs to the surface lot portions of the streets traversed by • the firm's boiler traffic. Yiscouut Fin- ! lay who delivered tbe leading judgment said the roads were made to be used, , and no road authority could complain of fair wear and tear. The acts com- : plained of in the action were far from being in the nature of a new departure. J and "it appeared that the corporation themselves sent on <-omc occasions ! ] traffic of a similar description over the \ :streets. Tbe traffic had made necessary \ ! the more frequent repair of the roads, jbut that was an incident of all increase ■ of traffic. | VICTORIAN MOTOR CYCLISTS. ' Of fiftv-nitie competitors who started 1I in the Victorian Motor (\de Club's 24- - --:hotir reliability trial last month, thirteen Imiished over tlie trying course. W. A. ! Wynne, on _ Hurley-Davidson, his own machine and sidecar, which outfit had •"done 10.000 miles, including the trial i ithe previous year, was debited with 20 - points for the performance which brought . iVvnne twenty-five guineas and the Dunt lop trophy of ten guineas. Second place ■"Was also' filled hv a Harley-Davidson s ! rider, \V. Cripps. who lost 30 points and j won the novice prize. Baden Wilding, r riding an Indian Chief outfit, was third, r and the other machines in order were: - Harlev-Davidson. 4-cyl. F.X.. 4-cyl. Hen- . : derson. Indian Scout. Indian Chief, F.x- . celsior. Indian I'owerplus, and a 3i h.p. . Norton. I STAGGERING FIGURES ! 5 ' The production of Ford cars and ■'trucks during the week ended dune 1--5 was 40.34fi. On Tune 12. one day. the i output was GTS* cars and __0n (June S the company completed its i,i i • .- -777 th engine.

f| _____ = r 11 -YEAR-OLD STOWAWAY.

. 1 3 'MELBOURNE TO THE CAPE. a -- z. FATHKR SEES .SHIP SAIL. ? i iFrcin Our O—n Correspondent.) 0' SYDXEY. September 6. 0 | Dunns ttm week a cable was received c' in Melbourne by tbe parents of Alex. '' i Stewart, the eleven year-old Melbourne s . boy who stowed away to Capetown on ''I the liner Ballarat. stating that the 8 I youth was now returning to his home 0 by another ship. ! s| 'Mrs. Stewan says that little Alex.i ii would persi9tent.lv make the request. | s'"Mum. let mc 'chuck' school and be al 1-! sailor." "He is a bright boy, she -added, "bill he has a cordial hatred tor t i school. Re was constantly playing 1 ! truant, and begging to be allowed to go c' to sea. His father was a seafaring man t lal one time, and his work now brings p ! him into constant touch with shippingfl "We were nsturallv very anxious t . when he disappeared." she continued.. * •_»« »•' "inni-id thnt hp ? h °| aboard some boat or other. On the ' I morning of tbe day he disappeared he c left for school as "usual. He left his c | books at the barber's shop. and '"i'slhhered' ofl' to Port Melbourne ttis I father saw him on the Port Melbourne j train in the morning, and hunted him o I off to school apain. . .. "Apparently- he did not go back, ana ;'the irony of the thing is that his n father was standing or. Ihe pier wstcn-1 . ing the Ballarat go out. We have since, heara that several people saw him pin? - 'ing about on deck as the vessel was 5 getting ready tr. leave. He was CUtclv n ine streamer's in great glee. That s him '' ail over." „\ '- Meanwhile the boy's parents are nowj » m,kn,- arrangements for his return,: t and h» will K o hiiek to school again. |