THE MOTOR WORLD.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18374, 14 April 1923, Page 10 (Supplement)

THE MOTOR WORLD.

py FOCUS"

. J/;, ; ' MAIN ROADS. ■~' I '..: V •A good illustration of the effect of one- « way traffic can ho seen at ona point m Customs Street East, where the surface has been pushed into curved ridges. , * '-Pokeno, to the turn off to Maramarua, from the Miranda Road, is 11 miles, with a (food, hard metal road. From the turn off there is 2i miles of clay, with signs of metal here and there, to Surrey flats, which consists of i of a mile of rough un.brined road. This is the end of the Franklin County. Crossing tho Mangatangi Bridge there is about a muo of clay and then a short stretch of hill, covered with river shingle. From Maramarua, there is river shingle for i mile to Maramarua War Memorial, which is 17 miles from .Pokeno,. . After this comes 4 miles of unrolled blue metal, which ends at *6 miles from Waitakaruru. Thence to Wharepoa ferry a good road. No motorists should take seriously the suggestion that they should wait airhour or two for the surface of the Ranginn Hills to improve before passing over it after rain so that no damage should bo done. One can hardly believe such a statement to have been made in all seriousness by the Public Works officials. After all. what are roads for but, to use at all times, wet or fine? The only solution of getting through tho mud gates of Rangiriri is to call for tenders to reform and metal that portion of the main road which will continue in use in conjunction with the new deviation. It would bo done in three months in any other country but New Zealand. THE QUALITY OP FUEL. It is a, curious point that many motor transport users who are firm .believers in the advantages of certain particular makes of velrcle. and who insist upon buying a 'reputable brand of tyro STnd so forth are yet quit« content to purchase practically any oil or fuel, provided the price is right. For years now the oil companies have carried on propaganda as to the foolishness of using anv oil that, is offered; but it is only recently that there has been a chance of buying unbranded petrol,/and it seems lately "that a similar situation ' will' arise here." Now that bulk, storage installations are becoming common, thereis, in general, no means open to the customer of proving what particular assortment of fuels has gone into the "storage tank, and it cannot he deniod that there is a great difference hotween various fuels now being offered. ~, ,\<,.- ,-.■..•■• .-- .

DESCENDING WITHOUT IGNITION.

