TO=DAY AND TO=MORROW

Taranaki Daily News, 9 August 1930, Page 4 (Supplement)

TO=DAY AND TO=MORROW

WHAT OF FUTURE CARS MORE POINTS ON MAINTENANCE. COLD WEATHER -PROBLEMS.

'By •

"Autoscribe.”)

For years past a cautions friend ha» postponed the purchase of a ear because there was a danger that new in ventions would too quickly make ;t obsolete. In the days when I was first jazzing my way gloriously—if dange.'ouidy —in a model that lacked practically all of the comforts associated with motoring to-day,, he was “thinking” ne might buy one, but afraid it was a bit 100 soon.” He is still thinking, but I believe is actually getting‘nearer the fatal step.. What amuses me meet is that his reason for buying eventually will be that he thinks no further improvements will he made, forgetting that every year since cars were first introduced some improvements have b< n thought out. It is true that during the last few years care have reached' such a pitch of efficiency that major improvements seem unlikely., but motor engineers throughout the world are emphatic in their belief that the car of to-morrow will be immeasurably superior to that of yesterday. or .for that matter, of . the present." tVhat some over-cautious people forget is that when you buy a car you are really buying so many thousand miles of transportation, and it is really yon have made your purchase —whether, next, year’s model is better or not sb good as your own. LOWER FUEL CONSUMPTION. Now that benzine is heavily taxed in New Zealand, and in other countries, also, and because of the horse power tax; in England, it is probable that the tendency of the future will be to concentrate on high speed, high efficiency engines with lower fuel consumption. The motorist’s ideal, of course, would be a car equipped with a powerful; engine capable of taking most hills on j “top,” but using about as much benzine-'! as the smallest type of car on tne j market. Will he ever get it? It seems; unlikely. v Engineers have always recognised that car engines are v.cry inefficient so lar as traction is concerned, in that they do not show a sufficiently high percentage of efficiency in working. Front wheel drive, improved systems ol carden shaft drive, and other devices have all been tried out and found wantin<* in some respect, but it seems certain that greater efficiency will be; secured as the years pass by. | A year or two ago statistics would i have led to the assumption that the car i of the future was the six or eight, cylindered job, but to-day the four | cylinder car has come back into its; own. Generally speaking the addition .' ol' two or four cylinders should add | greatly $o the smoothness of running, i and freedom from vibration; in particular ; cases it has proved incorrect, CHEAPER CAR FEATURES. ■ Those who. h£ve followed the motor trade in New Zealand during the past ! few years will have realised that there J has been but little reduction in prices. ; The tendency has been for.. the lower J priced cars to offer more and more of ‘ the features hitherto found exclusively > in the mqre expensive care, until to- ! day practiieally every ear on the' New I Zealand comes to its: new I owner equinped in very complete fashion ; with all the latest contrivances for sale ! and pleasant usage. Body lines; have i improved immeasurably during thb last i live years,: a fact which we forget until • we see soipe of the coffin- like closed-iu | cars.whic’i were thought so smart only a ; few brief'seasons ago. The latest mail from England brings particulars of experiments- with tyres, which aim at providing them in various colours to harmonise 0 with the paintwork of the car. That will add to the worries of the tyre dealer if it ever becomes universal, for in addition to stocking all sizes he will have to carry each size in a variety of different colours. It seems likely on the face of. it, that such luxuries in harmony of design will be reserved for the most ’luxurious cars alone. Cellulose plaint ‘has added considerably to the attfactivenes- of new ears, and has also lessened the paint-maintenance bill, as it keeps its freshness much longer than the paints used in earlier ! years. • Summarising the improvements of the ! future, it is fair to suggest that these | vvih be mainly along the lines of increasing the efficiency of the engine, and applying the power produced more perfectly to the driving of the car. Better, body, lines, better braking on the lines of the hydraulic brakes now fitted to some ears, improved springing in proportion to weight carried, and minor improvements of a luxury nature will all follow, in due course, but because of the comparative perfection now attained it is very unlikely that, there will be any revolutionary advances. In all the development of motor-cars there has never been any single invention which so revolutionised the car as to make obsolete all previous models. It is even less likely that there will lie such an invention": in the future. People who postpone buying a cai merely because they are afraid of future improvements ore" losing all the present joy of motoring for a to-morrow which mav or mav not bring them what they expect in the , shape of improved ear performance. ‘ WINTER' STARTING TROUBLES. The cold weather recently has sorely taxed many a good car battery, and the experience of running down the battery without succeeding in startins the car has not been uncommon. Faults in the magneto or coils are often responsible, but failure of the carburettor to function properly is also a fruitful eause. The benzine we now receive from the pumps is supposed to be very thoroughly filtered, but those who have glass filters! on their ears know that these very soon become filled with sediment. In the (case of cars not so fitted these impurities are often cleared in the filter

of the carburettor, but sometimes they will block the jets, either partially or completely. Unless the carburettor is functioning perfectly there will Ire trouble in starting in this cold weather. It is therefore well worth while taking down, the carburettor, cleaning out the jets and filter, and generally having a run over the whole of the benzine system to see that the engine is getting fair treatment, At this time, too. the battery needs watching more closely than in the summer, because of tne heavier demands made on it. If you have a hydrometer, see that its specific gravity is kept right. If you have not any garage or service station will test it free of charge, and also supply you with distilled water. DECARBONISING. No matter how good the ear, it will not run satisfactorily when the cylinder head is clogged up witlr carbon, Ue- . carbonising is needed about every 5000 miles, and°if it is really needed now, tne engine cannot help but be sluggish during the cold weather. With most modern , ears it is not a difficult operation, as tne parts are more readily accessible than in earlier models. It can be done comfortably during a Saturday afternoon, especially if tne handbook of the car has been read up the previous night, so that the motorist knows exactly how to get the cylinder head off. At the same time the valves can be ground in. The most difficult part of this job is usually netting them in and out. but special ?ools for this purpose can be either bought or borrowed. When replacing the cylinder head it is essential to see thas tlie gasket has not been damaged. A new one can be bought for a few shillings, arid as a gas-tight joint is absolutely, necessary for decent performance, it is false economy to put a damaged one back, only to replace it a few weeks later.