MOTOR NOTES

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LII, Issue 16202, 27 November 1926, Page 11

MOTOR NOTES

TIGER DAZZLE LIGHTS,

HUNTING MOTOR-CAR FOR A

RA.TAH

A dazzle light for tigers is part of the equipment of a £IOOO ear supplied by a British firm to Rajah. S. M. Saadat Ali Khan, the Rajah of Nanpara and Mohamdi, India. The car, a 6-seater, of 50 horsepower, has been specially built for jungle use, with buffers in front and behind, and its equipment also includes nn ice tank for cooling drinks, a water tank, and a first-aid outfit, all concealed in the body-work. Clips for rifles have been provided. The owner of the car can drive to the hunt at night and wait for the driven tiger. The dazzle light is then switched on and in the moment that the tiger is bewildered and fascinated the shot must be fired.

The Rajah, who has been in England for about five months, has bought several other ears, one of which is a 50-100 horse-power car costing £'looo, painted with a special new jungle camouflage in green, grey, and brown spots.

BEST .MOTOR-CYCLES.

BRITAIN HAS WORLD MARKETS.

LONDON, October 12,

“One single British firm sells in one year more motor-cycles than are mine 1 out by the whole American motorcycle industry,” said Mr. A. M. Samuel, M.P., Minister for Overseas Trade, at tlu* annual banquet of the British Cycle and Motor Cycle Manufacturers and Traders’ Union, Ltd., at the Connaught Rooms last night. “The secret 'of our supremacy in this branch of the e? |on trade,” he added, “is ;lmt the cycle we turn out is like the old English lever watch; you can send it' ; nywhere, knock it about, nrd it will \l) accurate work , n every climate. Americans a-e copying our patterns to improve their sales.

“The motor-cycles : n n®o in Hr:tain with llv'ir sidecars and pillions can carry about a mil lira persons.”

“DRIVE YOURSELF” CARS,

NEW COMPANY FORMED,

SYDNEY, Not. C,

A company has been forced in Sydney, with a capital of £IOO.OOO, and with Mr. B. S. Eessey, the auctioneer of second-hand cars, at its bond, for the purpose of letting out ears on hire, but without drivers, to persons who hold an unendorsed driver’s license, and who can produce satisfactory re fcrenc.es or credentials as to their financial standing. The charges, which will be most reasonable, are to be based on a mileage rate, which will include petrol. The cars that the company is puling into commission for hire are all brand new and of the latest model. All these will be kept in perfect mechanical condition, so that any driver who hires them may rest assured that ho will, under ordinary circumstances, not be troubled with roadside breakdowns or repairs.

45 MILES AN HOUR

DANGEROUS SPEED,

According to Dr. Erie Gardner, of Weybridgc, England, who lias been keeping a record of motor accidents for years, 4f> miles an hour is the most dangerous speed for motorists. When there is a crash at 90 miles an hour the rider generally escapes with a few bruises, the doctor explains, his contention being that this is due to the fact that the person’s body usually is thrown with such force that it “skips,” hits the ground rather a glancing blow, and rolls more or less. But if something happens when travelling at 45 or 50 miles an hour, the victim generally is tossed in such a manner that he often lands on his head, suffering serious injuries or death.

WHY WE RACE,

(By J. G. Parry Thomas, holder of the world’s speed record in motoring).

Although a motor firm whoso policy includes racing on a big scale often spends £20,000 or £20,000 a year on it, the knowledge and experience so gained are cheap at; the juice. For motor racing is more than a thrilling sport. It has given much in efficiency, comfort, and economy to every car on the road.

The stimulus of competition brings the designer's skill to a very high pitch. Improvements are constantly being made, and no record remains unbroken for long. Once these improvements have been tested on tin: track, the manufacturer puts them at'the disposal of his customers. Four-wheel brakes, for example, when first fitted to touring ears were a failure and were abandoned. The high speeds of racing made them a necessity, so modifications were made until they were a success. Now four-wheel brakes arc standard on nearly every car, and racing has immensely increased the life of tyres. Even the mass-produced, low-priced car benefits. Only the most effective valves, plugs, ami other component parts arc of any use to the racing driver, and the high standard thus set is passed on ro tlui public. The regulations governing motor racing in the past were framed to bo useful to the industry as a whole. Hence the size of engines was restricted for the Grand Prix and other important races. The little engines permitted were brought to an astonishing degree of efficiency, and as a direct result there appeared economical light cars whose performance equalled what was previously expected of mediumpowered vehicles. Unfortunately, this restriction has led to the adoption of certain devices and “doped” fuel, and there is a fear that the practical side of racing wil l be lost sight of in a desire, to win races at any cost. This can only bo curbed by tightening up the regulations.

