MOTORS & MOTORING

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2775, 19 May 1916, Page 9

MOTORS & MOTORING

[BY CI/dtcii.] Lubricants. 'l'o fill the differential' housing and the gearbox with thick heavy greaso is a mistake it economy is desired. In this connection scicntilic experiments liavo been carricd out by tho engineering department of the National Physical laboratory, nt Twickenham, una have ojily continued what was known to engineers and racing men. At 'tho laboratory a standard Leyland gearbox was nseii. Tho efficiency decreased, running in lop gear throughout, from 97i per cent', with the gearbox quarter full of oil, to 91 per cent, when half full, to "JO per cent, when three-quarters full, and to -74 per cent, when lull. Tho remedy obviously is to make oil glands as leak-proof us possible, and to use oil instead of heavy urease. Of course, it will not bo possible, or even economical, or any ordinary car to use castor oil as a gearbox and .rear axle lubricant, but on all modern ears it ought to be possible to use medium or heavy oil without any appreciable leakage. Why Tyres Get Hot. It is well known, that after 'a long and fast run tho tyres of a motor-oar are found to bo very hot, and many havo supposed this is the result of the friction of tho tyro on the road. Such is, however, .not the case, at least as to the greater portion of the heat. The real cause of heating is the internal friction of tho tyre itself, for as tho tyro is being constantly deilected by contact with the road, 'tho various plies, or layers, which composo the tyre, do not act uniformly, and'consequently there is more or less motion between them, that results in friction and heat. The greater the chango in, shape in 'the tyre as it contacts with tho road the greater will lie the friction. Of course, the harder the tyro is pumped, tho less will bo the deflection; bnt it is evident that while a perfectly rigid tyre would generate but little heat, it would fail, in giving easy riding, so we must put up with some heating and consequent wear of tho -tyre. The subject is one that is being successfully studied by tyio manufacturers. Heavy Motors and Road Damage. The investigations conducted by the Departmental Committee of the Local Government Board in .England into tho question of heavy motor traffic in relation to road damage, have been in progress for the last nine months.- The deliberations tako'place in camera, but judging from the nature of tho evidence called the trend would appear to be to absolvo the private motor-car from blame for damage to the roads. . This has been tho contention- of motorists from tho beginning, but in prejudiced and unthinking quintal's it has become a habit to class all motor'traffic as damaging to roads because heavy lorries, and buses with solid tires aro obviously so. Gn account of this prejudice it . has been an easy, matter ■ for, legislatures to specially tax mo-tor-cars for road improvement and repair purposes. As the popularity of .the pri-. vate car increases, and it, becomes more and more a necessity of everyday' life, prejudice will gradually die out, and a fair discrimination, will become possible in regard to all classes of wheeled .traffic, whether of animal or mechanical traction. Wo may then look forward to tho time w-hen these will be classified according to {he degree of damage they inflict uj'on the road surfaces. It is a step gained ,to havo it recognised that there arc. two classes of motor traffic. The : principle of discriminating "having been accepted, its extension to all classes of traffic should only be a matter of time/ Scorohihg v. Sauntering. Who gets the most, pleasure out of motor-cycling—tho speed merchant or tho potterer (asks a "jlotor Cycling" correspondent) ? When I first took up motorcycling as offering an ideal -means ■ oi gratifying my liking for the country, .1 went ror sev«rul tours al what I suppose is the average motor-cyclist's speed—2o to 25 miles per hour. Of course, the fascination of having practically unlimited' power ami speed at one!s control was un-' deniable; but 1 am afraid I saw and appreciated very littlo of' the beautiful country through which I often passed, thus missing the prime object for which I had taken up motor-cycling, ■ I came to the .conclusion that anyone travelling at 20 miles per hour and upwards, hav. ing due regard for their own safety and : the safety of .other road users, must keep practically all their attention oil the road ahead. Since then I have toured for hundreds of miles at a maximum speed of 10 miles per hour, frequently over 1(10 mites per 4ay, as, ones tho engine is nicely' tlirottied down to this speed, thero is no necessity to. keep one's., attention centred on the road, thus enabling ono .to observe and appreciate what is going •on around them to the full; aiso, 1 feel' practically no fatiguo after 8 or It) hoursun the saddle, in fact, I, think the most delicate person could go on indefinitely (with due allowance for eating and sleep, ing),. whereas, after even a few hours at. moderately high, speed, there is bound to be a certain amount of nerve strain fellby tho strongest, i

Progress in America, The history of the Amerioan motor car industry, according to a "Daily''"Express"' message from New York, shows that in the short space of aliout twelve years it has . grown from infancy to the third largest manufacturing industry in tho United States, onty the production of clothing and steel being of greater mngni,tudc. Tho increasing economic" importance of the motor car can perhaps be best illustrated by the fact tlmt in 1915 it absorbed the enormous sum of ,£144,600,000 from other channels of production, as, compared with only Jia,530,000 in IDO3. A striking feature of the trend of tho i/otor car industry is obviously toward that of quantitative production of lowerpriced cars. In 1807 tho average price per car -was ,£425. In 1915 it was 4162. During 1935 approximately i! 6,000,000 was spent on /new buildings, machinery, additions, eto., in ordor to make possiblo the mammoth production of 1,200,000 cars valued at >£180,000,000, during the current year, and, with few . exceptions, motor car manufacturers announce price reductions which indicate an average price for 1916 of about ,£l5O. Hore and There. Lighting up time for motor cars and motor cycles; To-day, 4.J9 p.m.; next Friday, 4.34 p.m. - ' When it is desired to lay by a storage battery for any length of time it should first be charged up. Thou empty out the ucid for future use. Wash out the cells and fill with pure water. Vaseline tho terminals and keep tho top of the case dry. According to an expert's estimate, tho quantity of rubber required during 191G by the TJnitetl States of America for its motor-car tyres alono will amount to practically half of the world's production of last year. It is estimated that by the end of 1916 thero will be about '.8,500,000 cars in uso in the States, and that 75,400 tons of rubber will be needed to keep them running. It is also estimated that, ■ apart from America, thero were 714,000 cars in use in 1915, and it 13 computed that about 17,243 tons of rubber will bo required for equipping same, which -will bring the world's demand up to nearly BD,oufl tons. There is, however, little danger of the demand outstripping tho supply. Tho chief reason why an extra inlet conduces to economy in petrol is that the flow of tho spirit through, a given sized jet increases nearly 40 per cent, for an increase in engine" temperature of nearly 15 degrees Eahr. By tho admission of extra air not only is a saving of petrol effected, but tho engine efficiency is increased and carbon deposit minimised. The increase in engine efficiency in certain laboratory tests amounted to from 25 to 30 per cent. It is highly necessary,' however, that tlicf valvo used should shut perfectly airtight, otherwise easv starting and slow running ura impaired.