THE MOTOR WORLD.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20901, 16 December 1929, Page 4

THE MOTOR WORLD.

By ACCELERATOR.

FIXTURES. OTAGO MOTOR CLUB.—CYCLE SECTION. December 18. —Monthly meeting. February B.—Dirt track racing. February 22.—Beach races. March B.—Dirt track racing. SOUTHLAND MOTOR CYCLE CLUB December 14—Oreti Beach Races. January 19.—Club Run to Fairfax. February I.—Bluff Hill Climb. THE APPEAL OF COLOUR. . The importance of colour combinations of automobiles for 1030 is receiving much attention by car manufacturers who are striving to give buyers a fairly wula choice. The more standardised the article the more ncegssary it is to make it apparently individual; and this is particularly true of very personal property, such as cars are. Colour has a strong attraction for the eye, and two cars of the same model, one of which is painted violet and the other cream, give nontrade people the impression of being less alike than do two different makes of cars of the same colour, if their bodies are not entirely dissimilar. Notwithstanding the advance in common knowledge of makcs_ of motor vehicles, a query as to the kind of car owned by so-and-so is often .answered by the statement that it is a ‘"brown one,” or whatever its colour may be. The days arc gone when Uic mass producer could say with Mr Ford that buyers were welcome to have any colour they chose, so long as it was black. This, of course, has now all been changed. CARE OF THE CLUTCH. Clutch carelessness probably causes more wear on cars than any other one thing, and a clutch let in with sudden force will make the driving wheels turn a little on their tapering axle ends. Looseness at this point actually becomes a safeguard; otherwise pinion and ring gear would have to endure more strain than at present. Universal joints are strained by sudden application of power, especially if they are worn to a point where they are loose. Sudden acceleration is more apt to strain the clutch and the rest of the drive, though it also frequently loosens the rear wheels from the axles, injures the universal joints, strains the spokes of the wheels, and increases tyre wear. Clutches are designed for easy operation, and if the engine is speeded beyond the point where the car itself can immediately follow, the clutch plates will slip. This beats them .up, and may permanently damage them. Often when the clutch slips it will heat up and expand, resulting in sudden gripping that is particularly hostile to the whole drive mechanism. HOW MANY MILES? The accuracy of automobile speedometers is to-day practically taken for granted. If actual scientific tests were made it is possible that this accuracy would probably be found to be approximate only, but in most cases so near to accuracy as to be of practical value for all ■ ordinary purposes. But speedometers may become inaccurate, and generally they- are, after long'use, on the side of increasing the speed reading. Again, tyre wear will affect the reading. Given a tyre with, at first, a good thick tread, which has worn dowr ..onsiderably, the reading will be on the fast side. If the tread wears half an inch in diameter the car will travel approximately one inch and a-half lees for each rotation of the wheel. This will increase the speedometer reading by a small amount. If the owner_ is in doubt about the accuracy of his speedometer he can easily check it between mile posts. If it is much out, he should have it overhauled and reset. Wear of tyres will affect the mileage register to the same degree as the speed reading. WORLD PRODUCTION RECORD. More than 1,200,000 Chevrolets have been placed in the hands of users since ttys first of the year, according to a report just received by General Motors New Zealand, Ltd. This is three times better than the showing of any other manufacturer of six-cylinder cars in a calendar year, and tops Chevrolet’s record total for the entire, year of 1928. It is now certain that six-cylinder production will set a world record this year, surpassing for the first time in the history of the industry the putput of four cylinder cars. OVERHEAD ROADS. Plans have been laid before the French Ministries of Interior and Transportation of a project linking Paris by an overhead motor road with Nice, 'Marseilles, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Brest, Lyons, and Geneva. According to the scheme, the roads would carried on reinforced concrete pillars at a height of about 25 feet, and would consist of two one-way tracks, each about 20 feet wide. A large proportion of the heavy initial expenditure, it was suggested, could be covered by the importation oi materials from Germany under the reparations plan and the upkeepcould be more than met-if motorists paid a special tax of 100 franca a year. LOADING THE CAR. f n . the case of the small light car, especially the four or five-seater, there is a matter in connection with loading which is worth attention, and