THE ACCELERATOR.

Ellesmere Guardian, Volume XLV, Issue 3079, 12 April 1927, Page 2

THE ACCELERATOR.

There is a wide difference in the fitting of accelerators to cars both as re- j gards position and their response to the weight placed upon them, by the foot. Some types, particularly as fitted to 1 English cars, arc very light in opera- j tion; others are quite the reverse. Then there are those that are heavy to start down, but immediately become tender.

For years it lias been a practice' to place a peg or some other fixed device to take the weight of the foot and op- j crate from this instead of from the heel j on the floor-board. An improvement has j now been introduced in an adjustable { spring rest patented and manufactured in Australia. It takes the whole weight of the foot and enables the driver . to maintain steady pressure with his toe, doing away with tho fatigue of main- j taining balance, and by increased ' steadiness in engine speed saves petrol ! and eliminates wear. The principle is quite simple. . There is a cylinder en-

closing piston and spring, with provi-s

ion to alter the tension of the spring to suit the driver and the car. This cylinder passes through the floor-board and the device is screwed clown through a bed-plate. The rest itself ia adjustable as to height, which on being obtained is secured by a lock-nut. The whole arrangement is cheap, simple and effective..

A novel idea has been introduced in England with this same idea of providing driving comfort. In this case it is a complete re-designing of the accelerator pedal itself. The foot rests permanently on an xinyielding surface. The accelerator pedal is a cam working in a groove underneath but- across the foot. To operate it all that is necessary is to move the foot a trifle from side to side. It can, of course, be used in the ordinary way for "revving" the engine, by placing the foot direct down on the high part of the cam.