1928-11-14 — Page 10

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MOTORING NOTES

CROSS-ROAD PUZZLE.

·AMERICA'S LATEST IDEA.

"STOP DEAD" BEFORE CROSSING."

[UY THE HON, MAYNARD GREVILLL.]

Periodically, various schemes are put forward for the prevention "of accidents at road crossings, such as the right-hand rule or new methods of signalling; but they all meet with a rather mixed reception.

The latest iden hails from America. It is actually working in at least one State; and though at first sight it would seem to be rather drastic, it has the undoubted ad vantage over the ather, schemes. that it does not give anyone a right over anyone else. This method is the one adopted in Mirhigan State to prevent side collisions, or even

nt

bond in which the traffic was heavy,

(CONTD)

CARS OF TO-DAY.

fi

AUSTIN SIXTEEN 6-CYL.

THE HONG KG G DAILY PRESS, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 14th, 1928.

simply, the spindles operating the cams being anchored to the top of the stub axles. The track rod is adjustable and behind the axle, and there are jacking pads on the axle. The springs are half-ellip- tical, and those in front have the least camber. There are no stops behind the back shackles. "The suspension works with shock absor bers fore and aft Instead of gaiters, there are aluminium plates between the leaves. The rear springs are underslung.

The mechanism of the Austin Sixteen six-cylinder saloon is clean in design, and gives reasonable

At the back of the body there is accessibility, while the car has an a folding grid, and in front of this attractive appearance.

4 apare wire wheel and tyres. The With its litre six-cylinder en-jack is fixed under the bonnet, and zine, a moderately low top gear of in the scuttle there is a tool cup- 3.18 to 1 and a chassis weight of board. On the dash, on the off-side, wt., this Sixteen has unusually are the electrical cut-out and fuse. good acceleration and climbing The arrangement of the body struck.

me favourably. The saloon is a powers. For example, on the open short upgraded stretch 38 miles an fourdoor five-seater, with partly hour was attained. The road was, fexible fabric covering. Each front dry and there were only two per seat can be adjusted. There are sons in the saloon, but the old six side. windows, and all the Dashwood Hill was rough and the glasses can be moved. The two breeze was partly against the car. front ones go all the way down, The rates at the bottom and top of and the driver has a quick-action the new hill were 30 and 43 miles lever for raising or lowering his an hour, and with a standing start glass. a third the crest of the old hil! was passed at 3

The bore and stroke of the engine are 65.3 and 11mm, and the brake horee-power at 2,400 r.p.m. is giren as 40. The crank-shaft runs in eight bearings and the valves are, on the near side. The tappets can I adjusted in the ordinary way.

head-on meetings af mad junctions. Although covers are meant to he as the rule insists that anyone ap-oil-retaining, there should be no proaching one of these scheduled red for a lot of small bolts to hold crossing must actually stop dead manifolds are above. The former the piates. The inlet and exhaust efore proceeding.

The obvious argument against this has a branch towards each end and two double branches either side of rule is that it would seriously im the centre. There are buffer ends. pair average speed-figures on a long The exhaust manifold has the pipe journey, but this would only be connected to it forwards. The true if the rule was applied indi-brass holding nuts Can be got criminately

Avery erassing, Should a rule of this kind be adopt-arburettor is accessible for clean- Ar with a box Spanner. The ed in this country 1 should suggesting or changing the jets, a hot-spot that it should supply only to really is provided for the mixture, and dangerous crossings in neighbour- feed is on the autovac system. The It would obvoiusly be absurd iti petrol tank, which holds eight gallons, is below the front seats. enforced at every little crossing,

the side but there is a good den to be said filler is extended to for the idea if used with discretion, and is freely got at with the off-side Take, for instaner, its effect on a door open. An extension inside the mouth of the filler can be pulled really dangerous' right-angle inter- section of two main roads, where out, and a flexible extension nozzle both lines of traile have an equal is supplied in the kit, for filling right to the roud. Every car on reaching it would actually have to stop for a fraction of a scéond, and even if two cars did hit each other they would be going too slowly, even with the Bercest acceleration, to do any really serious damage, either to the vehicles "or the occup ants.

