ROUGH DRIVING

NZ Truth, Issue 1184, 9 August 1928, Page 15

ROUGH DRIVING

Is Rough On Petrol

Many drivers waste a considerable quantity of 'fuel by the way m which they handle their cars. QNE of the most important points V to grasp is that continual changes m the throttle opening cause a jerky action m the carburettor, and with every jerk the engine takes a gulp of unduly rich mixture, so wasting perhaps> half a teaspoonful of petrol — a small quantity, but sufficient to build up into quite a big t ' wastage m the course of a hundred miles. This jerky action may come about m many ways, one of the most common, being simply due to the unsteadiness of the foot when balanced upon an accelerator pedal controlled by a light spring. One of the ways out of the difficulty is.tofit an auxiliary spring giving a .greater reaction against the foot, but better still is a foot-rest placed alongside the accelerator pedal. On an exceptionally rough road, when it is practically impossible to avoid jerking the accelerator pedal, the best course is to- discard its use altogether for the time being, controlling the car by means - of the hand throttle lever. Sudden acceleration also wastes fuel, so that the aim should be to maintain as steady a speed as traffic conditions permit. The wasteful . driver is one who makes a habit of reserving the 1 use of trie brakes for the last minute, and then accelerating again Vvith equal suddenness.