THE MOTOR WORLD

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22719, 4 November 1935, Page 3

THE MOTOR WORLD

Items of news—short description; etc., comment, or inquiries—wi

TO CORRESPONDENTS. " Interested,” _ Dunedin. —The firm is perfectly reliable. . . “New Chum,”’ Central Otago.—(l) Please supply make of machine, whether overhead valve or side valve, and horse-power. The correct timing * will then be supplied. (2) No. lon the magneto indicates that it tires the rear cylinder. (3) A piece ot felt from a hat is the best packing for y°ur purpose. CAUSES OF CLUTCH TROUBLE., Clutch troubles usually arise from the following causes:— , Insufficient clearance between the clutch pedal and the floorboards or clutch stop. Dirty surface of clutch plates. i Insufficient tension in clutch springs. Driving with the foot on the pedal, which tends •to hold the clutch out slightly, allowing it to slip. Accelerating the engine before the clutch has had time to grip properly. Either of the last two practices, it persisted in, will quickly ruin a clutch. With the modern plate clutches, the only attention necessary in most cases is occasional lubrication at the points indicated in the maker’s chart, and, after.considerable mileage, a good wash-out with petrol or kerosene. When washing out the pedal should be propped down with a piece of board cut to the required length and jammed between the pedal and the bottom of the driver’s seat, so that the plates are held apart. After cleaning, with kerosene, particularly, it is advisable to allow the clutch to dram overnight. TRAFFIC AND BRAKES. In order to determine how often the average drives uses his brakes in traffic, a test was recently conducted by the Automobile Club of Michigan, U.S.A.. A wbman was selected as an average driver apd her car was fitted with a meter to register the number of stops made, bhe drove for eight hours through all lands of traffic, light in outlying districts and heavy in congested city streets. During that time 144 miles were travelled and the brakes were used on 547 occasions or more than once a minute. The speed average for the day’s driving was slightly above 18 miles per hour, while 30 miles per hour was never exceeded. Traffic stops averaged three a mile. liven under the moderate speed conditions that prevailed during the run, the test disclosed the tremendous amount of ■work the brakes have to do during a normal day’s driving, also the stresses imposed on the tyres, for every application of the brakes throws increased Work on the treads and walls of the covers. The fact that brakes may have to.be applied and depended upon, 506 times a day, when driving in built-up areas, indicates how necessary it is to keep, brakes in good condition and correctly adjusted. CHANGING A WHEEL. When a wheel has to be changed at the roadside there are one or two. points to which attention should be paid. First, it is inadvisable to stop the car so that the wheel is on the side away from traffic. If necessary, turn the car round on to the other side of the road. Secondly, if the stop is on a mam highway and there is a side road handy, drive up the side road and make the change there. It is more convenient both for yourself and other road users. Take a good look to see if there is room to remove the wheel finally. Hav-, ing jacked up the wheel and removed the nute, it is annoying to find that the car. is too near a kerb to allow the wheel to be taken off. Before removing the wheel make certain that the jack is securely in position. A car that has fallen of! its jack is a most unmanageable object, and always there is the possibility that it will do some damage—personal or mechanical —as it falls. When setting out to change a wheel, loosen the wheel nuts slightly before jacking up the axle. It is much easier to slacken off the nuts on a wheel held by the car’s weight than afterwards to hold the wheel with the feet, Having taken off the wheel, put a smear of grease on the studs .and cup. This,prevents the wheel rusting into place and becoming difficult to move, when the wheel has to be changed again. DANGER IN TWILIGHT. “Bad public lighting, especially on a main thoroughfare, is a gamble, with fate,” said Mr A. Maurice Bell in hie presidential address to the conference of the Association of Public Lighting Engineers in London. It had been shown during the first few months of this year that the worst period of the day for road accidents was between 5 p.ra. and 6 p.m., and the second worst ivas between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. This was during and just after the changeover from natural to artificial light, before road users became accustomed to the altered conditions of visibility rendered by good, bad, or indifferent public lighting. In the interest of safety proper lighting should be made compulsory on all roads in and through towns and on all main arterial roads carrying heavy traffic, he said. The cost should be met out of a common fund, to which local and county authorities should contribute, with a general contribution from the Road Fund. Mr W. J. Allbright said that when the electric discharge lamp was first introduced, the chief criticism was its effect on the human complexion. Women considered to be vitally interested in the preservation of a more or less ruddy complexion were called in to help the campaign. There was now * practically no criticism of colour effects. Viscount Elmley, M.P., parliamentary private secretary to the Minister of Transport, said the action taken by that Minister to reduce the number of accidents on the road had begun to show definite results. NERVE AND SPEED. The old saying that man is a« old as he feels is very true, but to state that everyone is too old at 40 to do things if), of course, ridiculous (says Sir Malcolm Campbell, in the Daily Mail after breaking his own land speed record). One of the greatest assets in life m to possess a j'oung outlook, and I think I have proved that a man of 40 is not too old to do things, although, as 1 claim, it is not a question of age so much as of outlook upon life. I am lucky to have been brought into the world by healthy parents, which I should imagine is essential in acquiring and retaining this attitude. I have been blessed with an abnormally good heart, which must be one secret of my career. I am told I have blood pressure considerably lower than is usual at my age —also a necessary attribute. Until recently I possessed abnormally good sight and hearing. Latterly, however, by near eight has not been as good as it was, but this is only natural. My long-distance vision, essential to my driving, is still quite equal to any demands when travelling at high speeds. My hearing is not quite so good as it used to bo, simply because these highspeed tests, with consequent noise of wind and engine roar, have affected it slightly, but it is still very good. . High-speed racing, in my opinion, can be safely indulged in by a man over 40 years of age, provided he has had previous training, and has certain physical attributes. The necessary qualifications are a mighty quick reaction i that is the complement of a very fast-acting brain), petfeet judgment, a certain amount of determination, and a really steady nerve. Therefore I see no reason why a man of 50 cannot equal or even excel a youth of 25 in record-breaking motor racing. I have never gone in for any form of training prior to making my record attempts. In my everyday life I have alwavs refrained from indulging in excesses of anv kind. and. although I am not a total abstainer, I keep my consumption of alcohol down. , _ Late nights I also abhor, as I consider they are very injurious. I must confess that I smoke quite a lot, hut ha\c not found that this has affected me in any way. On the otner hand, I would

