MOTORING & MOTORISTS

Evening Star, Issue 20109, 25 February 1929, Page 12

MOTORING & MOTORISTS

[BY RADIATOR.]

TIMES FOR LIGHTING UP. To-day 5.4 Tuesday B.A Wednesday 'B.l Thursday ... 7.,)!) Friday* 7,58 Saturday 7.56 .Sunday 7.55 FIXTURES. March U.M.C. hill climb. FRONT WHEEL DRIVE. There arc indie-aliens that front wheel drive ears arc about to receive more attention from motor manufacuurers. Although it has lean the general practice lor more .‘han a quarter of a century to place ;’ie engine in Iront ai.d in carry t.io power to tim rear wheels through a -tear bo\ and a propeller shall, the front drive principle is far from being new. One make ol jr.iiy has been bud;, in Prance tor mr-ve than twenty yea s ivilh the trout win vis as both drivers and steorers; as far back as ]DUS an American racing -a’ <aded tho “ Walter Christie ” (front drive) competed at Dieppe, France, and during the last five or six years many front drive racing cars have been built noth in Europe and in America. Jt 1 refluent ly happens that an idea rests in the minds of a few engineers years before it’ receives practical application, and front wheel drive vs just one of suck ideas. Other developments had to take precedence, and now that these approach perfection front drive suggests itsell as a. possible further step forward. One of the advantages of using tho front wheels for driving the car is the greater liberty allowed in body building. Fur several years ear heights have been rednecd--lor sports ears, that is—until a minimum has now, been attained with present mechanical constructions. Whatever the methods employed to reduce the height of cars, tho rear axle remains the limiting factor. If a ‘‘dead” axle can bo substituted for tho usual “live” axle, a saving of several indies is immedately obtained. Body builders probably will be tho strongest partisans of front wheel drive. Jt gives them, in effect, a platform entirely free from mechanism, on which to build a body without any consideration of clearances, accessibility, or varying; heights. While til..-, front drive principle lias many advantages, there are still objections and difficulties to be solved before it becomes more generally adopted. One of the real ditlicultics with front wheel

