MOTORING AND CYCLING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 240, 19 March 1915, Page 7

MOTORING AND CYCLING.

NEWS AND NOTES. It is a curious feature of motoring, and u ;;e tl.at has been frequently commented u 1 e.u, that although two inolorists may be the possessors of tv. o . similar cars, very diil'orent results in running and maintenance costs are experienced. I've s miiiii<{ that all tliinjfs are fairly equal us regards the mileage, the lead cariie i. (dr.. it may be interesting and u cful to briefly consider a few of the points that have an eli'ect in fjivili}.' r .-.e to sncii diiferences. Tvi'es are probably tlie first, and most important mailer, and in (his direction it will pay io have the best. Although the fault is probably not, so pronounced nowadays as was (he case some years ago. there are -til'

nianv vehicles tuat are>'omeweat nii'leitvred. JTotorists should consequently always look to the matter of tyre.; when put'ehasing their cars, and. if th'TC is any doubt, pay a little more in tin- first instance, as by bavin;; a larger tyro lo begin with, it will fully repay tliem in the long run. Next,, there comes the. one- tion of the care of Ihe tyres, While t'ae careless owner will he content to inllate his tvres now and a'.'ain when lie thinks of it, Ihe economical motorist; will make a. p»ini 'if them (systematically, and of i:>i:af'»'? them a<>* fording to the instruction - i-ned liv tlie makers. The careless mail <v 11 think notliintr of the oil and greft'e which get bo-'pattered on liis tyres! There are other details about tyres, sucb a", for example, oeeasionally going over theni. lo fill tin cuts by vulcanisation, which greatly extends the life of a tyre. But how often is this done?

Turning to other parts of the car's anatomy, tin l cfl'icieiK v and life of these are very largely dependent on the amount of care and attention given to them. The economical motorist takes some time and trouble to make himself familiar with every part of his car. and a-s'stoil by the instruction book that is nowadays issued bv every leading car >na liu fa rd urer lie'will onicklv learn the ■■lints that need attention eilher hv the oil can. the i.'i'ease gun. or the adjustment scanner.

As to tlie question of fuel, although petrol is more costly than it was a year or two back, yet it is one of the mint , ~ tlv items iu connection with motorin;;. At the same time, many motorists :-an effect considerable economy la this direction. To many owner-drivers the question of securing the maximum number of miles from a gallon of petrol hy areful adjustment of the carburet!el' k one of considerable quite

a-art from tlie resulting economy. On tiie other band, there is the careless motorist who cares m> little f»// ei nnomy in petrol consumption that not only is lie in 110 way worried by a greedy and wa-tcful carburetter, Irii i- ; even not -ulliciently careful in re!iil;ng his petrol tank to prevent the spil'.be'; <:f a 'pint or more. These matters may be trilles ill themselves, but in the course of a year vom have a by no means unimportant effect on the annual motoring bill.

Hitherto, the American petrol engine lias been of relatively large size, for the power developed, which is another way of saying that it has not been of equal eilicienev to the European production. The present year has, however, witnessed the introduction of a number of American cars of small-bore high-speed motors. The movement in this direction has been germinating for some years but it is only now that it lind expression to any marked degree. Thus, several makers are able to claim that as contrasted with the engines they used only a few years ago, they are now securing tlie same amount oi power from a motor of from 20 to 2.3 per cent less piston displacement.

Many Melbourne motorists will now liave to pay a further class tax of one pound a, year, the metropolitan board of works having dwiduil that in every case where motor ears or motor vehicles ars kept other than motor cycles, and the supply of water does not pass through a meter, a special rate of ,£1 per car is to be. paid. Considering that it takes anything from '2OO to .100 gallons of water to properly wash a car, it is only right that the same should be ■paid for; but what the motorist objects to is being singled out for taxation while other members of the community go scot free. In determining the above facts nothing was done about, taxing the man who owns wagons carts, buggies etc.

The well-known destructive effects of rust" on the fabric of pneumatic motor tyres is a trouble which has always been experienced since pneumatic tyres came into general use for cars, prompts one to ask the question how it is that in these times when it is frequently stated that there is little that is left to improve the ear, this trouble should be still existent? The result is that the car owner is put at intervals to the arduous task of removing tin; tyres, and repainting the rims, unless he prefers to run the risk of premature wear and tear of the tyres. Considering that there are several processes for rendering steel permanently rust-proof, it is strange that nothing more is done to motor-car rims other than merely paintins them, except in the case of wire wheels which have the rims stove-en-amelled, though even this protective coating does not appear in I"' permanent. Either the enamel chips oIV easily, (lakes or the coating is so thin that moisture soon gets through it. The question may be asked, why rims are not galvanised. This universally adopted process gives very satisfactory results as a rust preventative. Then there is the process of electro-coupi-ring, which would probably giw good practical results if the deposit were of a reasonable thickness. Certainly the present day method of merely painting the rim lias nothing to recommend it, except its initial eheapne-s to the manufacturer. To the user it proves very ex-'en-ive in the shape of time and labor in the long run.

When the first British expeditionary force landed in France, it had something like one motor lorry to everv -eventv men. '.As the dimensions of the English forces have increased, so ])ave tile motors, until at present nearly HftO heavy motors leave England for France weekly.

For dispatch carrying in France, the official average rafe lixed by the English authorities is 20 miles per hour for motor cycles, and eight miles for the '•'ciisf. The great, extent of ground to be covered in l-'ronce necessitates in many instances liievcle relays being es--1 ■:Tlmse are generally concealed a J pemts w<-ll di-taiit from town- and il'ages : and the men v ork in rtl"-f as leetrh's do—thai. ;s, take it in regular turns for duty. Where cyclists and contains at least oi e artificer for repair .•!' the machines. The number and position of relay posts depends a good" ileal on the nature of I he country, the attitude of the inhabitants, the state of the roads, the weather, etc. At each relav pobtj liieic is always ouc u.au icuri v (,e

start at a moment's notice, with tyres pumped hard, kit adjusted, etc. \ cry often, these posts have to be entrenched. 11 is very important for scout or reconnoitring patrols to know exactly where these posts are situated. Motor cyclists are generally required to take their message right through without slopping at relay 'posts.