Motors and Motoring

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 56, 29 November 1929, Page 16

Motors and Motoring

(Gy

“SPARE WHEEL.”)

SOUTH ISLAND ROADS THE EARTHQUAKE AREA The recent disturbances in the West Coast of the South Island have caused those who have been proposing to tour that section of the Dominion during the coming summer some concern, and information has been very meagre concerning the various routes. The Auckland Automobile Association now assures motorists that the majority of the roads are in first-class order. Although it is possible Io travel south from Nelson to Westport, the detour route is not at all satisfactory, tint! is not generally advised for touring purposes. At Murchison, 84 miles south of Nelson, the main road to Westport and Rcefton is blocked, and a detour via Maruia and Hot Springs Junction (an extra 21 miles) is necessary. The detour route is, however, inadvisable for

general private car traffic. In parts, and for long distances, it is a one-way road; there are some very acute bends, and being in a rather rainy district, there are numerous waterways which are difficult and sometimes dangerous. It would be very foolhardy for a stranger to the district to attempt the route without first securing very definite local information. It will therefore be seen that it will be better during the coming summer, pending the opening of the Murchison-Lyell road, possibly in March, for motorists to ship their cars to I’icton and then travel down the East Coast via Kaikoura to Christchurch and thence via Otira to Kuinara. After doing the Franz Josef Glacier, the same route must be taken back to Kuinara and Greymouth. The following is a new round trip: Leaving Greymouth travel straight through to Keefton and thence to Inangahua. The route then passes through the Buller Gorge to Westport, and then south on the new coast road to Greymouth. Between the Fox and Punakaiki Rivers is a section of road now under consideration, and at the rivers provision has been made for fording at low tide. Previously this route has not been negotiable for ordinary traffic. The coast road north of Westport is only negotiable as far as Seddonvillc.

.Striking evidence of the manner in which the British motor vehicle manufacturer has during the last year or two practically recaptured his home market, for ears and trucks is disclosed in figures recently issued. A few years back Great Britain was noticing only 39 per cent, of the motor vehicles sold in that country; to-day approximately 8G per cent, of the cars and trucks sold in the British Isles are of English manufacture.

EFFICIENT COOLING PAYING TO HEAT THE AIR About 30 per cent, of the energy in the gasoline burned in tin automobile is thrown away through the radiator. This seems' tt terrific waste of energy, and it is (states a prominent American manufacturer). It is not pleasant to think that for every £5 worth of fuel the motorist buys, 30/- is used up in heating the outside atmosphere, yet such is the case, and this is one of the main reasons why wo only got back about £3 10/- in actual work for every £5 worth of fuel that enters the tank. Unfortunately, that is one of the weaknesses of the type of on due in use to-day. Until some bright inventor comes along with an engine that operates upon some other system, such as the Diesel, or the constant-pressure, or

some other economical method of handling the fuel that will be inherently" more efficient, we will have to put up with tin’s seemingly good example of the inefficiency of man’s inventions. .Surprising as it may seem, the immediate problem before the motor-car engineer to-day is not how to cut down the amount of heat that is thrown away through the radiator, but, on the contrary, to see that the required amount of heat is thrown away.

Our engines must operate at the proper temperature or they win not operate satisfactorily if at all. The running temperature of a motorcar engine is approximately 180 degrees Fahrenheit. This must be maintained whether the ear is running at 15 miles per hour or 70 miles per hour, and ■whether the temperature outside is zero or “90 in the shade.”

With to-day’s good roads, cars are driven at high speeds for mile after mile. It is not unusual in some countries for a car to be driven from 55 to 00 miles per hour for stretches of 200 miles without a let-up. Cooling systems that were designed for the time when a man t hought lie was doing Avell to average 25 miles per hour naturally will not function satisfactorily -when travelling at high speeds. The water would be all boiled off before the car had gone many miles.

The man who knowingly drives a motor vehicle with faulty brakes is as serious a menace to society as the man who carries a gun. The gun may be discharged, without intent of tlie owner, and kill or injure someone. The car with faulty brakes may, without intent of the driver, fail to stop promptly and kill or injure someone.