is too often overlooked. When there are three passengers in a car the disposition of the third,, supposing the first two are side by side, is important. The driver, naturally, occupies the right side of the front seat. The other passengers should be so disposed that the greater weight is on the off side of the car. Thus a third passenger, if in the back, should sit on triG right side. Similarly, with four passengers, endeavour always to get the heaviest on. the off side. The camber of the road already draws the car down unduly on the rear springs. This propensity is emphasised and increased if tbe heavy passenger is seated on the near !f de -, ,£ h e car mdifficnlt to steer out of the left, side of the road, and on corners one may find difficulty in getting round without much reduction in speed. 'Sometimes the heavier load on the near side makes for actual danger. It increases the chance of skidding when the surface is greasy, and it prevents recovery. Equal loading is the thing to obtain if possible, and to ensure equal loading on cambered roads it IS desirable to have the greater weight on the off side of the Chicle, since so much of the driving is on the unlcvcl left side of the road. CURING OILY ENGINES. Oil. pumping as well as lack of comindication that rings need renewing. Oil pumping is indicated by continual founng of sparking plugs a great amount of blue exhaust smoke, and quick formation of carbon of a wot and sticky nature. r:£ here r. aro - thrce - causes besides worn rings. . One is a piston running out of truth in a cylinder, so that it pushes oil into the combustion chamber with its top C n i a Ihe , connecting rod should be checked and straightened if necessarv. if® ®r° nd ca V s « » IQ Me pistons, which .hould be cured by fitting oversize pistons , arc m good condition: • nd the third is loose main bearing with force feed lubrication. This allows the ml to escape at the ends of the bearmgs and down the webs of the shaft, to be thrown up into the cylinders, bn casf ; s excessive oiling up may bo ciued by adopting one ot the following methods. Drill a number of small Doles on a spiral Pattern round the piston. Holes one-eighth inch in diameter will bo bllfflment. The advantage of the spiral pattern is that no hole is above the other tiTv of oil W ' POS °"’ ay a dcfinito q'ianThe second method is to turn a deep S' c U? i ie bottom of the piston and bmel off the lower edge. Tl, o sharp upper edge acts as a wiper on the down --in. V ht i7 a number of small holes are drilled in the groove the oil escapes inside the piston and drips off i nto the crankcase, A THANSL’OP,TAT IOX SCHOOL. A constructive piece of pioneering work has been undertaken by General Motors Export Company in establishing its first transportation school.

Iltraa of new* —short daacriptloiu, of tours, th* atsts of tits road*, Ho» oommsnt, or inquiiias will bo welcomed b j “ Acoiluittf. 1

In accordance with its programme for expanding the overseas bus and truck markets, the company was faced with the problem of recruiting a number of competent engineers upon short notice. As there are very few men with the necessary highly technical training available, and practically no literature on the subject, the company decided to establish its own training school, which will turn out a. group of well-trained transportation engineers to fill the immediate need as well as produce a number of text books and technical literature on truck and bus transportation that will be highly valuable in furthering the development of this phase of the motor industry. Six men from General Motors' foreign pbpts and 18 recruited from the home office organisation comprise the student body of this first three months’ training course, which will be held both in New lork and Detroit. S A graduate from the school will be laced in each overseas plant of General rotors, and it will be his duty to merchandise -transportation rather than sell chassis. PETROL CONSUMPTION. Touring speeds in New Zealand are increasing every year (says “Focus” in the .Herald). Only a few years ago the tourist was quite content with an average of 20 miles an hour in a 100-mile day. Better car springing, faster acceleration, and improving roads have resulted in an unconscious improvement, and it is not unusual to contemplate a daily mileage of 150^at from 25 to 30 m.p.h. The nominal national speed limit on the open road is 35 m.p.h., but every motorist with a lively car must exceed this in averaging 30 m.pJi. between points over 100 miles apart. It is just a question of how high the touring speed can be • economically carried. Many cars run economically at from 25 to 30 m.p.h. Beyond this, the higher the speed the greater the rate of fuel consumption, while it will often be found that below 20 m.pJi. the consumption increases. An actual instance may be given in the case of a 20 h.p. British six weighing SOcwt. At 30 m.p.h, the consumption was 25 m.p.g. It