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drive is that the axis pins for tho stub axles cannot be- placed at an angle, and thus there is no caster action on the front wheels. This is a problem which time may solve, and undoubtedly it will bo solved in the end, because a far without caster is unstable when the throttle is shat, though stable when the front wheels are driving. Suspension ought to bo better with front than with real wheel drive, for unsprung weight is reduced to a minimum. From the standpoint of the user there is the advantage that the body and the mechanism arc separate, and the most extensive repair work can bo carried out without any"disturbance of the body or any danger of soiling or damaging it. THE CARBURETTOR. The carburetter is manufactured to supply, mixed with air, approximately tho proper portion of benzine under running conditions, and very little change has been found necessary in its design for many rears. Strangely enough, while rapid strides have been made in the, last few years in the development of tho petrol engine mechanically, as ajiplied to the motor ear, very little, work has been done on tho induction system. By distribution efficiency is meant the uniform vapourisation of the petrol in the induction manifold so that each cylinder obtains the right amount of the correct .mixture, enabling it to do its fair proportion of the total work of tho engine. except in the most expensive ears, owing to inherent difficulties in design, it, is not usual to find that each cylinder gives exactly {he same power output. Nevertheless, a “ well-balanced ” spirit produced with a knowledge of the distribution efficiency of modern ears gives maximum power and smooth running. In the general ease of tho four-cylinder engine with one carburetter, it is usually found that the two middle cylinders do more work than the two outer ones. The six-cylinder engine may bo considered as having a cylinder put on at either end, and further complicates matters. Attention is now* being given to this very important subject of distribution. In one well-known sixcylinder car tho carburetter is placed at one end of tho induction manifold, but consideration of tins system would lead one to think that il the carburetter be near No. 1 cylinder No. 6 cylinder, owing to its distance from the carburetter —cannot obtain full charge of tho mixture as readily as No. 1, owing to tho obstruction caused by tho long induction jape. Notwithstanding this, it is stated that tests show that this system is more efficient than ■ burotters spaced midway between the cylinders. In racing practice, where it is neccssavy to got every ounce of power from each cylinder, some ears are fitted with a carburettor for every two cylinders, and in some eases with a carburetter for ca-h cylinder. RUBBER ROADS. To prevent automobiles from skidding on steep hills and dangerous crossings Paris is covering its asphalt roads with a, mixture of rubber ami bitumen. It will take eight years to rid the french capital of smooth asphalt, and meanwhile this “rubber carpet” method is winning favour as a temporary substitute until concrete paving can bo laid. One such “carpet” laid in 19-6 is still in good condition. Asphalt, which has a. very had reputation with motorists in the wet climate of Paris, is still the paving on 15 per cent, ol the city s streets, although the Highways Department lias promised’ to do away with it altogether. TYRES OF TO-DAY BADLY “PUNISHED.” Few motorists appreciate how mm h “ punishment ” tho automobile tyro of to-day is called upon to lake. When considering tho service to tyres today, it must bo remembered that changes have taken place that greatly affect tread wear. Congested traffic lias necessitated stop streets, traffic lights, and other methods of traffic control. High compression motors with rapid acceleration enable the car driver to make quick starts. Powerful 4-whcel brakes enable him to make sudden stops. In the country improved roads are responsible for higher speeds. Speed, quick starts, and sudden stops all cause faster tread wear. These changed conditions in ear ojioration threw a burden on tyres that manifests itself in forms of tread wear unknown in the past. During tho periods of rain, snow, or ice, uncertain traction changes the driving habits ol many ear owners. They reduce speed, start slowly, and coma to a stop gradually. The result is slower tread wear. This explains whv, in northern latitudes, tyre wear is more rapid in summer than in winter. .The manufacturer can control with scientific accuracy tho compounding, curing, and construction Hftyivs, but lie cannot control tho conditions under which these tyres are a sad. FOUR-STROKE ENGINE. For those who are not sure as to what is tho cycle of operations in a four-stroke engine, and also as to what are tho strokes and their sequence, the following extract from the Motor will bo of interest:—Tbo first stroke in tho cycle of operations is the suction stroke, during which the piston descends and draws the explosive mixture into the cylinder through the inlet valve, which simultaneously is open. At the completion of this the piston starts travelling upwards, compressing the mixture in tho cylinder, both the valves being at this time closed. When the piston is approximately at the top dead centre,of its stroke—sometimes a little after,, according to the ignition timing—a spark occurs at the points of the plug, and the mixture is fired. This brings us to the third movement, which is the expansion or power stroke, the burning mixture driving the piston downwards. On the tonrth or exhaust stroke the burning gases arc expelled from the cylinder by the rising piston, tho exhaust valve being open. Tliis complete cycle occupies two crankshaft revolutions. CARS AT CANBERRA. ROOM FOR ALL. Canberra, the Federal capital ,_ has the same distinction, in Australia as Washington, the capita! city, lias ill the United States in owning the largest number of motor cars per head of population in tlje Union. The number of cars registered at Canberra at the end of December, 1928, was 1,315, which represents one car for every four and a-half persons resident there. It would bo interesting to know what tbo. percentages are in other Australian cities.

VISITOR FROM ABROAD. Jt Fl’ll FSFN'TAT IVF OF TYRE COMPANY. Mr Samuel. Brows, vice-president and director of the Firestone Tyre and i>jibber Export Company, has been a Wellington visitor lor several days, and before proceeding to Australia intends to make a tour throngh the fnoutli and North Islands to study distributing methods; and at the same time view the scenic beauty, for which New /.calami is well known in Canada and L.S.A. Mr Brows informs ns that Ins umpany’s products sold in New Zea..md arc manufactured within the Empire, An up-to-date strictly modern manulacturing plant was recently completed in London, providing labour lor I,ool' British workmen. On the ipoinng day of this new factory a luncheon was Lettered to 250 guests. The Hon. bir Joynson-Hieks, 'British Home Secretary, made the keynote speech, in which be emphasised the splendid relations existing between the company and its employees.

