Cycling & Motor Notes

Otago Witness, Issue 3755, 2 March 1926, Page 74

Cycling & Motor Notes

BT

“DEMON.”

in 1924 572 cars were stolen in New South Wales, and 570 were recovered; in 1925 the number was reduced to 358, and all but 80 were recovered. In 1923 stolen cars numbered 104. A brilliant performance behind motor cycle pace was recorded last month on the' Melbourne Motordrome by the Victorian pace follower, Roy Johnson. He set out to reduce the Australasian 10 miles’ flying start paced record, standing in the name of H. Opperman. At the first attempt, when five miles had almost been covered, the chain slipped off his machine, and lie coasted over the mark—the five miles being negotiated in smin lsec. At a second attempt Johnson put up a grand ride, succeeding in clipping 77 l-ssec on the previous best —his time for the 10 miles being 9min 51 4-ssec, equal to an average speed of over 60 miles per hour. His fastest lap was covered in 19 2-ssec, equal to 66 1-3 m.p.h. Johnson, who is only 22 years of age, appears to be one of the finest pace followers Australia has produced, and given a chance to display his prowess on some of the fast European tracks would be capable of holding his own with the best Continental pace followers. Royal Automobile Club of Great Britain has decided to organise a 500 miles Grand Prix car race on Brooklands track next August. This will be the longest event ever decided on this famous track, -and as the premier prizes are to be £IOOO, £3OO, and £2OO it should attract keen competition. The great American speed event at Indianapolis is decided over the same distance, and lias been responsible for some remarkably fast times. Last May the winner of this famous? race covered the 500 miles in 41»r 56min 39sec a sustained speed of nearly 101 m.p.h. CARS IN AUSTRALIA. It will surprise most motorists to learn that Australia imported 74,939 automobiles for the year ending Juuc, 1925. This means that during that 12 months one and a-quarter cars were imported for every 100 of the population. A striking feature of this big importation is the remarkable jump that the British ear lias made in public estimation during the last two years. For the year 1922-23 only 1406 British-made cars were brought into the Commonwealth, whereas in 1924-

25 the number had more than trebled itself, and increased to 6017. During these two years imports of cars from the United States of America have doubled, whilst those from Canada have declined. The value of car imports into Australia for the year ending June, 1925, totalled £11,603,191, or nearly £2 per head of population. With accessories the total exceeded £15,000,000. It is interesting to note that for the 12 months ending June, 1925, the value of American automobile exports to Australia was £7,295,147, giving an average value of £l2B per vehicle. Britain’s figure was £2,114,185, with an average of £3ll. Canada was next with £1,290,503, the average being £76. The following list gives the number of cars exported to the Commonwealth for the year 1924-25, and the countries they came from: —U.S.A., 48,900; Canada, 15,734; Great Britain, 6017; Italy, 2293: France, 1792; Belgium, 138; Germany, 42; and other countries, 14. NIGHT DRIVING. . Experienced motorists frequently refer to “ the fascination of night driving,” but as the result of the first impressions of many drivers of handling a car after dark they find it difficult to soe exactly where the fascination comes in. They live and learn, however, and one of the first lessons which they have to master is that which concerns the problem of dealing with dazzle. In the first place a car 'should be properly equipped for night driving. To set off for a long run with poor lamps is obviously absurd, and just as one would tune up the mechanical parts of the car in preparation for a long run in daylight, so should one overhaul the lighting system before embarking on a night run. Properly focussed lamps are essential, the argument applying even more forcibly where six-volt head lamps are fitted than with the 12-volfc type, which, despite a certain amount of neglect, will nearly always give a good light; but in any case it is advisable to go to some pains to ensure that the best possible driving light is obtained from each individual lamp. As a rough-and-ready means of focussing a piece of white paper may be held in front of each lamp about 2ft or 3ft away, and the bulb adjusted until all the black spots and rings disappear; it is far better, however, to focus the lamps on a well some 20ft or 30ft distant from the car, because not only can the correct focus be obtained, but also the most satisfactory inclination of the lamps, so that the best road illumination results. Driving at night is governed by circumstances just as much as by day, but the night driver has the advantage that the beams from Ins headlamps herald his approach as it were, making the negotiating of. say, cross roads far safer than by day. The driver, however. must keep a sharp eye open at cross roods for the lights of another car, and not consider that he always has the right of way.

