HIGH ROAD AND BY-ROAD

Waikato Times, Volume 122, Issue 20492, 7 May 1938, Page 28 (Supplement)

HIGH ROAD AND BY-ROAD

Hk— ; A COLUMN FOR MOTORIBTB. 5 l OVER INFLATION OF TYRES I NECESSITIES FOR SAFETY

COMFORT AND ROAD HOLDING j — | ■' TYRE SALESMAN'S OPINION | , j i There appears to be a great differ- I J ?nce of opinion regarding the correot ; lyre pressure to use in the modern ; j motor car, as car manufacturers' in- j struction books differ from tyre ! t , makers’ advice to a marked degree. ; . Most owners overdo tyre pressures, ! | being only concerned with the life of ] their tyres, not realising that over- j . inflated tyres cause damage to the ! ; chassis and body, and the cost of con- I ' tinual adjustments far outweigh the : problematical extra mileage that the . tyres may do. Furthermore, over-inflated tyres are ' dangerous on certain roads. They are ( the of skidding, especially on j j corners that have been top-dressed ( with screenings or gravel. They also ( cause a ear to jump about at the baok on “pot holey" roads. On a greasy woodblock surface, over-inflated tyres are more prone to skid than underinflated. Effect on the Chassis Under-inflation is not advocated but j the tyre pressures are In most Instances 20 to 25 per cent, too high, states a tyre sales manager. Doubtless tyre companies have experimented with their tyres sufficiently to know at what pressure their particular makes give the best results, but it is doubtful If any consideration has been given to the effect of their pressure on the chassis, and, after all, the chassis is 20 times as valuable as the j tyres. The principle of the invention of the ! balloon tyres was that the object went | into the tyre and not the tyre over the 1 object, and the principle still holds ! good, although It was found that to 1 apply it too drastically did damage to j the tyres, and it was necessary to adopt a half-way course. However, with the pressure recommended toy tyre companies to-day, we might as well . ride on the old pressure covers. How many times have you followed behind a car on a normal “pot-holey” road, and seen the rear wheels of the ear in front leave the ground, and sometimes change their line of traok in mid-air. When they do strike the ground again they are spinning faster than when they left the ground and this must have an abrasive action on the tyres, with resultant wear. STORING THE CAR TO PREVENT DETERIORATION When storing the car for the winter i there are many precautions to prevent i undue deterioration. Jack the oar off the ground so that ! all four wheels are free of pontaot I with the concrete flooring. There la j bound to be a certain amount of air ] j lost and tyres would sag; if the full' weight of the car rests upon partly deflated covers the walls of the tyres will suffer. Cracks will probably develop in the canvas. If there ts only one mechanical Jack available a simple way of supporting the car Is to jack up each wheel In turn and then placs a block of wood under the axle adjacent to the wheel; remove the jack and proceed with the next wheel, and so on. The plated parts of the cor should .be treated with a very thin film of vaseline or oil to protect them against the effects of humidity. The whole car should be covered with a cloth, of canvas type to give a similar measure of protection against dampness. The battery should be the car, and if possible leave it a*t the local electrical service depot where it can be kept In a good state of charge. If the battery Is neglected for si* months, it is not likely to toe In very good condition at the end of that time. Get the battery station to give it a good charge about every month or six weeks to keep it in as good condition as possible. The radiator should be drained of all its water. AN INNOVATION ■COMFORT STATION” INAUGURATED The Victorian Country Hoads Board lias opened a ‘‘Comfort Station" at j Port Campbell, adjacent to one of the highways under its control. The | station contains a furnished lounge j and other conveniences that will be | appreciated by travellers. • The idea originated in an unusual mannei. The chairman of the Country Hoaus Board (Mr Frlcke) some time back borrowed from a Jewish gentleman a book containing laws of the ancient Hebrews, one of which debarred the disciples of the wise to live in any town where the following ten conj veniences were not found: —Physician, surgeon, running water, house of wor- , ship, school teacher, recorder, collec--1 tor for charity, tribunal with police j Powers, a bath house and a comfort i station. The owner of the book ex- ! plained that a comfort station was i simply a place where the wayfarer ! might retire for rest and ablutions. The Innovation of the Victorian I Country Roads Board is one that is ! 'lire to appeal to motorists and other ■ ii Mvellers, and judging by the requests being received by the board from other | country centres for plans of the j station’ it will probably not be long be--1 fore the idea takes tangible form at j popular resorts along Victorian high- ! ways. In fact, says the Dunlop Bulletin, the "Comfort Station" scheme Is ! one well worth developing along Ausi tralia’s major highways, - and if neces- ! sary, is worthy of subsidy out of the i sums now contributed in special motor ! taxation by owners of automobiles. j Excessive vibration nr shake nf mod- ! ern engines is an indication of over-. ! flexibility of the rubber blocks which ! support them. This is due to lonse--1 ness or softening of the rubber. Try lightening the bolts; if the trouble continues new blocks may be required. Search for and correct any oil leak which may lie saturating the block and causing disintegration. The sea and roads are so rough that it is a pleasure to get off the ground into the air, said a Scottish novelist recently.

The good driver must Know his vehicle and what it will do or, even more importantly, what it will not do. He must keep his car in good repair. He must not trust himself with flimsy brakes, Improperly adjusted headlamps, worn tyres, faulty equipment. A safe rule is that brakes should be e\jual to the engine, worthy of a rating as high or superioe to the power characteristics of the engine. No car with poor brakes should even be allowed on the road. It is too dangerous. Long skill and experience teach the professional driver. He knows how to approach and take curves. The poor driver rushes into a curve, throttle open, and then, terrified, jams on his brakes, perhaps throwing his car into a skid. The good driver goes into the curve at a, safe speed. Entering at diminished speed and seeing what is before him, his foot presses the accelerator and speed is picked up as the car completes its turn.

PEDESTRIANS’ RESPONSIBILITY AN IMPORTANT JUDGMENT An important and far-reaching legal decision was recently given In England as the outcome of an action by a motorist against a pedestrian who was j | held responsible for an accident caused j j through her careless walking. i The motorist stated that a woman Iran from a house in front of his car. 1 He endeavoured to avoid her, but oonlld ! not. The car hit a bank at the road- j ' side, the driver suffering sprains, j bruises and shock. Suing the pedes- •; . trian, he was awarded £IOO damages, j This highly important Judgment em- j j phasises strikingly the responsibility ;of pedestrians as road users. It also j j draws attention to the remedy avail- i | able to motorists who are involved in j jan accident as the result of careless- i | ness of pedestrians. : For too long have motor drivers had j to bear the brunt of accidents caused i toy people who walk carelessly across ! streets and highways. The English j award establishes a precedent, and should serve to bring home to pedeß- : trlans the fact that they, as well as j motorists, have their responsibility as road users.