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MOTOR AND CYCLE

NEWS AND NOTES. A few revolutions on a flat tyre will cause more wear than 1000 miles running.

Vulcanise cuts in the cover as they appear, and a tyre will last for an almost indefinite period.

Tyre repair is easier than it looks if you know the right way, and the frugalminded will always do it themselves.

The discovery was recently, announced of an immense rubber tree in the borderland of Bolivia. It measures 5.25 metres in circumference at the base (about 27ft), and the daily yield of caoutchouc for 120 days in the yeai is 10 kilogrammes. It belongs to a family of seven persons, and constitutes their entire support, which ought to be a very comfortable one, since La Revue (Paris) estimates from this yield that at the present value of rubber the tree represents a capital in round numbers of £12,000.

It must be some kind of comfort to motorists who are hard hit by the.increased cost of motoring (says an English motorist) to reflect that in Germany the' lot of the motorist is far hirder. From figures which have come to hand from Hanover, via America, it appears that the number of cars in use in Germany has dropped since the beginning of the war from 70,000 to loss than 15,000, and this includes motor vehicles of all classes. In Austria the drop has been from 30,000 to 10,000. All picasure motoring has been stopped, the vehicles being requisitioned for army purposes, and petrol is at a prohibitive price, so that the use of commercial vehicles is greatly restricted.

Cutting a piston ring into three segments and then providing for the proper placing and holding of these segments in position is the radical innovation made by an English motor manufacturer. The piston has recesses spaced at equal distances around the circumference into which plugs are fitted. These plugs are slotted to receive the piston ring, while in the bottom of each plug is seated a small helical spring, forcing the ring against the cylinder walls. One of the plugs carries a centre pin, which projects into small recesses in the ends of two of the ring segments. This pin keeps the ring as a. whole from turning. Compression is said to be exceptionally good, while frictional losses are smail in the new piston, due to the fact that but one ring is used, and this ring is firmly and equally pressed against the [inside of the cylinder. .

The general application of the ther-mo-syphon principle of water circulation does not appear to have eliminated trouble such as over-heating, judging from the fairly frequent questions regarding it that are submitted to us (says the Autocar). In the first place, it is desirable to point out that there is a good deal of misconception as to what "overheating 1 ' means. The novice lacking experience and judgment is rather prone to hold the opinion that his engine should run much cooler than it does. He has no actual standard for judging as to What the. best heat should be, and therefore it is more in the nature of a guess that it is overheating, although he may not notice any adverse effect on the running. If there is any real overheating, there is certain to be ample evidence of it by the fact of the water boiling, and it must furthermore be kept in miiul that the radiator on the majority of cars is not calculated to keep the water at many degrees below boiling point even in normal circumstances. Except when the running is very light, and, consequently, there is much less than the maximum of heat energy developed in the engine, a thermometer test will prove that the water at the top of the radiator is at or round about 200 degree Fahrenheit. In one respect the fact that an engine does normally bring the circulation water up to a fairly high temperature is rather to be favorably regarded than otherwise, as the steaming of the water at any time serves as an indicator that some adverse condition has arisen in the engine—very often it will be found that the carburetter has gone wrong, and except for the hint given by the steaming radiator, this important fact might remain undiscovered for a long period. There are nevertheless genuine instances of either insufficient circulation of the water—that is to say, there is a very sliuggish flow—a defect that is very difficult to remedy, because once the relative position of engine and radiator and sizes of piping are fixed, no adjustment is possible.

Figures recently compiled in England show that 88 well-known makes of motor cycles are now marketed. Out of these 53 are fitted with single-cylinder engines, 31 with twins, and one with a four-cylinder. Of the 53 single-cylinder machines listed, 3.1 have two-stroke engines, figures that will surprise most motor cyclists, for the two-stroke has so far made little progress out here. In transmission, out of 85 machines 47 are driven through a combination of chain and belt. Chains were fitted to 20, and belt-drive on twelve makes only. The falling-away of the belt-drive is most marked. That the change-speed gears have jumped into popularity is shown by the fact that 38 of the 85 machines tabulated were fitted with three-speed gears, 3-1 with two-speed; three with variable gears, two with four speeds, and only eight ■with single gears. From the above figures it will be seen that the trend of motor-cycle design is towards a more expensive outfit, and from the look of things the up-to-date motorcycle is going to get dearer instead of cheaper. At a time when economy is so necessary, one cannot but regret that the prices of machines are rising all round, and that the attention of the trade is being devoted to the more costly models at the expense of the cheaper ones. Motor-cycles, in fact, are becoming too dear. The side-ear at over £IOO becomes the competitor of the cheap car, and the motor-cycle at from £7O to £9O is outside the range of the man with £'2s to spend. Xo one questions that these machines ale excellent value for the money; but the concentration of the attention of the trade on these expensive productions is a fact that one cannot look on without regret. Money will be tighter with all of us in the future, and the cost of our motor-cycles will become a greater consideration than it was before the war. There will therefore be a wider market than ever for the simply-equipped -and inexpensive motor-cycle, and we hope the fact will not be lost sight of by the trade. Another important point manufacturers want to study is that the low-priced machine is necessary in their own interests, for it increases the number of motorcyclists, who in the future would he potential customers for the more .powerful snd Mter-amiDPsd ffi&skifiMj

A race of 315 miles was announced to take, place in America recently between two motorists. Hill will race Harland for £2OO against £IOO. It will be an endurance run, replenishing of gasoline tanks and necessary repairs beig allowed. Two American-built cars will be used.