TO CONSERVE TIRES ADVICE ON DRIVING Since one of the most expensive items in the running of a motor-vehicle is the upkeep and replacement of tires, it is obvious that the keen and careful motorist will endeavour to conserve them and do all that is possible in the way of getting the longest mileage from each cover. Careful driving is 'the great secret of tire service, other things being correct, such as pressures of inflation and the tilling of cuts and holes. As regards the first, it is obvious that sudden braking and sudden accelerations must put a greater strain upon the tire cover than can be put by any amount of straightforward driving. In changing gear on hills, if the wait between disengagement and engagement of the clutch is too long, it may take a great deal out of the tires which have to take up the load unfairly. The change should be as quick as possible, yet the clutch must not be “dropped” in. It must be engaged smoothly. It can be let out as quickly as possible. A good deal depends on the accuracy of accelerating. 'When we get the “touch” of any gear we can accelerate as the clutch comes out and to exactly the right amount for the increased engine ratio of the lower gear, then shift the gear lever over and engage gently. It can be done very quickly, and if properly accomplished the drive will be taken up without any extra strain upon the tires. If the car jerks forward we know that the tire tread is being subjected to tremendous strain, and it is this strain, often applied, which weakens tire walls, and wears tire treads. Bad roads should be negotiated at moderate speeds. Avoid sudden braking, particularly on loose roads, and also sudden accelerations. It is the sudden changes of driving pressures in the tires which cause more wear than is caused by the rolling of the tiro upon the road. Make sure that the tires are fully inflated.

Many a man who is careful to have his car put in condition before a long trip, often neglects to submit it to a physical examination when he gets back. The hard usage of the trip may have started something that will give serious trouble later unless it is attended to in time.

WORTH REMEMBERING TWELVE SAFETY RULES. 1. Courtesy comes first. Consider the rights and privileges of others. 2. Keep your mind on your driving, and anticipate sudden emergencies. 3. Learn the “feel” of having your car under control. 4. Obey all traffic and parking regulations. 5. Keep to the left, and comply with road markings and signs. 6. Signal for stops and turns watch the car ahead. 7. Slow down at crossings, schools, and dangerous places. 8. Never pass cars on hills, curves, crossings. 9. Adapt your driving to road conditions—rain, soft spots, and ruts. 10. It doesn’t pay to take the “right of way” too seriously. 11. When you drive, remember the times when vou’re a pedestrian. 12. Know the law. It was passed for your protection. NEW “METALLISING” PROCESS A considerable stir is being made in the engineering world by the introduction of a new “metallising” process.By means of this process metal can be deposited on practically any type of solid surface, whether it be metal, wood, or even fabric. In the automobile industry, its main purpose will be to build up worn machine parts, thus obviating the necessity for expensive replacements. The amazing part of this process is that the metal is applied by a spray pistol in a similar manner to that in which cellulose paint is applied to the coachwork of a ear. A wire formed of the metal to be deposited is fed into the “pistol” from which it is projected by means of compressed air in the form of a spray. An oxy-acetylene jet in the nozzle of the pistol liquifies the metal as it emerges. “BUFFERS” PRECAUTIONS IN FITTING. Motorists who contemplate fitting “buffers” to their cars should take the precaution—before doing so—of consulting an expert motor engineer as to whether the type of buffer to be purchased is suitable for his chassis. A buffer fitter to a chassis frame which is not expressly designed to stand it, o? a buffer which is of such robust construction and so stoutly attached to' the chassis that it is in fact stronger than the frame it is designed to protect, may well result in the cure proving worse than the disease, and a ci'ash beyond a certain degree of severity will result in more or less serious structural damage. On the other hand, buffers, properly designed and fitted so that they absorb lesser shocks instead of transmitting them to the main structure of the chassis, should be effective in protecting the car from the varied forms of minor accidents. CARE OF WIRE WHEELS Since wire wheels have become more popular than ever on modern cars, it is necessary to remind the owner-dri-ver that some attention is necessary in cases where for any reason a spoke breaks. As a rule a wheel with a broken spoke may last without further damage for months; but, on the other hand, there is a chance that the structure of the whole wheel may be weakened and adjacent spokes will fail under the additional stresses. Should a defect of this nature be noticed, it is advisable to have repairs effected without delay. Impacts with kerbs will sometimes interfere with the accurate running of wire wheels, and therefore it is advisable to jack, up the axles from time to time to ascertain whether the rims run quite true; and at the same time the spokes can be examined for fracture or imnerfect tension.

Hard steering is usually caused by under-inflation of tires and lack of lubrication of king pins and the joints in the tie rod connecting the front wheels.