POSSIBILITIES OF CRUDE OIL ENGINES.

Auckland Star, Volume 55, Issue 136, 10 June 1924, Page 11

POSSIBILITIES OF CRUDE OIL ENGINES.

An interesting development is rei ported from Berlin, where a Mercedes chassis lias been running on crude oil, ! with an engine of the semi-D.iescl type. j A compressor is fitted to the engine, j which supplies the necessary compressed I air, and the induction is under pressure. No magneto or sparking-plug is used in j this engine, thus doing away with two parts that sometimes give trouble. A 35 h.p. engine, in a standard 2-ton chassis with an omnibus body, was I tested, and it was found that with crude oil fuel it gave at least equal power to j that developed by tire petrol engine. The vehicle, with its lieavy-oil power unit, covered a considerable distance over bad roads at a speed of 38 miles per hour. This vehicle was fitted with an electric starter, to which it responded promptly. j Crude oil costs only a quarter the price of petrol, but, in addition to this economy, there was shown a saving of 2"> per cent in the amount of fuel consumed. ROAD-HOLDING CHARACTERISTICS. If a car known for its good roadholding qualities be examined, it will be I found that every effort has been made to bring the centre of gravity as low as possible (states a writer in the "Mining Standard"). The feature next in importance on modern cars is the even distribution of weight, so that with a car I fully loaded the rear wheels carry someI what more load than those at the front. I Next it will be observed that the spring- ! ing has been designed so as not to ; give excessive rebounds, while the | springs are so disposed as to maintain lateral rigidity. The steering also will j probably be geared fairly low, and the j stub axles slightly inclined so as to , give centre point steering. If all these j characteristics are present, it will be I found that the type of tyre fitted will . have surprisingly little effect on the I extent to which the car is inclined to • skid. Many car owners, who, having had a certain make of tyre on their first car which was inclined to skid, have ever afterwards regarded that j particular type as being a bad non-skid pattern, whereas it is probable that hail they tried any amount of tyres with non-skid treads they would not have overcome that lamentable inclination to | slither sideways. This rather bears out I the contention that on modern cars at j any rate, the design of the tyre treads j has very little indeed to do* with the j freedom "from skidding; and it may safely be .assumed that any non-skid tyre by a well-Whown maker will fulfil its purpose providing the chassis.is not of the type that skids, even with tha most careful handling, on the slightest provocation. During tTie pa«t six years the Canj terlmry A.A. has spent no less than ' £882 on the erection of direction and danger signs in Canterbury and West- ' j land (states the "Press"). Signs are now in hand for the long stretch of road in Wes.tland extending down- to the Franz Joseph Glacier.