Motor and Cycle

Otago Witness, Issue 4041, 25 August 1931, Page 63

Motor and Cycle

by

DEMON.

' The following officers were elected at the North Island Motor Union Conference at Hawera:—President, Mr W. O’Callaghan (Hawera) ; vice-presidents— Hr A. Porritt (Wanganui) and Mr J. H. Edmundson (Hawke’s Bay). “ I am becoming increasingly’ chary of the interpretation which witnesses in motoring accidents place on skid marks,” remarked Mr F. H. Levin, S.M., in the Otahuhu Police Court, when dismissing a charge of negligent driving.

Women drivers of motor cars are not always held in the highest regard by other users of the road, and this view was put with amusing terseness by a witness in a motor collision case in the Supreme Court at Auckland the other day (says the Herald). "I would give way to, a woman every time—safety first! ” he said, when asked what he would do when faced with the approach of a woman driver in certain circumstances.

A bronze-coloured giant racing car, complete even to the final minor adjustments, is at present on exhibition at the Brisbane Show, where it will be until August 12. ' The “ Fred H. Stewart Enterprise,” as it is officially called, after its designer, is to be used in an attempt on the record of 245 miles per hour recently set up by Sir Malcolm Campbell at Daytona. Mr Norman (“ Wizard ”) Smith, who will drive the Australian car on the Ninety Mile Beach (Auckland) towards the end of the year, is, according to his last cabled statement, awaiting a recommendation from the Auckland Automobile Association to make the attempt. Mr Smith stated at the show that he hoped to get 300 miles pey hour out of the machine, and said the car was as safe as it was possible to make it. 'lhe huge fins at the rear of the car are several feet across and as high. They would do their work of keeping a straight path more efficiently than would an aeroplane’s rudder. The driver said they would prevent the slightest deflection of the car if it should strike a bump on the beach.

BRITAIN’S COMMERCIAL MOTORS According to figures compiled by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders in England, the total unladen weight of petrol goods-carrying vehicles in Britain in 1930 was 11,297,128 cwt. as compared with slightly more than 9,000,000 cwt in 1927. The average carrying capacity of each vehicle was about 50cwt. The total seating capacity of all” the motor hackneys on the road in 1930 was 1,669,496, the average seating capacity’ of a vehicle being 16. New vehicles placed on the road in 1930, however, had a considerably greater seating capacity, probably due to the increased popularity’ of double-decker and large types of motor buses, the average capacity’ being 25. The society estimates that 98.5 per cent, of goods vehicles are in use ail the year round, and that the average annual mileage is 16.000 at 14 miles to the gallon of fuel. From other figures it is calculated that motor vehicles carried about 100 more passengers a month than were carried by the railways in September, and that the railways work nearly four times the ton miles worked by road transport. SPEED THAT SAVES LIVES. A minute saved may mean a life saved. Doctors know this so well that they make heroic sacrifices themselves in order to save time when they are urgently needed. Time-saving methods are applied to humanitarian services no less than to manufacture and commerce. Scientific progress is responsible for saving many thousands of cases formerly’ lost. Aiding science in this great work is the automobile, says Mr W. It. Belding, sales manager of General Motors (New Zealand) Ltd. Someone is injured, and an ambulance is on the spot in a moment. Power companies, tram car systems, and telephone plants maintain emergency motor car equipment. Last, but not least, there is the family doctor, whose ear stands ready night and day to serve the sick. In the old days, when telephones were few and the doctor depended upon the horse and buggy, it took a long time to answer a call and a patient could pass away before he arrived. Even the character of professional service lias changed, it is noted, as formerly specialists could usually be had only in the large cities. Now the specialists can step into a car and answer a call anywhere.

EQUIPMENT ON TO-DAY’S CARS. One of the important advances in automobiles has been the addition, as integral parts of the engine, of what a few years ago were termed “ extras.” To-day the purchaser of a new car rarely thinks of buying any device to improve the performance of his car. In modern cars there are a carburettor silencer, air cleaner, oil filter, and petrol strainer—any and all of which might have been listed as “ extras ” a few years ago. These units are integral parts of the engine, as scientifically designed and carefully manufactured as the most important working parts in the car. These devices play an important part in car performance and length of life, the engineers point out. The combination carburettor silencer and air cleaner effectively removes the 'objectionable power roar caused by air being sucked into the carburettor, and also prevents dust, sand, and other foreign matter from entering the engine through the carburettor intake.

