MOTORDOM

Southland Times, Issue 18990, 11 July 1923, Page 8

MOTORDOM

NOTES AND NEWS

( By

“Self-Starter.”)

LOCAu NOTES. | The membership of the Southland Motor i Association is steadily increasing but the executive is anxious to obtain still further members. Considering the amount of good work which such an organisation performs for the benefit of motoring generally, it is only right that the motorists in their turn should link up with the Association. With the constitution of the Highways Board and the taxes which are to be levied on the industry and the individual motorist it is even more necessary now than formerly I that there should be some responsibile body i to represent and protect the interests of the i car or cycle owner. Thus it is to be hoped j generous support will be accorded the Asso- < ciation by every motor car and cycle ; owner. I The attention of the Invercargill Town | Council has been drawn by the Motor Asi sociation to the bad state of the streets i where sewerage work has recently been I carried out. The Association contends that the streets are being seriously damaged by the present methods of putting down the sewer drains and asks that more attention be given to the matter when clearing away the debris and making the streets fit for traffic again. Wandering stock on the roads is always a source of danger to the motorist and at the present time the practice of allowing stock to w’ander at large is said to be very 1 prevalent throughout Southland. The Motor Association has accordingly taken the matter in hand and has issued a circular to all local bodies asking that more attention be given than is at present being done with a view to the abatement of the nuisance. TEMPERAMENT IN DRIVERS. It is a somewhat remarkable fact that, given two cars of identical make and condition, one may give a far better performance than the other, even assuming the average mileage in each case to be the same. Generally speaking, the difference may be explained by the manner in which the individual drivers handle the vehicles, for though there may be but one correct way of driving, everyone is not capable of cultivating the art. Nothing is more indicative of a person’s temperament than the way in which he handles a car; and, without the slightest doubt, temperament influences a driver’s actions more than anything else. Consider, for example, the highly-strung individual, whose every thought and movement commences, continues, and ends with a jerk. The smooth-acting clutch and easily-slfding gears are of little consequence to him, for once his brain has signalled the word to change speed, crash goes the gears, and our friend setties back in his seat waiting for the nxet excuse to loosen the tension of his nerves. The over-cautious driver seldom runs into anything, but is in constant danger from the rear, as the state of his back panels and wings not infrequently demonstrates. It is doubtful if this extreme caution has any beneficial results, because the engine not only has its own work to do, but it is compelled to take up the load more often than it need, had the driver kept up the impetus more consistently. Who can but decry the top-gear fiend who, with a brave but insufficient 12 h.p. engine, insists upon doing everything on top top gear, whether has has full load or not? With smug satisfaction he chuckles to his passenger: “See that, old man? Took that on top,” as his poor engine pounds out its heart in performing an almost impossible climb without a reduction of gear. Drivers could be divided into many more categories, each with its own peculiar characteristics; but the above examples are sufficient to indicate to what extent driving methods govern running costs, and the temperament plays in driving. LORRY TYRES. The value of tyre equipment to a lorryowner is measured by its ability to render traction, cushion and mileage in his individual service. How often is it to be observed (writes “Roadster” in the Press) in all parts of New Zealand the meagre mileage and continual complaints against probably all makes of tyres simply due to the fact that not sufficient attention has been paid by the lorry owner as to whether the tyres fitted are actually suitable for the conditions of service required. Quite a lot of discussion has been going on recently relative to the damage caused to the roads by lorries, and much of this damage could have been avoided if owners would only take the trouble to satisfy themselves that their tyres were suitable for their load and road conditions. 'The range of tyres, both pneumatic and solid, which latter includes cushion types of tyres, offered by ail tyre manufacturers, should not be any cause for complaint either by the user or the local authorities on the scores of the tyres not being suitable for the lorry or. the damage ' they do to road surface. Tyres are the. connecting link between the lorry and the road, and the forces to which they are subjected are tremendous, particularly on the rear wheels. It does not require a great imagination to realise the force behind a three-ton load rolling along at speeds ranging from 15 to 20 miles per hour. Every impact, every side thrust, every skid puts the economical operation of the lorry right up to the tyres. While spring action absorbs severe strains, ijt is the tyres which receive the actual crushing blows from impacts against every obstruction or depression of the road. Owners of lorries, when they were next in the market for tyre renewals, should obtain the advice of at least one or two of the leading manufacturers as to the type and size of tyre suitable for their individual conditions. BRITISH MOTOR TRADE. Mr Noel Elmslie, British Trade Commissioner in New Zealand, has been advised by the Overseas Trade Department that there are now signs of improvement in the British motor-car export trade. Recent reductions are enabling manufacturers to quote competitive prices in markets where the rates of exchange do not operate unfavourably against them. The prospects in Empire markets are much better than they have been during the past two years. The leading manufacturers are now making a very complete range of vehicles. For instance, there are no fewer than twelve chassis in the B.S.A. and Daimler range, each of which is supplied with varying types of suitable bodies. The advantage to the agent abroad is enormous. Under his one agency agreement he has a range of cars suitable for nearly every possible type of client, while his overhead charges and advertising expenses are maintained at a minimum. The “one factory one model” idea is apparently losing ground. It should not be imagined, however, that mass production methods are not being used with a view to reducing the cost of production. In many cases the production of one model is carried out quite independently of the manufacture of other models listed by the same firm. The advantage of the light car, which is really a small car, with a small engine—under 1500 ex. capacity—is that it is easily driven, easily garaged, and is economical to run. Many of the present-day light cars will do 60 to 80 miles to the gallon of petrol and approaching 1000 miles to the gallon l of oil. At the same time speeds up to 60 miles per hour are not unusual.