The British factory is equipped with the very latest facilities to make liio lor tho employees more comfortable. Restaurants, restrooms, shower baths, etc., are only a few of the I bines with which tho new factory is provided, tending to make working conditions extremely attractive. During tho luncheon Mr Harvey S. Firestone, president of the company hearing his name, made a tcn-niinntc speech from ids nliicc at Akron. Ohio, U.S.A., by telephone. Amplifiers were erected above the speaker’s table, and Mr Firestone's voice came over the wires and through the air in such a manner that each word was plainly heard by everyone amongst the large audience. it was the lirst time tho transatlantic telephone service was over utilised in addressing such a large gathering. Mi 1 Hroers is particularly impressed with the aggressive and modern methods with which business is carried on in New Zealand, its wonderiul hospitality and throbbing activity in all lines of endeavour. ADJUSTMENT OF SHOCK ABSORBERS, Such items as the adjustment ql shock absorbers to the road springs is a matter varying with each individual type of shock absorber used, lint many motorists use their cars with v e shock absorbers cither too tight orytoo slack, with the consequent deleterious effect upon the springing, whereas a lew minutes spent in adjusting liicm would amply repay the effort, and it is advised that various settings both licnt and rear should lie experimented with until a satisfactory ail-roniul one is arrived at. Brake adjustment, too. is nowadays extremely simple and well 'vitliin the scope of even the entire novice, nest brakes being compensated in such a manner that a single-point adjustment suffices for quite a long time, : nd it is only necessary to turn a hand wheel or ily nut one or two revolutions in cider to effect the required adjustment while even to go farther and adjust each brake independently is a matter calling for only a iittle extra knowledge, the operation depending whether the front brakes, if fitted, arc compensated to the rear or ouch side in pahs, leifc to right. .In tho former case, if the system is not fully compensated, the 'adjustment must bo effected in each individual brake rod until both pairs ul brakes, left and rigid, are applied braks," left and right, arc applied equally, while in tho latter instance the application must be balanced front to rear in pairs. ON THE ROUGH STUFF. HOW TO HANDLE THE CAR. Frequently it happens that a driver comes across a sudden .hump or a pothole in the roadway when it is too late to avoid it. Often such an obstacle is only seen at the last moment, when it is impossible materially to reduce the speed of the car in time. Under these circumstances tho best tjiing to do is to apply the hand brake without declutching, in other words, allow tho car to keep going at the s'nio speed, more or less, but steady it by the application of tho brake, always providing that it acts on the rear wheels only. If this is done it will he found that the braking effort against the normal acceleration of the car will tend to hold the road wheels closer In the snif.'ice. and the. resultant bump will be minimised. Considerable wear on the springs and working parts will lie avoided, an.f tin; comfort of the passengers also will be improved. It must lie emphasised that to achieve this effect tho loot must ) ot be remove.'! from clutch or accelerator. When travelling over loose metai during road-making oprations the reverse process should bo adopted. On approaching tho loose patch of metal the clutch should bo put i-ght out, raid neither brake should he ipuhed leaving tho momentum of the v-Minde to carry it over the rough va'ace. Tn this way the power (.; rim engine will momentarily bo .-moved iro", the transmission, and the back wheels will .ride lightly over the sharp stones. Although tho speed should ho reduced when crossing such a rid go of loose stones, it is a mistake to engager low gear, and many of the bad cuts in back tyres are caused by traversing loose! metal' with the engine pulling in gear, ,