fell to 18 m.p.g, when driving at 45 m.p.h., and at 60 m.p.h. only 13 miles per gallon were obtained. Two motor cars of the same make, carefully tuned to deliver exactly the same petrol mileage the same speed under the same driving conditions, were run over an 18-mile stretch of comparatively level road in exactly the same elapsed time. While both cars started side by side and ended the run at exactly the same time, they_ were driven under widely varying conditions to prove definitely that the human element and driving habits are the governing factors in petrol mileage. Car No, 1 was driven. at a variable speed. It stopped for IP seconds every four-tenths of a mile, shifted from first to second gear, speeded up in second gear to 35 or 40 m.p.h., then shifted into high gear and was driven as fast as necessary to pass car No. 2. Then this process was repeated again and again over the 18mile course. At the end of the test, car No. 1, driven at variable speeds, had consumed nearly twice as much benzine as had car No. 2, driven at a constant speed. The test mileage for car No. 2, driven at a constant speed of 30 m.p,h., was 19.7 miles per gallon, while car No. 1, that hopped back and forth from standstill to 60 m.p.h, had a mileage of but 10.4 miles per gallon—a difference of 9.3 miles per gallon, or nearly 90 per cent. THE ELECTRICAL GEAR. Starters and dynamos are now so well made and so generally reliable that the owner-driver is apt to forget their existence, and may err on the side of giving them less attention than they deserve, and should receive. Perhaps the most important point about keeping these electrical units in good order is the necessity for cleanliness, and unfortunately' they are often subjected to much dust and dirt, and sometimes oil and wet. Lubrication is of the greatest importance. Overlubrication will result in all kinds of electrical trouble, as well as the accumulation of dust which will spoil the bearings. One of the mistakes which the motorist may make is in over-lubricating Only a small amount of lubricant is required. A few drops of oil occassionally is all the bearings require. If overlubricated the oil will get on the windings of the armature or on the commutators. When oil gets on the commutators it gets burned and carbonised, and it increases the sparking (carbon being a conductor), and seriously reduces the efficiency of _ the unit. The commutators are the things which require most attention. They should he clean and bright. The carbon brushes should be in close contact with the commutator and not glazed. The commutator should ' be cleaned with petrol, a rag on the end of a wooden stick being introduced to press against the commutator as it rotates. A piece of glass paper of medium grade should be then used on the end of a stick curved to the shape of the commutator, and the segments cleaned by pressing against it while rotating. The carbon brushes should be surfaced, also with glass paper, and to a shape which will make them lie closely in contact, over all the surface, with the commutator. In the case of the starter, additional attention should be given to the self-engaging gear. The pinion should move along the quick thread on the armature shaft quite easily. Very thin oil only should be used here, but a better method is to use plumbago powder. Thick oil attracts dust and grit and may make the “ run-up ” of the pinion on its thread sluggish. To ensure good working clean the pinion and thread with petrol to remove all thick gummy oil, let it dry, and apply a very small quantity of very thin oil. Excessive lubrication of the selfengaging gear is to be avoided and is the cause of much of the trouble with self-starters. MOTOR CYCLE NOTES. The monthly general meeting of the motor cycle section of the Otago Motor Club will be held in the clubrooms, Moray place, at 8 p,m, on Wednesday next. This meeting will be preceded by a committee meeting at 7 p.m, * * * The following are the New Zealand registrations of new motor cycles for the month of November, 1929:—8.5.A. 54, Triumph 48, Harley Davidson 45, A.J.S. 40, Ariel 40, Indian 25. * * * Achilla Varzi, the famous Italian speedman, has now taken to driving racing cars, and is one of the finest drivers in Italy. _ He recently won the Monza Grand Prix on an Alfa-Romeo, but has not deserted motor cycles—a week later he won the Grand Prix of the Nations on a 493 c.c. Sunbeam. * * It is understood that a member of the Southland Motor Cycle Club intends making an onslaught on the flying mile beach record at an early date. This record of 32 3-ssec is at present held by Harry Mangham, who on April 23. 1927, on a 7-9 H.D., riding at the rate of 1104 miles per hour, reduced Les Monkmairs "record of 104 miles per hour. HAND SIGNALS. If there is one outstanding way i n which car drivers raise the ire of motor cyclists it is by suddenly swinging outward without previously indicating their intention. This annoying habit is fairly general, and anyone who is constantly on the road can call to mind cases where those following the offender have pulled alongside in order to remonstrate with him. A man’s chief fault is invariably the one lie sees most in another. Motor cyclists, as a whole, are continually taking exception to the lack and general misuse of hand signals hy oar drivers, yet how often do they, themselves, take the trouble to signal i-orrertlv ami in plenty of time? Of course, thev have the excuse that it is safo-t to keep both hands on the handle bars when swerving I but then the car driver has also an escus'c

