Cycling and Motor Notes

Otago Witness, Issue 3114, 19 November 1913, Page 56

Cycling and Motor Notes

If DEMON.

The well-known English sportsman, K. Lee Guinness, pat up a unique performance in the recent Coupe de I’Auto, a leading French automobile race, for email-powered cam, hold over a 387-mile course at Boulogne. Leo Guinness drove a Sunbeam into third place, and from the word “Go” never stopped the wheels of his car, he driving from beginning to end of the race without stopping for any replenishments or through tyre troubles. Lee Guinness handled the steering wheel for 6hr ICmin 50 3-sseo at an average speed of over 61 miles an hour. It is doubtful if such a sterling performance has yet been recorded in an important long-distance road contest. Captain Kelsey and party, who some weeks back left Capetown, South Africa, on a pioneer motor trip across the continent to Cairo, have reached Johannesburg in their Argyll. The first 1000 mile's of the trip occupied 20 days.

Mr Percy Lambert, the first motorist to cover 100 miles in an hour, has met his death in an attempt to cram 110 miles into '6O minutes. Lambert was one of the gamest and most brilliant track drivers in England, and had held many of the important records on Brooldands. Only a few days before his death Lambert established two new world’s speed records, travelling 50 kilos (31 miles 173 yards) in 16min 52.75ec, and 60 miles in 27min 2.2 sec, equal to an average speed of 110 miles an hour. When Lambert’s hour record of 103 J miles was in turn beaten by J. Goux and Chassagne. and increased to 107 miles 1672 yards, the crack Talbot drive? expressed the opinion that ho could cover 110 miles in tlio hour. Judging by his 50-milo record, it appears that his car had the requisite speed, but the strain on the tyres was too much, and a blow-out on :t critical part of the high banking at Brooldands resulted in a bad smashup, and brought to a sad close one of England’s foremost motorists. Pathetic surroundings attach ro Lambert's death, for he had promised hi-3 fiancee that it would be his last record drive —and it was.

Considerable alterations are forecasted in England in connection with motor-cycle design in 1914. Taking the engine first, the two-stroke typo will be more in evidence, no doubt as the result of the dual win of the Scott in this and last year’s Tourist Trophy- Raco. Again, the light twin will he more popular, particularly the horizontally oposed type. It is also predicted that the chain drive will come into more favour, especially on mach'ncs fitted with variable gears. It now looks as if tITo

latter will soon be standard on all types | of touring- machines, and flic single-speed ■ machine will only be used for racing purposes. Considerable improvement will bo manifest in mud-guarding, and the adoption of various devices for the lessening of vibration, one of the bugbears of motorcycling. j " It is stated that one of the effects which those who have used benzole as fuel : for motor cycles have noticed is rapid deterioration of'the sparking-plug points. The ; trouble is most probably caused by the ■ fact, that in changing from petrol to benzole j sufficient accommodation for the .admission of the added air which is required for the ! combustion of the latter fuel has not been made, with the result that the slow-burning fuel overheats the engine, and the plugs suffer. In this connect : on it is stated that onlv platinum-pointed plugs should bo used, as being able to withstand the extra heat induced. ' ... \ good deal of price-cutting is talc-

ing nlacg in America in motor cycles. Twenty-five pounds is, by'no means &n uncommon price for new machines of about h.p.., and there arc prospects of still lower figures being reached. Ttie police authorities of Berlin have ordered that drivers of motor cars must not smoke when at the "wheel of their cars or vehicles. The reason advanced for the order is that a chauffeur may have his vision temporarily dimmed by 'he smoko from his pipe or cigarette, and that an accident may thereby be caused. The English Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders has just concluded one of the most important and far-reaching pieces of work that it has yet undertaken. The society lias decided on a standardisation of motor-tyre rims, and as soon as the necessary gauges can be constructed, the whole of the English motor manufacturers will lit only rims made to the measurements adopted by the society, ——-There were 856 motor cars in the members’ and non-members’ reserves at Flemington on Derby Day, and on Cup Day the number was increased to nearly 1000. A largo number of the vehicles belonged to interstate motoring visitors, some of the cars from New South Wales being of very high power. motor cars will b e constructed near Sydney, the matter having been favourably considered by a gentleman well known in sporting circles, and who has gone to the trouble of locating a suitable site within easy distance of the city, having an area of nearly 400 acres. It is pronosed to build a track -of two and a-half miles in circumference, which is somewhat smaller than the Brooklands circuit. Its width would be 100 ft, and banked to accommodate the highest speed, which, it appears, is about 110 mi.es per hour. , . , that the most imixirtant thing in connection with driving is to be able to stop the oar. Too often drivers make the mistake of descending a long hill without any gear in engagement; brakes will wear and become heated on a long decline, and may become so worn as to seriously impair their effi ciency

