MOTOR WORLD

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 5 December 1925, Page 15

MOTOR WORLD

GEARS. OVERTAXING Of ENGINE

WHAT THE NOVICE DOESN'T LEARN.

No doubt tlio time will come when the motor-car will not be the threegeared vehicle of the present type (says a writer in the Sydney Sun). Alreadv some makers boast that their car will do anything ‘‘on top, ’' and experiments have proved that this is possible. . Cars with locked gears have negotiated specially selected hills on top so that even to-day we have the ear that can be used for all work on one gear. That is sufficient for the car's' advertisement. but all the same, the presentdav car, especially the light ears, are three-geared, and can only be used as such, though many drivers make the mistake of putting"thc ear to a hill and expecting it to climb without changing down.

Not Fair to Car. That, too, in some instances, is possible with the light ear, but it is not altogether fair to the car. One great mistake often made by the salesman when ini Dressing the novice is what ihe car will do. "Probably it will do all that is claimed for it, but. it is not giving the car a fair deal; For instance, you will hear the salesman say that a car can do thirty miles in second gear. True enough, but who wants to test the flexibility of the engine by tearing along at thirty in second gear? The now driver of to-day as he is taught to drive by the seller of the ear learns about one-fiftli of what lie should know about, driving to get the best out of the ear. The first thing taught is how to change gears, and, of course, tiiis comes with the steering part of the. training. Naturally there is nothing in steering the ear, but it is a big item for the novice when, besides steering, he has to change gear. It then becomes very difficult. ■ As a matter of fact, steering takes more of the attention of the novice than does gearshifting. To tlio novice gear-shifting is just a necessary evil, aud has very little to do with the driving of the car. Most novices have no idea of why the gears should he used at all, but they quickly find that a change is necessary when the car begins to. rock and jump. But. the quicker the gears are moved and the ear is in top where it will not be necessary, to change again, the bettor for the experience. “A Dreadful Fooling.”

And with tlio idea of not having to change gear again the novice bounds off into second, and as quick as possible into top. There he is content to move along until, with a dreadful feeling, he notices that it will be necessary 'to slow down. This he does, and so much so that the engine commences to labour. Here the lesson is incomplete insofar as the instructor allows the pupil to accelerate and pull along on the terrific strain that is placed on the engine. And this preliminary lesson shapes the destiny of the novice as a driver. On that abhorrence for the gear change he goes out into the world with his car, aud always he fears the gear change. In most cases he has never learnt the change down from top to second when in slow traffic. There has never been time to teach him that. How many drivers who have been taught when nurche.sing their car have learnt thoroughly the use of the gears? Very few, and "it is one of the faults of the modern driver that he . has little idea of the use of the gears so far as getting the best speeds out of the car is concerned.

What a wonderful advantage to the ear when it is driven with judicious use of th.fi gears! What freedom and comfort can be gained by rapid and noiseless changes, when the car ’s pulling power needs a different or change of gears! Proper gear change with accompanying acceleration and gentle manipulation can never damage the engine. It is an art that should be practised at all times by the driver, and •cmlv a competent driver can enjoy the simplicity with which the car is •handled when he knows the satisfacrion to be gained from a gentle change.

Proper Carhurettion

Of course, with the gears_ there is this to be noted:. One must have perfect carburcttion and must understand relative engine speeds. The correct revolutions of the engine when changing down must be given quickly with the slightest touch of the accelerator, and if the response from the engine is not perfect you may have great difficulty in getting a perfect change. The proper carburcttion which tunes the engine up to the right pitch and allows the engine to tick over perfectly is most necessary, as the carburettor, which will not idle the engine and causes it to race, prevents at ail times any chance of getting a perfect change. “ After all, though this merely amounts to tuning the carburettor, and often that is the work of a few minutes.

With the attempt of the novice to get the car to pull on top -when the engine is labouring, the clutch often comes in for abuse, for often when it is being allowed to come in as the engine is pulling away, it is made to pull by means of acceleration at the same time. This is disastrous, for it causes slipping and wasted power aiid should be avoided at all times. - Yet how often do you see even the experienced driver making his car pull away ou top out of heavy traffic so as to avoid a change into second gear?