In addition, a fuel pump, with integral strainer, ketps the fuel equally pure and free from foreign substances. It also assures a continuous suuply of fuel at all times. Every few minutes all of the oil in the crankcase of to-day’s car passes through the oil filter and is cleansed of any extraneous matter. A crankcase ventilating system removes petrol or water vapours, and products of condensation and combustion before they can mix with the oil. All of these improvements, which now are a part of the fundamental design, while small in themselves, contribute materially to good performance and long service.

HUMAN MAGNETO. A human “ live wire ” from Waipu strolled into a Wanganui motor cycle shop and startled everyone by the unusualness of his actions, states the Auckland Star's correspondent. He started the engine of one of the demonstration machines, and while it was running vigorously grasped the plug with his left hand. His right had he placed in contact with a piece of metal, bringing forth showers of sparks from his fingers. Although an electric current of considerable voltage had passed through his body, the radiating performer did not turn a hair, Tlie amazement and awe which he produced led him to further feats, and he proceeded to bring electric flashes from the toe of his boot, his knee, and other parts of his anatomy. The young stranger is considered to be a human magneto. TYRE MILEAGE. Excepting perhaps petrol consumption, no subject so concerns the majority of motorists as tyre mileage. One motorist will tell another that he gets 15,000 miles on a tyre and the tread pattern is still showing, whilst another wonders why he never gets more than 10,000 miles per cover, with the same kind of tyre on a similar ear. After all it is not the tvres ot a manufacturer that vary so much in mileage, as in the treatment they receive, and the speed and manner in wliich a car is driven.

One of the main factors in tyre service is constant maintenance of’ correct inflation. When tyres cost more than they do to-day. and gave only about a third of the mileage, motorists gave more attention and care to tyres than they do now. The fact is that tyres have become so trouble-free and so long lived, that many motorists become careless as regards tyre treatment. After all, there is only cotton and rubber in a tyre, and what these materials withstand is really amazing, particularly if they receive a reasonable amount of attention. Actually, tyres themselves are remarkably consistent nowadays, and vary very little the service they are capable of giving. After lack of correct inflation, the chief causes of variation in wear are attributable to misalignment of wheels, which causes a scrubbing. In extreme cases this can ruin any cover action between the tyre and the road in a short tune, and the only remedy is to have the wheels checked over for alignment, which can be done by any competent motor engineer. Then again, another trouble that is noticeable on many cars to-day is that covers, particularly on the front wheels, show’ evidence of patchy wear, true wheel bearings— a bent axle, an untiue wheel —are amongst some of the causes of this trouble.

Brakes that are not truly circular, or bind at one spot, causing a much greater retarding effect at some points, will also cause this uneven wear. Covers that have stood in oil for some time also suffer in this respect, for oij is particularly harmful to rubber. W hen it does get on a co\ er it should without delay be removed with a rag and a little petrol. Then again, variance in tyre life is controlled to a considerable degree by the manner in,which a car is driven. Sudden acceleration, heavy’ breaking that skids tyres along the road, sustained high speed, rough use of the clutch, all take toll on tyre life, and that is why some motorists invariably get greater tyre mileage than do others. BOTHER-SAVERS. As a rule it is almost impossible to touch anything under the bonnet without getting a little grease or oil upon one's hands. Ihe smallest adjustment in- \ ariably results in a hunt for a cloth upon which to wipe off the grease which would otherwise be transferred to the steering wheel, so that one's hands become dirty every time the car is taken out. Rags carried in the door pockets or in other parts of the car arc never convenient when wanted. Some motorists have overcome this trouble by employing an ordinary spring clamp type of wooden clothes peg. Two little holes are drilled through it, and it is fastened with bolts to the engine side of the dashboard under the bonnet. In the jaws of this clothes peg is carried a fair-sized wiping rag —a piece of muslin about a yard square. The result is that a rag is always availble immediately, and saves a lot of bother and time. DANGER OF CONCEIT.

CRIMINOLOGIST'S DISCOVERIES. Conceit, which has been blamed formally shortcomings in man. is now’ coining to be recognised as of great importance in the causation of motor vehicle accidents. An American scientist, Dr Paul Schroeder, says that it is the egocentric man, rather than the man of low intelligence. who is unfit to drive a motor vehicle. An appreciation of the rights of others on the highways appears to be a more important qualification of a driver than even normal intelligence.