I It is often claimed that the wheel base, frack, and ground clearance of British cars i render them less suitable for overseas markets than American cars. Comparative measurements prove this to be untrue. A wheel base of from 9ft 9in to 10ft lOin with tht standard track of 4ft Bin is really common to both the leading British and American makes, and there are many British cars with a ground clearance—a most important factor—of 94 or 10 inches at the present day. Nearly all standard touring models of British manufacture are now listed complete with all-weather equipments, the side curtains opening with door. Such cars are eminently suitable for a very large market, as they can be used for touring irrespective of the weather, or as town carriages just as occasion demands. AMERICA’S TOLL OF LIFE. American files reveal a crescendo of anxiety about the enormous toll of life taken in that country by the motor. Statistics have been prepared to show that one person in 10,000 is killed each year, or, put differently, that one out of every thousand motorists is a homicide every 12 months. In Britain, motoring is infinitely safer than in the United States. This is undoubtedly due to the combined effect of simple regulations sanely administered, and of the consistent propaganda by the Automobile Association. It is not due to any wonderful system of competency examinations for drivers, for no such tests have been required. The British driver applies for and gets a license, which ranks as merely an identification ticket. For the rest he must behave himself or go off the roads. In America, on the other hand, official examinations are compulsory, and, moreover, the roads swarm with special police and other “direct action” instruments of the law. The police, for all their pugnacity, fail to maintain safety on the highways. \ THE CAR OF THE FUTURE. What will be the ultimate type of motorcar for the man of moderate means? Will it be the large family model at present favoured by American and Canadian manufacturers, or will the British conception of the small car become more popular in world markets? (writes Captain de Normanville in the Daily Chronicle). The majority of people would answer in favour of the large car, considering its smaller reproduction chiefly suited to British tastes. But they may prove wrong. At any rate, that is the opinion of one of the leading American manufacturers, Mr F. J. Haynes, the president of Dodge Brothers, the third largest motorcar builders in the United States. This remarkable Detroit factory produces nearly 600 cars a day. Mr Haynes was entertained in London to a banquet of welcome at which most of the leading British manufacturers were present. His speech w’as particularly instructive to those interested in. British motoring matters. In differentiating between American and British principles he said that we sold “motor-carriages” whilst they sold “mechanical transport.” It is a clever description of the facts. But it was more interesting when Mr Haynes endeavoured to pierce the development of motor-car types in the future. “I am already wondering,” he said, “whether the large, powerful cars that we now build in the States will be the type of the future. I am sometimes inclined to think that the British conception of a smaller car may ultimately prove more generally suitable.” VALUE OF MOTOR TRAFFIC. The value of motor or other traffic to or through any place or locality is great and undoubted (says a northern writer), despite the wail of local bodies that “foreign” traffic destroys the roads without contributing to the cost of maintenance—not that it can be truly said of motorists, however. The existence of even a fairly good road enhances land values enormously, and the traffic it carries brings capital. Both of these factors are overlooked, and the passage of motor vehicles is distinctly discouraged by the display of mandatory notices as if motor drivers and owners were a pack of schoolboys on michief bent. A writer in the Melbourne Argus- to the foregoing effect seems to have hit the nail on the head. He continues:—“What is yet’ to be appreciated by many municipalities is the value of publicity—the advantages to be gained by encouraging visitors and tourists to their localities. How very different it would be if, instead of placarding the roads with ‘don’ts’ there were invitations in the shape of signs indicating the direction and distances of local attractions of scenic or historic interest! Or, again, of showing I an alternative route to a given centre would be beneficial to all concerned—the visitors, the locality, and the State.” LIGHT COMMERCIAL VEHICLES. In the present advanced state of development the introduction of anything at all revolutionary in the design of public service and commercial vehicles is extremely unusual and one is therefore compelled to deal with tendencies rather than with marked innovations. Until recently British manufacturers have rather inclined to neglect the lighter classes of industrial vehicle but two or three leading firms are now specialising largely on the production of j chassis for 30-cwt. loads, or, alternately, for | passenger-carrying bodies with about six- I teen seats. The new models vary in cap- ! acity from 15ewt. to three tons, the main i features being simiiar throughout the range. The valves are inclined in relation to the | cylinder bore and are worked by rockers. : By these means pockets in the cylinders are eliminated and accessibility is combined with the advantages of overhead valves. The back axle is of the fully floating type and a special feature of the chassis is that all parts are lubricated by oil, no grease being used. As far as possible, the lubrication is automatic. This applies to the engine, gear box, both axles and the steering connections. Even the leaves of the underslung rear springs are automatically lubricated by oil from the back axle. Another feature is that a low loading platform is combined with very ample ground clearance. FUEL INDICATORS. Fuel indicators form part of the standard equipment of some motor-car designs, but very frequently these are placed on the tank itself, when carried in the rear of the chassis. Thus, though the possessor of such a vehicle can discover how full or .empty the fuel tank may be by stopping the car and getting out to look at the indicator, the ideal arrangement is to have this device fitted on the dashboard, so that its owner knows, without moving from his seat, exactily the position of affairs and when he should pull up in order to replenish the supply of fuel for the engine. An alternative system to the fuel indicator proper hi. 5 latterly been adopted as a common featu e in the design of the tank to carry tat petrol. This consists of having a three-v. cock placed upon the pipe outlet from u •* tank supplying the carburettor, so that in the ordinary way there is retained in u■ < bottom of the tank an extra one or twu gallons of fuel, which takes the place of the spare tin carried by every motorist in days gone by. This three-way cock has, therefore, the position of giving (1) the ordinary supply (2) shutting off the petrol, or (3) allowing the reserve stock to flow to the carburettor. Consequently, present day motorists who have this three-way tap fitted on the petrol feed-pipe have got into the

