MOTORING

Taranaki Daily News, 15 July 1933, Page 15 (Supplement)

MOTORING

MOTOR TAXES figures for various nations. an interesting comparison. Statistics compiled by the British Society of Motor Manufacturers show that Denmark- is the most highly taxed motoring community in the world. The average power of cars in use in that country is 20 h.p., and for such a vehicle covering 7000 miles a year £42 is paid in taxation of all kinds. In Australia, where cars average 20 hp. -the total taxation is approximately £23; while in Great Britain, where the average power of cars is only 13 h.p., the total taxation is £3O 5s a year. These figures are based on direct annual tax, petrol tax, dnvmg license, compulsory insurance, and other impositions which do not apply in all countries, and are based on a mileage of 7000 a year. American motorists are most favourably treated, and although the average car is of 28. h.p. the total taxation in the various states varies from only £7 8s in California to £l3 16s in Mississippi. The taxation records in other states are nearer the. Californian figures than those of Mississippi. . The owner of a 34 h.p. car m Denmark is forced to pay £B5 16s a year and in Italy, where the petrol tax is highest, such a car would cost more than £BB for a years running. The amount of petrol tax in this case is a little, more than , half the total. Australian taxation on this car would be approximately £3B Ils, made up as follows:—Petrol tax, about £23 15s, direct taxation, about £8 6s; dnvmg license, 10s; one-seventh, sales tax, about . £6. ■ The following figures show the average total taxation in various parts of the world, together with power of the average car in use in each country.

ROAD LIGHTING IN FOG. A SUGGESTED REMEDY. A much-needed reform concerns the lighting of roads during fog. .More particularly the arterial roads radiating from London, writes a correspondent in tne “Motor.” In fine weather, the lighting is excellent, but in fog the lights are at such a height as to be .useless. _. My suggested remedy for this is a hgnt in the base of the standard at, say, 3ft. from-the ground. . The opening would be hooded and covered with thick reinforced glass, to prevent breakage from flying stones, and would be set at an angle •to throw the light on the ground over as wide an area as possible. A twoway control could be.fitted, for switching over from one light to the other, which could bp operated at a moment’s notice. Some- objection will be raised that as practically all lamp standards are of cast iron; they could not be adapted and would have to be scrapped, but I suggest that it is far better and cheaper to spend money on making the existing roads safe, than spending it on elaborate bypass. schemes, which, while relieving local traffic congestion do nothing to minimise the danger, the contrary being more commonly the case. Reflectors mounted on posts about 18in. high placed bn the kerb or verge at, say, 50ft. intervals, would also be of the utmost benefit. Cross-roads would be indicated by a distinctive and appropriate sign. These reflectors coupled with the low “standard” light would be of the greatest assistance to car-drivers, and would considerably ease the strain of driving through a thick fog. It is obvious that the reflectors could not be placed on the kerb line, where only a comparatively, narrow footpath exists, but in all arterial roads there is a wide grass margin between the kerb and the footpath, which makes the erection of these reflector posts a simple matter. IGNITION TROUBLES. MISLEADING STATISTICS. It is often said that figures can be made to prove anything, but really they only provide material for argument, writes “The Scribe” in the “Autocar.” There were recently some statistics compiled concerning the causes of breakdown in Southern California, where there were more than 100,600 breakdowns due to ignition troubles. Then the Royal Automobile Club statistics published recently indicate that more than 20 per ednt. of breakdowns in this country are due'to the same cause, but such statistics prove nothing without some attempt being made to separate definite faults in manufacture from those caused by neglect and ignorance.