V RUST-PROOF CAR. BRITISH TESTS. A .secret experiment plant has just 1 icon installed at one of the leading British motor car factories in Birmingham with a view to the production of an entirely rust-proof motor car. Cars made in the United States arc now arriving in large numbers in England with the bright parts coated with unlarnishablc plating. The British experiment is not limited to the bright parts of the car. If expectations arc realised every metal surface on the car, both bright and dull, will Ipc rendered rust-proof. The new process, if successful, will bo applied to such parts as springs, metal coachwork, mudguards, nuts and holts, wheel caps, and so forth. it will ho used in conjunction with nntarnisliable plating for the radiator, lamps, dashboard fittings, and windscreen supports. Practically the whole of the British motor industry is now experimenting with untarmshablo plating processes. Plants have lately boon laid down in no fewer than eight factories. NOT GUILTY. 'The offence of “ unlawful conversion ” is not in the English code, and when a. car is taken by joy-riders and abandoned a charge of theft fails. Before unlawful conversion became an offence in Now Zealand motorists had no redress. 'The English law is very deficient in this respect. A case occurred in Birminghom about three mouths ago in which two men were charged with stealing a new car. The owner, giving evidence, said that ho left his ear outside a club. NVhen lie came out the car was gone. Later ho saw it in a damaged condition in a garage, and two gallons of petrol had been consumed. The damage was estimated at £2OO. Another witness stated that he had seen the car in collision with a tramcar, and in the car wore the two men accused. Both prisoners admitted being in the car, hut declared their intention was only to have a “joy-ride.” They were, found not guilty and discharged! » VETERAN MOTOR CARS. To commemorate the anniversary of the day, thirty-two years ago, wligu motorists wore absolved from the necessity of being preceded by a man carrying a red flag. there was a pretecssion recently from London to Brighton, of forty-four cars built between the years 1801 and 1903. The youngest machine was a twenty-live year old Riley, and the oldest a thirty-seven year" old Panhnrd. The Daimler in which King Edward VTT. first rode was among the starters, as well as a Renault with a single cylinder engine, and a racing model which came in thirty-three years ago in the ParisAmstordam race.

Tho sight of these pioneers (comments the London ‘Daily Telegraph’) may well make us wonder if our own superb models of to-day will in thirty years’ time look as prehistoric and elementary in construction and convenience as these hardy veterans. Trevethiek, Watt, and Stephenson have received their due meed of praise, but less credit than they deserve has been given to Ktionnc Lenoir for his invention of the gas engine which enabled him to cover six miles in ninety minutes as long ago as 1863. and to tho Austrian, Siegfried Markus, who converted an ordinary handcart into a benzine-driven horseless carriage some 10 years later. Carl Benz’s car, which followed in 1.883, and could travel at eight miles an hour, was nothing more than a tricycle built for two with the cylinder behind tho sent, open to dust and ’dirt, hut its enduring qualities were proved by the fact that the inventor, at the age of eighty-two, drove it in a procession of old cars in Munich as lately at 1925. The inventor of the iirsfc high-speed explosion motor, which was built in the same year as the Benz motor tricycle, was Gottlieb Daimler, and tho first Dajmler car, built forty-two years ago, looks exactly like a phaeton, and had ordinary ironshod wheels. Twenty pounds extra was charged for solid rubber tyres. Almost immediately after came the craze for speed, and improvement followed upon improvement with such .rapidity that the invention for which Benz could find no purchaser became, within forty years, the normal .means of fast road transport. The procession of veterans serves tho useful purpose of reminding us of tho enthusiasm and enterprise of tiny early pioneers and of the extraordinary advance in comfort and utility tbatjias been made in so short a period of Lime. All honour to these rugged parents of a virile progeny. PARKING PLACE TRICKS. A woman left her motor car in a West End parking place in London recently while she went to the theatre. When she returned she found that one of the wheels of the car with a new tyre on it had been taken off tho car and a wheel with a tyre in the last stages of decay put in its place, Tho woman complained to the attendant. “ Oh,” said the attendant, “ that’s nothing. A man came hero tlu: other night, stepped into his car, switched on the engine, and tried to drive away, hub his car wouldn’t move. “ When ho stepped out to find out what had happened, he saw that every wheel on his ear had Vanished, and the axles rested on soap boxes. Wo can’t help these things happening in the dark.” Another motorist chained one of the wheels of his ear to a lamy post at a parking place. When he returned the wheel was still chained to the post, but the rest of tho car had gone.

MOTOR CYCLING b THE LOCAL CLUB. March 2.—JFiill climb. March 9.—Dirt track, in conjunction with N.Z.A.A.A. March 20.—Monthly meeting. March 23.—Paper chase. April 17.—Monthly meeting. April 20.—Sporting trial. May IJ.—Club events. May ].s.—Monthly meeting. June I.—Camberl'y scramble. Owing to numerous complaints from residents at Bethune’s Gully, the Sports Committee has decided to hold the hill climb elsewhere. Two suitable hills have been located, but up to the present no decision has been arrived at. Keen regret is fell in motor cycle circles that Mr Lon. Johnson will be unable to compete a't the championship meeting to be held at Christchurch on March 16. WAIKOUAITI BEACH SPEEDS. . Some idea of the bad coitdition of the Waikouaili Beach on Saturday, 16th, may be obtained from the following comparison of speeds ; 1928. 1929. M.P.11. Waikouaili Handicap ... 70.0-1 61.5 President’s Handicap ... 62.94 57.6 Karitauo Handicap ... 62.48 52.42 O.M.C. Championship 67.27 63.7

