DRIVING WISDOM.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 276, 22 November 1927, Page 16

DRIVING WISDOM.

POINTS THAT MARK IT

Be good to your car and indirectly you will be good to yourself. This means three things; law observance* courtesy and consideration for your car.

Everybody swears that they give hand signals with religious scrupulousness, but there are many times when theee are entirely forgotten in the stress of other things at the corner. And such signals most of them are, too! If the engine ran as raggedly as the signals are given, we should all be pedestrians by preference.

Cars are occassionally overtaken and passed on left-hand side and this performance, which sometimes causes considerable inconvenience, is often fraught with danger; further, it is illegal, and discourteous. When you come to a busy intersection, give the other fellow a chance; perhaps he was there first. When you overtake and pass a car, don't suddenly Slow down and force the driver behind you to ride his brakes to prevent him mixing his radiator with your spare tyre. If you have to slow up after passing a car- you shouldn't have passed it.

The useful work your engine does when driving on a level road is to overcome mechanical friction and wind resistance. Both these factors increase very rapidly as you increase your speed, which indicates that the slower you go the less petrol will be used per mile travelled. However, at slow speeds the efficiency of the engine is not as great as at high speeds. There is, therefore, a best speed of about 25 miles per hour, at which the best mileage'will be obtained.,

Driving with, the hand throttle on lopg, open stretches, is ;also conducive to good mileage, as it allows the engine ,to operate more uniformly than when your foot, responding to every slight jar, moves the throttle. If you do 35 stiles an hour or more, whenever you ca'i, yon will enjoy aa increase in petrol mileage of several miles per gallon. By consistently driving between 25 and 30 you will reach your destination in tte drivup* time.