GET AN EARLY START. The heavy congestion of traffic which is being met with on popular roads, especially at week-ends, can be obviated by starting out earlier. Many motorists miss most of the enjoyment of motoring through starting late in the day. In America motorists have found it necessary to make early starts for popular resorts. Not only can they reduce the time between the points by at least 66 per cent., but they save the nerve racking that occurs on heavily congested roads. It will be usually found that traffic moves in waves, and on the popular bay roads traffic is exceptionally heavy between 11 and 1 o’clock, and between 4.30 and 6 If motorists would choose other hours in" which to make their journey the traffic would be better distributed. A motorist who has tried the experiment found that it took him approximately an hour longer to make the homeward journey of 40 miles than for the same journey in the early morning, when there was little traffic. The dandling driver is still a nuisance, and before long some legislation will be necessary to fix the minimum speed on popular roads. In addition to driving slowly, this type of driver usually keeps to the centre of the road, and causes further congestion.

MENACE OF TRAFFIC CONGESTION. In the course of a lecture (says Motor Traction), entitled “Some Kailway Notes—Old and New,” which was given in Edinburgh recently, Sir Henry Fowler K.8.E., the deputy chief mechanical engineer L.M.S. Railway, made some remarks regarding motor traffic. Hi 3 point was that the number of vehicles was increasing at such a rapid rate that congestion throughout the country would become very serious. If the present rate in increase continued over 10 years they would have about 6,250,000 motor vehicles on the roads, or over 35 to the mile, even if distributed over the whole country. The congestion, however, in and around the great towns would be something with which no authority had yet shown its capacity to deal. On the other hand, the railways had 20,171 miles of track operated by 24,000 locomotives, slightly oyer one to the mile, which gave much wider space over which traffic could be spread. HORSE-POWER FORMULA. The popular idea that the horse-power formula used in Great Britain and U.S.A. differs is wrong. The R.A.C. formula and that of the S.A.E. (U.S.A.) are horse-power plus bore of cylinder squared, multiplied by number of cylinders, divided by the constant 2.5. The b.h.p. of an engine is the power it actually develops, and is calculated by dynamometer or prony brake. Horse-power is a unit of power, and one horse-power equals the work of lifting 33,0001 b Ift in one minute. BETTER ROADS. “ The roads are much better than they were three or four years ago when I first arrived here,” said M. P. A. Fusy, New Zealand manager v/f the Michelin Tyre Company, in speaking of a trip that he had just concluded (says Lyttelton Times). M. Fusy found the road between Christchurch and Timaru in good order except for the bad stretch between Dunsandel and Rakaia. Between Timaru and Oamaru the road was reported to be good, while from Palmerston to Dunedin was stated to be excellent, particularly the newly constructed portion. Between Dunedin and Invercargill there was little to complain of except for a bad stretch about midway between. One of the greatest improvements noticed by M. Fusy was the covering over of the water races on the main roads. M. Fusy leaves Christchurch for France this month. He will be succeeded in Christchurch by M. Boyron. OILING THE CAR. There is no doubt that the most objectionable job in the upkeep of a car is that of going round the chassis every morning, or prior to any run, to grease the various bearings and shackles. Working parts must, of course, be lubricated, but although various systems have been evolved which render the task much easier and cleaner, there is still ample room on almost every chassis for immense improvements. One cau, however, say that a criterion has practically been reached in the system employed by one or two American manufacturers—namely, the “ Bowen.” By this system oil is sent at one push to no fewer than 23 working parts of the chassis. It was not until a few years ago that the oil cup was displaced by the grease gun, which became very popular very quickly. That grease is better than oil as a lubricant for various working parts of a chassis is open to controversy. The argument against grease is that, although sufficient lubricant may be maintained between the rubbing surfaces to prevent seizure or squeaking, this does not prove that undue wear will not be taking place; there is also the objection that, while the grease may not be sufficiently fluid to enter the various parts during the hot summer months, the lower temperature of winter is likely to cause the grease to stiffen or congeal to such an extent that the bearing is not lubricated sufficiently. With a grease gun very high pressures are exerted, amounting often to so high as 10001 b and 20001 b per square inch, which ensures that any dirt and old lubricant are driven out by the ingoing grease; but, even so, there is still a likelihood that when the old lubricant is cold and very stiff the new will not reach the actual bearing surface. Oil, on the other hand, is preferable inasmuch qs it flows much more freely in all temperatures, and will work its way round the shackles and bearings, and, moreover, tends to be borne between surfaces under pressure when these are moved to and fro. That oil is once again gaining favour in the opinion of designers is clear from the number of 1926 chassis on which oil svstwna are employed.

