Motors and Motoring

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 263, 2 August 1929, Page 7

Motors and Motoring

(By

“SPARE WHEEL.”)

RUNNING COSTS HIGH SPEEDS EXPENSIVE As the burden of taxation borne by motorists is always increased rather than reduced, it is up to motorists themselves to endeavour to keep down their running costs. One of the 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 tires is shortened considerably, and if fife speed is maintained without any regard to the road surface, breakages may result. Few motorists nowadays have sufficient patience to limit their speed of travel to 25 m.p.h. on the open road, yet if the experiment weretried for a month the difference in run-, ning costs between driving under those conditions and, say, at 40 m.p.h. whenever the opportunity presented itself, would be appreciable. It is possible, however, to strike the happy medium by touring along at about 30 m.p.h. and obtaining thereby the maximum enjoyment from the countryside. Incidentally, it is surprising but nevertheless a true fact that the time taken to accomplish any given distance at a speed never exceeding 30 m.p.h. is very little more than when one indulges in frequent bursts of 40 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 the performance of the high-speed car than on that of the slower-moving vehicle. A somewhat similar parallel may be drawn between the conditions which arise when violent acceleration and deceleration are indulged in as compared with getting away gently and pulling up in similar fashion. In the former case tires wear more quickly 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 have 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 brakes at all. To maintain a fairly high speed until within forty or fifty yards of the van and then heavily apply the brakes is merely spectacular and decidedly wasteful. In this and other ways, love of the spectacular costs a driver shillings, if not pounds. Some people make no effort to economise in petrol. They are content to take the car as it stands, and if the consumption is so great as 20 m.p.g., 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 the garage hand was not over particular as to the way be filled the tank, or when the car was left standing the carburettor habitually tended to flood a little, they might take a sudden interest in the problem, and by giving attention to these points he might be surprised to discover that he was obtaining at least another five miles to every gallon—an appreciable saving in the course of a year. A successful attempt to cut down running costs does not end with lowering fuel consumption. There are other factors which enter into the question of which the novice knows practically very little, the expert a great deal, often as a result of bitter experience. RENOVATING MOTOR CLOTHES METHOD FOR LEATHER COATS. Motoring clothes frequently become badly soiled after only a few months’ wear. As leather coats and jackets are rather expensive items it is of interest to consider possible means of rejuvenating them. First, ■ greasy leather needs careful treatment with benzine or some other good dry cleaning spirit Many coats are ruined by swamping the leather with ordinary motor fuel. The colour then loses its full lustre and the leather appears weak and poor. Again, the smell of petrol clings tenaciously to the garment for many months. By far the best method is to rub the greasy patches with cotton wool soaked in the spirit. When the grease has been removed, the leather may be treated with a little curd soap dissolved in methylated spirits to get rid of the dust and dirt. About 4oz. of soap to loz. of methylated spirits are the correct proportions. The minimum possible amount of the mixture should be used, but even if excess is employed no real barm will be done to the leather. Always use fresh pieces of flannel, or soft material. To freshen up the colour, which so often fades to a nondescript hue after a few months’ exposure to strong sunlight, is fairly simple. Leather stains should be used; these may be obtained at. handicraft shops. The stains dissolve in methylated spirits, about Joz. to the pint are the best proportions. Great care should be taken to ensure that the colour is applied evenly. Three coatings are generally sufficient Afterwards polish briskly and give a dressing with a weak solution of shellac. For this purpose l-Boz. of 'the best shellac dissolved in D pints of spirit is sufficient The shellac may be applied with a brush or pad. The object of this dressing is to make the colour fast and the leather waterproof. In order to bring up the soft lustre of the leather an application of shoe cream is exceedingly useful. Polish with a piece of soft velvet to finish off, and then hang in the open air in order that the smell may be taken away. KEEPING THE RADIATOR CLEAR Perhaps one of the most neglected parts of a car is its radiator. If this is allowed to become choked with rust, overheating, with its attendant troubles, will often occur. A simple means of preventing this fouling is to fill the radiator with a solution of soda and water, in the proportion of approximately lib. of soda to each gallon of water. When the car has been run with this solution in the radiator and water jackets for say, half an hour, the engine should be stopped, the radiator should be drained, flushed out with a plentiful supply of water running from a hose, and finally filled to the normal level. There are available satisfactory special preparations intended to be used In the cooling system with a view to preventing the formation of rust internally.