WORLD'S RECORDS. Thu following are extracts from tiio official world’s records at the dose of the European racing season. Britain still maintains her supremacy, with three-quarters of the total number. The speeds quoted are for the flying kilometre and for the hour respectively;— 75 c.c.—2 h.p. Train, -17.1 f miles per hour. ~ ; ; h.p. Rocket J.A.P., 32,79 , ndles per hour. 100 c.c.—i h.p. Train, 60.12 miles per hour. „ 1 h.p. Omega J.A.P., 39.63 miles per hour. 125 c.c.—l.i h.p. Dollar, 61.59 miles per hour. ~ 1| h.p. M.M., 62.28 miles per hour. 175 c.c.—lJ h.p. Alycon, 77.01 miles per houri ~ 1J h.p. Excelsior J.A.P., 74.33 miles per hour. 250 c.c.—2} h.p. Excelsior J.A.P., 89.96 miles per hour. 350 c.c.—2J- h.p. Grindlny J.A.P., 104.13 miles per hour. ~ 2J h.p. 'Velocetto, 100.4 miles per hour. 500 c.c.—3i h.p. E.X., 114.02 miles per hour. 3j- h.p. Grindlay-Pcorlcss J.A.R., 103.3 miles per lion r. 750 c.c. —6 h.p. Xort.cn, 113.31 miles per hour. ~ 31- h.p. Grindlay-Pecrless J.A.P., 103.3 miles per hour. 1000 c.c.—7 h.p. Zenith J.A.P., 124.62 miles per hour. . 31 h.p. Grindlay-Pecrless J.A.P., 103 miles per hour. DIRT TRACK IXFLUENCE. T'lio remarkable entry of 212 motor cycles ami throe-wheel cycle cars for the recent London-Gloucester trial, the first of Britain’s great winter events, indicates that there is no falling off in the interest taken in trials. When dirt track racing was introduced pessimists foretold a decline in the popularity of reliability trials and the doom of the clubs. And yet it seems that the sporting side of the,motor cycle movement

has had ono its most success!ul years, and. advocates ul the new sport can claim with some justice that ils advent has spurred club oliicials to even greater efforts in ensuring the success of their events. In all spheres healthy competition has its uses, and there seems_ little doubt that in the main clubs, tearful of their future, lane been stimulated rather than adversely a fleeted hy the commercial influence introduced in motor cycle sport. HERE iND THERE. A cynic recently observed that speed is something that impels a man to go somewhere as quickly as possible in order to get from another place where he might bo better ofi. » « * * Always make certain, when washing the car, that all mud is rcmoved_ from under tlio guards. An accumulation of this nature will cause the guards to rust quickly. Guards very oltcn become weak, and break because of the rust underneath. » * « * The valve is the first point at which suspicion should be directed when a tyre slowly loses pressure. » » * # Car owners arc tohl sometimes that a particular brand of petrol may be used that results in no carbon lonnation. It should be remembered that carbon may result either from the fuel or from the lubricating _oil, usually from both. In any case it is a product of incomplete combustion. * * * * In Xew South Wales there _ is a motor car for every 10.6 persons in the State. At the end of 1928 tnerc were, 229,220 motor vehicles of all kinds registered. • » * * As a 'general rule tlm numbers stamped on carburettor jots indicate tlio amount of-fuel in cubic centimetres that will pass per minute under a constant head of liquid. Jets ai6 Tested in what is termed a petrol flow meter.

When the wooden spokes of some wheels become thoroughly dry they often produce jv'*sque;>k, but if a low drops of kerosene arc squirted into the joints the noise may be eliminated. « » # » An item worth currying in the tool box is a roil of insulation tape. I'or chafed wires and for a variety of purposes it comes in very handy. * * * ♦ The largest expense in operating a car is the starting and stopping. Ihink this over.