MOTORING WORLD

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVI, Issue 304, 21 November 1936, Page 7

MOTORING WORLD

Children in an Austrian town 'who cross streets carelessly are to be punished by so many hours a day detention, according to the gravity of the offence. In Detroit and New York there are some 110 police cars, painted white, equipped with powerful load-speakers; their duty is to tell pedestrians how to walk and reckless drivers where they are at fault. The practice has now spread to England. The American Automobile Associa.tion is trying m, select a representative safe driver in »*«Ji of the 48 States. Thousands of p.’Vid drivers have sent in their claims, and the A.A.A. is now said to he doubting the practicability of the scheme. EVERY 4000 MILES. Motorists will find that it will pay them to examine, clean and adjust the spark plug gaps and the points of the ignition lnake'and-break mechanism at least once every 4000 miles. Though this may seem a very short distance for a car to run for such attention, it should be remembered that the very high compression ratios used to-day aro verv much harder on the ignition system than the low ratios of p. few years ago. and the parts mentioned will, therefore, need’ attention at much more frequent intervals. Examination of various manufacturers’ recommendations for distributor point and sparking plug gaps shows that the required measurements vary a good deal —for sparking plugs from .020 inch to .032 inch—so that it is not possible to recommend gaps to suit all cars. Owners should, therefore, follow strictly tho recommendations, of the manufacturers of their cars. An essential to this work is a set of feeder gauges, which may be purchased very reasonably from any tool store. SLEEPY DRIVERS. POTENTIAL MENACES. According to the British National Safety First Association which Bays that tile tired rond user is a potential road danger, lack of concentration is tile only reasonable explanation for many accidents. A brief rest is advised as the' best precaution against the inefficiency which comes from weariness. The British Highway Code stresses the point by saying: “Be sure that your alertness or sense of caution is not affected .by alcohol or fatigue. Stimulants should be chosen with discretion.” It is significant that drivers of public passenger vehicles are not allowed to take alcoholic stimulants while on duty. FOCUS OF LIGHTS. Substituting a new headlight bulb for one that lias burned out does not necessarily mean that a driver has safe headlights after replacement. Whenever a bull) is replaced an experienced serviceman .should cheek the focus of the lights to ascertain whether they are within the requirements of the law, and whether the controls of the various headlamp beams are operating properly. Even a slight variation in headlight beams, caused by driving over very rough roads, should be corrected as early as possible.

SUSPENSION IMPROVEMENT.

A very well-known British car will appear next year with a new form of independent front suspension, which possesses the valuable feature of giving very soft riding qualities at low speed, but gradually stiffens in its action as the speed of the car increases. The main part of the springing action is looked after by torsion bars, but at low speeds, it is aided by spring-loaded toggles, thus providing extreme suppleness. At higher speeds, these additional springs go out of action, leaving the entire work to the torsion bars nnd giving the necessary stiffness for fast travelling.

NERVOUS MOTORISTS.

A belief that the propaganda surrounding road safety lias brought about a number of bad driving habits is held by the motoring correspondent of the Morning Post. Nervousness, he thinks, has caused undue speedometer watching and mirror watching. Among a large section of the motoring public, he says, uncertainity lias been created. Large numbers of motorists who had had clean driving records for many years had been brought before the Courts, lie observes. He says, too, that many motorists believe that if the police were to abandon bringing motorists before the Courts for technical offences, and to concern themselves solely with offences which had some bearing on road safety, the road accident figure would diminish.

STRENGTH AND WEIGHT.

MODERN TENDENCIES. Although the car to-day weighs considerably less than its predecessor of five or six years ago, in actual strength and safety it is considerably greater. Maximum speeds have been increased by more than 25 m.p.h., during those five years, and yet the modern car at 85 is safer than a previous model at 60. It is sometimes thought that the greater the weight the greater the safety. Modern engineering practice is tending more and more to the elimination of every item of surplus weight, and the all round lightening of every part. This does not mean a weakening of the material, but its application in the best possible manner. Take for example, the all-steel body. It is of lighter construction than the composite type, - blit many times stronger. The greater the weight to be moved the more it costs to move it. The point in question with ajiy car is not how much it weighs, but how strong it is, and the problem facing the designers to-day is to increase the strength of each part at the same time as its weight is reduced. Wear and upkeep costs on 1936 models are lees than on the cars of four or five years ago, in 6pite of the fact that the new models are lighter. In the heavier car the stress on every part is greater, and more power is required to accelerate to a given speed. This increased power calls again for increased weight, which leads to rapid wear and tear.