HIGH ROAD AND BY-ROAD

Waikato Times, Volume 121, Issue 20266, 7 August 1937, Page 28 (Supplement)

HIGH ROAD AND BY-ROAD

A COLUMN FOR MOTORISTS.

FUEL OIL ENGINES. The opinion has been expressed by the head of a well-known engineering firm in England associated with the manufacture of motor cars that, although there is considerable doubt about the high-compression Diesel engine ever being adopted for motor cars in any numbers, there appears to be a distinct future for the lowcompression fuel oil engine. This type of power unit is practically a combination of the ordinary Diesel and the petrol engine. Injector pumps for the fuel oil are used, but as the engine has low compression an ignition system similar to that fitted to cars is employed. No carburettor Is needed. Suoh a power unit running on fuel oil Instead of petrol would weigh no more than the petrol unit, and its cost would be almost the same, excepting perhaps the Injector mechanism. Greater mileage per gallon of fuel would be obtained, while the cost of the fuel would, of course, be very, much less. This type of engine has already been used successfully in commercial vehicles, while it is stated that several European manufacturers are turning their attention to the type for car use. THE SHOCK. From the English Used Motor Show, which closed its doors recently, come several strange stories. Here is one that a dealer was recounting concerning a north country motorist who had seen a car advertised and had driven up to London to make the best part exchange possible. All went well until the north country man asked how much would be allowed on his old car. The salesman named a figure and the customer fainted, which, when you come to think of the offers that are made for old cars nowadays, was not very surprising. According to the dealer, when he told the story, he is still waiting for the customer —who had to be taken away in an ambulance—to return to consciousness so that he can learn whether the shock to his system was caused by the unexpected generosity of the offer or whether he had very much under-estimated the value that the owner placed upon his old car. He scarcely believes in the latter possibility. 1L TRAGEDY IN SPEED. The momentum or force generated by the velocity of a fast-moving motor vehicle plays a very important part ! when an emergency calls for rapid i acceleration. An illustration of this ; was provided in a recent fatal motor | acoident in Victoria. An examination of the scene of the j accident disclosed that after the ap- ! plication of the brakes, shown by j markings on the gravelled road, the ; car—one of the best-braked vehicles i in the world —had travelled 240 feet ! before it struck a kerb. It then ; hurtled 53 feet along a footpath, i struck a post, rlchochetted on to an- ! other post, and then.tore three others j from the ground. Eventually the car j —a heavy vehicle —came to rest 111 ! feet from the point of the first Impact. Figures such as these should be well digested by those drivers who are prone to place too much relianoe on the stopping powers of the brakes of their vehicles when travelling at a high rate of speed. After all, there are only a few inches of rubber in each tyre contacting with the road surface, and all the terriflo forces brought into operation by the application of power- ; ful brakes can be effectively applied only when the tyre treads bite I. ; j surface of the road. Obviously a wei, smooth bitumenised road, or one surfaced with loose gravel, nullifies to a : 1 great extent the stopping powers of a j fast-travelling motor vehicle, particu- i larly if the tyres are worn smooth. ! Driving on such roads calls for a' 1 slackening of speed and particular . care when cornering.

CAR DOOR HINGES. ■ Two years of service is sufficient I time for wear to develop in the hinges and pins of car doors, with the result that doors are allowed to move more freely and rattles become pronounced. New pins will make a difference; over-sized pins might be necessary for . the best results | A number of manufacturers go to I the trouble of fitting a grease point to | all hinge pins, and there should be no i difficulty in fitting one to existing installations. Regular lubrication' wHI reduce squeaks and wear, and ease the opening and closing of doors. BAHREIN OIL FIELDS. INTEREST TO SHIP BUILDERS. The extensive operations of the Bahrein Petroleum Company Limited , have arouse'd considerable interest amongst British ship builders, i Tankers will be required to carry the increasing output and the British ship builders are speculating on construction being placed in the United Kingdom. The production of crude oil in Bahrein in the first quarter of 1937 was 2,079,000 barrels, an appreciable increase compared with 1,249,000 barrels for the last quarter of the preceding year. How rapidly the output has been developed, is shown by the fact that the total for the first quarter of 1936 was 699,000 barrels. Bahrein Island, the British Pro- ! tectorate in the Persian Gulf and I therefore part of the British Empire, |is one of the most outstanding fields j of recent years. | SPARKS. Driver (to passenger looking at the dip stick) ; “ How much oil is there?” Passenger: “Well it says half, but I don’t know whether it means half full or half empty.” An emergency battery cable can be made by putting several strands of flexible insulated wire through a piece of rubber tubing. A cable made in this manner should be replaced as soon as a regular cable can be procuredHeard in Court: Police constable giving evidence: “She left her oar ] there for 35 minutes, causing an ob- . struction.” Clerk: “Defendant writes to say he | has been there for five or six years ” The manufacture of the worldfamous Borough Superior motor oyoles are now turning out a hand-made car specially to order. One of these recently arrived in New Zealand, and it created considerable interest among motoring enthusiasts who have inspected it in Otago. The question of the seriousness of back-fires in cars and buses was discussed in a case in the Arbitration Court in Timaru recently (says the Timaru Herald). A witness said that all cars from “baby” Austins to omni- | buses would back-fire. His Honour Mr Justice O’Regan: Is the back-flr3 of a “baby” Austin as bad as that of a bus?” Witness: I should say not. His Honour: No. I have handled wheelbarrow's nearly as big as “baby” Austins. A complaint regarding the gross carelessness of a number of motorists who persist in driving cars with a faulty headlight w'as made to the Wanganui Chronicle by a resident who returned from Wellington recently. It was stated that at least seven motor cars which w-ere passed between Turakina and Wanganui had only one effective front lamp each. This w'as all the more noticeable as the majority of drivers observed one of the courtesies of the road in “dipping" the right-hand light for the convenience of approaching drivers.

FINES AS YOU GO. The New’ York authorities have adopted a system for dealing with technical motoring faults in cases where the driver pleads guilty, fixedscale fines being imposed on the' spot and payable to the warrant oflicer. This right of avoiding appearance at a police court is extended only to first offenders, and where the offence is held to be technical. The offences of driving on the w'rong side of the road, driving .the WTOng way in a street designated for one-way traffic, failing to give the right-of-w'ay to pedestrians, and mounting the pavement w’hen manoeuvring are each punishable by fines of 10s. Parking within 15 feet of a street corner carries a 5s fine. The scheme aims at cutting out the waste of time of motorists hanging round police courts waiting for their summonses to be heard. If the motorist does not plead guilty he may defend the charge at the police court in the usual way. IN ENGLAND NOW. This Is how the Motor views the situation—- “ Things they say: ‘Drivers who do not keep their eyes glue'd on the road in front of them from split second to split second are guilty of driving without due care and attention.’—Mr Percy Macbeth, Salford Stipendiary. “And what about watching overtaking traffic In one’s mirror, watching the speedometer in built-up areas, watohlng for traffic coming out of side turnings, looking behind when reversing, and, having slowed down to a crawl, looking at signposts, Belisha beacons, pedestrians messing about on crossings and observing dogs, childr^ 4 n - horses, cyclists and policemen? “ ‘ Do you find your patience so predominant in your nature that you can let this go?’’’—Another Macbeth.