HIGH ROAD AND BY-ROAD

Waikato Times, Volume 97, Issue 15185, 10 March 1923, Page 20 (Supplement)

HIGH ROAD AND BY-ROAD

A COLUMN FOR MOTORISTS. (Bv "Crank.") Wear Through Side Slip. When all fo_ur wheels of a car are properly aligned the wheels have a true roiling motion, and the wear on the front, tyres is almost negligible excepting for the natural cutting caused by sharp objects pressed into the tread. The rear wheels, of course, get more wear on account of the natural slip between the tread and the road due to propulsion or braking. With wheels out of line, however, the w r hecl not only rolls forward, but it has a side slip. In other words, Hie tretul of the tyre is being pulled crossways across the highway. The following interesting table has been prepared to show what this side slip amounts to when the wheels are out of line lin: — Feet of side Tyre size. slip per mile. 30 17 i 02 165 34 ir>r> 36 147 38 137 40 131 42 126 Should a 34in tyre be run out of line lin for 3400 miles, it would be dragged sideways 100 miles, this being distributed around the circumference of the outer cover. As the circumference of the tyre is a little over lOOin, each inch would be dragged about a mile. From this it can be easily understood why tyres wear out so rapidly when the wheels are not in line.

Useful Hints. Never tinker with the car. Half (he ability to make an adjustment or repair is the ability to discover its necessity. The use of ajnmonia to brighten up the surface of automobile bodies destroys the finish. Wrap an electric wire that rubs against the frame of soiue portion ol the engine with several layers of adhesive tape, and then tape into a rigid pos.tion so it cannot chafe. Castor oil or neatsfoot oil is best for softening a lealher cone clutch. First clean the leather and scrape the glazed surface; then apply the oil and allow it to penetrate the leather overnight. Graphite and oil are used on rnetal-to-mclal clutches.

If the edges of a rim show signs of roughness or sharpness, smooth them carefully with a tile, ami rub the clinches with emery cloth. Then ievarnish rim before replacing lyre. When using a hand pump, it is best to give the pump a few strokes before attaching it to the tyre valve. In this way matter that may be clinging to the pump valve will be prevented from gelt.r-g into the inner tube.

Instead of the usual tow rope a stout piece of 2 x 4 with two lin holes about Gin apart near each end to use in roping the pole to the front vehicles and the one being towed proves belter, as it keeps the Lowed machine at a safe distance even in descending hills.

Sparks. | Too often railway crossings arc the | meeting-place of headlights and light! heads. "Walk if you would live ]ong,"says a health commissioner. Also keep both eyes on automobiles. Henry Ford may, of course, be elected President; he wouldn't be the first man the flivver landed in trouble. — American paper. A man with a coffin in his truck was arrested for speeding in Chicago. "Well, if they're bound to do it (adds the Lumberman), that's the thing to carry." An American road sign reads: "Drive slow; you might meet a fool." A better sign, in some instances, would be: "Drive slow; two fools might meet." A-1022."> is the latest registered motor plate, at the traffic inspector's office in Auckland. A nail hole or small cut in a lyre, unless attended to, may very soon cause endless trouble, eventually being responsible for a bad blow-out. A correspondent predicts that in five years' time the shaft drive on motor cycles will be as popular as the chain drive was 10 years ago. The Los Angeles Times prints a story about experiments that are now under way in South America to make roads out of rubber. Anything that can be done to make the way of the transgressor less hard will be greatly appreciated. It is reported that the Ford Company is proposing to establish works in Germany, and that negotiations to this end are actively in progress. This news, in view of the present condition of the mark, suggests possibilities of more than ordinary interest. British big twins have once again sprung into the forefront both as rega.'ds speed am! general reliability. A wide range of the popular 3.V h.p. class is offered, and almost every firm of repute is producing a 2} h.p. (the Motor-cycle).