habit of running until the engine “spite” or ‘coughs”, showing shortage of fuel, and then turning on the reserve supply, which will enable them to carry on to the next petrolfilling station. SIDE-CAR AND WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION. Few motorists who use side-car combinations have any idea of how the weight is distributed over the three wheels of the outfit. Recent experiments conducted with a 4| h.p. combination gave some interesting and instructive information. Without passengers up, each wheel was run on to a weigh-bridge and gave the following figures:—2o3-lb. on back wheel, 182-lb. on front wheel and 119-lb. on side-car wheel. Total, 504-lb. The driver weighing 11 stone, then took his seat, the resulting figures being—back wheel 318-lb., front wheel 227-lb., side-car wheel 113-lb. Total: 658-lb. It will be noted that the driver (weight 154-lb) only added 45-lb to the weight on the front wheel, whilst 115-lb. extra went on the back wheel, whilst the load on the side-car wheel was actually reduced by 6-lb. A side-car passenger (weight 182-lb.) was then added to the combination, and the respective weighings were:— Back wheel 350-lb., front wheel 276-lb., sidecar wheel 214-lb. Total: 840-Ib. That is to say the side-car passenger added 101-Ib. to the side-car wheel load, 49-lb. to the front wheel, and only 32-lb. to the rear wheel load. The surprising feature is the very small portion of the passenger’s weight which actually comes on the rear wheel. It also indicates the reason for the very long life usualy obtained from a side-car wheel tyre. With full load up the percentage of load to each is:—Back 42 per cent of total load, front wheel 33 per cent and side-car 25 per cent, without driver and passenger aboard the figures were:—Back wheel 40 per cent of total, front wheel 36 per cent, and side-car wheel 24 per cent. POINTS TO REMEMBER. Never wash the hood of the car when the engine is hot. It is just the same as washing the surface with hot water, and will do the same amount of damage. When pushing the car around, keep your hands off the fenders, doors, tyre carrier, and radiator. The best and easiest way is to grasp the spokes of the wheels. To avoid getting splashed with mud when passing another car, it is a mistake to get as far away as possible. When the cars are 10-ft or so apart, any mud that is