THE NEW WOLSELEY BUILT FOR NEW ZEALAND CONDITIONS A CAR TO BE PROUD OF If ever the public of New Zealand has been given an incentive to buy an all-British motor-car, it has been given it in the newest product of Wolseley Motors, Ltd. Of course, the name of Wolseley needs no introduction, and has for many years stood for quality and efficiency in the motoring world. This latest model has the distinction of having been designed for conditions in New Zealand and Australia particularly, and is not on the market in England. It is a sedan type ear that fulfils every requirement for this country. Not only is it attractive so far as external appearance is concerned, but it is also equally attractive within. He who travels in this new car certainly cannot feel anything but proud. lie can also rest assured that he is riding in a tried product, for this car is the result of careful experimenting, the cost of which totalled the huge sum of £75,000. Its performance is perfection Itself. Easy to handle, silent in its running,

comfortable to sit in, and with more than the usual amount of foot-room, both for the driver and the passengers, the Wolseley “Messenger” Six should lose no time in becoming one of the foremost cars on the market. Although low set, it has a clearance !) inches. The brakes are excellent; large diameter brake drums operate in the wellknown Lockhead hydraulic system. In a demonstration given recently, it was conclusively proved that very little pressure was needed to bring the car to a standstill even when travelling at high speeds. Travelling along a flat road, it was found that the car would run smoothly at the low speed of five miles an hour, and to show how good were its powers of acceleration, it went from 8 miles an hour up to 30 miles an hour in 20 seconds. What more could one desire? Easy turning is another feature of the car, it being quite easy to turn In one movement in a little over 30 feet.

The top gear performance of this ear is really remarkable. Its horse-power is 21/60, with the result that climbing a stiff gradient is a very easy matter. In the test at which “Spaije Wheel” was present, the car simply flew up the road from Oriental Bay to Roseneath in top gear. Four forward gears are fitted, the third gear being specially designed for hill work. This gear was used on a particularly steep pull en route to the top of Mt Victoria. It is certainly a wonderful gear—and a pleasant sounding one. As a matter of fact, the car has what is known as a harmonised gear-box, the sound being so arranged that the result is a pleasant purr with a complete absence of any harshness. The car holds the road at any speed, and is remarkably stable when turning the sharpest bend, even at high speeds. On the trip up to Mt. Victoria, the car’s performance round some of the hairpin bends showed that nothing was wanting so far as easy turning was concerned.

And now a few words regarding the interior equipment. The Wolseley “Messenger” is refinement itself. The seating accommodatin is for five passengers, two bucket chairs being placed in front, while the back seat, which has a

width of 52 inches, accommodates three people. If so desired, one may have the usual type of cross seat in the front. The dashboard is neatly arranged, and contains an array of accessories. The clock Is placed above the windscreen in order that all passengers may see it. Should one be dazzled by the bright lights of a following car at night the back window blind can be pulled down by means of an attachment within easy reach of the driver. There are ample pockets in the car in which everything is designed for the comfort of the passengers. Even the back .eat is adjustable in a moment. The upholstery is of solid leather, and every effort has been expended in giving the interior that necessary touch that makes one feel that one has a better car than one’s neighbour. The ventilator in the roof is a great asset for summer driving, and the conveniently placed light in the roof is invaluable at night. The headlamps, by the way, are extremely powerful, and, by means of a switch, the beam can be altered so that the rays strike the ground 35 feet ahead of the car. The windscreen wiper is connected with the gear-box and works independently of the engine, its speed being regulated by the speed of the car. Taking things all round, it is safe to predict that once this Wolseley “Messenger” saloon becomes known, it will undoubtedly rank among the most popular and economic cars (its

petrol consumption at 50 miles an hour is 18 miles to the gallon) on the New Zealand market. For a six-cylinder car of this type and of such efficiency the price, £595, is most reasonable, especially when one considers the length of service one gets from an English motor-car. This car is being sold at a much lower price than is usual for one of its type, but the manufacturers are trusting to the appreciation of New Zealanders and Australians to realise just what they are getting for their money to make the sales warrant the shipment of many consignments to these regions. The Australasian representative is Mr. James Thornell, whose Wellington offices are in the Bank of New Zealand Chambers, Manners Street. From him any further particulars regarding specifications, etc., are obtained. Published by arrangement. ( ADVICE TO NEW MOTORISTS One hears so frequently of engine and chassis troubles arising from neglect of the lubrication of the car that the importance of frequent attention cannot be stressed too strongly. Many new motorists appear to think that there is sufficient oil in the sump, gearbox, back axle and so on to last for many months. This is not so, and one must examine the level in the sump every 200 miles or so and check that in the other components every 400-500 miles, and make up the level if necessary. BOILING THE PLUGS It has been found that badly carbonised sparking plugs are satisfactorily cleaned by boiling them in a strong solution of caustic soda. The solution should consists of one ounce of soda to ten ounces of water, and the _ plugs should be boiled for about five minutes, care being taken to wash them finally with cold water, and to dry them as far as possible by bringing them into contact with warm air for some minutes.