THE MOTOR WORLD

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23702, 9 January 1939, Page 3

THE MOTOR WORLD

By ACCELERATOR

ACKNOWLEDGMENT The Vesta Vamp, for January, from Broadway Parking and Petrol Station, Ltd. HOW TO TAKE A PEDESTRIAN CROSSING “ This case is typical of the misunderstanding that drivers of motor vehicles appear to have in regard to the regulations controlling pedestrian crossings,” said Sir Marlay Samson, K.C., xecently, as reported in English Motor. “ When the driver is approaching a crossing the obligation is on him or her to see whether there is any pedestrian in physical occupation of the crossing, and. indeed, the obligation is greater than that. When a driver approaches a crossing he must see if there is a pedestrian in such a position as makes him or her likely to be in physical possession of the crossing at the time when he reaches the studs.

“There is the obligation not merely to give free and uninterrupted passage, but the driver, when nearing the crossing, must proceed at such a speed as to be able to stop, if necessary, before reaching the crossing. This regulation is constantly infringed. But there must be fair consideration on both sides. Pedestrians* should not step on to the crossing when a vehicle is so near as to have no reasonable chance of stopping.” “Now you know your obligations, adds the Motor. EXTENDING CAR LIFE Many of the new owners who will be on the roads during the present touring season may not know too _ much about the mechanical construction of their cars, nor how the various parts of the undercarriage can be harmed by inconsiderate and thoughtless driving methods, writes a northern expert. The modern car is staunch and well able to withstand abuse for a long period, but the constant imposition of unfair stresses must inevitably accelerate the rate of wear, and sometimes will cause damage which is not immediately apparent. , . . , If the owner is interested m keeping his car for several years, he has no wish to be faced with too many heavy repair bills in that period. It follows that his guiding principle in driving should be gentleness and care, both in his manner of handling the various controls and in the way he corners. Cornering is one of the very important things. There is little to be gamed on a long journey in putting a car into the bends too fast. Unless the driver is skilled, it is accompanied by a good deal of danger. Fast cornering places a heavy side strain on every part of the running gear. The tyres must take the strain first, and are exnosed to an action which will quickly wear down the treads Then this strain is transferred to the shackle connections of the springs, or, if the car has independent suspension, to me bearings of the various links incorporated in this design. . .. This will involve heavy wear on botn the bearing surfaces and the side faces of the shackles, so that a general looseness develops, accompanied by ratt.es. Replacement of the various spring pins and their bushings is the only cure. It is rather an expensive business. The steering connections will also suffer, notably the steering pivot pins, and they, too, will develop looseness far sooner than they should. •Wear on all these parts is also caused by driving a car too hard over potholes and corrugations. But the great est danger of this practice is that a deep hole may be hit so hard that the car axles crash against the chassis frame. This may put the wheels out of alignment without the owner’s knowledge. The first inkling of the trouble will probably be given by excessive wear on the front tyres. Hard driving is not worth while The modern car will maintain a good fast touring pace on the excellent roads now to be found throughout the country, and the little time lost in slowing down for the lew rough sections wul amount to surprisingly little at the end of a long run. The other manifestation of rough driving is violent use of the brakes, gear lever, and accelerator. Rapid acceleration is wasteful of petrol, and it places a strain on the various units of the transmission If the gear lever is moved too fast from one position to another the teeth of the gears will be damaged eventually, because the modern ■ synchro-mesh system, which obviates tne need of double declutching, requires some time to work. The lever should just be moved quietly from one position to another, and the gears will slide into mesh. It is worth learning the old double declutch method, because few cars have synchro-mesh on first and second, while even when changing down from top to second, the engine should be speeded up a little to avoid that bump through the transmission, which otherwise will occur, and which does not do the car very much good. One of the greatest faults of the new driver is his poor judgment of distances, which results in violent use of the brakes. This is bad for many reasons. It will make his passengers apprehensive, will wear the brake linings down rapidly (their replacement is not cheap), and H will place unfair strains on the tyres Every time the wheels are locked, a surprising amount of rubber is taken from the tyres. BIG MONTE CARLO FIXTURE Despite international unrest in Europe, the world’s most famous sporting motoring adventure, the Monte Carlo Car Rally, is again to be staged. Contestants from outlying parts of the Continent and as fai north as the Arctic Circle will start from official controls on January 17, and all contestants are due at Monte Carlo on Saturday. January 21. In previous Monte Carlo rallies the competing cars have been divided into two classes, according to cylinder capacity of engines, up to 1500 c.c. and over that capacity. This year however, for the first time small cars will be split into two divisions, viz., under 750 c.c. and 750-1500 c.c. This innovation will give the “ baby ” cars a better chance of distinguishing themselves in what is unquestionably the world’s severest reliability motor contest.

