Cycling & Motor Notes

Otago Witness, Issue 3783, 14 September 1926, Page 70

Cycling & Motor Notes

BI

“DEMON."

With a view to reducing the. dangers f motor driving caused by misunderstanding between drivers when overtaking »nd passing, the National Hoads and Motorists’ Association has adopted a simple system of sound signals, which, it is hoped, will be adopted by motorists generally, says the Sydney Morning Herald. A series of aliovt Hants with the horn, corresponding to three dots in the Morse code, win indicate mat the motorist in the rear desires the driver in front to slow up or stop, white a long and a short blast will mean that the car overtaking desires to puss. It is believed that the general use of these two signals would remove many nisunderstandinga which occasionally lead to accidents or other trouble. Many motorists have at time overtaken other cars at night and observed that their tail lights were extinguished, or that there were other reasons which should be brought under the notice of the drivers, but at\ attempt to draw alongside has been taken as a challenge to race. These misunderstandings,

it is hoped to abolish by means of the signalling system. WORLD S RECORDS BROKEN. One of the most remarkable performances in the history of motoring was made at Montlhery track, France, last month. Driven in turn by Gartfield, Plessier, and Guillon, the six-cylinder 9.2 litre Renault circled the track steadily without the slightest incident for 24 hours at an average speed of 106.3 miles per hour. The total distance covered was 4,167.578 kilometers (2604 2-3 miles). Altogether 10 world’s records were broken, ranging from six hours to 24 hours, and from 500 miles to 4000 kilometers. The 24-hour record having been beaten by a margin of over 500 kilometers, the firm of Renault would appear to have annexed the record for some very considerable dime to come. Incidentally the new record is a triumph for the Montihery track as wejl as for the car, for it is very doubtful if a similar performance would < be possible on any other racing track in the world. The strain imposed upon the car and drivers by maintaining so high a speed for 24 hours on end is terribly severe; but on such a perfectly designed track as Montlhery where cars take the bends automatically, even at 100 miles an hour, this strain is materially reduced. The team work of the Renault mechanics was splendid, and tyres were changed with clock-like regularity every hour. Perfect weather conditions favoured the attempt from beginning to end. The car was not pushed at any time until the very last lap. On the last circuit, Gartfield, by way of showing that the wonderful machine was as good as ever and ready

to start all over again, let it out for once and completed the lap in 48 seconds. This gives a lap speed of 119.2 miles per hour. TWENTY FIVE YEARS AGO. To veterans of the automotive industry, series of articles now being printed in an English motoring magazine on the happenings of 25 years ago, will bring a smile,. One of the great difficulties that motorists of those days laboured under was the all prevading dust clouds that rose from the flimsy roads that were then the rule. So troublesome was this unpleasant feature of ancient motoring that the royal family made it a rule to drive only after rain. Naturally such a condition brought forth many brilliant suggestions for alleviation. Most of these took the form of water sprinklers to be attached to the car. One glowing invention fitted a pad which kept the tyres moist. Another helpful suggestion urged the fitting of huge dust, screens all round the body of the car. Finally some genius suggested that the real need was a new type of road, which would not project dust clouds on every possible occasion. To-day we are trying to cure traffic congestion with about the same type of palliative that the water sprinkler represented in that early period of the motoring era. AT genius is needed to suggest, doubling the width, or the number of the speed possibilities of our roads. CAUSE OF ACCIDENTS. From statistics recenily issued by a large motor insurance company in Englund it would appear that 78 per cent, of all accident* occur in towns and villages,

50 per cent, of which occur at cross-roads and corners. Not one of these accidents would probably liave happened but for the factor of speed. Speed is generally the main cause of most motor accidents on the roads. Most people insure their cars mainly with the view of protecting themselves against the other fellow. They feel that but for him they could drive uninsured, and so, for protection against other people’s excessive speed, they have to insure. One mark of the road-hog is sheer bad “road manners,” but by far the worst manifestation is the desire for speed in the wrong place— at cross-roads, round corners, through towns, and at all times.

