MOTORS & MOTORING

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 149, 19 March 1920, Page 3

MOTORS & MOTORING

{By "Clutch..")

Increase in Prices.

The Olympia Show week in; London was marked by an almost nniversalMncrense in the prices of the exhibits: In aunny cases there is no doubt' that" tho increased pi-ices have beeiu due- to a genuine increase in production costs, and any suggestion of profiteering on the part of manufacturers would 'be absurd (says the "Daily Mail"). On the other hand, probably more than one maker felt himself carried away by the' increases, in the price of ."cars.. occupying neighbouring- stands, and followed Biiit as-much to be in ."the running s nn<l '.'because "he know that -he-could 'sell "his' whole output several times over, whatever, .the. price, - as, because, the iuercasowis!genuinely necessary; - Nevertheless,., the fallowing., are facts that go a. long way towards explaining the situation—tho prices of raw materials have increased by. an average 0f'250 per cent., and- in some cases more, labour costs considerably more than twice as much ns it did in pre-war days, and it is also more difficult to get,' overhead charges of factories have gone up correspondingly, and, above all,'the output per worker has very much gone down. In. some cases this lost factor hns-tho-effect of making the increase in the labour charge nearer to 400 per cent, than 200, ns the actual wage paid to the worker is approximately double,, while the work ho turns out may well'-be no Jnore than half his pre-war output. Consequently an increase in the price of a complete car of anything up to' 100. per. cent, is not so excessive'as it seemsnt first sight, and the average increase ia well below - this-figure'. ; ."J ;..;. '),' .'

'A Co-operative Truck Line. Convinced- that. the time is now ripe for extending the usefulness of the truck in the field of short-haul'transportation, eighty men representing business interests in Chicago and cities within a radius of fifty miles west havo formed what is believed to be the first co 7 operativp, motor truck freight line in the United States. The truck line is giving a .freight service much speedier than is possible.bv any other form of transportation. This is true, especially with shipments of less than carload lots'. Frequently freight is placed in the hands : of manufacturers within a few hours from time of shipment, whereas if consigned by other carriers it might bo days in transit. A terminal station or depot, similar to those maintained by railroads, has been established in the' heart of Chicago's shipping district. This building in a large one. with 25.000 square feet-of llcor space.' All trucks load and unload at shipping platforms arranged in station order;

Motor Wine Tankers. • . Old-fashioned methods are more perpistent among the wine-growers of the South of France than among an v. other members of..the community. .:■ tho motor: vehicle las invaded th ; s' ; < Id-world Tegion; and arrangements', are.,'now being made, to collect wine from the different growers occording;t() tho moat modern and rapid.-methods. A big: company nf wholesale., .wine merclia.n'fe South' of : F,i:iin'ee' ; has; : ,put..in'tQ,.ser ; yice ai'num--, Ijer of-.seveii-ton'lorriesl'caclt^tteil'wjlh-a, steel tank' haying '•'aicapacTty of''l3so; gallons, and, on engine-driven pump with fniir-:sucHon'-.-pipe\s,' two; on eqch.Bi'do. Tho lorry-ig rim into thV grower's yards, ■ the pipes are dropped- into the barrels; in a few minutes .these a re, emptied, :,irid the lorry on its way auain. Tho tank is fitted with an indicator showing the quantity of wine,' and has a big manhole for cleaning purposes Thi,s lorry. .nls?p. hnuls a two-wheel trailer carrying a tank with a enpnoity of 660 gallons. ■-■■•- ■

