SLOW DRIVING

NZ Truth, Issue 1213, 28 February 1929, Page 18

SLOW DRIVING

It Can Injure Your Engine A good deal has been written about the danger of driving a new car too f ast, > before the bearings and pistons have , become bedded down to their permanent condition. - THERE is another deleterious prac- * tice, "however, ' which should . also be guarded against — running at the lowest possible speed m top gear, particularly up an incline. A moment's thought will convince anyone that m an internal combustion engine, which relies for its action on an explosion, the power is transmittedto the crankshaft by way of the piston rod, with great force. The whole of the pressure is taken by the bearings — piston pin, big end, and main bearings — and when the shaft is turning over very slowly the force of the explosion, tends to distort the surfaces of the bearings. When a really low speed is wanted, therefore, resort to a lower gear, and, most important, accelerate gently as the damage is done during the acceleration period.