MOTORING NOTES

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLV, Issue 287, 7 November 1925, Page 14

MOTORING NOTES

The choice of a new car is, indeed, a matter of some considerable perplexity to an expert motorist, but in the case of an absolute novice it is a matter of extreme difficulty, How, then, is a new beginner to go about selecting his car ? Suppose, lor instance, one begins by making enquiries from friends who already possess cars. AY ell, in a way that is a good thing to do, but, on the other hand, wo must hear in mind the I act that friends are apt to have very extreme views on the cars they possess. Sometimes we will hear the same make and model of car described in widely differing terms by different owners, and wo begin to wonder if the variations really exist in the ear or whether the temperament of the owner has not something to do with it. A\ r « all know instances where in the hands of one owner a car will behave itself admirably, hut a similar car cared for and driven by another individual is seldom out of the repair shop. Now ,assuming we go to a friend who persistently over-drives or otherwise neglects his car, it is not likely that we shall derive any valuable advice. Indeed, wc may he persuaded to refrain from purchasing the very machine that would suit our purpose best. No; in making one’s choice it is essential to eliminate • the unstable human factor and judge a oar on its own merits in direct relation to the kind of treatment we are able to give it. In other words, a car may he good or bad, dependent upon the temperament of the owner; so the first thing to ho considered is: How far can wc ensure adequate attentions for the new car ? Thus the type of purchaser .who decides upon, say, a medium-powered touring car would lie very ill-advised to expect satisfactory service from a light racy sports model. Both types are admirable for their specific purposes, and the comparison shows how greatly temperament w ill influence selection. Let us then regard the advice of motoring friends as a useful, though not the principal,' aid in making one’s selection of a new car. Important factors in this connection are the class of work a car is required for, the nature of roads and country the

car will be mostly driven over, the load to be usually carried, suitable sized lyres for roads to be motored over, and heavy-weight strong ones at that. Then there is the cost of fuel upkeep, which is an important matter to the man of moderate means. The difference between 15 to 18 miles to the gallon and 25 to 50 m.p.g. amounts to a considerable sum at the end of 10,000 miles of travel. Buying a car calls for more consideration to-day than in the early days of motoring, for the variety of types now on the market has even the expert thinking. It is pretty generally known that the proper way to control the speed of a car is by the use of the. accelerator pedal, together with a slight adjustment of the ignition timing to get the very best results, For instance, rhe spark may with advantage be further advanced when running fast down bill at a small throttle opening than when running at the same speed with the throttle fully opened; the reason of this is that an attenuated charge lightly compressed does not burn so quickly as a full charge highly compressed, and therefore to obtain the pressure on the piston at tile best possible moment the charge must he ignited a little earlier. Also, it is advantageous to retard the spark when climbing a hill with the engine turning over somewhat slowly, and. of course, the spark should he retarded at starting, when an ignition control is provided. It is usual to set the hand-controlled throttle so that the engine will tick over when running light, and not stop when the foot is taken otf the accelerator pedal and the clutch released. On occasions it is useful to set the hand control sufficiently far open that the engine will puli gently, hut in any case the pedal controls the speed more than anything else.

One of the outstanding achievements recently in sporting circles was A. L. Quinton’s great unpaced 100 miles world’s track record. This is the amateur rider who put up 4hrs llmins 47 secs in the recent road race from Colac to Melbourne, thereby winning the Australian and Now Zealand amateur road championship for 1925. Quinton, in his ride on the Melbourne motordrome was not favoured with the best of luck, for flints on the track resulted in tyre trouble which cost the record breaker many valuable seconds, but despite this Quinton covered 22 miles 14G0 yards in ihe first hour, 50 miles in 2hrs lSinins 43sccs; 75 miles in 3hrs 25mins, and 100 miles in 4hrs 37niins 211 secs. Quinton punctured at 85 miles and again at 90 miles, and even thus handicapped he bettered the previous record which stood to the credit of F. Keefe on the same track, by the big margin of 1 Sin ins 37secs. His first mile was ridden in 2mins 23 4-ssecs, and the last in 2mins 4Gsecs, the average speed over the whole journey being just under 22 miles per hour. The Victorian road racing season concluded on Saturday, October 24, with two 25 miles road championships for cash and amateur riders. The professional event was won in very fast time by P. Osborn, one of the scratch men in the recent “Warrnambool.” His time was Ihr 3mins 2secs. The Westralian crack, H. K. Smith, owing to not being resident in Victoria for a period of six months, was ineligible to start. In the amateur championship It. \V. Lamb was the victor in Ihr lOmins, but the event was robbed of much interest owing to A. Quinton, the Australasian champion, having his machine disabled through a collision which resulted in many spokes being ripped out of one of bis wheels.

The high price of crude rubber has resulted ill a further increase in the price of motor tyres throughout America. This advice lias been cabled from New York to a rubber company in Australia, which states that covers have been increased in price a further Jo per cent, and tubes 20 per cent. This is the third increase in motor tyre prices that has been announced in the U.S.A. during recent months. Motorists in this country will now be asking: “Is another rise in motor tyro pricosVimininent in Australia f ”

Some fast motor cycle speed work was seen in the recently held Irish Cl rand I’rix, which was decided over :i circuit near Ulster. Eighty-six riders took part in the 205 miles handicap contest, including many notable speed men, The event was won by J. YY". Shaw (9mins 45sccs start) in 2hrs 53 mins 25sccs. The fastest time was registered by the Irish crack, J. Craig, who has won this honour ill the last three events. Starting from the 6.‘, mins mark, lie finished up second in the remarkable time of 21irs 50mins 44sees, equal to an average speed of over 72 miles per hour for the full journey. This performance is one of tho finest yet recorded on the road on a motor cycle. The last French Grand Prix was

robbed of a deal of its interest owing to the withdrawal of the AlfaRomeo team after the death of their crack driver, Ascari, through an accident when leading during the race. But for this the result would probably have been another Alfa-Romeo victory, they having won the 1924 event.