Will stop Skids

Northern Advocate, 11 December 1937, Page 6 (Supplement)

Will stop Skids

ENGLISH SAND-WHEEL. Lieutenant-Commander G. Martin has patented in England a sand-wheel to prevent skidding on smooth and wet surfaces. Control of the sandspray is through a small trailing wheel, caster-mounted on the rear axle of the car. The “Autocar” says that, in taking a normal bend or corner, this wheel is not deflected through a great angle, and the apparatus does not operate, but the moment the car skids sideways the wheel pivots at right angles, and the sand is released by a system of wires or levers from nozzles immediately in front of the rear wheels. Arrangements are made for the wheel to pivot through 180 degrees to a trailing position when the car is reversed. A hand control can also be provided to put the sand ejectment under the direct control of the driver for use, e.g., on icy roads, where wheel grip cannot be obtained.

That some new plugs, like new engines, need a certain amount of use before they settle down to give full satisfaction, is realised by few motorists. Tire reason for this is that the electrodes, no matter how carefully the manufacturer may anneal them, tend to straighten out during the first 500 miles of use, thus increasing the spark gap. After they have been readjusted no further trouble need be expected from this cause.