Small Four-seaters in Demand,

It was almost remarkable to note how manv visitors to the Olympia Show in London were in quest of small-powered four-seated cars, delivery, o'f.'.-whicli could 1 be obtained inside a reasonable period! (savs the "Field"). In tho-:past'the ; powered four-seater gavo troub]b ; ,bewhisc 6coner or later it was OTerlftadedrifeMs. suspension if not its eiigin¥ r a'nd-'m>ielf- : defence often a t\vo-fientef;''bo(l,f'wasi!iElie', oulv one standardiscd.rwThe altered; ■fiancinl situation and the influx of new" motorists has affected that.vitally. Tho first compels tho four-seated body because a two-seater is useless as a utility car, and the second also because tho new owner seldom takes kindly tb a two-' eeater bodv. Often ono hear* the remark in a regretful tone. "Oh! it is onlv a two-seater," and the pair pass on. Ihe progress of design and construction really has supplied an auswer'to tho demand, for small-capacity. engines; now callable of developing very considerable engine-rover. The iO-12-hip. foureeater of to-day is a better puller and a liehter affair-than that of. 19lVa'n4 well able to.tako four .passengers'anywhere that a; motor-ear may ,\ travel.'■ Tim l-ang.o'in.'.pficeof theso cars .-is "from .£2lo'. to .£9oo ■. a-..difference remarkable.enough it) invite criticism. Out 0f : 45 cars K Mil at;.£4oo or less, 16 at between j)500 a^L £m - aml °i" U at between and

Tyre Wear, _ ,;'- : !- Tvre .ivearl'is th&-.greatest".expense the • motorist has to meet.- Buttyre wear can j. be keo't'within, reasohhble.lihiifs by eicr-' : rising care and discretions vrho quick ■'letting, in of the'clutch aid'the midden anblication of tho brakes :; aro condu-' cive to raDid wear of tyres; a'nd'-put an unfair strain upon them.: ; Sumirig corners- fast without withdrawing the clutch also puts enormous strain' on the "tyres, and should lie avoided. ■ Bad alignment of the wheels is a, source'of tyre wear that mny bo going on constantly.- The front wheels are apt to "spread,"" due to wear on the connecting rod of the stcor■i; inc arms—the rod which runs across the car and copnects the two steering arms ; The ininfe wear and allow the wheels to ; -.-.niove back slightly, with' bad'Te'sults on .. the tread of the. lyre, .Tho .defect should ' be- remedied at once. But the greatest : cause of undue wear in tyres, accordingto one authority, is.wider-inflation. In ''Ornish percentage of the private motor' vehicles on the roads the,tyres are insufficiently inflated, with great' advantage to the tyro manufacturers as regards the.snle of replacements, though their renutation sometimes suffers through (his neilect on the part of the user. In fairness to the :tvre makers, it must belaid tliev do everything in their power to'in- ■ dune users to inflate their tyres fully, but , the advice is not always-taken.■-.• .-.•' ■ Cleaning the Engine,

. Where the,lubrication.pf.an engine is; consistently excessive tho hearings become cidgced, and heavy deposits fonn 011 the heated surfaces of the pistbiiii ami cylinder heads. The engino becomes slussish. and may in time knock rather badlv. Then it is timo to • take the cylinders down, clean aivay the accumu-lated-scale, and.:Wash.the,.bearings, out with-paraffin, when-the knock will, as'a .rule.'-'have disappeared; and.' the -engino will have resumed its wonted life. Then thfr owner ;goes dii"aganrandrover-lubri-cates, and'.,tho'same-process m'jist.'bd' Kone through of 'cleaning and swilling-; but. ho Drefers it to taking any risk with his-bearings. •■■lf,the plugs become sooted ud frequently/it. is a certain- indication, that- the-,.oiling is oo' frequent," and;."there''; Should- follow' a cutting "down: of. '.th'e.'supply. : .;' Nothing is crnined bv over-lubricating, and it-is uneconomical.' £or'_the;reason that it uses ud oil more ra'pidl.y'.'th'a'n.is'.neceis'ary-.'or' desirable.- - - ■'- ■■?■