It is worth while considering the factors that go to make the “speed merchant” or the “road hog.” Vanity is one, based on the pleasure of creating a sensation by doing something spectacular. The road-hog wants you to think he is a wonderful fellow and in a wonderful car. Then there is the sheer exuberance of youth that wants the thrill of speed and of risks taken and successfully passed; for this sort of thrill any kind of motor vehicle is suitable, from a van to a Rolls Royce. Finally, stark recklessness, based on ignorance or indifference to consequence, is a prime factor of excessive speed; it may result from courage com-

bined with skill, or mere brutal indifference to physical risk. WEAR AND TEAR. As regards power output and efficiency the modern motor car engine has been brought to such a pitch of perfection that many eminent engineers now believe the most promising field for research to lie in the direction of reducing the rate of wear. The internal combustion engine comes nowhere near the steam engine for durability of the bearing surfaces, and in the case of the motor car this is due to three main causes—the carbon and asphaltenes produced when the oil is partially decomposed by the high temperatures reached in the cylinders, the particles of road grit entering the engine through the carburetter, and the water and petrol with which the oil gradually becomes contaminated and so loses its value as a lubricant. It is the presence of grit and carbon which gives the oil a dirty, black appearance when it has been in the engine for quite a short time, and with the forcedfeed oiling systems so popular to-day these hard foreign particles are continually driven through the bearings under pressure, giving rit*» to comparatively rapid wear. Certain of these particles are of relatively large size, and can be stopped'by ordinary metal gauze, such as is commonly used for filters, but the majority of them are of so fine a nature that no ordinary filter can possibly extract them. This difficult filtering problem has, however, been successfully tackled by a famous engineer and scientist, Dr H. S. Hele-Shaw, who has brought out a filter, working on a Jifew principle, which will remove parficTes even though these may be only one-millionth of an inch in size. The “streamline ,, filter, as it is called, lias beeu successfully used for about two years in many industrial plants for treating oil which would otherwise be wasted, making it fit for further use in the machinery. GROWTH OF MOTOR TRADE. “Business Methods” was the subject of an address given at the Wellington Rotary, Club luncheon recently l>y Mr F. J. Cousins, for the past nine years secretary of the Motor Trades’ Association. Ho dwelt on the obstacles the motor trade had to overcome in purging itself of "shady practices,” public suspicion, and the belief that the motor was an article of luxury and not one of necessity. “We claim," he said, “that the motor industry is destined to become one of the leading industries in the world. We would like the public to think of us, not as dealers in curs, but as handling the question of transport. The motor traders are blamed unjustly for bad times in other businesses, depressions, etc. We claim that, although people are spending money on motor cars, it is better that their savings should be invested in providing means of better

transport—one of the most important questions of to-day. We are only taking the money from the other businesses temporarily. It will come back to them later, as better transport means more trade and greater prosperity. There are over 20,000,000 motor cars in America, and statistics prove that the greatest prosperity in business is where the number of cars is thickest.”

The growth of the motor trade, continued Mr Cousins, had been most rapid since the formation of the Retailers’ Association and the Wholesalers’ Association, nine years ago. Indeed, men had not kept pace with it, and the great need in New Zealand to-day was for properly skilled mechanics. One of the great problems Was how to persuade the wholesale dealers not to retail cars to the public in competition with retail firms. The New Zealand Association had never gone in for fixing prices as was done in England. There the manufacturers fixed the price of the car, and no member of an association could cut that price without risk of being fined by the association up to £SOO, and. if then obdurate, being blacklisted mid boycotted by the other firms. Compulsion was not resorted to in New Zealand, as it was found that persuasive and educational methods were best. In order to secure trained mechanics, the association in New Zealand had in working a scheme of putting boys in garages as soon as they left school and training them. Mr Cousins was looking forward to the time when the hanging out 'of a sign by one engaged in the motor trade would be proof of the fact that he possessed certificates as for a trained mechanic.

