REVERSING.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19150, 5 November 1927, Page 12

REVERSING.

LEARNERS' DIFFICULTIES.

When learning to drive, many car* owners seem to find difficulty in reversing—that is, steering the car easily when it is running backwards. There is really no problem about reversing but it requires practice before it can be done with ease and certainty. The trouble when reversing is not that the steered wheels are at the wrong end of the car, so to speak, so much as that they do not tend to fol ow a straight course, but rather to lock right over ju one direction or the other, this is due to the "castor action" created by the inclination of the "stubs" having a directly opposite effect when reversing to that obtaining when the car is going forward. It is illegal to reverse further than a "reasonable distance" on_ a public road, but there may come a time when .the driver has no alternative to reversing. Those who have any appreciable difficulty in keeping a car straight when reversing should find a quiet, straight wide road, and with the hand throttle set to give a reverse speed of six or seven miles an hour, endeavour to staer as straight a course as possible. Half.an-hour's practice will be sufficient for the first trial. The small amount of reversing that is necessary when turning a car in a road presents no steering difficulties, but requires judgment and quick use of the clutch and the brake. Gentle oporation of the clutch isi one of the most desirable features. The slower the beginner practises his reversing manceuvres the better driver generally will be become. The novice is apt to rush reversing movements. To turn a car in a confined space requires a .full lock of the front wheels—that is, the front wheels must be turned as far as possible in ouo direction. Then, when the car haß been driven as far as possible forward, and tho wheels are close to the gutter or wall, they have to be turned to full lock in the other direction. The wheels should not be "straightened up" whil9 the car is stationary. It is advisable to "straighten" just before stopping —with a quick movement of the wheel, As' soon as the car starts to movo backwards complete the reversal of the steering with an equally quick movement. Turning may entail reversing several times before the manoeuvre is really completed if the road is very narrow, It is, therefore, always well to look out for a crossroad or gateway which will give more room for the manoeuvre.

Driving Slowly will not help a battery. A generator does apt charge at low speed.

Jyisver put water' in a battery if the ear i§ to steed in a cold garage er outr doors m low temperatures. The water js liable tg and damage the bat? tery. Always put the water in just before preparing to use the car, so £hat it may bVePffifi well mixed with the eJe§t"rolyte.

gas and spark controls should be inspected and lubricated at regular internals to assure safety and even control Do not adjust the tension of a new fan belt too tightly, as it will stretch »b4 break loose at the searn or the edges will become ragged when it becomes wet or pjjy.

.\ good way to test a brake to see if it will hold properly is to speed up the car. on the road and to apply the brakes suddenly. Have an observer at the same time note if both wheels slow down evenly, or if one wheel locks and slices while the other revokes. Wipe the glass of the headlights with a rag moistened with ordinary glycerine. This will give more light when driving at night in the ram. Each raindrop collecting on the glass acts like a tiny lens, and the rays that should ho directed toward tap road in front are refracted off in every direction except the right one.