What may bo regarded as the, most diflicult feature m nutomobde drmrig is not the manual dexterity requisite for gearchanging. but the judgment i eeossary foi making gear-changes at the proper moment. It is only alter long experience that one is enabled to change gears at precisely the right moment, neither too soon nor too late. But if +ho gear-changing could be made an auto mat ; o mechanical operation it would do much to make the indifferent driver as capable of handling a car as the most experienced motorist, while the chances of minry to the mechanism of the motor would ,be greatly minimised. - •. electric gear-changing device are still in their infancy, their ultimate permanency is considered assured, and, just as partial electric control has been demanded and secured in the past, it is most probable that complete control wil' come in the near future. Yet there appear to be only two more de'velopmonts for the increased ease in operation and control of -the petrol motor by the application of electricity, and these affect the brakes and clutch. Such a device has already been designed and 1 secretly .’tested, and, according to a review in an American, motor journal, the results are satisfactory, and it is , only a matter of a little time before the system will be made public. , —There have been many substitutes evolved for taking the place of the inner tube in tyre covers, some of which were liquid or semi-liquid compounds; but a departure from these fillers is one of German origin to which has been given by a Yankee firm that has adopted it the name of “ Bettemair.” It is a chemical composition made in pdls of various sizes, and when cut to the proper length is inserted in the cover, and a wedge-piece placed i between the two ends, so as to make a continuous bearing for the tread. It is claimed to have stood two years of practical testa of. a very exhaustive nature; hut at the same time it is noticed that the inventors arc not making very extravagant claims for it. For instance, it is at once recognised to be loss resilient than air—that it is not capable of producing high speeds when flitted to motor care, —but it is declared that the compound is equal to air for speeds up to 30 miles per hour. ; The first of the special prizes awarded by the Dunlop Rubber Company in connection with their 100 miles bicycle relay despatch competition has been won bv a team of 10 riders,; representing the Coburg Cycling Club. Melbourne. Tips club established fastest time —4hr t 23min 13 3-ss(.'c —up to the end of October, and carries off the special prize of £lO for. the loading team in the contest. A similar prize will Ire awarded at the end of January. The three fastest teams at the end of April next will receive prizes of £IOO, . £SO, and £2O.

| What with new cars continually being brought out and now models of ok! i cars periodically making their appearance, : it would seem that there is abundant room for standardisation in the construction of i control units, and particularly in the case of the gear-changing lever. At present few cars are the same, and to make it even j more difficult for the purchases of a. now model of the same make he already | possesses, control methods often arc altered j radically. The American Society of Auto- | mobile. Engineers has made a laudable attempt to remedy the evil, but it has not been altogether successful—probably owing to the fact that manufacturers are loth to discard expensive moulds and tools in order to adopt a standard system. Still, a ' standard control method would ho of material benefit to the owner, for he would ho able' to drive hia new car without preliminary instruction, regardless of how short the instruction might be; and, what i is even more to the point, he would he j Ires likely to do the wrong thing in driv- | ing a new oar from force of habit learned ' with the old one. TOO HIGH COMPRESSION. 'Modern cars do not often suffer from too high a compression—at any rate when they are new or clean internally. Makers will go to a deal of trouble to ascertain the highest ratio which their engines will comfortably stand. A writer in the Autocar had a good deal of trouble with an engine which had really too high a compression, an<j the overcoming of the ensuing trouble proved interesting. The car was very fast, but did not climb particularly well, for the engine got too hot, and very soon began to l|nock on a stiff, gradient, even with the ignition well retarded. When standing the engine turned over in a very irregular fashion, and would not run really slowly.

Ignition, carburettor,' and valves -were overhauled, but all to no purpose. The car was then returned to the makers, and they effected a slight improvement, which, however disappeared in the course of a few weeks. The makers had two more trials, but without permanent effect. It was then noticed that the rate at which carbonisation was set up was extraordinary, and that possibly the amount of deposit on piston top and cylinder head might be sufficient to increase the compression ratio to such an extent that it was considerably affected. It was resolved to test this supposition. The valve caps on the engine were of a generous size, and unusually deep. Tour iron washes were turned up, a quarter of an inch deep, and one was inserted beneath each exhaust valve cap. The effect w r as magical. The engine would then tick round at 120 to the minute, and the car would climb hills without the sign of __ a knock, even when the gradient forced the engine to its last gasp. The same still applies, and no longer overheats or self-ignites. In every respect the engine is more pleasant to drive. When the cylinders were next taken off. fibre washers about one-thirty-second of an inch in thickness were placed between the cylinders and crank case, and the iron washers beneath the valve caps could then be dispensed with. No one who has not made such experiments can realise what a tremendous difference or improvement can often be effected by a decreased compression. _ It is obvious that the stress on the bearings is much lessened.