Hints for the Motorist

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXXII, Issue 13430, 18 April 1944, Page 3

Hints for the Motorist

6y ' ALBERT L CLOUGK

IS YOUR DRIVING ENJOYABLE?

There is a great difference between enjoyable driving and just driving to get somewhere. The motorist who makes his driving his hobby and pleasure gets more for his money than the other sort. .Have Camber Checked incorrect, steering will be difficult and tyre wear will be abnormal. To alter the caster of the front wheels of any car carrying independent front wheel suspension—if camber is adjustable, it is necessary to have the car at what is known as curb weight, on level ground and with the tyres properly inflated. The spare tyre, or the rea**-end luggage equipment must be taken into consideration. Camber ' measurements and changes should also be made under similar conditions. Some cars have a permanent ca*ster angle and some permanent camber built into the car by reason of the setting of the front end, the position of the spring in its channel in the frame, or the wide separation of the upper and lower control arms. It is well to have this point checked occasionally when the car is at the service station. • Sluggish Steering This can be caused by the tyres being soggy or the steering assembly needing lubrication. Where the front wheels are out of line there will result retarded steering which may cause an accident when the driver finds it necessary to swing the car sharply to the right or left. Duplicate the Ignition Key Delay and annoyance has been caused on innumerable tours by the misplacing of the ignition key. The solution to the problem is to have a duplicate kept in the car. It can be fastened to the wires under the dash, be secreted in a side pocket or the tool kit, or be anywhere else so long as it has a permanent home and is always put back there. Is Your Reaction Slow? Some motorists will not admit to having slow eyes, thinking it is a slur on their intelligence. Nothing of the sort. As on© grows older the eyesight naturally gets slower, which entails a limited range of vision, which is almost as dangerous as a blind spot caused by one of the body posts. Reaction time has nothing to do with intelligence, since some of the most unenlightened lorry drivers are as quick as can be with the car controls. Study your own peculiarities and where your eyesight is poor or reaction slow, circumvent it by adapting your speed. Slow Down A hesitating driver behind one on the road undecided whether to pass or not can be a source of irritation —even danger. The best hint to help him make up his mind is to slow down, when he will probably pass immediately. A Petrol Saver Switching off the engine during long traffic delays is a sure way of saving petrol. With some engines it is not policy to do so but with others one can. Some engines will load up and stall during prolonged idling, others will be hard to restart after being switched off. One driver found he could save five minutes idling of the engine on his homeward journey each night. To guard against difficulty \in restarting he opened the throttle wide when touching the starter-button.