MOTORING WORLD

Manawatu Standard, Volume LV, Issue 258, 28 September 1935, Page 12

MOTORING WORLD

NEED FOR DRIVING SKILL. Many car accidents might be traced to a lack of driving skill, and not to the condition of the highway of other factors. All motorists should realise that it is their duty to see that by proper instruction and practice they become really proficient, and that, as well as studing the technique of driving, they should also make themselves familiar with the traffic regulations. CYLINDER WEAR. MODERN OIL REFINING METHODS. SOLUTION TO PROBLEM CLAIMED Recent developments in the design of all types of automotive units, which havo been productive of efficiency in performance never known before, have kept the oil world very busv in supplying fuels and lubricants which would function perfectly under the more difficult operating conditions met with in modern engines, and at the same time, prove successful in units of the older type. Motorists have seen the fuel problem solved by tlie recent introduction of super petrols and it is understood that, shortlv. there will be available lubricating oil of considerably increased lubricating value which, it is claimed, will substantially redtire cylinder wear because of its freedom from sludge producing elements. The presence of these sludge forming elements in oil has long been appreciated, but until recently no refining process had been discovered which would eliminate them. The well-known processes of acid and filtration treatment were only successful to a point, and when practised stringently they lowered the lubricating value of the oil to a marked degree. To retard the rate of oxidation and thus reduce sludge formation, a process was developed which involved the addition to the oil of certain metallic compounds which were claimed to decrease cylinder wear. Research workers realised that the use of metallic compounds in this way was but a palliative and not a cure. More recent research work has culminated in the development of a new process which by the simple use of special solvents washes out of the oil those oxidisable portions which are responsible for the sludge and gum formation. Naturally, the removal of thes-e unstable elements eliminates the necessity or desirabilitv for adding inhibitors' whether metallic or otherwise. Incidentally, with the recent development of cadmium silver and other complex bearing materials, it is questionable whether metallic inhibitors can be safely used in general automotive lubricating practice. Metallic inhibitors have other inherent disadvantages, namely, that the added compounds tended to lose their value after the engine is in operation for any length of time, and that the process in no way improved the viscosity or body characteristics of the oil. In the solvent process, however, the improved lubricating value was maintained indefinitely, because the sludge forming elements, which are the source of lubricating troubles, had been: entirely eliminated from the oil. At the same time, the process improved the viscosity or body characteristics of the oil, because of the avoidance of stringent acid treatment’, with the result that at low starting temperature the oil is more fluid than oils produced by other refining methods, while at the high temperature of engine operation the body is correspondingly greater. This ensures an oil of correct body at all temperatures of engine operation, or as the oil engineers term it, an oil with a flat viscosity curve. From tests carried out under actual running conditions by overseas automotive engineers, by the .National Physical Laboratory, by the American Society of Automotive Engineers in the famous three flags road test, and by research engineers of the oil industry it is claimed that the new solvent process is a revolutionary step in the refining of lubricating oil. lhis opinion is confirmed by the motoring editor of the London Times who, in an article on the new solvent process, claims that it has created entirely new standards in lubricating oil. Leading car manufacturers throughout the world have also endorsed tins statel *ont.

OVERHAUL OF TOOL KIT,

When making ready for the touring season, it is a good plan to f ' . the tool kit systematically, ioi many implements which might not have been used for some time may have become rusted, or tools and spart paits uh oh should be carried on a long journey mislaid. The effort of changing a wheel will be reduced considerably if the jack is cleaned and oiled, and care is taken to see that a few pieces of hardwood planking are carried in the toolbox to provide a base for the jack when a wheel must be raised from muddy or sandy ground. Make sure, too, that the tyre pump is working well, that the washer of the plunger has not perished, and that the piping and connector for the tyre valve are in good order. ... , It is best, before beginning a tour, to hold a voluntary kit inspection, laying all the articles out and checking them from a list which has been compiled, with a view to avoiding all unnecessary impedimenta, but one that includes everything that might oidinarily be needed when dealing with a roadside breakdown. If that precaution is taken, there will be no fear of finding in the most embarrassing circumstances tnat a simple mechanical fault cannot be set right because one has forgotten to pack a puncture repair outfit, friction tape, fuses, spare spark plugs, and headlamp bulbs, or the very spanner for this or that job, which so often is the only one which has been lost or left at home.