Splashed is sure to strike the body of the other car, whereas if the machines are closer together, three feet apart, mud that is splashed will only strike the wheels and the under sides of the fenders. To prevent the car from stalling, it is a good plan to accelerate the engine immediately upon releasing the clutch. The motor is more likely to run normally after this spurt of activity. Starting or stopping a car too quickly will grind off the tread surface of the tyre and expose the fabric, making it possible for sand and water to work into the body of the tyre and cause disintegration to set in, which will very soon completely destroy the tyre. A motorist should inspect the tail light of his car frequently. The light marks the position of his car for the driver coming in the rear, who may be facing lights of an oncoming machine. Remember the weekly inspection of your car and do not neglect it this spring because the running gear is dirty, because it’s cold, because of a thousand excuses. “It's better to inspect than exepect trouble.” A machine which rattles when coasting downhill in neutral is an abomination. Moreover, it denotes that something is wrong. Generally such rattles proceed from (a) toolbags, (b) mudgards, or (c> chains. Tools and spares should be wedged tightly in their bags with rag, or such things as plugs, bolts, valves, etc., will be irretrievably damaged. If mudgard clips still rattle, even when tightly screwed up, leather packing pieces should be inserted between the clips and the frame. If driving chains are t-o slack that they rattle against their guards, they obviously need adjustment. A useful article to carry about one’s machine (even if not lit by acetylene) is a piece of generator tubing. It need hardly be added that a roll of insulating tape is—or should be—a part of every careful rider’s equipment, and, amongst its many other uses, it is helpful in repairing a broken pipe. A leaking petrol tank is a most difficult matter to deal with on the road, but if not too bad it can be caulked temporarily with soap, which, though easily dislodged by vibration, will check the flow for a time. Better for this purpose, if obtainable, is seccotine or plasticine. The permanent repair should be carried out at the earliest opportunity, but only an expert can handle the job. It need be only a few minutes’ work to re time the magneto. Loosen the sprocket lock-nut on either the magneto or camshaft, and prise the sprocket off the taper. Place the piston on top dead centre (easily •verified by removing a valve cap or compression tap) of the compression stroke (both valves closed), retard the ignition lever almost fully, set the contact breaker points just separating, and press the sprocket on to the taper, tightening lock-nut and testing setting before replacing the chain cover. With a view to improving the lubrication and cooling of valve stems and springs a very interesting design has been produced by an enthusiastic rider. Briefly, the de\ice consists of an oiltight box enclosing the valve stems, springs and tapers, in which oil is maintained at a constant level by a pump, the overflow returning to the tank. All motor-cyclists have experienced at one time or another the evil effects of air leakage due to worn inlet valve guides or exhaust valves which stick in cold weather, and many of them would go far to avoid these troubles. NOTES. “Motor drivers in New Zealand are the most careless in the world,” declared Mr G. Witty (Riccarton) in the House of Representatives last week. Mr Witty had asked the Minister of Justice whether he would amend the law, so that when carelessness was proved against a motor-driver the driver’s license would be forfeited, and the driver be liable to imprisonment instead of a fine. On behalf of the Minister of Justice, the Minister of Internal Affairs (Hon. W. Downie Stewart) replied that the matter had been noted for consideration when the Motor Regulation Bill was being