The Royal Automobile Club figures are compiled in conjunction with their “Get-You-Home” scheme, of which 12,557 members took advantage, and 20 per cent, of them had some form of ignition trouble. From’this it may be deducted that the ignition apparatus is the weakest part of the modem car. It is not; it is merely the most elusive-and the least understood. The average motorist makes no attempt to remedy a minor fault in anything concerning electricity, and while his lights and ignition are working he leaves them alone; in’other words, neglects them. How often does an owner ask his service station to go over the electrical equipment ? Twenty per cent, of the total appears to be a lot, but back axle fractures total more than half that number with more than 12 per cent., and that is far more serious, since a broken shaft or crown wheel is something no orte can put right on the road, whereas the great majority of ignition troubles can be put right at the nearest garage, never far away. One wonders why they came into the “Get-You-Home” scheme at all. An electrical expert at one time associated with a well-known American firm, tells me that there are two causes for coils burning out which seem to be little known. First, faulty or unsuitable plugs, with particular reference to so-called reconditioned plugs. My friend had no axe to grind telling me this; he is no longer in the motor industry. Second, if one allows the battery to run right down, starts up by hand, and then does a little speed work. This, I suppose, is because an exhausted battery has lost its efficacy as a buffer between dynamo and coil.

MISUSING ENGINES NEED FOR JUDGMENT. . BURDEN OF WORKING PARTS. Only in rare cases is it possible to overload the working parts of a motor car engine far beyond the normal limits, but there are other ways in which an engine may be misused, resulting in wear and even bearing failure, although the . engine has not been overloaded in the accepted sense of the word. The big-end bearings connecting the rods to the crank-pins are undoubtedly the danger points in a modern highspeed engine. These have to transmit the whole power of the engine in addition to rotating at a high speed. Safeguarding them is a very thin film of oil, which is continually being sheared as the crank revolves, and which has to transmit the terrific pressures without being squeezed out from between the surface. A great amount of heat naturally is generated. The temperature of the bigends is apt to rise to within a narrow margin of danger point if an engine is kept hard at it for any length of time. The slightest shortage of oil is sufficient to enable the heat to melt the white metal of the bearing. If a car is being driven for long distances at high speed, it follows that while 55 m.p.h. may be maintained with safety hour after hour, 60 m.p.h. may spell disaster if the engine is not in tip-top condition. PROPER CRUISING SPEED. Those speeds are chosen merely as an example, of course. It is a good rule not to cruise at higher, than 90 per cent, of the maximum speed of which the car is capable. That one has a considerable margin of power at hand is one of the charms of a fast car. Two kinds of loads are borne by the pistons, connecting rods and bearings—the .pressure of the expanding gases, and the : inertia of the reciprocating parts. The second occurs only at high speeds. The piston objects to being brought to a standstill and started again after each stroke, and it gives 'an upward pull when at the top and a- downward pressure at the bottom, always trying to continue, its motion unchecked, but held in leash by the connecting- rod. This inertia effect may become even more important at very high speeds than the load due to the explosion. Such revolution speeds can be reached in ordinary touring cars only on an intermediate gear or by driving down a hill in top gear at a speed well above the maximum attainable on the level. Prolonged . work at high revs, is very bad for the engine. Apart from inertia loads on the bearings, the valve gear and the auxiliaries are likely to suffer. LAZY DRIVERS. Again, if the engine is kept slogging hard uphill at a low revolution speed without retarding the ignition the working- parts may be overloaded. If the spark is timed accordingly, slow pulling does no particular harm. The lazy driver does not 'bother about using the handoperated system, so that, when his poor power unit is pulling hard uphill at low revs., each piston, rising on the compression stroke, suddenly receives the full force of the explosion before it reaches the top. Naturally there is considerable shock, expressed in audible knocking or rough running. At a low speed the oil pressure is-usually low, too, and there is considerable risk of damaging the bearings. .The lessons to be learned, therefore, are to avoid prolonged full-throttle high-speed running, and to change to a lower gear or retard the ignition whan top, gear speed is low. FIVE MILES A MINUTE. SIR MALCOLM CAMPBELL’S PLANS. Captain Sir Malcolm Campbell stated recently that while he had. not yet been able to decide definitely on the future of the Blue Bird he was still aiming at the 300-miles-an-hour mark. When Sir Malcolm Campbell next attempts to increase his world’s record the effort probably will be made on a new course. According to' Sir Malcolm, the available length of Daytona Beach is hardly sufficient for the present high speeds, neither is it really wide enough. Its width is not much more than 40 yards at neap tides, and at high speeds a margin of 20 yards on either side of the car does not give the driver much chance if anything happens to go wrong. He is of the opinion that the 90-mile beach in North Auckland presents great possibilities, in addition to which there are some salt'beds near . Utah which require investigating. He also has been investigating the suitability of Lake George, near Goulbum, New South Wales. “Where I shall go next time, whether I shall build an entirely new car, or still further modify the old one, are points which need very careful consideration,” said Sir Malcolm. “Whatever I do I shall certainly use my RollsRoyce engine which was fitted to the Blue Bird this year, as this is a wonderful motor, and there is ample power to exceed even a speed of 300 miles an hour. The difficulty is to find the best means of transmitting that power to the driving wheels. If a new car is to be built it must have a four-wheel drive. Only by doing this will wheel-spin be eliminated. The Blue Bird this year suffered terribly from slippage, due for the most part to the abnormally rough surface, but it was greatly aggravated by the enormous power which we were endeavouring to transmit, to the rear wheels. Th powsr developed at the excessive engine revolutions which were reached amounted to close on 2700 horse power. We carried threequarters of a ton of lead over the back axle to keep the rear wheels down, but it had little effect, since the whole car was coming off the ground continually whenever it encountered bumps on the track.