Competitors have eight different official routes from which to make theit choice, viz,, from Amsterdam (Holland), 902 miles—46B points; Athens (Greece). 2378 miles —500 points; Bucharest (Rumania) 2273 miles—49B points; John o’ Groats ( Scotland), 2257 miles —496 points: Palermo (Sicily), 2540 miles —497 points: Stavanger (Norway), 2186 miles—497 points: Tallinn (Esthonia), 2355 miles—49B points; and Umea (Sweden), 2255 miles—496 points. Along the itineraries from these starting points en route to Monte Carlo contestants have to check in between specified times, or they are excluded from continuing in the rally, whilst those who fail to arrive on time are penalised by the loss of half a point per minute late. The general speed average is 40 kilometres per hour (24 miles 1506 yards) for all stages, excepting the last five, over which a speed of 50 kilometres (31 miles 123 yards* has to be maintained.

To motorists in this country the speed average set for this great International rally may seem low for the modem car. but midwinter conditions in most parts of Europe render many of the official routes almost impassable on account of ice-bound roads, snow etc. At times so severe are the weather and road conditions that entrants who have nominated to start from a spec s fled official starting point fail to reach that control, despite strenuous efforts and consequently miss participation ii. the rally. A remarkable feature of this annual motoring adventure—lt was inaugur-

Items of news—short descriptions of tours, the state of the roads, etc., comment, or inquiries—will be welcomed by Accelerator.

ated back in 1911—is that so many well-to-do British and Continental motorists, women as well as men, face the rigours of midwinter motoring all for the pure love of the game, says the Dunlop Bulletin. Gladly they spend big money to participate in long distance_ day and night motoring under practically arctic conditions, and, strange as it may seem, they appear to revel in overcoming travelling hazards that would appal most motorists CLEANING SPARK PLUGS Spark plugs respond to thorougn cleaning. Place the hexagonal bouy in the vice, and with a well-fitting spanner remove the smaller hexagon. This enables the central electrode and insulator to be removed for thorough cleaning. Clean out all carbon and oily deposits, and replace the parts securely in the reverse order, taking care to have the copper washers in position Tighten securely, remove from vice, and then adjust the gap clearance by bending the outer point, not the central one, if necessary. EXPENSIVE HABITS Most motor drivers are imbued with the idea that they handle their vehicle expertly. A little introspection may possibly show that they have some poor driving habits which they fail to recognise as such, owing to driving having become with them almost second nature. Many bad driving habits increase the cost of maintenance. Consequently if overcome they will lessen upkeep, and, in some Instances, increase the life of vehicles. Here are some driving habits which contribute to high maintenance costs. Racing engine when starting: letting the engine idle for long periods; starting under load in too high a gear; backing or gliding into the kerb, or clipping them when making turns; abusing brakes by making every stop as though it were an emergency; hanging on to top gear when climbing stiff gradients; driving with tyres not inflated to correct pressure; and slipping the clutch to avoid changing gear. DEVELOPING AUSTRALIA Motor transport is to play an Important part in the five-year plan which was announced at Canberra for the development of the Northern Territory The plan includes a vigorous land settlement policy, and embraces a farreaching scheme of road and stock route development, co-ordinated with road transport services. The Federal authorities, for the last four years, have had an A.E.C. Dieselengined 24-wheeled motor road train operating between Alice Springs and the Katherine River district. This transport unit, which has done yeoman hauling service in the heart of the continent, was introduced as an experiment in 1934, and after satisfactory demonstrations was subsequently purchased by the Federal authorities. Under the new development scheme this motor train is now to be used to maintain a regular scheduled service during the dry season, serving all stations, etc., on the Barkly Tableland, the Victoria River district, and portions of the Northern Territory. The service will greatly reduce the cost of transport of stores, etc., to station owners.