PHOSPHOR-BRONZE COPPER ALLOY. In a recent paper on "Piston Temperatures in High-speed Petrol Engines” Prof. A. H. Gibson, Victoria University, Manchester, said that when ti'ying out air-cooled engines it had l>een suggested that phosphor-bronze cylinder! should be tried. Accordingly three cylinders were made, from the same pattern, of east iron, Aluminium alloy, and phosphor-bronze

copper alloy, and, curiously enough, the last-mentioned proved the hottest and worst of the three. When the use of this alloy was suggested the argument was that the metal had an excellent wearing surface, that the ribs would be very efficient heat conductors, and, except for the fact that it would be very heavy, the cylinder should be a good one. At the conclusion of the tests some of the phosphor-bronze copper alloy was sent to the National Physical Laboratory, and that institution informed them that its conductivity was lower than that of cast iron, which was a great surprise.

AN INGENIOUS THIEF. Some time ago a Parisian motorist left his car outside a block of offices while making a business call. Before entering the building, however) he passed a stout chain round the rim and tyre of one of his wheels and then round one of the many trees which are such a charming feature of the Paris boulevards. Securely padlocking the whole, he not unnaturally considered that his car was safe from molestation. On emerging from the building some 10 minutes later he found the wheel still chained and padlocked to the tree, but the car was no longer attached to the wheel. Rapid detacnability and ease of changing is always a strong talking point with wheel manufacturers, and in this case the thief would doubtless be willing to give a hearty testimony. Car-stealing is, unfortunately, still on the increase in Paris.

SOUTH ISLAND ROADS. Some interesting notes concerning the main roads in the South Island have been supplied by Mr A. A. Nattrass, the New Zealand representative for “Laykold,” who recently motored from Christchurch to Dunedin. Mr Nattrass was formerly on the staff of the Main Highways Board after making a tour of the United States tor the purpose of paining experience in road-making. He is conversant with the condition of most of the main roads in the Dominion, and

his criticism is, therefore, based on a full knowledge of the position. "The roads in parts between Christchurch and Dunedin,” Mr Nattrass states, "compare more than favourably with the gravel roads in the North Island. The roads from Geraldine to near Palmerston are particularly good, and between Tiraaru and Glenavy are more than equal to those in the Kairanga and Oroua Counties in the North Island. On the other hand, there are some poor sections, where the idea of the latest method of camber, elevation, grading, and dressing does not seem to have been grasped. "In one section on a road with an already high crown as much as 12in of gravel was deposited in the centre of the road, tapering out, thereby increasing the crown, which is already so high that in wet weather it is dangerous for motoring. On some other sections of the road I noticed that uncrushed, coarse river shingle was being used for maintenance. This is no good at all. In a few sections the grader operator had only brought his loose material up to the centre from each side, leaving a ridge. This should be carried over the centre and the centre crown graded off. The greater part of this road is good, and those responsible for the work are to be complimented. There is a section of rerad between Waitati and the Dunedin city boundary which has been sealed by the Public Works Department, which, after crossing the rough, uneven surface over the Kilmog, strikes the motorist as a glimpse of paradise. Most of this section has only been tar-sealed, and has yet to be completed. Part has received the second coat, and will compare favourably with anything in Taranaki, the home of tarsealed roads. There is still a section of gravel road which is to be sealed in this manner. It is maintained by the Public Works Department, and is in first-class condition.

“The section of hot mix being put down by British Pavements (Ltd.) at Paparua is, in my opinion, first class, but I believe the Paparua County Council is making a mistake in tearing up the foundation, which has been consolidated by heavy traffic over a long period. No roller, no amount of rolling, can ever replace this consolidation. In my experience and observation most failures in paving have been due directly or indirectly to faulty, unsuitable, insufficiently consolidated, or wet foundations. "The two most important things in paving, I have been let! to understand, are foundation and drainage. And where ages have built up these two it seems to me a crime to tear them down.”