Points for Owner-Drivers

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22628, 16 January 1937, Page 11 (Supplement)

Points for Owner-Drivers

How many miles does a car travel before the brakes need rclining? No definite pronouncement can be made upon this point owing to various factors, including the habits of the driver, road conditions, the degree oi accuracy with which adjustments have been carried out and the quality of the linings themselves. But harsh application of the brakes places unnecessary strain on the springs, brake parts and the tyres. It also produces skids on wet pavements or roads surfaced with loose metal. Kxcept in emergencies braking should be a soft even movement with full advantage taken of the engine and gears wherever possible. Municipal Parking Scheme To reduce parking congestion in the city, the .Melbourne City Council finance committee has approved the expenditure of I'-'!I7,000 for the construction of a civic square with a garag'e for nearly 800 cars. Competitive desigijs, will be invited. New Road Code It is expected that the new" road code will be ready sometime in February. Designed to acquaint road users of all classes with their obligations under the traffic regulations, the code will be written in clear straightforward language readily understandable by all. If expectations are fulfilled and the code is issued 011 similar lines to that brought out in Knglarid\ 'it will be' a layman's interpretation of the traffic regulations. Attraction for Motorists New garages have been opened recently in the C'allender district of Ontario, Canada, as a result of the increasing number of motorists travelling to see the Dionno .q-uintuplets.. J.n four months, 95.000 cars visited the locality.

Departing Tourists Enthusiastic references to (he efficient service provided by the Automobile Auckland); and in particular to the helpfulness of its signposting throughout the province were made by many of the Australian tourists who returned home by the Awatea after a vacation in New Zealand. Quite a number toured by private car, and patrols had a busy time shipping these vehicle.-. Association Membership Membership figures for the Automobile Association (Auckland** have increased by :SOO since Christinas. The roll now stands at approximately 20,100. Across Europe by Car On a 20.000 miles honeymoon trip from London, Mr. and Mrs. Ceredig Richards are at present motoring to New Zealand by way of Belgium, tiermany, Austria, Italy, Yugoslavia, .Bulgaria, Turkey, Syria, Persia, India and Malaya. I'sing a 10 h.p. Fnglish car,

When Brakes Need Relming

purchased second-hand on the eve of their departure, the young couple will .••hip their machine to Darwin, drive to Sydney and ship to Auckland. They should he in Sydney in April. Mr. Richards worked in Auckland some \cars ago as a newspaper reporter.

Preventing Head-on Collisions Efforts to have crass j:lots or low dividing walls placed along the centre of the main highways of New South Wales are being made by the National Roads and Motorists' Association. J1 is claimed that this should completely eliminate head-on smashes. Turangi-Waiouru Route The Desert Road connecting Turanci and Waiouru, which rims over high altitudes on the eastern side of the National Park was the scene of many harrowing experiences during the holidays. Heavy rain Jailing on the new construction work quickly produced a boggy surface, which proved a trap for holiday tourists. Driving Refinements A useful and much appreciated service rendered to members of the Automobile Association (Auckland) is instruction in tlie liner points of driving. When a new driver has obtained his statutory driver's licence, ho may receive lessons from an Automobile Association patrol in the correct methods ol chancing c(' : »r, starting and stopping on a hill, reversing into restricted narkinn; areas and turning at intersections. Skill in those departments of car manipulation distinguishes the safe and efficient driver from the motorist of mly ordinary ability. Mont Blanc Tunnel Work on a road tunnel through .Mont Blanc, 10'780ft.,. Kurope's highest .mountain, is to be commenced in the near future. The new tunnel, which will cost nearly three and a-half million pounds, will be eight miles long and 27ft. wide. It will connect Chnmonix, in France, with Kntreves, in Italy, and will provide the shortest route from Paris to Rome.

Tyre Production A total of 52,000,000 tyres was produced in the United States during last year. Tyres for the original equipment of new cars numbered 22,000,000, the highest figure in the history of motorcar manufacture in the United States. Excessive Crank-case Pressure A breather on the crank-case of a car engine is necessary to prevent excessive crank-case pressure and for convenience the pipe is frequently used as an oil filler. The circuit of ventilation through flic motor is completed on many modern engines by a second pi]>c on the opposite side of the motor and at the rear of the crank-case.