MOTOR NOTES

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 304, 8 December 1936, Page 3

MOTOR NOTES

5 CARE ,OF THE BRAKES. > “Criminality Of Neglect, g X. Safety in motoring depends largely, and, mechanically, perhaps most, on good brakes. Care and .adjustment, of, brakes is of the utmost importance,- especially where traffic is - heavy. It is possible to accqpimodqte one’s, drivipg to the condition .of t the vehicle where one has the road ’ ..jjnqre, Or less to .himself, but the exigencies of modern traffic permit . of no latitude, and it is, or should be, ?. .criminal to .drive about in a vehicle ’ that cannot, as far as is mechanically - be kept under complete •\ qpntpol.qf the driver. Brake (Inspection should. be carried ■.oqt regularly and methodically. For .if -the ( ;car has .not been i given any. great amount of use an adjustment may trie all that is necessary. CBut if .the car has been in ser- •) vice flor a 'long time without giving the brakes any attention there are ». a number of vital points to consider. ' t There 'should be a careful inspection ■l' of -wheel Loose* wheel bearings will make aj difference in i' the adjustment. Misalignment of J/ 'wheels will also make correct adjustb ment difficult. Misalignment is fre- / quently, caused by striking a kerb or ‘ ether object. Lqpse spring shackles ' and TJ bolts also affect brake adjust- ? ment. All anchor brackets should be y tight arid moving parts ,of . the brake mechanism should be' snug, never d loose. i ‘ . • /

j, • (Caked grdase and dirt should be . removed .-from brake joints, etc, and ■ these parts lubricated with fresh grease or oil. Brake adjusting* repairing, and equalising, because of their nature and importance, should never be en- . trusted to an unskilled person. A good plan to follow is to select a reliable repair shop for the responsibility of keepjng the brakes in Al conditiqn. Bound up with the mechanical conJ dition of the brakes is the condition of the tyres. The more perfect .the : of tlie brakes themselves ■. the,mwe . dangerous do old and worn :J tyres become; .they’ fail under the yßtrain .brake action, f Badly-worn treads have poor road iad£fljion. Good .brakes require .tyres % JBPVPd, condition and f with good ■treads, and inspection of tyre condition is an integral part of proper J>rake .inspection. Tyres should be it they have not good 1 rdadT adhesion, or have become so ..jfjßdk Jhat ..failure under heavy braking is -to fee feared. Long tyre life .may be measured in miles, but should never be measured in years. t An old *tyre may look good, but it •may be perished. A tyre worn under heavy use in a few months may be 10 times -a ‘better one than another that >has been on a vehicle for a long •time, 'but little used. Tyres do not .merely lose their treads; they' perish with time, use or no use, and may perish badly just because the|y are not used.