MOTORING

Taranaki Daily News, 21 October 1933, Page 3 (Supplement)

MOTORING

USE OF SIGNALS

TARANAKI MOTORISTS LAX.

SEDAN CARS POSSIBLY REASON.

(By “Spotlight.”)

Comment was recently made that New Zealand motorists as a body were very lax as regarded their use of hand signals on the road. The comment was justified, for the majority of the Dominion’s drivers know only one signal, the turn right, and it might be added that some of them very rarely use that. Tire complaint made was not so much against lack of care on the part of the motorists as against their lack of courtesy. The instance given was that an overtaking car was very seldom signalled on by the driver of the car in front, and was often unaware till almost abreast of whether his presence was realised. In these matters of road courtesy chiefly lies the difference between driving and good driving. There are not so many good drivers on the roads these days as there might be. There are several ways in which one driver may show his realisation that. he belongs to what may be termed a brotherhood, whose aims may be characterised as the elimination of uncertainty and danger on the road and the making of driving a science more than a labour. Observance of the right hand signal rule is the first watchword, but the thoughtful driver has, in populated districts, one for the left hand turn too. Where there are point duty officers it is necessary to indicate whether one is going ahead or left, and the amount of effort required at any time should not prevent any driver from exercising a little thoughtfulness. When one is being overtaken a little alertness will always apprise one of the closeness of another car, and it can be signalled on before its driver has need to sound his horn. A point that bears thinking of in the town is when one pulls out into the traffic line, and more especially, when leaving the stream. The stop signal, made by extending the arm with . the hand pointed upwards, is often essential to avoid damaged fenders. ... There are other little things that count in the make-up of the good driver. The man you meet in the early dusk, or who has just moved off at night in a well lighted street, often can see quite well and forget his lights. A little rapid manipulation of your own lights will attract his attention. Similarly if a car has lights burning brilliantly in the daytime the same reminder will act. The driver who “makes way” at a one-car bridge when he might have crossed first deserves a friendly little toot of recognition also, and will, if personal feelings count, appreciate it. Then there is the motorist whose carrier is in danger of losing its load; the standard signal to stop him in order to point out the position is a succession of three sharp toots.

KINETIC CARBURETTER

NEW ZEALANDER’S INVENTION.

ALCOHOL FUEL FROM CROPS.

An invention which, it is claimed, will reduce the cost of motoring throughout the world by enabling internal-combus-tion engines to run on cheap alcohol-base fuels, is being successfully exploited abroad by its creator, Mr. J. L. C. Whiteman, formerly of Wanganui. The invention is known as the kinetic carburetter, which Mr. Whiteman has patented after many years’ research. Tests before many eminent authorities in England, Argentine, France, the United States and South Africa, have proved conclusively that an ordinary motor-car fitted with the kinetic carburetter will function in a surprisingly efficient manner on crude oil from shale, methylated spirits, power alcohol from sugar-cane, benzol and natalite, as . well as on ordinary petrol. The carburetter, which is no larger than the ordinary unit, although it functions on a different principle, is sayl to make possible the commercial use of cheap and unrefined fuels, and to give a greater mileage per gallon, together with much improved performance, on such fuels, than an ordinary carburetter using petrol. It is held that refinement of the fuels is unnecessary, as the carburetter can cope successfully with a high water-content without the efficiency of the engine being in any way impaired. Reports from overseas, where tests have been carried out, state that the carburetter has been adopted by the British War Office for tanks and motorlorries, and by the Admiralty for use in connection with submarines, while the world’s aviation rights are stated to have been purchased by the Bristol aeroplane concern. In the Argentine, cars fitted with kinetic carburetters were tested on petrol, fuel oil, tractor oil and gas oil. Later, tests were carried out in which the fuels previously used were mixed, by a process evolved by Mr. Whiteman, with 50 per cent of power alcohol, and remarkably good results were obtained. The carburetter requires no alteration in setting, no matter what fuel is used. One of the most important aspects of the successful development of the carburetter is the possibility of cheap fuel being produced from vegetable matter, particularly surplus crops of maize. Apart from such valuable by-products as com-oil, carbonic acid gas and manures, a considerable percentage of alcohol is obtainable from com, and Mr. Whiteman has expressed the opinion that many countries which are entirely dependent on overseas sources for their present fuel supplies could produce them locally at a fraction of the cost. It is reported that negotiations are in progress with the South African Government to build in Johannesburg a factory capable of . handling 8,000,000 bags of corn a year to make fuel. It is likely that the carburetter will be demonstrated in New Zealand shortly.

KING COUNTRY CLAY ROADS.

A number of men have been placed on the road between Matiere and Aria clearing ' slips and erecting a bridge, according to a report from an officer of the Auckland Automobile Association. It is anticipated that if weather conditions are favourable, the road should be open for traffic in about three weeks time. The direct road between the West Coast at Tongaporutu and Ohura is still impassable for traffic and there is no indication when the slips will be cleared. Other clay roads in the district are still wet and at the beginning of the week chains were being used on the MatiereOngarue Road and on the Ohura-Tanga- ■ rakau Gorge route. A continuation of fine weather will soon dry the clay, and if graders have been over the roads the usual summer travelling will be possible.