“I learnt a great deal during those record runs, and I quickly realised that for higher speeds a more efficient stream-line body was needed,” added Sir Malcolm. “I am firmly of the opinion that if this and a few other modifications are carried out, and provided we have much better conditions on the next attempt, the Blue Bird will eventually reach the 300 mark. If, on the' other hand, an entirely new car was built, the five miles a minute would then become a certainty.”

ECONOMY AS A HABIT POPULARITY OF THE “TEN.” LARGE CAR EASIER TO DRIVE. (By Our Motoring Correspondent.) London, June 1. When small cars first began to come on the roads in any numbers it was assumed by. many people that they would mainly make their appeal to those who had never before owned a car and were tempted by the low initial cost, the running economy and, perhaps more than anything else, the ease of control offered by these small vehicles. This theory that the smaller the car, the easier and the safer it is to drive, has even now a wide currency, and while it seems a pity to disturb it in case a few prospective motorists abandon their intention of investing in a small car, the requirements of truth make it necessary to affirm that it is just as easy to drive a large, high-powered car, as a small one. - The fact is that a large car is even easier to drive than a small car because the bigger engine gives a better top gear performance, and the steering is so designed as to render the car decidedly easy to manoeuvre. But these factors are not appreciated as they ought to be by the timid recruit to the ranks of motoring, nor does it matter, so-long as he buys a car of some sort and does not deprive himself of the pleasures of the open road. The ready welcome given to the small cars did not unduly disturb the motoring industry as a whole for it was thought that their purchasers were potential owners of larger cars and it was considered no bad thing that new motorists should be created even if they were only prepared to start their motoring “in a small way." For some years it seemed as if this view was the correct one and the makers of the larger models cheerfully hided their time in the belief that sooner or later the people who bought small, cars would want to buy large cars. It stood to reason that once you bought a lowpowered car you would not be content for long to be satisfied with its limitations. But these makers had reckoned without the possibility of the economic blizzard. When the slump came it was found that logical sequences somehow refused to work themselves out. LURE OF POWER. Generally speaking it is still true to say that the average motorist desires as powerful a car as he can afford—not so much because he wants to carry heavier loads and engage habitually in high speeds, but because a car boasting an engine with a large output of power is so much more delightful to drive at ordinary cruising speeds and guarantees a good top gear performance. The large engine also furnishes a useful reserve of power for special occasions. But the economic depression played havoc with our standards and theories. For many people economy became a necessity and the longed-for, powerful car, had to be looked upon as a luxury, not so much because of initial cost—the powerful Ford V 8 costs under £2so—but because the higher tax and the higher petrol consumption make big cars moye expensive to run than small ones. With the need for economy came a pronounced demand for cars of modest size and modest horse-power, but tins did not involve, curiously enough, a .phenomenal demand for the smallest types, the “babies,” “minors” and other diminutives. To many car purchasers the smallest types of car did not appear to fulfil requirements. Economy was desired, but economy at the sacrifice of full comfort for one’s family and fairly good top gear performance appeared the wrong kind of economy. Thus, although the smallest types of car reduce running costs and initial cost to their lowest scales, the tendency is to go for a somewhat larger and higher-powered car and it seems as if cars rated at about 10 h.p. are accepted as a suitable compromise. ■ This tendency is being fully recognised by our manufacturers, more and more of whom are marketing a. car of about this engine size. It is significant that makers who in the past have been mainly identified with the larger types are also going in increasingly for cars of round about 10 h.p. The latest makers to add a smaller type of car to their range are the Vauxhall Motor Co. Despite the fact that they are doing so well with their Cadet model, they want also to secure a footing in the “economy” market.