Dr Schroeder, who is State Criminologist for Illinois, recently made a study of the records of all prisoners at the State penitentiary at Joliet who had been convicted of manslaughter with a motor vehicle. He found that these men were all of average intelligence and average physical fitness. They were not idiots, they were not cripples, their vision and hearing were good, and they were not drunkards. In nearly every case, however, he found marked traits of selfishness. The men were entirely self-centred and suffered little or no remorse for having killed a fellow human being. Dr Schroeder also made a study of the cases of 100 prisoners in Detroit, who were undergoing terms of imprisonment for violations of traffic laws. Only three of them had serious physical defects, only one was subject to epilepsy, and one was insane. The striking thing about this group was that most of the prisoners were old offenders. The entire group throughout averaged 2.4 previous traffic offence convictions. This fact indicates that the average “ accident repeater ” exists on the highways just as he does in factories. Certain drivers have a natural flair for getting into trouble, and they are usually of the emotional, self-centred type. This is coming to be so well recognised now that many employers express a preference for the stolid type of individual as a driver.

TYRE CONSTRUCTION. There is something besides mere whim in the colour of motor car tyres to-day. There was a time a few years ago when tyres were of a grayish hue. But it was found that certain chemicals which were black made the treads wear longer, and from that day to this the treads have been jet black, taking their colour from the chemical compound that is used. In purchasing rubber goods it would be well to remember that there is not a rubber expert in the world who would undertake, simply by looking at it, to say whether or not an article of rubber manufacture was of good quality. The reason for this is that the shoddiest kind of rubber product can be made to look just like a high grade article. A tyre that-would blow to smithereens in 10 miles can be made to look as one that will stand up for 20,000 miles. With all this opportunity for fraud the only safe course for a buyer is to patronise a reliable dealer or ‘to buy goods which bear the trade mark of a responsible manufacturer. An announcement that the results obtained by its research laboratories had saved the motorists of the world over £20.000.000 was made recently by the makers of Royal tyres. It is understood that the savings were estimated on the basis how many more tyres car owners would have had to buy had not the scientific discoveries of these laboratories brought about the great increases in tyre mileage which they have made possible. The laboratories of this particular company are recognised as one of the great research organisations of industry, and are credited with most of the achievements in scientific work in the rubber industry of past decade. CHICAGO TRAFFIC. That the problem of congestion of traffic is capable of being solved appears clear from experiences in Chicago, a city of about 2.700.000 inhabitants. There, after an exhaustive study of the causes of “ traffic jams,” a system of control has been adopted which was described recently by the president of the Chicago Motor Coach Company, during a visit to London, as remarkably effective. This company operates more than 500 vehicles, and is said to provide the whole of the city’s bus services.

Parking in the streets) in the crowded area is absolutely prohibited, and the loading and unloading of vehicles also been regulated. A highly effective system of light signals for the traffic has been installed, and the speed of traffic generally has been increased and supjected to fewer interruptions from stoppages at street intersections. The system has even proved capable of taking' into account the variations of traffic requirements at different times of the day. Should there be a crossing where at regular times the flow of the bulk of the traffic is all in one direction, the system can provide for these characteristics without involving frequent stoppages for the passage of cross traffic which really does not exist.

As a preliminary to the installation of the system, the traffic was closely studied, frequent censuses being taken at many points, while at important point corners and junctions photographs were taken at fixed intervale of a few seconds. Subsequently study of these photographs indicated how far each vehicle moved in a given time, and in what way the traffic was getting jammed. When full information had been secured and analysed, a scientific system of traffic lights, regulated from a small office in the City Hall, was installed with beneficial results. It is stated that even at the busiest time of the day it is possible to proceed at a steady pre-determined speed of about eight or nine miles an hour without ever having to stop at a crossing. Where traffic is lighter, the signals are so timed that the uninterrupted speed may be as high as from 20 to 30 miles an hour. The most likely point for vehicle traffic to encounter stoppages, in fact, is when turning into a main artery, but once there progress along it at a safe speed is uninterrupted. The effect of this reform on economical transport operation is obvious. Th,e aggregate waste of power from fuel consumption during traffic delays in any city, especially those where the traffic has reached the volume of Sydney, is incalculable, but it will readily be seen that it must be enormous, and the adaptation here of a system such as this in Chicago would probably be attended by economical results which would be highly' appreciated by every business firm and private motorist.

ROADSIDE TROUBLES.

AN ANALYSIS OF CAUSES.

