MOTORS & MOTORING

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 94, 14 January 1921, Page 8

MOTORS & MOTORING

(By "Clutbh.") '** Increase In the Demand for Spirit). World’s figures for motor spirit production or consumption arc difficult to state precisely, but a study of the position in the United States, where the greater part of the world’s motor spirit is consumed, and of tha position in the British Isles will give a fairly clear idea of the general outlook and of the increase in demand to ba expected from other countries where tho use of petroldriven vehicles is at th© present timo less fully developed (writes Air. Harold Aloore, Af.Sc., in an article in the ‘‘Overseas Daily Alail”).

The number of motor-cars and trucks registered in tho United States has increased at the rate of about 35 per cent, each year between the years 1910 and 1917. The number registered.' in 1918 did not show an 'increase proportionate to that of the previous year, but this circumstance was largely due to the influence of the war. Though since 1917 the former compound rate of increase has not been maintained, still the production of cars and trucks is increasing nipidly. In 1917 the figure for tho United States was 1,870,000, and the estimate of 1920 is 21 millions. Whereas at the end of 1917 5 million cars and trucks were, in use, there were roughlv 6.1 niill'on in use at the end of 1918, and 71 million in use at tho end of 1919. At the present time experts on the automobile industry consider that we ar© still a long way from Hie saturation point at which the population cannot absorb a further proportion of cars, the fmures for 1919 showing one ear or truck per 14 head of population. The United States consumes mor© than five-sixths of 1U own production o motor spirit, and produces two-thirds of the world’s crude petroleum A larger proportion of spirit is obtained from the United States crude than is pi©<uccd from the average crude of other field. . It is stated that at the present Hme the consumption of spirit in the I. nit . States, together with tho quantity - norted is greater than the production, and that a depletion of stocks is therefore taking place. , The consumption of spirit in country is shown by the quantity imPJrl fhoiurh of recent years a comparotivelv small amount of benzol© has been used. The benzole used as motoi spirit Ims probably always been less than 10 per conf, of the total spirit eonsump-* tion The fimires indicate that during re cent years the increase of consumption has been about 20,060,000 gallons per annn.l there is no indication of nny *“ to, “ a "" f.r falling off in , f years, has prevailed during th© last lew j

Oil Consumption. I'7 b e eHe7effietoncy wiß "ed thoV-tomobile H - ©xce--us© of oil fixed, or tho cqmewhere whi-h . . , engine is suckins ’’This means carbon combustion space. _ froiible and and its accompanying (ro« me, should be corrected immediately.

Starting from the Kerb. A litHo care in starting a. motor vehicle from the kerb may, in the run save the machine from a. great deal of strain on the tyres and scaring partALmv drivers, starting from the kerx turn the front wheels out before tK vehicle is in motion. inis can obviated largely by making th © Hirn as the vehicle comes to rest, so that vhe it is restarted it can come awaj from the kerb without wearing the front iwres by dragging them round.

1921 Car Design. In a critical survey of Hie t en<lenel 7, in car design for 1921 the cavs that, the most popular form of design ns proved by the preponderance of numbers, is a car with a four-cylinder engine, having a monobloc cylinder, side bv side valves, magneto ignition, an electric starter, a single plate clutch, fourspeed gear-box. semi-elliptic front springs and quarter-elliptic rear springs, and spiral bevel drive to the rear axle. This popular specification is obtained by analysing the features of the 236 yarytog types of cars at the International Motor Exhibition at Olympia- and the Whito City last November.

Oil and Tyre Precautions. After driving a new car approximately WOO miles, th© wise motorist will dram nil the oil out of the engine, give it a thorough cleaning, and refill with flesh oil. This operation should be repeated every 1000 or 15M miles, to clean out all particles of metal, grit and sodimfent that mav have accumulated. Tjres deserve similar treatment to preserve their life and enable them to give maximum mileage. At tho end of every 2500 miles service, a tyre should lie deflated, dismounted, soapstone and gnt remnvei , and the inside of the casing washed with gasoline. After drying the inside should be dusted with talc, th© tyre mounted, and th© tube charged with fresh air. During this operation a close, inspection should lie made of the tread for cuts and fragments of glass, and the nms should be cleansed of rust and painted. Brake'Adjustments.

Every car is provided with two sets brakes, one operated by the foot, commonly known as the service brake, the other operated by the hand, and* often miscalled the emergency brake. Both those sets should be in perfect, condition if one cares for his own safety, In adjustment of the brakes the rear wheels should be jacked up and the hand brake set just tight enough so that one of the wheels will turn bv hand. Tf the other one does not show an equal pressure when turned by hand the adjusting device, at the wheels should be turned until the pressure is equal upon each brake. .After this the turn buckle forward of the equalising bar may be taken up if necessary. The service brake is similarly adjusted, but it will be necessary to have some one hold the pedal down during the process. Self-Lubrication. It is becoming more and. more evident that the average car user will not trouble to pay constant attention to the lubrication of chassis parts if tho task is either a, messy or troublesome one. There have been several attempts to produce systems whereby all working parts of the chassis ore lubricated automatically from a central station: this is a principle, says the “Auto-car,” which is admirable in theory, but in practice tfie introduction of many pipe lines in awkward places has its Another attempt to meet tho difficulty is to bo found in arranging each main component so as to lubricate automatically every one of its own important points. Thin, again, is a system which is not 'too expensive, and if properly carried out is not likely to lead eventually to trouble. With such systems, however, there is bound to remain over a number of places, perhaps on the. brake actuating gear, on the steering gear, or on the springs, where self-eon tai nod lubrication is hardly possible. At these points there is a strong tendency to abolish the uso of grease cups, and to use instead wickfeeding oil-cups so arranged that to fill them with an oil can is a simple and speedy operation, whilst provision is made to prevent grit entering. Lighting-up time: To-day, 7.JG p.m.; next Friday, 7.22 p.m.