Some makers, of course, do not see any special virtue in the figure “10” and prefer to market “nines” and “twelves” which they do with gratifying results. They take the sound enough view that such cars are an equally effective compromise between the smallest and ■ the larger types. But the “ten” is certainly booming and is likely to maintain its popularity for a long time. Economy is becoming so much of a habit that the “nines,” “tens,” and “twelves” may continue to boom even when better times return. These cars give as much roomy accommodation as the average family man requires, .they are not costly to buy and they are economical to run. Having become used to these modest vehicles in times of stress the motorist _ who survives the present financial crisis may decide not to succumb to the lure of the more powerful car and stick to small ones even though he can afford larger and faster ones.

This theory pre-supposes, however, future inactivity on the part of makers of large cars. It may be taken that when better times come, manufacturers of large cars will do their utmost to combat what the Americans call the “sales resistance” set up by the economy model habit. Unless the past history of the motoring industry is misleading they will manage to tempt those motorists who can afford it, to abandon their smaller cars and invest again in the larger and more powerful ones. REFINEMENTS AT LOW COST. Meanwhile it is interesting to note how the “tens” are consolidating their ground. The new 8.5. A., for instance, which I tried out on the road during a 300 mile? tour, includes in its price of £240 such outstanding, refinements as a self-chang-ing transmission and a fluid flywheel. I have always maintained that new ideas in motor engineering which make for simpler and better motoring sooner or later become available as a standard fitting on the lower-priced cars even though, when first introduced, they are fitted exclusively on higher-priced cars either as standard or as an extra. I have become an enthusiastic convert of this form of transmission and after trying out the self-changing gear and fluid flywheel on the cheapest car on which it is to be found—the B.S.A. Ten -I am more than ever convinced that these ancillaries, or something like them, are bound in time to supersede the ordinary gear-box. The B.S.A. is not intended to be a speedy car but it will supply an effortless 50 miles per hour on a very moderate consumption of petrol The engine is particularly smooth for a four-cylinder job and I liked the way the car held the road at all speeds. Mv passengers in the rear seats testified warmly as to the comfort of the interior. The car has such additional amenities as a sliding roof, Triplex glass all round and- leather upholstery. _ Now admirably the small cars fulfil the requirements of economical running is exemplified by the demonstration undertaken recently by a saloon which set out to see how much ground it could' cover on an expenditure of only five cumeas The car went from one • end of*Britain to the other, covermK

and even then several shillings remained unspent, to say nothing of a quantity of petrol left in the tank. The car therefore set out again and brought the total mileage up to 2364 before the last penny and the last drop of petrol had gone. This remarkable run is all the more noteworthy when it is stated that all repairs and replacements had to be paid for out of the five guineas. In point of fact the only repair was in respect of a broken speedometer cable, accounting for 2s 6d. The run was officially observed by the R.A.C.

H.P. Total Australia ■ Austria . Denmark .. - France' Germany- .. Italy • ■ Netherlands New Zealand .. 20 .. 14 .. 20 .. 14 .. 14 .. 15 .. 20 .. 14 £23.0 £33.0 £42.0 £20.0 £25.1 £35.0 £29.6 £13.3 £9.0 £10.0 £26.0 £26u2 £7.4 £8.4 £.96 £13.8 Rhodesia, N. ' ; ■ • •'». - .. 20 Rhodesia, S. Sweden • • Switzerland . . 20 .. 24 .. 16 OQ California .. Illinois .. Michigan ... •• .. 28 ..28 28 Mississippi - .. . £9.3 New. York ... Pennsylvania... Union of South Africa. • • .. 28 .. 20 .. 13 £9.2 £23.0 £30.5 United Kingdom