prepared. Disappointment was expressed by Mr Witty at the nature of the Minister’s reply. "Wherever neglect was proved, he considered that the Government should either cancel the license of the driver, or subject him to imprisonment. The toll of human life by reason of motor accidents was very heavy in New Zealand, and it would be heavier if more severe penalties for carelessness were not imposed. Two new types of wind screens have been brought out on new models of two English makes of cars. One is in four sections, each enclosed in a nickel-plated frame, and each section may be opened and closed irrespective of the others. The appearance of the screen is very neat and adds to theeffect of a smartly designed carbody. The other screen is in one piece, with a nickel-plated frame and side-panes attached. 'Motorists in the United States have big distances to cover, so that large powerful cars are often necessary. But we see a good deal of five or seven passenger capacity with only one or two people in the car. If, therefore, you look at it as ‘transportation/ that is not an economcial way of giving it, and it may be that in the future a smaller car may be found desirable. In fact it may be nearer to some of your British types.” Such views from a leading American manufacturer are very instructive. And they raise a possibility which once again concentrates attention on the need of revising our existing unfair taxation system. It appears to me probable that if the future holds such a possibility in store as the change indicated, what will actually happen will be a combination of American chassis practice and British small car coach work types. If the Americans start building smaller cars, are they likely to change to small-bore engines at the same time? The answer is a decided no. They would continue to use the design of engine they know, and would not start experimenting with the small bore, high efficiency types we are forced to produce by our absurd taxation system. It was apparently the belief of Mr Haynes that the more motoring develops the more it will be “transportation” that must be •old, which in turn would demand economy in operating costs. Looking at it in that way, there is every reason why future development should centre round small cars. And if Britain is to share in this future world market our manufacturers must be allowed to build the engines they want, and not be bound to size by a grossly unfair and equally stupid taxation system. A London report states that a marked improvement in the export trade of British motor-cycles is now noticeable. In January of this year the number of machines exported exceeded the figures for any month since April, 1921. In February, practically the same number of machines went out as in January, this meaning a rather higher daily rate. The figures for March, 1923, showed an improvement of something like 20 per cent., as compared with those for January and Feburary. A telegram was received by the executive of the S.IJH.U. at ’ its meeting last week from the Hon. W. Dowrtie Stewart suggesting that the Union should send delegates to Wellington to discuss the tyre tax question. The secretary reported that Mr Wynyard had suggested that four motorists from each Island should meet in Wellington about August 8 to interview the Minister. Messrs Hawkes and Johnston were appointed delegates to the conference, e.nd it was agreed to ask Otago to appoint the other two delegates. Motor-bus competition in America and England has led to some of the railway companies adopting motor vehicles as feeder services in districts contiguous to the railway lines. The American Electric Railway Company is finding the system a pronounced economic success. The American three flag record from the Canadian to the Mexican boundaries of the United States is now held by Wells Bennett. who rode a Henderson. The lightweight record, only 58 minutes slower, is held by an Indian Scout, ridden by Rem•ley.