in that it is often difficult for him to extend his hand over the side of the body. Occasionally a motor cyclist or car driver is to be seen signalling even in an empty road, proving that with him it has become almost a habit. It is an excellent thing to acquire this habit, but the signals should always be accompanied by a glance both to front and rear. The proper use of the hand signals, laid down in the motor regulations, is a courtesy each_ road user owes to his fellows, and, like every other courtesy, it brings its reward in the form of greater safety. SPARKS. The proposed Firth of Forth road bridge will cost £6,000,000. During the past year 23 miles of new road and 44 miles of footpaths have been built in Liverpool. # :}: Signal lights for pedestrians, as well as automatic traffic signals, are to be installed at Gateshcad-on-Tyne. * * * Two garages in Chicago are to be 28 storeys and 29 storeys high, and will bouse 1300 cars. * * * A 15ft subsidence in the- Wigan-South : port main road nt Standish, near Wigan, disclosed an old colliery roadway beneath. * ❖ * “ I wish, Matilda, you would agree not to talk when I’m driving in traffic.” “We can discuss that as we go along, Adolphus.” * * * A cable suspension bridge that has taken over two years to complete, at a cost of £500,000, was recently opened at Cologne. * * * Music in the motorist's ear—the soft, rhythmic hum of the smooth running engine powered by Big Tree.—Advt. # * * “ My car was made in 1912 of gun metal —or perhaps I should not be here now.”— A witness at Leeds Police Court, describing a collision * * * Several drivers of lorries were recently fined at Doncaster for creating excessive noise, due to damaged tyres which flapped with every revolution of the wheels. * * * Several motorists summoned at Newcastle recently for disobeying the traffic controls in the city were acquitted on the ground that the signals had no legal standing. * * * Traffic policeman (after the operation); ‘ What did I say while I was under the ether?” Nurse: “You asked the surgeon to show you his operator’s license.” * * * Everywhere in town; miles out on lonely roads, Big Tree Pumps deliver bigger and smoother mileage to discriminating motorists.—Advt. ♦ * * It is stated that the paying attendance at the Motor Show at Oylmpia, in England, for the whole period was 227,474, against 253,267 last year, showing a decrease of 25,793. . * * * “ You eay you were slapped on the back by the Venus de Milo?” said the puzzled judge to the bandaged individual. “Yes,” replied the injured one; “ it was on this fellow’s radiator cap.” * * * The Royal Commission of Transportation or Great Britain has sent a recommendation to the Government abolishing the speed limit for motor cars and to establish a. _ new law that will inflict heavy penalities for driving in a manner danger to the public or without reasonable regard for the safety and comfort and convenience of the public. * * * The rule of the road in Gibraltar, which, since Great Britain first held the fortress, has followed the English system, has been altered to “keep to the right.” The reason for the change is to facilitate traffic with Spain and to avoid the frequent accidents that have occurred near the frontier, owing to the confusion arising out of the contrary rules of the road. # ♦ * If you haven’t tried Big Tree Motor Spirit yet there’s a new delight in driving ahead of you.—Advt. * * m It is stated that some 165,350 private vehicles have been produced in England during the current year, an increase of approximately 3000 on the 1928 figures. Production falls a little short of the estimate of manufacturers at the beginning of the year, but the position is said to be satisfactory, following the prediction of a number of experts that Britain had reached saturation point. * * ♦ A traffic constable at a busy corner saw an old lady beckon to him one afternoon. He held up two dozen automobiles, f<pur trucks, and two taxis to get to her side. “What is it, lady? ” he asked, rather impatiently. The old lady smiled and put her hand on his arm. “Officer,” she said in a soft voice, "I just wanted to tell you that your number is the number of my favourite hymn.” NOTES FROM LONDON. THE INTERNATIONAL SHOW. By R. A. C. PRODUCTS OF THE BIG COMBINE. It was announced quite recently that Laptam J. S. Irving, designer of the * d , en Arrow, had become technical chief Sr . 