'A lot of drivers forego; the advantages of : descending hills With {the ignition shut off ( because they fear the backfire which frequently follows the • switching on of the ignition when the power is again needed. The way to overcome this objection is to eliminate a feature of the stunt which is no ;longer regarded as necessary. jjl refer to opening; the throttle while running along with the ignition off. It is claimed that if the throttle is fairly wide open the pistons will have extra, large charges of gas ; to compress upon each compression stroke and , that the ; car will held in check better as a consequence. Any motorist who has tried this . plan, however, will find thav-.the. results -are practically negative. The difficulty a piston hag in drawing air and gas C through. a} closed throttle \ upon its intake stroke offers quite as much resistance to the free movement of the motor aa the difficulty it experiences i in compressing a large charge of ; gas. ? : The driver might as well save his gas, and in, doing so he saves the possibility of backfiring. , :> Perhaps he does ;i not a understand the ; cause of ' this backfiring because , he does not know that it is technically "after* «4}ring." - : '.;' By ; this ; : I mean the explosion ! which occurs after- the ignition is turned;op >again. -'-': It ■• is.; caused »by F firing ;• of ' the• • gases which have —unburned —from the cylinders to the exhaust manifold and muffler. The remedy, therefore, is to keep the throttle closed while the ignition; is - "Shut off* $ There is no advantage in clinging to a feature of the plan which is both useless and dangerous. ; iv ■ ' V-'.'. *.;■ ' -TV--"., '■"■:' ;'-';- 1 . "■ '■-;.:■''■'"* v .C- : -i-■''"' : : \ : -~r [-v.; V' PURCHASING A MOTOR-TRUCK. " "With the increased demands for quicker and more economical - transportation, ; along with ■ improvements in roadway conditions, ■■■ has come , a gradual v but certain increase in ; the, use of motor.driven hauling equipment in all parts of the world. In the employment ; of >: motor-trucks, there . v "are many questions of i selection and ; use "' "'Which' are - worthy of careful consideration, both because they,- are very interesting to study and; because they present j many : opportunities for .-■ reducing costs and for increasing v the quality of the. - service rendered. :. ;' s" \ :•:.' Much of > the'''- success '. experienced in operation of a motor-truck depends upon the thought" and care i that has . been ■ ap- . plied --to,\ its selection. Certain, principles govern" this, and they" may ; be briefly out, lined as follows: — . ■■■■■: i Buy a . motor-truck as you would a /"jewelled watch. .Depend more upon the reputation and reliability of the mam*. facturer than on the .'physical appearance . of the product. If familiar with engineer- / ing details, make a : careful study of comparative ; specifications 5 otherwise ; look ; to performance records of /longevity, * dependability and economy in your . particular line of business., . / " % It/is' well, 5 to V remember, in J baying a, :- motor-car, that the heart of the car is the ; motor, - and for that'}'*; reason-;/ the"/• motor ■> should be ■given the greatest-; amount of attention.- /A .car may have : h an f- excep- ■ tionally ' good' appeararice^.butif engine ::'.'•' is inferior or faulty the othc*r points ; are of little value-,to the user. In maintain- .'• ing a delivery "car, 1 fully 80 per cent, of r. the cost of repairs may be traced to the I motor. Consequently'/•iho motor - is;' the first determining standard, of judgment. i ; Remember that "first ; cost" is far; from : being ,the. most important cost in the end. The "successful truck purchase is one that : renders efficient service at "the lowest cost per ton mile over a of years. / .' Don't base a. truck's value on its first year's service. Many; trucks that make surprising records in their first year fall down completely after two or three- years' continuous use. Don't buy : - a truck with the idea of overloading. ,; The practice of overloading has proved f time after time to be falsa economy, Don't insist on learning this through your own bitter experience, Buy n truck, with full rated capacity to handle the fiizo of load your business requires/ Bemember that there is economy ; in bis; units. Per unit of capacity, the -first cost., maintenance costs, operating costs in fact all items —decrease as the size of the truck increases. However, don't waste load carrying' capacity by buying a larger truck than your daily loads require. Where loads are uniformly lagc and where the routes travelled will warrant it, a few large trucks are far more economical than ft greater number of small trucks. -/ Don't .overlook the selection of the size, wheelbase best suited to your use. Where short timing or operating in narrow Spaces is necessary, get f : the shortest wheelbnse consistent with your load .'requirements. - '. "Make a careful study of body types, Jtinre much time and money eon* be saved in loading and unloading' ns well' as Kindling loads efficiently, if the body is best suited to tho work it is to do. There should be. a body design to meet your exact requirements ; jf not, have one made to your order—the extra cost will be more than justified. ~-: ;: . Find out whether polid tyres or pneumatic, lyres are best .adapted for your 'wee,', Both have- their advantages. It may be said in general that pneumatic tyres have been found entirely satistnctorj* for use on bad roads, for highspeed work over long hauls, and in cities where pavements are very rough, in sizes ' up to and including the 3i-ton truck. I

►.' -;,,;."■.-:.. : "':- : ; NOTES. Many British firms are experimenting with front wheel brakes. The village pump is becoming once more a feature, only this timo it is a petrol pump, v . ', ■■''-'; •' ;.:'.■' U'j _— — 'tj» One penny per horse-power was the toll exacted from motorists in Manchester on Shrove Tuesday by the medical students who were collecting for the hospitals. The cheapest aid to easy starting in cold weather is a cork in the carburetter's main air itutake. But remove it before switching on j otherwise the engine will choke. The iniquity of drivers who overtake other vehicles on blind corners passes polite expression. It is only equalled by that of those who wilfully flash spot lights into the eyes of other road users.Speedometer readings, unless checked by the timing clock, are frequently unreliable. Tho instrument may be accurate, but it does not follow that-the gearing m the drive is right. A motor coach was seen recently gin, Birmingham fitted with a wireless installation, An overhead aerial enabled the passengers to hear all the broadcasting programme by means of a Burndept fourvalve set and loud speaker. ■ , A suspension between the tyre and hub is undoubtedly ideal. Whether it can be achieved with success remains to bo seen; at any rate, a Manchester firm is experimenting with 9 spring wheel which, it is claimed, eliminates' the necessity for chassis springing. ' •♦ Switching on and off all one's lamps behind a lorry' that.one wants to pass is a most excellent idea, as long as the lorry driver does not jump to the conclusion that something has gone wrong with his own works, and pull up all of a sudden in the middle of the road. Does anyone know of a really satisfactory lustreless black paint which will keep exhaust manifolds and pipes neat?-./ It must not noed constant renewal- and must not flake off; Common or garden black lead as used on the domestic grate is not bad, but ft does 'not last long enough.