DOUBLE GARAGES. There is an average of one automobile to every family in California; but the surface has iiOt been scratched. The Californian household with but one motor car is not satisfactorily motorised, states a San Francisco journal In man 7 homes the family car is employed to transport the head of the house to and from business and it stands all day in a parking court or garage while the members of the family are without transportation. In other homes the heavy family car is loft at home to be pressed into service for shopping and minor errands, wtile the herd of the house takes the stieet oar cr walks In either Cc-se there is i ot sufficient motor transportation for the family; and there is a great lack or efficiency in using the large family automobile for minor errands and brief shopping excursions. The fact that thousands of Californian metoristg realise this is brought out by the ever-increasing numbers of double garages being constructed throughout the cilies and through the suburban sections. There was a time when a single garage was considered sufficient for the needs of the average motorist; but not any longer The builder of to-day make provision t for a double garage; and if he does not he maj find great difficulty in 3elling the house after it :s comfleted Business men are fast coming to appreciate the efficiency of the two-car plan They know that it would be folly to send a truck for a loaf of bread, and it is, therefore, just as inconsistent to employ a five or seven-passenger automobile to carry one person, especially if that ear were one of the most expensive creation on the market. “LIGHT ON OIL.” While some car engines have a rapacious appetite for crai kcase lubricating oil, and the supply become depleted during a run over even moderate distance, others will propel the car for seveial hundreds of miles before it is necessary to add fresh oil to make up for losses. This state of affairs has led to some engines being referred to as “light on oil,” while to the other variety the term “heavy on oil” is applied. It is here that a pitfall for the unwary is introduced Pronounced oil “economy” is not always a good sign. The very fact that a car i 8 “light on oil” may indicate that the lubricant is being contaminated by dilution with petrol, which passes the piston rings and mixed with the oil, giving an erroneous idea in respoct to oil level Even motor trades have been guilty of claiming exceptional mileages per crankcaseful of oil. In these instances, howover. another factor is introduced. If a car owner finds that with one filling up of new oil he is able to cover, say, more than 1000 miles before the oil indicator shows that a certain amount of “making up” witn new oil is necessary, ho is guilty of a form of false economy. It 19 by no moans an economical measure to allow any oil to remain in the sump (without replacement! after the car has travelled 1000 miles. Under the exacting conditions of use—heat, high speed, and the ever-present contamination by petrol, even in the best of engines—oil rapidly loses it., lubricating qualities. It is mechanical suicide to insist that a more or less worn-out oil should pursue it* duties in “filming” delicate hearing surfaces. Because an oil will not burn away

and reduce its level in the sump it is ii' indication that the car should be driven o’ and on until the lowering of the level com pels the addition of fresh oil.