By ACCELERATOR.

,s of tours, the state of the roads, ill be welcomed by Accelerator.

immediately cut out this pleasure if I really believed it was alteeting my physical fitness. As an instance of how valuable experience is, I find that I can look at my instruments when travelling at over 250 miles an hour, and on my recent record run I closed the radiator shutter when the ear had reached 280 miles an hour. This necessitated taking one hand from the steering wheel, and I can only say I would not have dared to have performed the operation a few years ago, even though speeds were much lower than they are to-day and I was a younger man. N IN THE WAR ZONE. Shipping cars to Italian Somaliland is the newest scheme to recommend itself in South Africa. The possibility of providing a fresh outlet in Mussolini’s East Africa is being seriously examined by several important concerns. Preliminary shipments actually have found their way up the east coast, and the buying activities are likely to increase substantially before long. Old passenger cars, mostly second-hand, have been acquired, and have been fitted with truck bodies. No big prices have, however, been paid, the usual figure being about £4O or £SO. Quite apart from this, however, a striking tribute was lately paid to the importance of the Johannesburg motor trade, which ha s shown that it can even do business 3000 miles off, on the shores of the Red Sea. For the purpose of developing the agricultural _ resources of Italian Somaliland, a leading American firm of manufacturers lately was asked to supply a very important consignment of petrol-driven tractors. Mr Frank L. Peterson, district representative of a big tractor company, with headquarters at Johannesburg, recently was asked to proceed to the Italian colony in order to supervise the delivery and installation of a fleet of some 70 of the machines. "South Africans' may be somewhat astonished,” he said, “to learn that the famous Eudi Shebeli Valley, or 1 River of the Leopards,’ which lies 12 miles inland from the ancient port of Merka, alleged to date back 3000 years before the visit of the Queen of Sheba to Solomon, produces 4000 tons of bananas for 10 months in the year! ” In order to cultivate the huge estates, most of which are run on the large-scale plantation system, the new fleet of tractors was obtained. Every Friday giant shipments of bananas are loaded up for Europe. Hitherto, Italian East Africa, ns it is now styled, only boasted of a modest number of motor vehicles, but the influx, not only of the colonial army, but also the intensive programme of agricultural development which Mussolini has embarked, is rapidly adding to their number. Although preference is given to Italian makes by the authorities in Romo, they are by no means confining their orders exclusively to their own country. Important houses in South Africa confirm that their home firms —non-Italian —are getting an appreciable amount of fresh orders from this quarter. Dr L. Bordoni, Italian Trade Commissioner at Johannesburg, while not denying the possibilities of the Somaliland and Eritrea motor car market, however, emphasised that his Government was not disposed to provide a dumping ground for “ old crocks. "If people in South Africa want to send second-hand _ motors to these colonies,” he explained, " they are at liberty to do so. But they will have to find their customers among the civilian portion of the populace.” He stressed the fact that Italy was sufficiently near to allow the importation of cars straight from the home factories, which had plenty of orders. , . . Road making in East Africa is intimately bound up with the problem of selling more automobiles, old or new, from the Union. Only recently has a really impressive programme of building been embarked upon, and the few 'hundred miles or real roads hitherto available are being rapidly increased. Until large-scale colonisation, such as is plaitncd by Mussolini, is in existence, the local Government is bound to remain the main purchaser of cars. The last ccncus showed that there were only 3050 Europeans, mostly Itolian, in Eritrea, ns against 018,126 of other races, while in Somaliland there were 1658 whites and 1,009,157 natives. Eritrea and Italian Somaliland, according to the latest figures (which lump them together) had 80S care, but with the coming of the military this total has been raised by several thousands. Of the total, 318 are trucks. Incidentally, Abyssinia has 697 motor vehicles of her own, which means that she possesses about one car to every 15,000 of her population. Detailed totals show that there were few American models in Somaliland and Eritrea. Of the 550 cars, 295 were Italian. 225 French, and 30 British, while of the trucks and buses, 198 were Italian, 45 were French, and 75 British. In Abyssinia, it may be mentioned, most of the cars on the road arc running in the capital, Addis Ababa, which has 056 automobiles and 60 motor cycles. Dire Daoua boasts of 34 vehicles, and the ancient city of the “ King of Kings,” Harrar, maintains seven petrol-driven vehicles. Last year Abyssinia had 1600 miles of passable* motor«roads, one of which goes through magnificent mountain scenery to Harrar, where Sir Richard Burton, in Victorian times, trekked at the risk of having his throat cut. Perhaps, when times are more normal, South African motorists may start to tour in the romantic ranges of the “Lion of Judah.”

