MOTORS & MOTORING

Dominion, Volume 15, Issue 17, 14 October 1921, Page 4

MOTORS & MOTORING

(By

“Clutch.”)

Gisborne Motor Cyclists. The Gisborne Motor Cycling Club has decided to apply to {ho N.Z. M.A..C.U. to hold an initial race meeting on January 2, 1922, and subject to permission being received from the Gisborno Racing Club tho meeting will Eo held on tho park racecourse. Tho prizo money will include .£220, besides cups and medals. Miramar Park for Motor Sports. Ihe City Council decided last evening that the Wellington Motor Cycling Club be granted permission to uso tho Miramar Park during the summer months for sports meetings, subject to tho Council being (protected against liability for accident arising from or incidental to the uso of the grounds for such purpose. British Magneto Industry. . Tho German monopoly in the magneto industry which was such an unfortunate toaturo of the British motor trade before tho war, promises to bo re-establish-ed unless some drastic action is taken (says the “Overseag Daily Mail”). The British magneto industry is still a very young one, and the fact that it owes its existence solely to > tho. war means that spent its childhood in entirely artificial conditions. Tho result is that is not yet strong enough to fight foreign competition, end the much older established German industry promises to wipe it out entirely by the simple expedient of the under-cutting or dumping, if effective Government action is not taken to prevent it. There are some preliminaries on foot for establishing protection for key industries, but in spite of the fact that had it not been for tho British magneto industry tho war could never have been won, the Government seems entirely oblivious to its present claims. There is now. not tho slightest question that the British magnetos is, from tho technical point of view, tho best in the world. Its-great-est point of superiority over any other is perhaps its capacity for giving a really hot spark at very low speeds, which is very practically illustrated by the manner in which a small British magneto may bo used on tho largest of engines in contrast to tho Bosch practice of supplying largo magnetos for large engines because tho smaller ones would have been useless. As an illustration of the quality of the British magneto may be mentioned the fact that a British motor-cycle magneto has been successfully employed for tho ignition of a 300h.p. aero engine. Perhaps the great constructional improvement is evidenced in the employment of laminated pole pieces, and also more recently laminated construction of the armature. Contact breaker design again is a matter in which the British magneto 'has led the world, and has far surpassed tho older models madog^j^America and Germany. Reliability Trial in Victoria. After a lapso of many years a really big reliability motor-car contest is to bo held in Victoria ’by tho Royal Automobile Club. It is proposed to holiFthe contest next month, starting on Saturday, November 19, and finishing on the following Saturday. Several now and attractive features aro being incorporated in tho trial. Tho length of the suggested course is approximately 1038 miles, and the major portion of the route is through tho mountainous section of East Victoria, country unsurpassed for grand scenery. The course is to be inspected at dn early dato by representatives of the R.A.C.V., and arrangements made for what promises to be the greatest automobile test yet conducted in Australia. Glare.

If it is agreed that a well-projected -light is essential- for reasonably safe night driving—personally, I think it is—then it is well nigh a technical impossibility to prevent the concomitant glare. Glare will always be present so long ns tho source of light is of . measurablo diameter and tho projector varies ever so slightly from tho perfect form. The fact is that it is rot the truly projected light thaj dazzles but tho stray beams which wander from tho narrow path owing to the wholo of the light source not being in tho geometrical focus point of, tho mirror and because the latter reflects incorrectly.- Tho ill-effect of these wandering beams becomes magnified on nights when the air is charged with moisture or dust, which causes local refraction. Some of tho antidazzle devices are certainly effective in cutting off tho upward stray beams, but all of them reduce, also, the projected driving light. Drivers and pedestrians should avoid gazing into the headlamps of approaching cars, concentrating their vision on their own line of movement. In this way the retina of the eye is not subjected to the sudden contraction which j>roduces tho momentary blinding effect.

New Type of Side-car. The latest in motor-cyclo side-car outfits is a totally enclosed side-car, ensuring the passenger’s absolute protection from all kinds of weather.. The top is hingodl at tho front end, and is clipped down in a position by a fastening at the back. It is intended later on to fit this fastening inside, so that the passenger can let him or herself out. Tho sides of tho top are made of thin plywood, whilst tho windows aro made of mica. A sliding slit in the off-sido window can ba used when tho passenger and driver desire to converse. Tho wholo of the front window hinges from tho top, and can be locked in any position desired by tho passenger. It is possible to uso this window when opened as a prop to support the top when folded back to allow tho passenger to enter tho sidecar. The top adds very little weight to the side-c/r. which can be entered with as little, if not less, inconvenience than with the ordinary.,.typo of side-car with windscreen. *' Cause of Carbonisation.

Carbon deposit in engines is duo more to bad carburettion than oil, presuming, of course, that good oil is used, and the greater bulk of the deposit occurs during the idling ongino speeds. Rich mixture leaves considerable residue of soft soot, due to imperfect combustion; most carburettors, particularly those with pilot jets, depending on rich mixture to give that" slow-running which is tho pride of the motorist. Tho oil is drawn up past tho piston rings, and acts as a medium to hold tho soot resulting from bad combustion. This gradually works up into a black paste, and subsequently hardens by tho action of heat into the carbon deposit with which wo are all familial’. So tho secret of keeping free from carbonisation is to attain good carburettion, and to avoid tuning tho ongino to tick over very slowly when idling. However good tho carburettion, there will, of course, always bo a certain amount of deposit from tho road dust drawn into the engine, and due to oil impurities. Road dust is a greater enemy than is commonly thought, and on agricultural tractors. it is usual to fit air filters to profect tho engine from the ill-effects. of the dust raised in process of cultivation. Overseas Traders’ Centre in London. The Association of British Motor Manufacturers has established an organisation known ns tho Overseas Motor Traders’ Centre, which has conveniently located rooms in London. No charge is to bo made for any of the services offered, and tho only condition attached to thorn is that they are tendered only to overseas motor traders, and are not to bo used for the purpose of facilitating business of any kind in goods of foreign manufacture. Lighting-up time: To-day, 6.10 p.m. Next Friday, 6.1 S p.m.