According to an American writer, four-speed gear boxes for priate ears have almost ceased to exist in the United States. Most of the American manufacturers consider that with modern engines and the low rear axle ratios of to-day there is little need for more than three speeds, and to provide lour calls for higher cost, greater weight, and increased opportuinty for noise.

An English motor trader suggests that 1000 members of the motor trade should pool £IOOO, (£1,000,000 in all), with a view to forming a company in England to manufacture a low-priced car to keep the cheap American cars out of England. He backs up his suggestion by offering to make one of the group, claiming that what has been achieved in America from a low-priced car point of view, can be achieved in England.

American automobile papers are directing the attention of manufacturers to the possible change in desigij in motors as demonstrated in the war, which they aptly term the greatest reliability trial ever held since the first machine was placed on the roads. Important alterations will be made, and the papers warn the makers that, although America is out of-the war, they will not escape being involved in the resulting changes.

A novel device for teaching ladies motor driving is in use in America. ■To aid them in controlling their cars before essaying traffic driving, all four wheels are jacked up and the pupil takes the driver's seat. A semiphorc with several arms is placed in front of the car. By pulling a cord the operator causes an arm to be raised before the car with phrases like "road closed," "steep hill," "bad curve," etc. Ladies are said to gain confidence, and to quickly learn how to manipulate gear lever, brakes, etc., in a short time by means of this device. '

A useful warning device has recently been adopted by the proprietor of a motor garage in Louisville, U.S.A., whose example might well be copied in other places. Cars leaving the garage in question are obliged to cross the pavement of a busy street along which pedestrians are passing at all hours of the day and night. As a warning there has been installed in froDt of the exit a lamp in a large globe, on each side of which the word "Danger" is painted in large letters. The lamp is kept alight from sunset to »unrise and in itself froms an effective »autionary signal. It is, however, supplemented by a loudringing gong, which is automatlically operated wheneve* a car approaches' the exit door of the garage, a steel plate being 60 placed that it automatically closes a contact and rings the bell whenever the wheels of a car pass over it.

According to authentic news from Paris, Germany is now getting the bulk of lier petrol supplies from Gnlicia, whilst small quaatities are obtained from Hanover and Abate, and probably some lieavy-grade oil from Eoumania. It ftppears that when the Russian army had to fall back from Galicia 229 petroleum wells were destroyed at Tustanowice, in addition to some 320,000 tons ot reserved oil there. At Boryslaw, another big oil centre, the walls were not destroyed, and it is We that Germany and Austria are now drawing some 50,000 tons of crude oil a month. The wells of Hanover and Alsace produce some WO,OOO tons a year. As far as Roumania is concerned, that country annually produces about a million tons of crude petroleum more than she consumes. Although nearly a third of the foreign capital invested in Roumanian oil interests is held by Germany, that country some time back prohibited the export of motor spirit and the lighter kinds of petroleum, an important decree from the Allies' point, of view.

News of a somewhat remarkable performance of a single-cylinder machine has reached New Zealand from the Old Country. A standard single-cylinder motor-cycle, with a heavy side-car attached, was driven four times in succession up a hill with a grade oE 1 in G. On the first occasion there were four passengers aboard, then five were tried with equal success, and six passengers then ascended the hill on the combination. Lastly, no fewer than seven passengers mounted the combination, and were successful in reaching the top without a stop or a mishap of any kind. The total weight of the combination and the seven passengers was 12%e\vt. To prove the correctness of this statement tile official weighbridge card has been sent out to the Dominion. In order to test the breaking pnwers of the machine, the combination. was driven down the hill in question with the seven passengers aboard, and the bottom was reached in safety. This is truly a remarkable performance, more especially so when it is mentioned that a standing start was made in each instance.

This year, owing to the heavy call on the English motor trade by the War Office, practically no new models will be listed for 1816. In America., wliich is the only country whose motor trade is being carried on'without, interference from the war, several new tendencies are noted in design, etc. Out of !I4 different models of cars listed by the leading manufacturers for 1016, 35 are fitted with six-cylinder engines. 37 with four, 15 with eight, and six with twelre cylinders. The progress made in America in ''lights'' is remarkable, for in 1013 this type of engine only amounted to .06 of the total, whereas it lias now risen to practically Hi per cent. Tn most instances as the number of cylinders increases, the bore of same decreases. One striking departure is the tendency to turn out engines with detachable engine heads, this type now being adopted to the extent of 08.8 per cent, of the American cars. As regards ignition, the use of the magneto is rapidly waning. Out of the (14 cars under notice, only a quarter of their number have magnetos fitted, the balance having ignition of the battery and distributor type, the popularity of which has been stimulated by the fact that electric engine starting and lighting systems. which involve the use of a dynamo and storage battery, are now in general use. In clutches the disc type is in the ascendancy, being fitted to 52.7 per cent of the cars, as against 47.2 per cent, with clutches of the leatlier-cone variety. Finally, with regard to transmission, the worm-drive lias made no progress, the tendency of the moment being apparently in the direction of using the spiral form of bevel gear.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/TDN19160212.2.70

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Taranaki Daily News, 12 February 1916, Page 11

Word count
Tapeke kupu
2,288

MOTOR AND CYCLE Taranaki Daily News, 12 February 1916, Page 11

MOTOR AND CYCLE Taranaki Daily News, 12 February 1916, Page 11

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