WE DRIVERS. A General Motors engineer lias compiled a series of brief discussions on driving, dedicated to the safety, comfort and pleasure of the motoring public. This week the subjects treated arc “ Driving on Hills” and “Power and Speed”:— “ Driving on Hills.” In some parts of the country hills are taken for granted—and good, steep ones, too. But for some of us who live in flatter country hill driving is not so familiarAa a matter of fact, there are several conditions peculiar to driving in very steep hills or mountains, especially if the altitude is high. For instance, a car that develops 100 h.p. at sea-level, has only 82 h.p. at an altitude of 5000 feet. Another thing is that sometimes grades are deceptive and we don’t realise how steep they are, if there is no level ground to judge by. So if we go on a road trip and happen to get into country where hills are hills, we often have no idea of what is in store for us. As likely as not we will come rolling up to a hill, taking it for granted that we’ll make the grade. But before we’ve gone very far we find that our power seems to be giving out, and we’re slowing down. Then we realise we must shift to second gear, but we’re lucky if we haven’t found out so late that there we are, stalled on a hill! Now people who drive on hills all the time say one thing to remember is that there’s nothing like a good start. Of course, this is true, because the minute we start up gravity starts to work and work fast. Yard by yard it uses up our momentum till by and by that momentum is just about gone. Then we have to shift to a lower gear to increase our power. Experts tell us that by far the most common fault in hill-climbing is failure to shift to a lower gear soon enough. So just to be sure, some drivers set a definite point at which to change gears. The consensus of opinion seems to be that we should always go into second gear as soon as our speed gets down to 20 miles an hour. There arc times, however, when we want to stop on a hill. So it is important to know how to start again, with our

