Auto Gossip

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30169, 28 June 1963, Page 9

Auto Gossip

A.J.P.

by

straight back into the driver’s eyes. Above all, put your lights on in good time. It is better to have them on too early than too late. RECONSTRUCTION The section of Oxford terrace between Worcester street and Hereford street is scheduled for reconstruction soon, and it will be a great improvement when this is completed. At present this section, particularly on th 4 side of the road near the river, has all the attributes of a military vehicle testingground as the sealing has come up in large but closely-spaced waves. Some of the cars braking hurriedly on this surface make some horrible noises. I suspect much of the damage has been caused by soft foundations and the large number of buses and heavy vehicles using this section of road. UNBALANCED ■ Wheel balancing is very important with modern cars. There can be no doubt of that. Recently, special tyres were fitted to the scribemobile and the wheels, which had previously been carefully balanced, were thrown well out. Even at 30 m.p.h. the steering-wheel twitched violently and progress was in a series of exciting little swerves. A garage owner said static balancing would do the trick, it was highly satisfactory on his car, he said. The wheels were carefullybalanced and most of the wiggle went, but at the legal limit there was still twitching. It seems the only answer is to have the wheels dynamically balanced in conjuction with the brake discs; I can only assume the disc brakes on my garageman friend’s car are manufactured to closer tolerences.

SENSITIVITY My friend also told me he had found some cars were much more prone to wheel-balance ailments than others. Cars with McPherson strut sliding-pillar-type front suspension seem more easily upset than those with wishbone lay-outs. The big old bangers, with wheels 16in. or bigger, hardly suffer from balance problems at all, first, because they usually do not go very fast and second, even if they do, the wheels are not turning so many times a mile. Also minor things like wheel balance seem to have little affect on a large beam axle. UNNOTICED It is becoming very common in both country and suburban areas to round a curve or blind bend and be suddenly confronted with substantial road works, the warning notice being propped up against the start of the excavations. Thus the motorist has no warning until the works themselves are in clear view. It would seem obvious the notice should be placed some distance from the works, and in some cases around the curve or bend, but this does not seem to have occurred to some contractors and local bodies. SPEED SIGNS Another undesirable feature of many road works is the cautionary speed signs erected by coptractors and local bodies. It is not unusual, particularly at week-ends, to come on a large sign warning of works and stipulating a 5 m.p.h. speed restriction (this in a 55 m.p.h. area) and then drive a considerable distance without seeing any evidence of either works or workmen before reacha derestriction sign. Unnecessary or ridiculously low speed restrictions do nothing but bring all such restrictions into disrepute, to the detriment of those restrictions which are reasonable and necessary.