NOTES.

Putaruru Press, Volume VII, Issue 311, 24 October 1929, Page 7

NOTES.

The effect of incorrect spark advance • depends to a considerable extent on the general design of an engine, and particularly on the form of the combustion chamber, but taken j broadly over the general range of engines used in automobiles there can be no doubt that spark advance exercises a marked influence on the power, fuel consumption, coolness of running, durability of valves, silence, and on the starting and idling properties of an engine. This being so, it is clearly desirable that engines should always be operated with correct ignition timing. Pneumatic tyres, whether balloon or high lAressure, are divided into two types according to their means of attachment to the rim. These are the wired or straight-side type and the beaded-edge type. Of these, the former is now recognised throughout the world as the superior ; it is directly evolved from the Dunlop wired cycle tyre of 1801 and its principle is now successfully and almost exclusively applied to cycle, motor cycle, car, giant pneumatic and aeroplane tyres. The beaded-edge type is rapidly becoming obsolete, although there are many thousands of cars still using it.

Considering the anti-dazzle problem from all points of view, Motor Transport is of the opinion that all interests are best represented by some form of anti-dazzling lamp equipment that does not depend upon any controlling action by the driver, who may or may not feel inclined to study the convenience of other road users. American manufacturers of automobiles are to-day assembling passenger cars in 155 plants scattered throughout the world. Of these plants 87 are located in the United States and 68 in other countries. An assembly plant is arbitarily taken to mean any plant where a completed automobile leaves the plant under its own power. The list therefore includes plants where the car is completely built from the ground up as well as plants where engines, chassis units and bodies are received from other plants and assembled into com-

pleted cars. Australia has the largest number of assembly plants for American automobiles of any one country, while Canada is a close second with nine plants to Australia’s eleven.

To relieve traffic congestion a minimum speed of 35 miles per hour has been declared for a new bridge built in Virginia (U.S.A.). It is 5i miles long, cost £1,400,000, and is a short cut for tourists. The sky is the limit for speed, but motor cycle police urge slow drivers on to the minimum speed of 35 miles per hour. Anyone idling after a warning is arrested for causing a blockade.