cars on an upgrade. And there seem to be two methods used by experience! drivers. Some use their foot brake to keep their cars from rolling backwards, put their engine in low gear and accelerate slowly with the hand throttle, gradually engaging their clutch and releasing the brake at the same time. Other good drivers do exactly the same thing, only they use the hand brake and the foot accelerator. But both groups tell us it doesn’t make muon difference . . ._to use whichever method we happen to like the better. Now there aren’t many hills that cars can’t climb nowadays . . . and what goes up must come down. And that’s where we have to look out for momentum. He may have been a friend in need when we were coming up hill, but going down he 11 run away with us if we aren t careful. And if there are any sharp curves or any bad bumps or loose gravel, Aye have to be careful or he’ll pitch us right off the toad. Many drivers say that we should go down a hill in the same gear we would use to get up. In other words, if its so, steep that we would have to go up in second or even low gear, then we d better get into that same gear before we start down. If our car is in second or low gear, our engine works as a very effective brake, and besides it saves a lot of wear on our real brakes._ Speahing of gears, experienced drivers say we should never, under any condition, disengage our clutch and coast down hill. That’s just what momentum is waiting for. Just give momentum a free rem, without our engine to_ check it, and nobody can tell what's going to happen. When we do get in country where people are used to driving on hills all the time, it may seem to us that they take those hills without the slightest concern. But if we were in their cars with them and could watch closely, we would see that they take all these precautions we have mentioned, just as a matter of habit. And one thing is sure. They make it a rule never to pass other oars on hills, or get on the wrong side of the road, when they can’t see far enough ahead to be sure whether anyone’s coming. —Power and Speed.— Most of our motor cars will go so much faster than we ever care to drive them that no doubt people often wonder why so much speed is built into them in the first place. Of course, motor cars aren’t built with the idea of pleasing the manufacturer or tbe engineer or the salesman. They’re built to suit the men and women who arc going to own and drive them. And there are certain things that people do insist on in their cars. It happens that some of those things are of such a nature that when the engineers provide them an ability to go fast just naturally results. For instance, nearly everybody likes to get going as promptly as possible. Now that’s just a matter of the power we have in our engine and how our car is geared. ' Then there’s the business of hill-climb-ing. That may not mean so much in some localities as in others, but cars have to be built to suit us wherever we may live and wherever we may want to go. Engineers tell us that they could build a fairly low-powered car that would pull us up the steepest hill. But if they did they would have to gear it so low that when we got over the top and on to a ■ level stretch we could only go crawling along at a rate that wouldn’t satisfy even the most conservative drivers. But perhaps the most important reason for having our power what it is in modern cars is a matter that many of us have never considered. We all know what happens to us when we, ourselves, are going at high pressure all the time, either physically or mentally. A person can work 12, 14, or 16 hours a day, but we know we get along best when we don’t tax our last reserves of energy all the time. In the same way, anybody who has over run machinery knows that if you keep it going at full capacity and full speed day in and day out you’re just multiplying the chances of a breakdown sooner or later. And that’s how it is with a car. By building in the ability to run at high speed, engineers make it practical to run at reasonable speed. If our car can go 70, 80, or maybe even more miles an hour, then it won’t have to strain to go 35, 40. or somewhat faster if circumstances demand. So we can drive it along at sensible speeds hour after hour, day after day. without overworking it. When we stop to think about it, lots of things arc built with that added safety margin. Lifts in our office buildings could carrv far heavier loads than the weight of all the people they can hold. So could modern bridges. The steel girders of our buildings, the rails.under our trains—in fact, any number of things we depend on day by day—are much stronger than they really have to be. They all have that extra margin of protection. So. with our cars, what we have to remember is that speed is simply a byproduct of power. We can use that power unwisely, or we can use it sensibly and get better performance and dependability as the result. Manufacturers can’t decide that. It’s all up to us. The subjects next week will be “City Traffic” and “Country Driving.”

THE MOTOR CYCLE AA. (OTAGO) CYCLE SECTION, FIXTURES November 9.—Camberly scramble. November 23.~Run to Brighton. December B.—Social run, Buckland’s Ford. CAMBERLY SCRAMBLE. Motor cyclists are cordially invited to take part in the above event, -which should be very exciting and which is to be run by the cycle section of A.A. (Otago) on Saturday next, leaving the club rooms at 2 p.m. LABOUR DAY TRIAL. After a wet and depressing week the A. (Otago) Labour Day reliability trial to Pembroke was carried out under ideal weather conditions. One late car entry, Mr T. K. ,S. Sidey (Oldsmobile) had been received, this bringing the total to 10 cars and 9 motor cycles, there being three teams in each class contesting the teams award. At 2.30 on Saturday afternoon Mr G. Bingham sent the first competitor, R. H. Stewart (Rudge) away on the first stage of the journey, other contestants following at one minute intervals. The slow average speed was 20 miles per hour to the Green Island boundary, where Mr W. F. Sutton had a check, after passing which 30 m.p.h. was required. Mr W. J. MTnues was in charge of the first official control at Lawrence, where a 15min stop was made. After an hour’s stop for tea at Roxburgh contestants proceeded, Mr J. Murray’s secret check at Shingle Creek showing very few on time. Alexandra, where another secret check was made, was reached in darkness. At Clyde, H. Curtis (Willys) was about 10 minutes behind schedule, and, after a hectic dash up the gorge, arrived at Cromwell, a 15min stop, almost on time. The starting of the motors in both classes had up to this point been very good, easy starting tests being held at every stopping place. An amusing incident was witnessed by an official when stopped at the roadside, in the next stage of the trip. The headlights of a competitor’s car, which was ahead of time, appeared, and on sighting the official he switched out his lights, reversed back down the road and waited until on time before proceeding. He later learned that the official wan rectifying a defect in his machine, and it was not a secret check as the car driver thought. At Luggatc T. Manderson, who had been performing well, wa s forced to retire with engine trouble, this being the only retirement. His team mate, O. W. Greenslade (Vclocette), was riding very consistently. although handicapped by having no time chart. At about 10.30 the motor cyclists reached Pembroke, J. Fowler (Ariel) and B. Duff (Yelocette) arriving very little late, despite the trouble the former had had with a puncture. Duff stopping to help. The baby cars of R. Millis and Gemmell (Morris) had to be driven very hard to reach the destination on time, the former giving his little Austin a severe test throughout the trial. Supper and bed was the next item. Next morning a speed judging contest was run. Speedometers having been sealed competitors were required to average a given speed for several miles, the road used following the shores of Lake Wanaka, and making a very enjoyable drive. Checks were taken by Messrs Phillips and T. Turner, who had arrived late the previous night in a new Morris. Another driver of a brand new' car was A. M'Donald (Hillman), who will bo remembered as a keen and successful racing motor cyclist of several years ago. L. Johnson, another successful racing motor cyclist, was competing in a Sun-

