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MOTORS & MOTORING

IBr Clutch.] ; The Wheel Problem. What is the future of the motor-car wheel? From many points of view, says the "Motor," the wire wheel is the best detachable. Closely following this type in popularity comes .the steel wheel. In each case the disc covering is showing signs of increasing popularity. From ' the point of view or service, the disc covering is all that could be desired. ' It removes the one and only defect of the wire wheel, namely, the difficulty of clearing. Prom the appearance ' point of view, however, it is wholly abhorrent. The wire wheel itself is.of pleasing and mechanical appearance. But an ugly disc on it, however, and it becomes exactly the reverse. Is it quite impracticnblc to combine the two good features without the defect? No one appears to have tried. Is it, then, impossible to get some sort of colourless and transparent disc? If some such disc could be made practicable, one would forthwith have the very useful advantage of the disc cover, and at the same time retain the distinctive apeparance of the wire or steel wheel. % Cost of Motoring. It js astonishing the difference there is in the cost of motoring, much depending on the man at the'wheel. The' careful owner-driver gets results seldom achieved by tho paid driver. As evidence of what can be accomplished ; n this direction, a Victorian motorist in Mr. N. S. : Cozens has supplied some interesting and instructive figures. Driving an F.N. car (Belgian), Mr. Cozens covered 15,100 miles from February 1, 1911, to July 1, 1915, the actual running cost being J!134 18s.. Bd. Petrol, oil, grease, etc., cost ,£7l 6s. Gd., averaging 1'.133d. per mile, whilst the tire upkeep i.was' JE& 2s:, equal to .511 of a penny per mile; repairs, overhauling, painting, etc., ran into JG3I 10s. 2d., equal to !>d. per. mile, totalling a-cost of 2.144 d. per mile.: The car weighed 2ocwt. Up to the end of March, lfllß, the. total distance • travelled was 23,500 miles, the cost of tires being i 059 375. 3d.; fnel, oil, etc., -6107 10s. 5d.;. repairs, etc., ,£37 19s. - 2d., the ■ running cgst being twopence per mile l'or the ; whole distance. The tveekly average for the full period mentioned was 210 miles, at a cost of <£1 17s. 4d. per week. These figures go to show tliat motoring is not an expensive luxury wlien a car is driven with enre wnd moderation. Daylight Saving. i Daylight saving, a-lute and muclidiscussed innovation in England, has been' hailed with approval by a section at least of motorists in that country. One. British motoring journal points out that the extra hour of daylight 'under the new arrangement is important in thjse days of restricted lighting regulations. "We shall .rise 'at ti a.m., and reckon it , 7 a.m.," it adds,, "and find new joys in the freshness of the eaily hours of the morning: from May to September. And wo j. sliall be able, in midsummer, to motor until nearly 10 p.in» in daylight (by tho new official time), or later still in nor'■thern latitudes. There will be no difficulty in carrying -out the innovation,, once, on the appointed day, alljclocks are I advanced'one hour. The wonder is that I such a simple arid sensible"plan was not l. adopted- a century ago." ; Scientific Springing. The one improvement' that will most impress itself on. the users of the 1916 cars is the vastly more comfortablikspri'ng suspension of tlie average car. This ono feature will mean not only the greater comfort of .the passengers, but will also l lessen the.wear and strain,on tires and chassis, so that the ultimate comfort is financial.as well as physical. Primarily springs are intended to absorb 'the road shocks and, may bo of any form. The tires aro pneumatic and ela'stie springs aro of small vibration period/ But unfortunately the ; springs have- also to carry a very considerable weight, so that tlie problem of design has been to make them strong as well as resilient. ■' Apparently many , manufacturers have Heretofore relied on small auxiliary springs of "shock absorbers", to 'supply/much-of the resiliency wliile>tho main springs, were given an annoying stillness in the endeavour to keep thorn amply strong. But noticeably, and to a much greater extent in \ 1916, there lias i«e:i real scientific design in tho spring: question. Better steels have contributed'thai- Share in giving a spring ol' thinner section with equal strength, while the reduction in weight of_tho cars, themselves has lessened the problem. But the biggest part lies iu the change of the spring .form and the application of rational principles. \ ; The formerly accepted types of spring were a short, strong, semi-elliptic front, and a three-quarter rear. A lew makers were Svise iu the use of the platform rear spring, and one or two were so, revolutionary as to use the cantilever rear spring. ,' But the great majority of cars-l-odo hard and auxiliary springs? almost a necessity. I'et in .Tiie. 1916 specifications we find that -30 per cent., ol' tho American cars use ■ cantilever springs, or three times as many as in 1915. Some manufacturers aro radical enough to use these spriugs in both front and rear, though their main use is on the rear. The semi-elliptic spring is still tho favourite, front form, but it resembles its predecessors .in form only. It has ■been so lengthened, so lightened, .and so shackled that it is really flexible, while, tho flattening of its contour and tho use of moro and thinner leaves improves its action many h'undred per cent. "Where the cantilever rear springs are not liscd there are numerous examples of the long, Hat semi-elliptic spring replacing the three-quarter .elliptic. These springs aro oven longer than the new front type and give a velvety feel that is.new to the driving public."' It is. not at all unusual to be able to sland on tho running board of one of'the new : cars and set the whole car swaying and swinging, or to be-able to grasp tho rear spring .horns and produce the same result. ... Here and There. .' According to the -'Light Car," a British firm in the -Midlands is preparing' to turn out 26,000 light cars per linnum. An Anglo-Australasian. /.syndicate is now atTvork on a plan to produce a British light car at a moderate price in huge quantities. _ It will be largely an assembled proposition, and quite different from the car which it was recently stated is to be produced at the rate of 50 a week. Rear-Admiral Sir '[!. K. Arbuthnot, who lost his . life when the. armoured cruiser Defence went down in the great naval battle oft' Jutland, was a keen racing motor-cyclist, and was the first private owner to compete in the classic "Touisist Trophy" motor-cycle Tacc in | England. He competed with success on ; Brooklands, and in numerous hill-climbs, •! reliability trials, etc.

. According to an American journal, a certain motorist claims to be able to run his car on a fuel consisting of one gallon water and one ounce of a mysterious green liquid. The Amerifnn motor trade thinks, however, the further ad-, dition of ,a grain of salt would, bo desir-' able before swallowing this yarn. ■ Lightiiig-up time: To-day, 5.0 p.m.; next J'riday, 5.7. p.m.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DOM19160804.2.68

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2841, 4 August 1916, Page 9

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,204

MOTORS & MOTORING Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2841, 4 August 1916, Page 9

MOTORS & MOTORING Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2841, 4 August 1916, Page 9

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