Recently a private owner indignantly returned a newly-acquired car, alleging that it had no speed. Tho manufacturers were, surprised to find this true, but still mora surprised to discover that the exhaust out. let pipe had been flattened' to such'an extent that excessive back pressure was set Up.^ts^.■■■■-■■, * .'.;•'..

Four-wheel brakes for light cam nrft coming, and 4 many designers aro now nibbling at them.^Tbe-chief difficulty with front-wheel brakes,, is .to make sure that the brake phoes disengage from the drums at the instant that the operating pressureis removed. Why, not try a positive j:ulloff instead of the usual- disengagement, springs? '-",• ;' '->-' T.

••''- Everyone knows what a " fifty-fifty' mixture of petrol and benzole is. j ' The Englishman wl|o went into a Berlin shop to purchase sausage from'an American-speaking •; German had a : shock when lie was informed th*at the contents of the sausage were " fifty-fifty" chicken and horse. s. But— He was even more shaken whin the, salesman confidentially remarked that the proportions of the ingrer clients wore one : horse to one chieken, ,;

- Inlet valves occasionally squeak in thai? guides through excessive dryness. Lubricant naturally tends to be removed from the inlet valve stem en. account of thesuction v which prevails in :the induction pipe when the valve is off its seat. It is usually difficult to apply lubricant - 'to "stems from outside; a slight quantity of engine* oil added to the fuel in the tapk ■ will, however, generally find its way on to the inlet • valve stem via 'the induction pipe. About ft tablespooufal of oil in a gallon of fuel is sufficient, and -thai only occasionally. \ Too much: < il' .causes a- sticky mass to collect around the carburetter-'.. . s - •'.,.«. t MOTOR-CYCLING. ;'"' The Beach]and« tost will be held on. Saturday next, followed by•!.»; picnic 06 Sunday,'- ;-'*" ■,;;■•«-■. •,, '■■• *» „;,-■■■{". . :'■.- ■ m, '.''.''- ;?'-j{: using gas /wmpsibe careful to keep : the generator fully charged with carbide and water. ; V Quite a number of English manufacturers aro considering the advisability" of the twist-grip control, *;.•'" • '•: ■ , v 5 Loose and broken spokos should be attended to. j- With 'skidding wore prevalent in•;:■ winter extra strain i?; placed op the wheels. ' ■ ~. ■ .=.*..•.'■. . " :•■ '■ •, Steve Whitehead has, sufficiently recov, ered; to have been able to-return to his home. He is \ still suffering, however, from injuries to his face and leg. r Cold weather means a hard starting engine through the congealed oil making it hard to turn .over. - jPon't hesitate to prime especially on old models. ' .<■ ;>.'• •'. ; - ■ t ify-"- % Driving chains need frequent adjustment espociallv when new. '■ Care must be j taken to obtain correct . alignment of ] fthe 'back wheel or . the' tyre will be seriously ~affected. .'./- t ' / Car runners show; an almost total dis» regard for approaching motor-cycles at: night. It is only the late model elactrl-cally-equipped machine, that can forcei a car to dim lights. V . .' , \ , * J Speeding'!', on the new -,' concrete surface #f ..Manukau"; Road is beginning, to cause, complaints. ; Motor-cyclists ' are warned •that severe penalties are likely to be imposed on offenders. Mr. Phil Soabrook, who broke the Auck-land-Wellington car record last week, begun his motoring career on a motor-cycle. Motor-cyclifts congratulate him on his sterling performance. ;.".... The British Commercial Counsellor in Japan recently lodged a successful protest with the Patent Office of that country againct the- registration of. tho words • " Royal, Rovce " m respect of bicycles made in Japan. The action of the. CRy Council in giving tram employees authority to take numbers of motor vehicles is no doubt an admission of the necessity for reform of the existing system of control. Motor-cyclists are unanimous in their disapproval. Judging by the Msy they hang on,to top gear in rounding corners or climbing awkward hills, there arc many motorcyclists who, much to th© detriment of j their engines, have yet to learn why gear boxes arc fitted. Mr. Frank Jones, of Christchurch, New .Zealand, distributor for the HarleyDavidson,, is at present touring the far north by motor-cycle' and sidecar. Having experienced the recent rains he will no doubt be able to realise something' of the difficulties of the northern motorist. ■ . . Three hundred motor-cycles from six different firms have been ordered by the French Ministry of War. One of each make of machine was recently given an, eight-days' trial under such severe conditions that, a rider was taken to the hospital,, according to a French,contemporary, rfi a'" pitiable condition." At the conclusion of the trial the six machines weVft taken dc,\\«h and microscopically exam- I ined. * ;, ,