The motor train is about 70ft long, consisting of a tractor, powered with a 130 h.p. 6 cylinder Diesel engine, ana two trailers. The tractor weighs 83 tons, and can carry a payload of 3 tons on its lift by 7ft platform. It has four axles and eight wheels, all of which take the drive. The wheels on both front and rear axles are actuated by the steering wheel, so that a very small turning circle is obtained, an essential provision when drawing two trailers. The wheels of the traileis follow exactly in the track of those of the tractor. A range of seven gears is provided by two gearboxes. The trailers each weigh about 4 tons and carry a payload of 6 tons. The total payload of the train is about 15 tons, made possible only by spreading the weight of the loaded train—about 30 tons gross—over 24 wheels equipped with large-sectioned (10.50 in) low pressure Dunlop balloon tyres. During the initial tests conducted over some '9930 miles in Central Australia under Government supervision in 1934, it was demonstrated that, under favourable conditions, the train coula average 13 m.p.h. and haul freight at a cost of slightly less than 4d per tor mile (a cost that included all working charges, depreciation, and interest), as compared with Is per ton mile, the ordinary freight charge in that part of Australia.

Since the advent of the A.E.C. tram into Central Australia, considerable improvements have been effected to roads and tracks, consequently the conventional motor truck, so long as it is suitably powered and shod, is now capable of travelling into practically all parts of the territory where vehicle tracks exist. Thus under the latest plan for development of the territory, motor vehicles will be well to the fore in carrying out the Commonwealth’s new settlement policy in the far north. STEERING TIPS Most beginners seem to steer_ too much or tend to turn too far to either side. In straight running and when turning corners it is noticeable. Only slight movement is really required to keep a car straight ahead, and for that matter a well-behaved car tries to, go straight ahead. 'Round turns at moderate speed and make a point of studying closely the amount of handwheel movement necessary A well-adjusted car straightens out naturally after a turn and with little assistance from the driver. THE MOTOR CYCLE FIXTURES January 16.—Monthly meeting. January 21.—Opening run. February 25.—Hi1l climb (subject to confirmation). CLUB NOTES It is hoped that members and intending members will attend the first monthly meeting for 1939 on Monday evening next. Some important topics are up for discussion. v * v On next Saturday week the first rally of the New Year and the season takes place. It is always wise to start off on the right foot even when awheel. SPARKS Professor Low believes that the petrol-driven cars will not survive another 200 years. “ Can’t let that worry us much.” adds the Motor. v * -rNearly 180 miles of road in Sweden have been equipped with a system of “ aid telephones ” for the use of motorists and others in case of emergency. V While being charged with driving under the influence of drink, a motorist at Carronshire Police Station stole a fountain pen from one of the police officers who was testing him.

Hire cars, which are at present uncontrolled as to fares and operation, are to be the subject of a special inquiry by the British Minister of Transport and the Home Secretary, v * v

A Toronto garage proprietor has invented a car which can travel at 70 miles an hour on land and 20 miles an hour in the water. “ He appears to be thinking of spending next summer in England,” adds a facetious Britisher. vv 4 v

Noisy vehicles in Holland are slopped by traffic police equipped with noise registering apparatus. The noisy vehicle is given the once-over, the recordings noted by the police, and the driver warned that it must be put right. There is no summons for the first time; if, however, the vehicle is found later still to be in an unimproved condition, a heavy fine usually results.

A poultry dealer in Rome, whose premises are next door to a garage, bought a tyre pump and filled his turkeys with wind to make them look plump. The story goes that customers flocked to the shop until one turkey burst, and a piece of bone struck an assistant in the eye—and now the business has burst, too.

Drivers who are brought before a Cleveland, Ohio, judge on charges of intoxication, careless driving, and driving unsafe cars, are given the option of sending their vehicles to a scrapheap or going to gaol themselves. This plan was decided upon by the judge when-he learned that nine out of twelve cars involved in mishaps in one day were mechanically unsound.