Narrowina Down the Weight. There is' nqw.'a' marked "tendency tvith British car designers to narrow down the weight to power ratio. 'Die weight of the,. average pre-war "car'"wiis about sc.wt. -per-.-passenger- in.a ..faur.-seater,. while in 1 the' lightest of light cars the weicht was rarelv below •t«wt. per passeneer. which means that for- overy 100 th- . useful ldad J the engine was called upon to pronel a further WOlb. of dead weight. To further narrow down this ratio will make for creater. economy in petrol and tvres. A- great-saving in th'o weight of ears can;be, made, by adoption of aircooled ■ engines," which aro cheaper to manufacture.-' and incidentally aro ,i!6o nioro economical than the wator-coolcd tvne. Freauentlv has it been assarted that the averaged nir-cooled engine wm iust as much internally cooled !]>y.oil, and tho Quantity ■ of lubricant required to maintain it at a safo. working iemDeraturo seems to : confinn the statement. ~. Attain, has it been said that tho /iir- . cooled onrines ,on ..tho-olcLtypo..of.Jigh.t. . care.were.little.better than Te-dcfiipicd

motor-cvclo engines; and no oiie'will hold ud these power units as examples of extreme efficiency on the point of oil and .ttetrol- consumption. The question of •weight, newer, and fuel consumption is .a ."'verv interesting subject for tho motor.ist to study. There nro so many contradictions that it is difficult to decide .which is the hotter—a large engine runnins at a comparatively low speed or a small engine which is running almost always at its maximum capacity. There-, fori.." 'jyiotorlsts will watch with interest' the -'performances of all newly designed air-cooled engines, which are distinct from .the cvcle-car, fitted with motor-cycle ensrines. "Pillion" Riding, • ■•■. The-popularity .of "pillion" riding on. "liiotor-cycles',at the present time and tho ■almost •■universal-practice of making ft machine built for one rider serve for. .the conveyance of two, brings to mind once again the question of the tandem motor-cvclo. and whether it would be likelvHo meet with favour if reintroduced in a modern form. It is easy to sketch out the dotails of such a machine, enuiobed ns it would be with n i or' 5 h.p. engine, three-speed gear, clutch and kick-stai'tsr. ami minus tho pedalling gear that formerly was considered imlienensable. Such a machine,so far as propulsion is concerned, would bo sufficiently powerful to go anywhere •and convey two heavy ndors up the steenest hills without difficulty; and it would doubtless be employed on innumerable occasions for the transport of ft third rider on the carrier. The engine would even then have an easier task than if'a sidecar were attached, the pronulsivn effort being in a straight una and -the wbolc of the load .supported on The main objection would orobablv be that of increased length, and for a simrlo-lrack vehicle the greater weight as compared with tho ordinary machine used for "pillion" rnhriK.; whilst it is sometimes urged that tandems aio more nronn to skid than other machines. Imnrovina Appearanco of Cycles. '' One of the most interesting features of the recent London motor-cycle exhibition was seen in the greatortendency to render tho'omnnes of n'o tor-cycles clean in appearance, particularly where the crankcaso and other larger surfaces are concerned. It was formerly considered good nractice to' embellish the erankcase with designs in raised and sunk portions or characters setting forth the name of the makers, or otherwise constituting distinctive markings, all of which provided nooks and corners where mud and oil. could accumulate, and in time give- the engine a verv untidy and neglected appearance. The work entailed in keeping, tho narts free from such accumulations Was'at times considerable, and tho pre-sent-day tendency to provide smooth crankcases. gearboxes, etc., is a move in. the rieht. direction. Several English, firms havo adopted this practice, and it is one that should become general in tho interests of both trade and public.

