WINTER RUNNING.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20551, 20 May 1932, Page 6

WINTER RUNNING.

TEN USEFUL HINTS. The chill of winter is making its, presence felt in the early morning and at'night, with the result v±o many ear owners of difficult starting "from cold." Other owners are prone to run the engine too fast or too slow,, with consequent liability to- damage. For the benefit of those who do experience difficulties of . this character, .the following hints are given:— Plugs" should be clean and in proper adjustment. (When a plug has been in use for 10,000. miles it should be renewed for best results.) Batteries . should be fully charged and in good condition. The make-and-break points should be absolutely clean and in proper adjustment. A good brand of fuel should be

used. Use a grade of engine oil in accordance with the maker's reconimenda* tion. The oil "in the gear box should not be too heavy. Avoid excessive use of the choke, and be careful that the carburettor is not overflooded. Verify the • insulation condition of H.T: leads if carried in a iiictal conduit.

When the engine fires release the choke a-s soon as possible, and allow the engine to run for a few minutes at a last idling speed, i.e., an equivalent of about 20 m.p.h. on top gear. Fast running and very slow running are equally harmful. When on the road do not run the engine at a higher speed than will keep the oil gauge needle .within tha limits of the dial calculations, and do not drive hard until the oil pressure has dropped to practically normal. .

Weaving of the car body tends to loosen the screws that hold the door hinges. Looseness at these points may be causing squeaks.

NOTES. The latest figures available at the Chief Post Office, Christehurch, showthat 1717 motor vehicle licenses have so far been issued, as compared with 2494 for the corresponding period of last yW, the decrease being roughly 33$ per cent. The reduction is no doubt due to the economic position, many motorists having decided to keep their cars in sheds for a few mouths of the new year at least. It will not be surprising if the total reduction of registrations is considerably 'less than was the case last year. The revised edition of the 1932 road map issued by the Atlantic Union Oil Company, Limited, a copy of which has been sent to "Roadster," will be found useful to motorists, who may obtain i'od'o* a ! "iti« ■">» furoHr-Htirm to the company's office, Hereford street. Printed clearly on stout papery the map shows on" ono ;-.ide roads of the North Island and on the other side roads of the South island. A useful feature of the map is that the distances between various points are shown. An experimental engine with cer-; tain interesting features has been constructed by a Belgian engineer, Mr J. E. Serste. The engine functions on the two-stroke cycle and has a form of reciprocating cuff valve in the cylinder head for opening and closing the exhaust ports. This valve opens automatically under gas pressure, the closing movement being operated from a light overhead camshaft, through the medium of a special form of rocker and a small connecting rod. Straightthrough scavenging and no loss of fresh gas through the exhaust are points claimed by the inventor. It may bo noted that the piston, in descending, first unmasks a ring of air ports for tho scavenging air before the induction ports admitting fresh gas are opened. Tho number of vehicles for which licenses were current in England during the quarter ending September 30th last were as follows: Cars taxed on horse-power, 1,083,457; motor-cycles, j 620,649; goods vehicles, 360,614; motor hackneys, 87,464. As against goods vehicles, where an increase of 12,173 is registered, cars, motor-cycles and motor hackneys show slight decreases compared with the correspond- ■ mg period of the preceding year. Hartlepool, a town of somo 20,000 inhabitants, has not had one single fatal street accident during the past year. ' The Chief Constable maintains tiiat this freedom is largely due to the system of safety-first lessons given in tho Hartlepool schools. The Paris polico force is to be augmented by 80 cyclist police, 20 motorcars, and numerous plain-clothes officers. This is prompted by the increasing ii'imber of armed attacks in the Paris region. The number of now motor-cars in England taxed on horse-power registered for tho first time under the Koads Act, during January last, was 12,140, as compared with 12,664 in January, 1931. A new car tyro foot pump whistles when a predetermined pressure has been reached. Sidecars, rather than solo machines, arc favoured, by German mobile police. Tho open exhaust pipes or toy silencers that once characterised Continental machines, arc seen no longer. The police in many countries, and especialj,v in France, have developed a keen ear for noisy exhausts.

More than 30,000 summonses for obstruction were issued in, England last year, the amount in fines equallyJng almost as many pounds. Moreover, of over 300,000 motoring offences recorded, nearly 90 per cent, were of a trifling or technical nature.

An American engineer publicly expresses the view that a weight of lib per developed horse-power will be az tained in the not far distant future! The Rolls-Royce Schnieder Trophy engine weighed lloz per b.h.p. in 1931. A six-day cycle race was recently run in America—on rollers!

Weaving of the ear body tends to loosen the crews that hold the door hinges. Looseness at those points may bo causing squeaks.

Lord Wakefield has been elected an honorary member of tho Gabriele d'Annunzio Motor Nautical Club of Lake Garda. He has also been presented with the d'Annunzio Gup in roeogition of Kaye Don raising the water speed record.

Front wheels of all cars toe-in, or are gathered at the front, to compensate for the. fact that the wheels taper from top to bottom.

4. cycle rear light demonstration was held in Belgium recently, when nearly 40 makes of lamps, including electric, oil, and acetylene, were tested. The Relgian road authorities have decided to enforce the carrying of a red rear lamp by cyclists with as little delay as possible.

In America gangsters are able to purchase "super tin tacks" with a broad base and a two-inch business end, which are sold under the trade name of "Bootleggers' Pals," These they sprinkle on the roadway out of the rear window when chased bv a police car.-- • \ ""■ '