RUNNING COSTS.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 19971, 4 July 1930, Page 7

RUNNING COSTS.

ECONOMY VERSUS WASTE. THE HAPPY MEDIUM. Beckoned in terms of & s. d., the actual difference between extravagance and economy may not bo large, but thero is a great deal of satisfaction to be attained from the knowledge that one's car is giving of its best at tho lowest possible cost. Economy can be carried to extremes, of course, but tho following hints will help to prevent a car boing wasteful rather than ultraeconomical: Standing Charges. There are certain standing charges which are, of course, unalterable. Insurance is a matter which deserves far groater attention than it usually received. It ia far better to take advantage of a comprehensive policy issued by a reliable concern at a comparatively high premium than to lull oneself into a false sense of security and contentment by taking out a policy at a much cheaper rate with an unreliable company. This may not be regarded, strictly speaking, as "running costs," but in endeavouring to asoertain how much per mile a car has cost to run daring the season, such charges oannot be ignored. One of tho first things that a novice should clearly understand is that maintaining high speeds is one of the surest ways of running up expenses. Fuel consumption increases at a surprising rate, even the best engine tends to fling out oil, the life of tyres is shortened considerably, and if the speed is maintained without any regard to the road surface breakages may result.

Few of us have sufficient patience to limit our speed of travel in the country to 25 m.p.h., yet if the experiment were tried for a month, the difference in running costs between driving under those conditions and, shall we say, at 50 m.p.h. whenever the opportunity presented itself, would be appreciable. It is possible, however, to striko tho happy medium by touring along at about 35 m.p.h. and obtaining thereby the maximum enjoyment from the countryside. Incidentally, it is a surprising but nevertheless true fact that the time taken t/« accomplish any given distance at a never exceeding 40 m.p.h. is very little more than when on© indulges in frequent bursts of 60 m.p.h. Probably the governing factor is not relative speed at all, but the obstructions which are met with in the course of an ordinary run and which have a far greater effect on tho performance of the high-speed car than on that of tho slower-moving vehicle.

Speed Costs Money.

A somewhat similar parallel may be drawn between the conditions which arise when violent acceleration and deooloration arc indulged in as compared with getting away gently and pulling up in similar fashion. In the former case tyres wear more auickly, more fuel is consumed, brake linings do not last so long and a far greater degree of wear and tear is imposed on. the vehicle itself. The actual saving in time, moreover, may under many conditions be hardly appreciable. If, for example, a driver knows quite definitely that he will havo to slow down behind a large furniture van rumbling along in the distance, he might just as well take his foot off the accelerator and "close up" without using the brake at aIL To maintain a fairly, high weed until within forty or fifty yards of the van and then heavily to apply the brakes is merely spectacular. In this and other ways, love of the spectacular costs a driver shillings, if not pounds! According to' some folk it is a waste of time endeavouring to be economical so far as petrol and oil are concerned, tho actual difference between extravagance and economy being, in their opinion, too small to warrant tho aggravation which the effort entails. It is a pity that petrol consumption trials, so popular in the past, have practically been discontinued, for nowadays these would supply convincing proof of the fallacy of the argument.

Petrol Consumption. Folk seldom make any effort to ' economise in petrol in this year of grace! They are content to take the car as it stands, and if the consumption Is high, to shrug their shoulders and surrender themselves to the inevitable; but if one were to point out to them that they had a leaky tap, or that tho garage hand was not over particular as to tho way he filled the tank or even—most surprising of all, perhaps—that when the car was left standing the carburettor habitually tended to flood, they might take a sudden interest in the problem. Having gained their attention, ono might go even farther by suggesting that an extra air valve would prove a definite source of economy, especially in hilly country. Their attention might also bo drawn to the fact that even tho "best people" fit a size smaller main jet in summer, and that ivheri starting up they never keep the. Btrangler shut a moment longer than is necessary. Having, let us hope, benefited by this advice, the man who wfls previously so prejudiced against attempting petrol economy in any form might be surprised to discover that he was obtaining at leapt another five miles to every gallon—an appreciable saving in the course of a year.

Mistaken Ideas. ! Some motorists are curious people. They may not go quite so far as to fill the barrel and leave the bung-hole open, but in certain matters their conduct is equally reprehensible. They buy cheap quality oil in small proportions instead of purchasing the be»t that is to be bad in five-gallon drums, and they retain a set of "groggy ,s sparking plujs, not realising that a new set would soon pay for themselves, if not is actual cash, then in kind. They put off indefinitely the job of' decarbonising, hugging to themselves the delusion that thoy are saving money and that they are really very clever fellow# to be able to drive a car for so long without having the cylinder head off. In actual fact they are probably wasting both petrol and oil, whilst the road performance of the car gets daily worse and worse. These same folk will often remark, with quite a proud note in their voices, that their engines take practically no oil, and that they have not "found it necessary" to drain the sump for 5000 miles I Eventually they discover that they want every penny they have saved and a good deal more in order to pay for the inevitable overhaul of main bearings, big ends, and so on. From the foregoing it will be seen that a successful attempt to cut down running costs does not end with lowering fuel consumption, tyre bills and the like. There are innumerable factors which enter Into the question of which the novice -knows practically nothing, the expert a great deal —often as a result of bitter experience.