It is surprising the number of presentday car owners -who have not the slightest knowledge of how the mechanism of their car functions; in fact, they buy a car as a practical piece of automatic machinery. They know the petrol tank requires refilling, that the radiator occasionally needs a refresher, and how to actuate the self-

starter, and that is about all they want to know. It is certainly a great compliment to pay to the reliability and ease ot control of the modern car, but it is an attitude that tends to neglect of necessary care and attention of ceitain functioning parts of an automobile. The really remarkable dependability of the presentday car no doubt invites this growing tendency, and it is surprising how few motorists now ever give a thought to such a thing as anything going wrong while out on the road. But there are statistics compiled by automobile organisations that definitely prove that there are many occasions when the unexpected happens. ai..l then it is generally a matter of dependence on outside assistance to put things right' THINGS THAT GO WRONG. An analysis of roadside motor troubles discloses that the most frequent cause is engine ignition, due in turn, though it may sound paradoxical, to great reliability of manufacture. The modern sparking plu-r magneto, the make-and-break, and distributor for coil ignition, give such long and faithful service that they get no attention, and no delicate mechanism will continue to function efficiently if neglected for an indefinite period. Sparking plug gaps get too wide, connections and tcrmina s shake loose, or get dirty, whilst the distributor needs an occasional clean up.

these are only small details, but antone of them may cause a trifling roadside hold-up. if one knows where to look for the trouble. If one docs not, tb.cn outside service has invariably to be requisitioned. A frequent cause of trouble amongst the cars occasionally seen held up on the roadside is associated with carburetion, and usually is attributed to water or some foreign substance in the petrol, due to lack of care in straining fuel. In the category oi serious breakdowns, which are now U 1 1? exce Pt in case of accidents, axle shafts, cylinders, and pistons, then clutches, rank in the order stated as the major troubles. Spring breakages’ are gradually diminishing owing to better springs and improved roads. Briefly, it can be said that of the trivial causes of involuntary car stoppages on the road over 80 per cent, is the outcome of neglect and lack of attention’to nition and proper straining of petrol. B ETT E R V E NTI LA T lON.

Only by comparing current practices with- the past can the rate of progress properly be measured. Unfortunately the memories of motorists are so short that they are apt to accept the excellencies .-f modern cars as a matter of course while quite forgetting the drawbacks to motoring which were once commonplace. Applymg this line of thought to the matter ot comfort in hot weather, the Motor states that it will generally be admitted that a considerable advance has been made. Ibis is the more creditable when it is remembered that during the past few years more and more powerful engines have been fitted and naturally the greater the power developed for a given efficiency the greater also is the power dissipated in heat to the exhaust and the water cooling system. In the majority of modern cars the insulation provided by the dashboard and the floor, the removal of the exhaust pipe to the front end of the engine and the adoption of special fume eliminatin'' devices have made it possible to drive on “ hot day’ without suffering from engine heat or impure air. It is still, however, somewhat difficult to provide a sufficient degree oi ventilation in saloon bodies to satisfy the craving for fresh air which is felt so keenly in oppressive weathec. Many good ideas await development m this connection. and in all probability considerable progress will be made during the new few years.

MOTOR CYCLING THE SWISS GRAND PRIX. T RUGBY, August 17. In the Swms Motor Cycling Grand Prix, Stanley Woods, on a Norton, won the 500 c.c. class at 731 miles an hour. Percy a Norton, won the 350 c.c. class at 69 miles an hour. CYCLISTS SUSPENDED. CHRISTCHURCH, August 21. The trouble that occurred at the Fifty Miles Teams’ Race organised by the Papanui Amateur Sports Club last Saturday resulted in M. F. Pearl being suspended indefinitely, and G. R. Giles, jun., being severely cautioned. Pearl and Giles, it was alleged at a meeting of the Canterbury- Athletic Centre, not being competitors. rode with the teams and interfered with the running of the race. IRISH TOURIST TROPHY. A THRILLING CONTEST. LONDON, August 22. The Irish Tourist Trophy resulted as follows:—N. Black (shrs 13min 51sec; 67.9 miles an hour) 1, B. Borzacchini (shrs 17piin 3sec; 67.75 miles an hour; 2, S. A. Crabtree (shrs 17niin Ssec; 67.62 miles an hour) 3.

There was a thrilling contest over the famous Ards circuit of 410 miles in the presence of nearly 500.000 spectators, including former Spanish royalties, English peers and peeresses, aiid the Governor of Northern Ireland. The world’s fastest motor cars skidded and crashed through hedges. A stand containing 60 spectators collapsed, many people being injured.

The contest ended in a triumph for “ baby ” cars. Sir Henry Birkin broke all lap records, first with 79.79 miles per hour, and then with 80.89 miles an hour.