WISDOM . OF USING GEARS. Hanging on in top gear is a practice condemned by every motoring expert. If the car will hog climb an incline in top unless the throttle is fully opened and, if there is a manual control, the spark must he greatly retarded, then it is obvious that ail unfair strain is being imposed on the engine. Moreover, nothing is gained either in time or petrol economy. Now that gear changing has been simplified there seems no reasonable explanation for the obstinacy of .certain motorists who grimly refuse to change down into third or second gear when everything points to the wisdom of doing so. Tile hill-climbing ability of the car must bo considered in relation to its weight and liorse-power, but it seems there are stil klrivers who think that, if they climb a lull in an intermediate ratio while another motorist with - a more powerful car docs so in top, they have lost prestige. Gearboxes arc meant to bo used, and on a long journey they are most serviceable as a means ot maintaining a good average speed. The driver of a light car might boast that his machine is so good that he has made a long trip in top gear all the way, but there is far more credit in being able to sav: “1 used the gears intelligently, and my average was as good as that of a model of much greater horse-power.”

BRITISH HIGHWAY CODE. The British Highway Code, which was approved by Parliament in May of this y<mr and is being distributed to householders in Great Britain, is a brief and simple epitome of the traffic laws, the special duties of various road-users, and the precautions which should be observed. In a foreword, the Minister of Transport (Mr L. HoreBelisha) explains that the booklet is being given to citizens with the sincere hope that the study of its contents will make the roads safer for all who use the King’s highway. The Minister adds, “Its provisions are a simple summary of the best and widest experience. In every human activity there is a standard of conduct to which, in the common interest, we are expected to conform. This code is the standard of conduct for the road. Respect for the code and for the spirit underlying it is so much a moral duty that its practice should become a habit and its breach a reproach.” The various sections of the booklet deal witli the general duties of all road users, those of drivers of motor vehicles, traffic signs and signals, and the principal requirements of the law. Prominence is given to the responsibilities of cyclists and pedestrians, and it might lie said that anyone who devoted half an hour to the intelligent reading of this booklet of 24 pages would not only have no excuse for pleading ignorance of the regulations, hut would also realise how .essential it is that motorists, pedestrians, _ cyclists, and drivers of horse vehicles should all play their part in the promotion of road safety. THE BLUE BIRD’S TYRES. In a broadcast address made after he had won the new record, Sir Malcolm Campbell gave some thrilling details of his experiences when travelling at over 300 m.p.h. He said that, during the first run, the driving wheels _ of the car were revolving at about 3000 revolutions a minute, and that the heat generated in the tyres by flexing and 1 notion was terrific. After the first run had l been made, and when slowing down, one of the front tyres burst, because, it is believed, of receiving an exceptionally heavy blow on some irregularity of the surlaco, and caught fire. Sir Malcolm Campbell said that the tyres had given magnificent service, and that Ins principal hazard had been bad driving vision, due to the salt thrown up from the dry bed of the lake. In a report supplied, it is said that the champion’s statement regarding the rate of revolutions of the driving wheels indicates that wheel-spin oil this occasion did not cause any great loss of speed, such ns that which became a serious handicap on Daytona Beach last March. The casings used on the. Blue Bird in its latest performance weigh only 501 b each, and the inner tubes a little over 71b. It is said that the weight of a standard truck tyre of comparable size is 701 b, and that of its inner tube B}lb, a comparison which indicates the extent to which tlie weight of the Blue Bird’s tyres had to be curtailed in order to avoid the risk of their disintegrating because of the devastating effect of centrifugal force at such high revolutions.