EVERYTHING IN ONE

An ambitious “travelling filling station, tyre shop, and garage” service is operated in Kansas City, Mo., U.S.A. Light motor trucks, bearing tanks containing GO gallons of gasoline, 20 gallons of oil. 20 gallons of water, and •1001 b. air-pressure tanks, patrol main streets and principal highways of the city. Two attendants are on each truck, one an expert mechanic and tyre repair man.

HINTS AND IDEAS.

AFTER SEVERAL SEASONS,

Among the jobs commonly required for a car that has been driven for several seasons are:—

Relining and adjusting brake bands. Fainting or lacquer-finishing the car. Taking up lost motion in the steering gear. Grinding valves and removing earlion. Fitting new piston rings and piston pitls. Cleaning out the oil pans and oil strainer. Resetting timer contacts and spark plug gaps. Installing new clutch facings and adjusting the clutch. Adjusting valve clearances find replacing .worn valve parts. Having cylinder bores reconditioned and oversize piston fitted. Readjusting spring bolts and replacing them and their bushings. Aligning front wheel and lubricating and adjusting front and rear wheel hearings. Flushing out, and refilling transmission, rear a.vle and steering device housings. Cleaning out radiator, tightening pump packings .and renewing hose connections.

CHANGE OIL OFTEN IN NEW CAR

There are two reasons why engine oil in a new car does not remain in condition as long as in a. car that has been seasoned. In the first place, the running-in process involves the wearing off of minute particles of metal. These all collect in the oil and net. as an abrasive on the hearing surface. Then, too. during the first few hundred miles th(> owner is unfamiliar with the operation of the choke in starting arid warming up. The lesult is over-chok-ing— with the consequent thinning out of the oil by unvaporised fuel. The low temperature which may be expected with slow driving aggravates ibis dilution tendency.

PISTON It TNG S CAUSE TROUBLE

When an engine lacks power, when the compression is poor, when it pumps oil and uses too much fuel, it is probable that the rings are old and do not fit properly. A piston ring is supposed to pack the cylinder so that the fuel does not leak downward and oil upward. In order to be an ideal device it must do this without exerting too much pressure against the cylinder wall, and the pressure must be evenly distributed all around. The ring must fit (he cylinder perfectly; it must fit its grooves in the piston so that it will be neither too tight nor too loose. Harrington’s hammered piston rings will do all this.

MOTORS v. BUSES,

There arc some who still refuse to believe that buses can satisfactorily handle the bulk of passenger traffic in a metropolitan area. Yet it is done. Some recent figures from London on the subject are illuminating. The figures show, that last year 45. per cent, of all the passengers carried by London’s transportation system patronised buses; 28 per cent, used the railroads and 27 per cent, were handled by the tramways. The totals were as follows:’ Buses, 1,07.1,000,000: railroads, 1,049.000.000; street railways, !I7!'.0()0,(>00. Even as far back as Efi:;, buses were competing most successfully with the railroads and tramway lines of London. In that year they were handling as much traffic as the railroads and in the distribution of the total business were only 4 per cent, behind the trains. A comparison of the 191.1 and 192;> figures show how consistently tin 1 buses have gained ground against the older forms of transport. During the 12 years the total increase in London passenger traffic of all kinds was 0.3 per cent. 3u the same period, however, bus traffic increased 127 per cent., the railroads showed a gain of only 4f> per cent., and the trams finished a poor third with a gain of but 21 per cent. A similar shift in the traffic picture is taking place in the United States at present and possibly 12 years from now buses will be playing as important a part in the handling of mass transportation in the leading cities of that country as in London, where there is conclusive proof that buses are more popular —and hence it may be assumed more efficient —than any other form of travel.