LOW PETROL CONSUMPTION

Taranaki Daily News, 2 August 1930, Page 13

LOW PETROL CONSUMPTION

NEARLY 30 MILES TO GALLON. PERFORMANCE "OF HUDSON EIGHT. Carrying its petrol in a glass container fixed to the top of the radiator, a ; powerful-looking straight-eight Hudson car drew up at the Criterion Hotel, New Plymouth, yesterday at 10.30 a m This was the conclusion of a trip from Wellington on top gear to demonstrate the high mileage per gallon the car was capable of.. Between Stratford and New Plymouth the consumpt : rp was' at the rate of 29.828 miles to the gallon. | Under the conditio’s that was a remarkable ach’evcment, the best over the five stages of the long journey, details of which were given in yesterday’s issue. The gear box of this heavy car was sealed in Wellington by Mr, E. A. Batt, chairman of the Wellington Automobile Club, and the lever was left with him. Thus the driver, Mr. G. Shackleton, was forced to negotiate all grades on top gear. Yet he was able to show the following returns for the trip from Stratford to New Plymouth: Speedometer mileage, 26.1; petrol used, 7 pints; miles per gallon, 29.828; miles per hour, 28.472; time for trip, 55 minutes. When the car drew up in Devon Street at the. head of a procession of five other Hudsons, the driver was met by the Mayor (Mr. H. V. S. Griffiths), who congratulated him on his performance. The petrol remaining in the glass container was then withdrawn and measured, and the result subtracted from the quantity of fuel put in at Stratford. After quoting tlie figures for the whole journey, all but the last set of which have already been published, Mr. Griffiths commented that it was a splendid performance to average about 27 miles to the gallon over' the complete distance. Some exceptionally steep hills had had to be traversed, he said, and an additional handicap had been the necessity to slow down on occasions when traffic ahead blocked the way on the gradients. Mr. Vincent H. Freeth, of the Catts, Patterson Company, which organised the test on behalf of Dominion Motors, Ltd., pointed out to a reporter that the trip was made under conditions more arduous than those generally associated with touring. Owing to the car running ahead of schedule there were frequent stops outside towns in order to keep to the programme times; thus the engine was often allowed to cool down. Sometimes the car had to travel up to 40 miles an hour to make up time, wnereas not more than 35 miles an.hour would Have been best for the test. Another circumstance j influencing consumption was the fact ■ that the position of the glass container was such that when it was full there was a tendency for the rate of gravitational feeding of fuel to be increased by tne pressure exerted by the extra spirit. It was pointed out by Mr. Freeth that actually one ounce less than seven pints was used on the way from Stratford, but this was not allowed for in the calculation, nor was the fact that the carburettor was not drained.

The car will leave on its return to Wellington at 6 a.in. to-day. Except for pauses necessary for refuelling, it will be a non-stop run. The petrol used on the trip is the usual first-grade quality obtained from kerbside pumps. Mr. Shackleton is accompanied by Mr. S. W. Moult, official observer for the Wellington Automobile Club.