The Motorist.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume XIV, Issue 815, 19 October 1905, Page 14

The Motorist.

(By

“Petrol.”)

The monthly run of the Auckland Automobile Association last Saturday proved very enjoyable, as the day was an almost ideal one for a fast spin through the country, which is looking just now at its very freshest. There was a very fair muster in Lower Queen-street, the big cars being most in evidence. The run was through Ellerslie, Otahuhu, Papatoitoi, Mangere, and Onehunga to Cornwall Park, where afternoon tea was laid out under the trees, and was much appreciated. After this a quick run was made back to town.

Mr. Leyland is a “goer” beyond question. His 15 h.p. Darracq was in the van throughout, and no time was lost on the trip. It looked as though the only car capable of pacing it with the president's was the secretary’s, whose fine car can certainly “ get a wriggle on when called upon for a spurt.

Quite a number of ladies took part in the run on Saturday, and all seemed to thoroughly enjoy it. Only one ventured to drive, however.

Mr. G. Hobbs, of Stawell, Victoria, has nominated for the Dunlop motor contest from Melbourne to Sydney, and will drive one of the finest cars in Australia. His car, a 28 h.p. Mercedes, has four cylinders (stroke 105 mm., bore 130 mm.), with four speeds giving about 50 miles an hour on the top. The power is transmitted by chains, whilst low tension magneto ignition is used. The car weighs weighs 25cwt, and is worth £l5OO.

A fast motor car run was made on the occasion of the Warrnambool-Melbourne road race. Messrs. W. J. Proctor and H. B. James, of the Dunlop Tyre Company, left Warrnambool for Melbourne on >a 12 h.p. car at seven o’clock. Despite the greasy and sloppy condition of the road, Camper down (43 miles) was reached at 8.32 a.m., and Colac (73 miles) at 9.48 a.m. A stop of 12 minutes was made here. Leaving Colac the roads slightly improved, and the Winchelsea feeding station (96 miles) reached in fast time. A short stay was made here and the road to Geelong (119) taken, the “ Pivot” being passed through at 11.45. Leaving the North Geelong feeding station a few minutes after 12 o’clock a good run was made through to Melbourne, which was reached at 1.32 p.m. The full time on the road for the 165 miles was 6 hours 32 minutes, the driving time being under six hours.

Recent experiments made with hard treads—such as Samson treads and other anti-puncture or anti-skid devices which take the form of hard treads—show that they go a long way in mitigating the dust nuisance with motor cars. Extensive observation has led to the important conclusion that much of the dust-raising is due to the “sucker” suction of the rubber tyres, chiefly of the back or driving tyres, and that hard treads reduce the dust by at least 50 per cent. We have repeatedly noticed (writes “ Auto”) that even when the roads were very dusty cars fitted with Samson treads have at no time raised more than a transparent haze of dust, certainly not dangerous as obscuring vision, while other cars fitted with the ordinary bare rubber tyres have

raised such dense clouds of dust as to necessitate a slackening of speed when approaching them from behind. It seems to us that the remedy for this pressing evil is worth following up by careful investigation, for it may have most valuable results in the future, and prove a guide to tyre manufacturers.

The increasing demand for rubber, and the natural outcome —higher prices for the raw material—are exerting powerful pressure on the’great tyre manufacturers to produce a tyre—at any rate for the driving wheels of a car—which shall give prolonged service for the considerable amount of money involved in its purchase, and thus reduce the mileage cost for tyres. Makers are turning to a combination of leather, with steel wearing studs inserted in the tread, attached to the ordinary tyre, made up with casing and rubber. The Samson tread has hitherto been extensively used by the big makers, but they are now introducing special patterns of leather covers of their own design. The Michelin firm had their new tread very severely tested m the last Gordon-Bennett race, and from all accounts the results were very satisfactory. The Continental people are putting a tread of their own design on the market, while the Dunlop Company are to the fore with a special tyre. Something good and reliable may be expected from the makers named, who possess a deservedly high reputation for the quality of their products. We recommend all carowners to fit hard treads to the driving wheels of their cars. They will find that the higher first cost is repaid tenfold by the vastly greater comfort and by the longer life obtained.