MOTORING.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume II, Issue 592, 3 January 1916, Page 2

MOTORING.

NOTES AND COMMENTS. All arrangements in connection with the Grand' Patriotic Motor Carnival, to be held in February, are now well on the way to completion. Posters have been printed, and the secretary of the Pioneer Club (Mr Harman) has sent some of these, accompanied by entry forms, to each of the North Island Clubs. Practically all the big clubs throughout the Dominion have promised to help the function as much as possible, and, provided the weather is favourable, there is not the slightest doubt of the carnival being one of the most successful ever held in thiascity. Mr E. C. Hinds has just received advice that Mr Erwin G. Baker, the American Trans-Continental motor cycle re-cord-holder, has arrived in Australia. Mr Baker arrived in Melbourne from Sydney, having, in his own words, "toured down" in the net riding time of 18 hours 30 minutes. This performance was a very creditable one, as the present record stands at something over 23 hours. This "road racing king" intends to further lower this record, and he also intends to create a world's 24 hours' motor cycle road record by covering a distance of 1000 miles within the time allotted. After finishing his re-cord-breaking attempts in Australia, there is a possibility of Mr Baker paying a visit to New Zealand, where he will make further attempts to lower any of the present records. Mr Baker, who recently created a "Three Flag" record, on which he covered an average of 490 miles per day from Canada through the United States into Mexico, rides an Indian motor cycle.

Considerable attention has of late been paid by motor ear designers to constructional detail in the steering gear mechanism, which was formerly neglected. Easy steering, and the immediate answering of the road wheeds to the movement of the steering wheel, means greater safety. It also means less wear of the front-wheel tyres, and since this is productive of a saving in running expenses, the steering mechanism is well worth a careful consideration. Good design as regards this particular part of the car implies, above all else, big wearing surfaces, ample means of adjustment, and adequate lubrication. This last point is often overlooked by the user, although all first-class makers realise its importance, and provide for the introduction of the lubricant in the simplest and most direct manner. The greatest wear, and the most serious effect in the way of back lash, is liable to occur in the working joints of the connecting-rods that transmit the movement from the steering-gear box to the axle-arms, and to the cross-rod that connects the axle-arms of the two steering road wheels. Pins of big diameter and adequate length reduce this wear; if, however, they be allowed to become short of lubricant or to be exposed to the dirt and dust of the road, they soon wear loose and develop shakiness. If there be considerable looseness in the pin-joints at the end of the connectingbar between the two wheel axle-arms, the result is that the wheels, instead of remaining parallel with each other when the car is travelling in a straight course, tend to deflect away from one another, on account of the backward pressure of the road, and instead of rolling truly on the ground, the wheels skid or grind slightly. Friction to a very material extent is then set up, and the tyre suffers out of all proportion to the work that it really is called upon to do. Thus wear and neglect, the former the result of the latter, involve an increase in the tyre bill. In other words, the most expensive of the items of ear maintenance is inflated.

To Dr Bciijriiniu 11. Metealf, chairman of the Board of Health of Winthrop, Mass., belongs the distinction of making, without relief, one of the longest motor car tours on record. He recently arrived home after driving his Cadillac Eight from Winthrop to the Panama-Pacific Exposition at San Francisco, and back again. The car carried five passengers all the way, and a great deal of baggage and equipment in the way of spare tyres, etc. The actual running time on the westward route was 22 days, while 17 days covered the actual touring on the return trip. Dr Metealf says the two most pleasant feaures of the tour, aside from the attractiveness of the country traversed, were the titter absence of ear troubles of any kind and the fact that the tour was made in comfort and without excessive fatigue. In crossing the desert it was necessary to travel at night because of the great heat during the day. Even at night it was as hot as 120 degrees, but the radiator did not boil nor the motor heat to excess under such abnormal conditions.

The average motorist pays indifferent attention to several vital portions of his ear, so long as it continues to run reasonably well, and, although he is aware that its efficiency has become impaired, as often as not. accepts the lower standard without a genuine attempt to restore it to its original condition. Some times it is a dirty carburetter that has not been cleaned for weeks or months, which frequently results in waste of fuel from leakage, in addition to starving the engine of petrol, with a corresponding decrease in power. Overheating of engines, and consequent loss of efficiency, has been traced to a very simple defect—a slack fan-belt, and though not loose enough to fail in operating the fan altogether, it was sufficiently slack to allow of considerable slippage. The result is that the engine becomes hotter than it should, and the driver wonders why the power is reduced. The sparking-plug is a comparatively small thing compared with the liu lie of the car, but it is most vital. Plugs are allowed to remain in the engine for months, perhaps years, so wonderfully reliable have they proved of late. i\t the saine time there are numerous complaints, but the cause may l>e unsuitable plugs, which applies especially to small, high-speed engines. In this connection, and with the average motorist, the notion is that anything that, will spark will do, and that so long as a spark is occurring in each cylinder the quality of that spark does not much matter. Actually, however, suitable sparking-plugs properly adjusted can have a very appreciable effect on the even, sweet running of an engine. The plugs should be of a correct length so as not to protrude too far into tlio combustion chamber, but at the same time should be long enough to bo within easy accesa of the gases. Another point

which should be borne in mind is that better results are obtained if all the plugs in an engine are of a uniform type. The Christmas holidays afforded an excellent outing for thousands of motorists in this city, but it was unfortunate for a great many that Boxing Day was not more promising. However," the weather could have been a great deal worse than it was, and, Judging from the crowds that left the city on fishing and shooting expeditions, and came back with some really good bags, it appears that they must have spent a thoroughly enjoyable outing. In descending long and steep hills if brakes are applied so that the wheels cannot turn, the ear is apt to skid in a most precarious manner. Under such conditions tyre chains with cross chains on every link, and a transmission brake, form the best method of descent. TAPPET.