0 Hnlman-Humber-Cornmer combine. Major Sir Henry Segrave is also closely associated. while on the export side Kootes, Ltd., who have great experience of world conditions, are in sole charge, inis undoubtedly makes a strong combination, and augurs well for the future of the group. The Hillman Straight-Eight, already a most successful car, embodies a number of detad improvements in its latest form. Chief among these as affeefng performance are the new exhaust and inlet manifoids, giving increased power and silence, i .it batteries are now housed inside the frame, and similar improvements have been made to the front springs as on the Fourteen already referred to. This car is delightful to drive, flexible an j*E? ca i excellent acceleration; it is difficult to realise that the engine capacity is but 2620 c.c. Coming now to the more powerful cars, a newcomer from the Humber works stands out as one of the features of the show. This is the Snipe, a car with a high power to weight ratio and a fine road performance; it is. in fact, stated to be capable of a genuine 75 m.p.h. The six-cyhndcr power unit has a bore of 80 mm. and 116 mm. stroke, the cubic capacity being 3498 c.c. The new pattern Humber radiator is, of course, employed, and the appearance of the Snipe is most attractive. The provision of thermostatically-controlled radiator shutters not only enhances this, but ensures that at all times the engine ivories under most efficient temperature conditions. Probably the most outstanding point about this model, however, is its fourspeed gearbox, built into a single unit with the engine and affording a third ratio that is as silent and as smooth as 00 n .^ drive. The valve of this lu traffic and in hilly country is at once apparent. Not only does it give the driver a tremendous degree of control, b*'t f° the sporting _ enthusiast it is a delight to feel that in all conditions be has the means at hand to abstract the very best results from his engine. THE LURE OF SPEED. I be attraction of speed is difficult to put into words, and, in these days of congested roads, it is seldom, indeed, that the sports model can he allowed to show U s except oyer short distances. I robably the true joy of the owner lies in the knowledge that he has under his control the reserve of power readv in ji i en cil ' cuulfitan c<‘s permit, and, an added attraction to such an enthusiast, is the engineering skill displaved in the design of the modern sports model After a very successful season with the four and n-hnlf-litre four-cylinder and six and a-haff-htre six-cylinder chassis, Hentlej Motors have decided to continue these models wth a few changes of detail nature only. As the outcome of the yahiabie experience gained in the Double l_-Hour Lace. Dublin Grand Prix. and Ustcr 1.1. however, a n C w model is heing ottered in the four and a-half-litiv supercharged clu.-ss. This tine car. which has engine dimensions uf 100 and 140 mm has an output oi about 165 horse-power:' it vill do over 110 miles per hour The output of the six and a-hal'f-litrc

speed model haa been considerably Increased above its previous figure by a alteration to the induction system and inlet valve design. Rootes, Ltd., handle the export of Bentleys, and showed at the Paris Salon this year. The three-litre Sunbeam still retains its position as one of the fastest standard sports cars ever produced, and combines high speed _ with a degree of comfort remarkable in a sports type of car. For high speed touring the Weymann saloon supplied on this chassis is very attractive. The rally type of Weymann saloon, which can be had on the 20 and 25 horsepower models, competed in this year’s JMonte Carlo rally, and was generally regarded as one of the most notable examples of coachwork among the manv luxurious cars on view. THE GREATEST ROLLS-ROYCE. So many superlatives have been emplojjod at various times in describing Rolls-Royce products that it is difficult tL n IV the new lantern 11, the latest 40-50 horse-power from the famous Derby works. It is, howmonf Tn eSt n onably, J lle , Greatest achievement of the firm up to, date. It is faster more rapid in acceleration, more roadsion tow.r f n P6eds ’ be , fcter suspension, lower to the ground, and even improved in appearance. The transmission and springing have hi^nowof 3 h y altered + ’ the P ro Peller shaft s now of the open type, and the cantilever reap springs have given place to long semi-elliptics. The weight of tlm chassis has been very considerably reduced and, as a result, greatly improved performance is now obtained lmprovca A most complete method of spring lubrication by means of which oil is forced to the whole surface of every leaf combined with patent hydraulic shock al> soibers, results m truly delightful springas the -0-25 h.p. Rolls-Royce. Both boro and stroke have been increased and the engine is stated to give 20 per cent, more power.