beam car. Competitors were hot all satisfied with the method of running the brake test which was next held. In the afternoon a section for motor cycles was observed. Riders were required to ride upstream between flags in a river, the Cardrona, the water being above tire hubs, the current strong, and the riverbed very rough. S. Jones (Ariel), Stewart and Fowler performed well, while the water stopped B. Burns (Ariel) by blocking the exhaust pipes. One of the officials here was Mr W. F. Sutton, secretary of A.A. (Otago), who had reached Pembroke a little earlier. Back at the township J. C. Murray surprised everyone by not wrecking or capsizing his Ariel and sidecar when ffiving an exhibition of riding. _ Moving pictures of this and other interesting events were snapped up by Mr Sidey, and this should prove an exceedingly entertaining film. That evening one person showed shrewd business instinct by running a competition, the winner of whica was decided on the promoter’s weight. AH the winner receiVed was his money back, while the “rogue” made a quick getaway with the rest of the takings. Others entertained with saxophone and piano, and the fun was enjoyed by all. On Labour Day morning the first bike departed at 8 o’clock, and the trial proceeded at 30 miles per hour, via Lake Hawea and Tarras. Part of this very rough and hard to follow, some of the contestants taking wrong roads near the lake. Secret checks were taken by Mr D. Hardy, and at Tarras by Mr J. Cunningham, The road on the left-hand side •of the river was followed. The first official control, at Clyde, was in charge of Messrs A. E. Bingham and J. Carson. S. Kirkland (8.5. A.) here confirmed the opinion that a sheep is a brainless animal, his late arrival being caused by having hit one. N. Holmes was also late, having had the misfortune to puncture a tyro on his V 8 Ford. A stop and restart test for the twowheelers was supervised by Messrs C. Bingham and J. Bevin on Black’s Hill, the cars having been tested at Pembroke. An interval was made at Ranfurly for dinner. An uneventful run was made to the next control, Middlemarch, from where the road was very hilly. However, the average speed was easy and almost everyone was early at a secret check taken by Mr S. Morris, near Outram. After another slow run from Green Island the motor cyclists arrived at the clubrooms followed by the first car. An inspection of competitors’ machines concluded a trial which was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone who made the trip to Pembroke. SPARKS Some £7,000,000 will be spent on special motor roads in France, and about 15,000 men will be employed. * * * Mr R. S. Evans, of Atlanta, Georgia, has purchased the U.S. Austin Car Company for the sum of £44,000. It is understood that he intends to continue to manufacture small cars.

The motor exhibition which used to be held in Christchurch during Carnival Week is being revived this year, it is reported that members of the trade are entering into the arrangements with enthusiasm. The Berlin police declare that cyclists are responsible for a high proportion of street accidents in that city. In one day in Berlin during a campaign to make cyclists observe the traffic regulations, as many as 4586 cyclists were fined. The fines are imposed on the spot by the police. The testing of brakes with the testing instrument which has been obtained by the Traffic Department of the Auckland City Council for the purpose of making regular inspections of vehicles has just been commenced. In certain main streets of Blackpool parking has been prohibited owing to the congestion caused by waiting vehicles, but motorists are allowed to leave their cars for limited periods on the loft side of the road on odd dates and on the right on even dates. The order prohibiting parking was made under a local Act passed 56 years ago! Women have exerted a tremendous influence in car colouring, both interior and exterior. It is said that approximately 40 per cent, of all cars sold are purchased by women, and that their influence looms in every car sale. Women are not only colour conscious, but also particularly well versed in colour combinations through experience and practice in choosing personal apparel.