TRANSMISSION SYSTEMS

MANY RECENT IMPROVEMENTS.

AUTOMATIC GEAR-CHANGING.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) London, September 10.

Whatever other improvements are found on the new models which will soon begin to make their appearance, it is certain that prominent feature will be made by all manufacturers of easier gear-changing. Last year it looked as if the pre-selective self-changing gear was to have it all its own way, for there was a rush of makers who adopted this form of transmission but my own view is that the pre-selective gear-box does not by any means represent finality. It constitutes a remarkable advance on the old orthodox type of gearbox .which made even the expert driver fumble his gear changes on occasion, but it is obviously not the last word. It will be remembered that the preselective gear-box operates by means of a lever on the steering wheel. This lever ■is pushed into a notch corresponding with the position desired —first, second, third, fourth, neutral and reverse—and that the gear-change is effected by pressing down the clutch pedal. The thing is simplicity itself, but even simpler methods are already being investigated. Having eliminated the manual effort required in changing gears by manipulating the gear-lever, inventors are now trying to eliminate the effort required to push down the clutch pedal. What they aim at is a gear-change in which it is not even necessary to depress the clutch pedal, except to get the car under way from a complete standstill.

I do not imagine we shall see many, if any, new cars fitted with this near approach to the completely automatic gearchange among the forthcoming new models, but it is interesting to mention this development to show that progress in the automobile industry is constant. The pre-selective gear-box is a wonderful piece of mechanism and it will probably be found on an increased number of new models. If that should prove, the case I hope that some method will have been devised to reduce the amount of effort required to depress the clutch on some cars. I have had cars through my hands fitted with the pre-selective gearbox, the clutch of which was so stiff to operate that it nullified the advantage of the abolition of tire ordinary hand lever. But the great majority of cars fitted with the pre-selective gear have a really light clutch.

ACCELERATING GEAR-BOX.

The objection sometimes urged against this type of gear-box, that it militates against a rapid getaway, will probably cease to be valid very soon. On one car which I tried out on the road the other day the Wilson type of pre-selec-tive gear-box is fitted but no “lag” is discernible because special provisions have been made for rapid acceleration. I have always had a great admiration for this particular make of car, but I must confess that this model impressed me tremendously with its fine performance on all gears, its stability at high speeds and'its delightful ease of handling.

On top it is possible to reach a speed of over 75 miles per hour and to maintain it comfortably for mile after mile. The design of the whole car is eminently attractive and the neatness of the engine is specially commendable. The makers have shown by their under-the-bonnet economy that neatness can be achieved without sacrifice of accessibility. What the owner-driver will like in particular is the pump which supplies oil from the engine to all the chassis bearings and also to the road spring leaves. Motorists who like to go in for hill-climbing will appreciate the steering lock which lends itself admirably to the negotiation of hair-pin bends. Presumably the model which came through my hands will be continued next season. At present it costs £495 but in view of the mounting cost of material this price may not prevail much longer. It may be taken for granted, however, that if the price goes up the makers will see to it that it is still worth every penny asked. Every year one thinks that the limit in the way of additional standard refinements has been reached and every year this turns out to be erroneous. But the current models already incorporate so many desirable additional refinements that it is difficult to see what improvements they can offer for next season without substantially increasing the price—which they are not likely to do.

ACCESSIBILITY PLEA.

Before the new models for 1934 make their appearance one may be permitted to express the hope that they will reveal greater attention to the problem of accessibility. It is still too difficult on many cars to get at the clutch thrust race, at the and at the batteries and it still requires contortions on some models to find if the rear axle has sufficient lubricant. Admittedly one must make allowances for exigencies of chassis design which is in turn dependent upon the price at which the car is to be sold, but it seems to me that this matter of accessibility should be given precedence in the designer’s list of “musts.”

If it is necessary to remove the floorboards, usually screwed down, to gain access to any part of the braking mechanism or to the batteries, the chances are that the owner-driver who does his own greasing and “topping” will be inclined to take the line of least resistance. When one does not want to do an irksome job it takes little to convince oneself that the job does not really require doing. Meanwhile the parts of the braking mechanism are subjected to undue'wear with the risk of breakdown and the battery is helped one more stage along the road to ruin.

Something ought, obviously, to be done about the design of floorboards. Why must they be screwed down ? In one of the motoring journals the other day a correspondent complained bitterly of the intractability of the usual type of floor boards and suggested that they should be made in easily detachable sections, each held down with spring clips. This seems to me to hold the germ of a good idea. Wood screws are, after, all, a relic of the old horse-carriage. There is something decidedly old-fashioned about wood-screws. They suggest a coffin-like permanence in screwing down and floor-boards should be anything but permanently screwed down.