Jottings. '... .Oil tail-lamps are very convenient, but unfortunately they have a habit of jo hng out and" there is no means ot telling whether-the lamp is burning or tot. J. lie result is'that great anxiety continually prevails. -It wfib often be found on examination.that.f'tho wick has jolted. ;dowh.-in.theburner,..with the result that -■tbi: : -slightest■•'•: bump extinguishes the 'flame.'"'A" very;simple method ot preventing: this can bo carried out with (in ordinary pin., Turn the wick to the desired height and push the pm through the wick on a line with the top of tho burner. No' amount of jolting,can eauso the wick to turn down. , '; A woll-knOwn English manufacturer advertises the fact that the driving seat of Ms'ear'is 'adjustable. -This is a move in the right direction,' for nothing is more uncomfortable thnn to lie cither jammed iip behind the steering wheel with insufficient leg room, or drive with the'' pedals and steering wheel too far away. On a long journey it means all: the difference between comfort and neverending discomfort. Body builders might well give this matter their consideration, for even when a car body is built to an owner's personal requirements; it eventually passes into other people's -hands, when in many cases it means 'additional cushions, or driving discern■■fort. .No doubt it would mean an additional few pounds for extra work, ;but it would be well worth tho outlay. The Sheepshead Bay motor speedway, near New York, which, in 1015, was built by a millionaire sportsman, the late Harry S. Harkness, and a.group of associate, racing . entnusjasts, will be dis-mantled'to-save the. expense of upkeep and the Huge:.'taxes payable, as the raceconrsof'is-' a, great drain on the estate. Tho speedway-and • grounds cover about Jll.C'aeres, .and .the place has been tho venue.pf soine-of'tho fastest motor-racing. Tbo;,.tji:aek:prOEqi:.is a two miles circuit, 70ft. in i v.'.'dth;• and is built up of -tin. x 4in.':timber. : 'As.'there aro other motor Ispeedways in'the States, 1 the loss of this one'will: not great! v matter. France,;it ifl'sva'iil, is on the eve of a motoring-revival such as tho nation has ttpvprkjiownv The spirit of enthusiasm • wlii'ch'.permeated a small group in;the early .(layiihiis spread to tho masses, 'and riglit ;;through, the people, from the •man who.i'aspi'res to nothing more than ; 4 cheap motor-cycle to tho purchaser of the. highest-class car, there is deep i in.torest; This,is not surprising when it is .remeniberedYthat during the war 100,000 men, most'of whom in 1913 did not know 'if a motorrt-ar. ronon petrol or oil, learned td.becbme skilled motorists; also that several millions of -men were carried and fed with .motor. vehicles, and when wounded were saved ■''from further pain, or doath, by motor vehicles.

The benzole trial ea.'x'cd out by the Royal AutomoDilo Club of Great Britain over a distance of 10,000 miles conclusively proved that benzole is not only 'a suitable motor fuel, but that no illeffects could be. detected after the engine had been dismantled and most carefully -examined.' The spirit; however, has been used in passenger and commercial vehicle .engines' .since before the war. and has given ■! satisfaction.' The K.A.C. trial, a very exhaustive test, simply proves what mnny 'motorists knew before; at the same time it is' the first lengthy official trial, and the results should do much lo popihrise benzole as a fuel. 'J'lie motor used was' a new Sunbeam car weighing 3fic\vt., and in the test averaged 24.57 miles per gallon at an average speed throughout of 23.40 miles per hour. The average ton-miles per gallon was 44.22, while 53 gallons of lubricating oil were nspil, which shows a distance of 1739.13 miles to- the gallon.

. Conservative estimates -olaee the production of automobile and motor-trucks in America this'year at 3,500,000. That means that-1t.0f10.000 covers'and tubes must be made for initial equipment alone. On ton of that thero are something like •7.800,000 ears >md trucks already on the American rcadt. callinj for, 45.000.00 C lyres e year. The United States' reniiire, .ments for motor tvrcs for 1920 are placed at 72.0M.0C0—n. stimendous output, Tho story :'« told of a London motorist wlio,,,:iii,,de-')Mj'i; of finding a suitable mechanical thiefpronf device, purchased .ri'.sav!ige.':<iog which he had. trained to sit at attention.in his cur whilst he was .afeent.; Oneday lie left the car. with the dot; "on.'--gi/a'rd-,-, in Fall Mall, but when' he,-returned found that someone ;had. stolen—the "dog!

Lighting-up -Time —To-day, 0.0 p.m, .Kcst.F'riunyV'lj.S.l.p.jn.'