MOTOR NOTES. COASTING.

Putaruru Press, Volume VII, Issue 278, 7 March 1929, Page 7

MOTOR NOTES.

COASTING.

SIMPLEST METHOD. ■Free-wheel Clutch Unnecessary. Little has been heard lately of the free-wheel device winch was promised as a boon to motorists who desired to save fuel and reduce wear and tear on their machines. Freewheeling, or “coasting,” however, may be indulged in without the aid of any special free-wheel clutch. It is a pleasant and interesting adjuct to the art of driving, and is practised a good deal in England, where motorists generally became adepts in the i handling of gears. Some experienced drivers object to “ coasting ” on the ground that the driver’s control of his machine is weakened when ha runs with his engine disengaged, and forces him to rely entirely on the brakes if he has to stop the car in an emergency. This is undeniable; but " coasters ” reply that a car with unreliable brakes should not be on the road at all. The simplest method of coasting, but the one unanimously condemned by experts, is to depress the clutch pedal and leave the engine running and in gear. This imposes undue wear on the clutch withdrawal mechanism, and the cost of repairs to this will far outweigh the saving in petrol achieved by this kind of coasting.

Coasting, if to be done at all, should be done properly, and the proper way is for the engine to be freed from the back axle by disengage- j ment of the gear, he., in the gearbox. The clutch is -disengaged momentarily as for ordinary gear changing, the gear lever is slipped into the neutral position—and not through the gate, so as to engage another gear—and the “ coast ” begins. The clutch pedal may then be released and the engine either left “ ticking over ” or stopped altogether. When the “coast” promises to be long, as when there is a good hill to be descended, the engine may be switched off. The car will then run along and its only components working will be the road wheels and transmission up to the gear-box. The engine and gear-box will enjoy a complete rest, the benefits of which especially if, as often happens, the “coast” follows a long gruelling climb) need no emphasis. To re-engage the engine at the end of the “ coast ” it is necessary to

speed up its revolutions to match the speed at which the car is running. The ear of the practised driver will inform him when this point it attained. Re-engagement on top gear after a “ coast ” is the commonest and simplest process. But if the car’s speed has fallen very low, it may be necessary to re-engage in second or first gear. In these processes the engine speeds must be made proportionately higher. The clutch pedal must, of course, be depressed while the gear is being slipped in. “ Coasting ” saves petrol, relieves the engine of

wear and tear, and gives delightfully smooth and silent running. It is, however, a practice to be strictly avoided by those who are apt to be in the least degree careless with their brakes, and it should never be attempted on steep declines or where the driver cannot see the road well ahead of him.