MOTORS & MOTORING

Dominion, Volume 15, Issue 30, 29 October 1921, Page 12

MOTORS & MOTORING

(By

"Clutch.”)

Wallington Motor-Cycle Club. Tho Wellington motcr-cycling season will open to-day’. An outing to Lower Hutt Park has been arranged, and members and friends are cordially invited to attend. Prizes have been donated for the machine ini cleanest condition, for ease in starting, and for a driving test. Miramar Park is now available for use by tho club, and a race meeting will be hold there shortly. This season promises to bo a lively one as far as meetings go. Three valuable cups are held by tho club, and will be competed for this year. One of these cups is valued at over £75, so it is worth a little striving for. Light Cars in Demand. Mr. 'Eric Boult, tho Australian representative of an English firm, has just returned after a four months’ visit to the factory in England. In the course of his observations he found the motorcar business improving. Light cars were becoming more popular, there being a constant demand for this class. He expresses the opinion that there is not much prospect of a big reduction in car prices this year, although some man... facturers have reduced, prices in orcb.r to unload stocks. Petrol was selling in England at 2s. Hid. per gallon, with prospects of coming down to 2s. Gd. The price in Australia is 3s. Bd. per gallon. Motor buses, lorries, and all descriptions of petrol-driven vehicles were to be seen everywhere. When driving from Birmingham to London, a distance of 120 miles, Mr. Boult always found a motor vehicle in sight, so dense is the motor traffic. Traffic Regulation.

Tho proposal that all motor vehicles should be required to stop when overtaking a stationary tramcar, as mooted in, Cape Town has been turned down by the. Capo Administrator, but only _ after he had caused the fullest inquiries to be •made. Tho result of these investigations wont to show that municipalities which have adopted by-laws of the Character in question, find them burdensome, and so are coining round to the motorists* point of view, that the best way to regulate traffic, under all circumstances, is to rely on the general provision that makes it an offence, and a serious that, for anyone to drive recklessly or negligently. Trade Revival In Sydney.

On all sides (states tho Sydney "Sun”) there is an indication that tho trade In motor-cars is brightening up. Nearly all the town houses report numerous inquiries, particularly from country districts, where motor-cars aro now beginning to be recognised as essential to the farmer anti grazier in his work, as it is io tho commercial and industrial life of tho city, and there is now hope that tho motor trade will soon get back to normal. Tho demand for oars indicates a decrease, as far as two-seaters aro concerned. This is accounted for by the fact that the difference in price and wcigiiv of fwo nnd four-seater bodies is now so small that_the great majority of owners prefer io nave tho four-seater. Another feature that commands the foursealer is the increased accommodation, and it consequently becomes more of a family ear. Over-Lubrication.

Ono of the penalties of over-lubrica-tion in a motor-cycle engine is the gumming up of tho piston rings in their grooves, and this would appear to be more pronouncedly the case where narrow rings are used than otherwise. In a recent case .investigate,d it was found that the top riilgs were immovably fixed in the grooves of both pistons belonging to an S-h.p. engine, the middle ring being partly seized, whilst tho lowermost ring was quite frac. Tho topmost rings had to be broken, and, in fact, chipped out of the grooves, the latter receiving a thorough cleaning, and new rings fitted. It was found, necessary to reduce the thickness of tire rings before they would enter the grooves with any sort of freedom. No attepipt was made to reassemble the cylinder until tl>fe piston rings were really an easy lit in'the grooves, the conclusion having been come to that they had been 100 tight all along. It is quite possible that they will again become fixed in their place, but the risk thereof would naturally be reduced by tho care taken to ensure free fitting in the vertical direction before reassembling. It is sometimes urged that two-stroke engines work better with tho upper ring stuck than when it is free, although for wiiat reason has yet to be discovered. However that may be, it is preferable that all the'Nrings should move freely in their grooves in other engines, and unless this is so there is a distinct likelihood of compression leakage.

Sparking-Plug Problems. It is rather surprising to learn that the manufacturers find it easier to produce a sparking-plug that will withstand tests on Brooklands or other speedways than it is to devise one to stand up to all kinds of road work. On the racetrack heat is the chief, if not tho only, trouble, to bo overcome, and that is already accomplished. On tho road a hilly district not only provokes temperatures equal to those attained on the track, but also subjects the plug to occasional oil-baths, especially when tho sump is full, tho piston rings a poor fit, and tho engine utilised as a brake when descending long grades. The (severest test of a plug occurs in the big road races, when oil and’ heat must both l>e coped with, and prolonged running without the semblance of a misfire is essential.

Italian Grand Prix. The Italian Grand Prix race of 321 miles, run at Brescia, on, September 4, in tho presence of the King of Italy, was won by Jules Goux on a Ballot, at an average speed of 90.4 miles an hour. This event, which was tho first to be run in Italy for cars of 3-litre piston displacement, was the occasion of all world’s records being broken. Tn 1914 the world’s road record was set at Santa Monica, California, at 84 miles an hour, the engine having about 6 litres piston displacement. At Brescia this was beaten not only by the winner, but by Chassagne who came in second, and by Wagner who finished third on a Fiat at an average of BG.I miles per hour, despite seven tyre changes. The fastest performance of tho day was made by P. Bordfno, with an eight-cylinder ■ 3-litro Fiat, with which he established the lap record of 93.1 miles an hour, this being the highest speed ever attained on tho load by a 3-litre car. Many of the l,ps were covered by Bordino’s car at more than 93 miles nn hour, and his .jverage for the first thirteen laps, or 1 to miles, during which he led tho entire field l , was exactly 93 miles on hour. This constitutes n world’s road record for tho distance, irresnectivo of engine size. At exactly half distance, and while still leading, Bordino’s car di-onned out of the race owing to a broken oil connection.

Lighting-up time:—To-day, 6.26 p.m Next Friday, 6.35 p.m.