USE LOW GEARS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 200, 24 August 1937, Page 16

USE LOW GEARS.

BETTER PERFORMANCE. HIGHER SPEED ON HItXS. While it is desirable that an engine sLall be able to pull steadily on top gear at a low speed and climb quite stiff hills without need for changing into a lower gear, there are many conditions under which more satisfaction and a better performance will be secured if third instead of top gear is used, or second instead of third, states a writer in the "Standard Car Review." For example, in traffic a car can be accelerated more rapidly, wheu an opportunity occurs of passing a slow vehicle in front, if a low gear be used instead of the next higher one, even to complete the change down before the car comes almost to a standstill, and this may enforce another change, into a still lower gear. So, if in the circumstances mentioned the hill be climbed on third speed instead of top gear, the engine turning round freely, there will be power in haud to accelerate after an enforced reduction of speed.

A score of similar circumstances could be mentioned in which advantage should be taken of the fact that the faster an engine runs (within reason) the greater the power it can develop if the accelerator should be depressed.

When engines were noisy, when skill was required to change into a lower gear and when no gear except top speed was quiet, there were advantages to be gained from "keeping in top" until a change down became imperative. But nowadays, on a modern car, the driver hae no excuse for not "using the gear" to enable, the engine to give of its best under heavy load conditions. Power in Reserve. There is often another advantage on hills in having more power in reserve, as it were, by using the next lower gear than the one that will juxt or onlv a little more than just sulfite to conquer the gradient. For instance, in the case of a stiffush hill with a blind coiner, if the cor is "just taking" the hill on top gear an<l beyond the corner some momentary obstruction (e.g., a car on its wrong side) is encountered, the temporary elackening of t*i>eed that will probably be necessary will cause a change into third speed to become positively essential. It need hardly be eaid that unexpectedly to be called upon to change gear instantly on a hill is a thing that is prone to be disconcerting to many drivers; they may fail on that account though the car will run on the latter quite nicely—without the engine turning round jerkily, or "labouring." that is to t say. The reason is that on the lower gear the engine epcod will be higher, eo making more power instantly avail- : able for increasing the speed of the car when the accelerator is depressed. Similarly in climbing hill**, the use of the third speed will often enable the car to make light work of its load and the gradient—to climb hille faster —desnite there being no question as to the ability of the car to reach the summit on top gear. There ie no benefit obtained from the use of the third gear a« such, but simply from the fact that its use enables the engine to develop more power by rotating at a higher speed.