MOTORS & MOTORING

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2704, 25 February 1916, Page 9

MOTORS & MOTORING

IB* Clbtoii.l

Motor Prospects in 1916. .Some very interesting comments upon progress ami prospects of the British* motor industry under war conditions are made by Mr. 11. Massao Uuist. How miicii furtiior the motor will bo ovolved for war servico during 1916, he remarks, it is not. easy to foretell. This only wo know, that tlio luflk of effort was directed last year towards designing and testing motors for war work of all sorts which might ba turned out by all the belligerents concerned in enormous quantities during this year as being machinery which, while in the bulk it does not realise the fullest wishes of those- who have to handle it, nevertheless differs from the motor plant available in the earlier stages of the war in this material particular that it can bo 'depended upon for a standard degree of performance. It is really a great thing thus to have attained the pitch of standardising'performance under various war conditions. For it must lie had in mind that only twelve months ago, when they were not so severe as they are to-day, nevertheless many competent authorities held that no motor machinery could ever be evolved to satisfy them. To-day the authorities of tlio various Powers know which makers can produce this, that or the other typo of chassis to givo dependable results. Adequately to appreciate what this means at its best it slwuld be mentioned that during last year, and the first time in motoring history, the cream of the motor manufacturers in various countries discovered how to standardise motors which, in relation to tlio achievement of. the day, can only bo described as super-efficient. In pondering the motoring prospects of 1916 we should pay particular heed ■ to this advancement becauso it points to something definite at a time when wa are all puzzled as to which direction development will take next, in that no man call foretell how long tho war will continue. Whether wo, arc at war throughout 1916 or whether shall come a during tho latter''part of it we see, in any case, thai tho experience being gained in the mere manufacturing of super-efficient motors is something that is bound to exercise an ever-in-creasing influence' on the futuro of the motor movement. It amounts to this: if war continues throughout the year, then at tho end of it we shall have ovolved, and shall be starting to standardise motors to eclipse anything at present available, even in experimental fashion, because in the best examples the war has just wrought, the miraclo whereby standardised efficiency lias drawn level with experimental efficiency. It is impossible, however, to add month lifter month's experience to this newstyle .standardisation without discovering in a dozen different ways how to advance the factor of efficiency still further by experiment in this, that, or the other direction. The first fruit 'of that further experiment will be ripe for standardising at any time from eight months onwards. In the meantimo the possibilities of the light-car movement aro being enlarged every day by the campaign, which is'continuing to prove by far tho greatest motor-car competition ever dreamed of. Only the pick of the light-car makes are being employed in the war areas. Those have already given results beyond those that were anticipated. It is up to the manufacturers to make the tidiest possible uso of suclf unrivalled opportunities for developing their products. Tlio soalo of American manufacturing ' is this year bigger even Shan the amazing proportions it had attained to 1915. An . interesting point about this, too, is that there are not lacking signs Kiat In certain directions the limit of the world capacity, to absorb some, of the largest outputs are being reached. Uuring this year the cheap agricultural motor, made by the hundred thousand, is due to flood the world market. In fine, no matter in which' direction we look, every sign points to unceasing motor development. The speed Fetich. "I am surprised to see 'speed' again .coming back and being used r;s a sales ■aigument in the favour of a number of new models," says tho chief engineer and -designer of an American firm, "I thought the day of high-speed talk, save in the case of cars specially made for racing, had gono never to return. It is so illogical—that talk about speeds of seventy and eighty miles an hour, in a car made for general utility, touring, etc. Of course, it makes a strong appeal to the uninitiated and the tinmechanical. It is difficult for one who. has not studied the practical engineering problems involved, to understand why speed possibilities should not be argument in favour of any automobile. It. seems'to them that, though they may never want to uso it, still it'must be a good thing to have in the car. Now there is just the point. It is not a good thing to have in the car. I contend that it is not possible to build an automobile that will make seventy to eighty miles an hour and yet retain in it those qualities the average buyer needs and should have —long life and low maintenance cost. You can produco various interesting phenomena by juggling with tho various parts of a gas engine, niid anions others you can produce maximum efficiency at any engine speeds, and also by gear ratios at, any desired car speed. Now, if .tho averago speed at vluch tho average owner 'wanted to drive wero eighty miles an hour, we could all, and doubtless we would, make our motors so they would develop their maximum efficiency and run with the greatest case the least vibration at their speed. That is_ easy. In fact that is precisely what is dono in a lacing car. But did you ever take a cross-country trip in a racing car over roads wliero you had to hold the speed down to, say, 25 or 30 miles an' hour? If you have, I would not need to go any further with this argument. "You would appreciate what I mean, and you would not want in your car a motor that developed its maximum efficiency at seventy miles an hour. You would wan(i exactly what the more conservative engineers, from tlio fulness of their experience, 'have designed for you. That is, a motor that develops its'maximum efficiency—that runs snioothost, most silently, and with tho least vibration and wear at those speeds at which you will want to travel 95 per cent, of tho time—and that is about twenty-five miles an hour."

Why an Engine Has to be Cooled. It may seem to the uninitiated that tlio cooling of an engine is unnecessary and wasteful, as the heat that is thereby dissipated represents so much energy obtained rrom the fuel. This is finite true; the cooling is a waste of energy and is a necessary evil—it cannot he avoided, and for these main reasons, viz., local overheating givi'tic rise to prc-ignition of the charge, impossibility of efficiently hibrftatine the cylinder owing to the high temperature destroying the oil hTm, the serious reduction in the power output owing to the incoming charge becoming rarefied by expansion and'thus rednc" ing tlio weight of mixture taken into the cylinder. There arc other reasons of a minor nature, as, for example, Hie had effect of excessive heatinc on the valves and sparking points,, and the distortion of certain parts coming in contact with the heat. Cooling is by no means adopted as a "talking point," hut because it is, so to speak? a painful necessity. Here fend There. Lighting-up siine "or motor-cars am? motor-cycles:—To-day, 6.53 p.m. Next Friday, G. 40 p.m. There is a uojjular idea that uetrol

is liable to freeze in cold weather. Even in one of tho official. War Oflico announcements it was stated in connection with 0110 of our successful air raids tlmt two aeroplanes were forced to land owing to their petrol freezing. What actually happens in such cases is that the moistnro in the air passing through tho carburettor freezes, and the carburetter' consequently becomes choked with ico. On aeroplanes, particularly thoso having Gnome engines, it is not an easy matter to heat tlio

carburetter sufficiently to prevent this 111 cold damp weather, when,flying at high altitudes.

An experiment, is being made in America in connection with tho hiring 0!" cars to persons desirous of driving themselves. The idea emanates i'roih Los Angelos, California, where, under the name of the Train-ftjay Automobile Renting Association, a co-operatiya so T ciety has been formed with tlio idea of hiring out cars to members of the association on such tonus as to bring the pleasures of motoring within tho means of thoso who, w'hilo they can afford the cost of runninj; them." have not tho necessary capital to purchase thc'ir own cars.

The British National Society of Chauffeurs has inaugurated a movement to obtain the cancellation of all endorsements that have boon made upon the driving licenses of chauffeurs and owners who have served their Kin;,; and country as transport or Red Cross drivers during the war, so that upo.-\ their return to civil life they may have a clean sheet. .