ECONOMY SOME HINTS.

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 128, 22 January 1932, Page 2

ECONOMY SOME HINTS.

Most owners, certainly of the less well-to-do class, use their cars approximately the same amount every year, rather more in the summer, which includes the holiday, and more week-end trips, rather less in winter; and in the case of those who live in the country and are dependent to a large extent upon their cars for necessary transport, it is difficult to ourtail their use (writes John Proileau, in the Ooserver) . Moreover, it is not by any mearis always more economical to go by train, either for long or short distances. Real economy com.es under two headings, driving and careful maintenance. To many inexperienced owners one of the mysteries of modern upkeep is that results differ so widely among people who own the same type of car. One man will be able to show that he gets a great deal of pleasure and profit out of his car for £100 a year, while another, appaVently in exactly the same circumstances, pays £750 for the same mileage. The explanation lies, of course, in the manner of driving. Speed and constant braking are the worst enemies oi economy, not only from the point oi view of wear and tear, but from that of oil and fuel consumption. If you want to cut down your bills for these items, make an inflexible rule that you will never exceed a given maximum speed, never accelerate violently, no matter whether such a display .s the chief attraction of your car or not, and never, except in cases of necessity, pull up in a hurry.

Stop and Start Slowly. In days gone by, when brakes were of problematical value and short life, beginners were always told to drive as much as possible without them, to begin to slow down a considerable distance from the spot where they wished to stop, and to apply the brakes only at the last moment, and then gently. That was, and still is, an excellent rule, but the coming of really efficient four-wheel brakes, with their deceptive smooth and ligiit action, by which a heavy car is brought to a standstill in a short distance with scarcely perceptible effort. has made a dead letter of it for the new generation. It is one to revive and to learn to obey as quickly as possible. The less you use your brakes the longer will your tyres last, the ionger your brake-shoes. The gentler your start-away from rest, in all circumstances, the less petrol and oil will you use and, again, the less wear will your tyres endure.