Little Time Lost..

from a can,

"

Olling Arrangements.

The oiling arrangements are sen sible. Lubrication is forced to all the engine bearings and a feed is inken to the timing chain, which is at the back of the engine. There is a good-sized filler with a pull-of lid and a deep gauze inset; near by is a Boat level indicator, and As to the time lost, provided the on the same side, under the bonnet, rule was only applied at really dan on the dash, is a large circular oil gerous crossings, it would be very filter. There are no obstructions or little. I recently tried the expert attachments to the cylinder head." ment on a twenty-mile stretch of The sparking plugs are to hand in road on which I instituted three of the centre of the head. The film these stop "crossings for my own radiator is mounted in the shell, benefit. The time lost, taken by and there is eccentric adjustment stop watch, was only a few seconds for the belt driving the fan behind for the total of all three as against On the off side there is a water taking the crossings in the normal pump, and at the bottom of the way at about 20 miles an hour. Leasing is a tap, which also drains the authorities ever thought of intro the radiator. The gland of the during a regulation of this kind in pump can be regulated or repacked this country it must not be over-without dismantling. In tandem done, hat I should think that 02 with the pump and behind it is the a normal hundred-mile run nay, generator. I saw no means of, where one would unlikely to find

adjusting the timing chain from more than half a dozen crossings outside. The distributor and make- of this type, where the stop

and-break are vertically driven rule would be in force.

above the generator, and can be examined without loss of time. Steering is by warm and wheel.

This rule also would not interfere with any other regulation which might be brought in, such as giving

Engine, clutch, and gear-box, form way to traffic on the right, as any

a unit; the whole is held at three crossing where the stop rule was in

points: the forward single bearing force would, have an easily dis

is rubber lined. A single-plate dry tinguished and appropriate sign clutch bas toggles for the with- with a coloured light at night..

It may be asked how this "stop" drawal; they can be adjusted. The rule could be enforced, and doubt. Pedal travel can also be altered. less it would be impossible to do Clutch and brake pedals can be so in all cases. At the same time moved. for length. The spigot hear stop at one of these ug is automatically lubricated. neglect to crossings would in itself, constitute The starter is built into the clutch dangerous driving, and if an ac housing face, which is cast with the cident did occur, and it could be gear-box and is on the near side: proved that one of the vehicles did There is no inspection plug over not comply with the rule; that the pinion, although the starter can vehicle would have to take the be slucked back by undoing three There appeared to be no blame for the accident, while, if nuts..

policeman

the means of lubrication for the cluteb was présent. motorist would always be liable to pedal shaft bearings. be summoned, even if no accident occurred. ...

2

Right-band Rule.

Four Forward Speeds. There are four forward speeds. I have already given the top ratio, With regard to the suggested rule and the other three are 8, 12, and that traffic at cross-roads should 20 to one. Thirty by sin. tyres are give way to vehicles on the right, supplied. The speeds are changed which is frequently known as the by a central lever, which has a catch right-hand rule," I have always for reverse, and works in a visible been, and still am, in favour of it, gate formed with the lid of the though I know that it has several gear-box. In the lid there is a filler disadvantages. The argument is plug, and a level tap is convenient- frequently put forward that, as our

ly placed in the near side. Just be- rule of the road is the opposite to hind the box is a locomotive-con- any other, and entails driving on tracting brake, which has been used the left, we should give way to

on Austin ears now for several vehicles on the left of us at cross years. Etch shoe can be adjusted ronds. I do not think this is 40. by hand from each side near the as the important thing is that the top, and there are rubber washers, driver sits on the right of the car which allow some compensation. he is driving, and always has This brake is worked by a hand better field of vision on his right ever placed just to the offside of It is easier for him to see things the speed lever. The propeller shaft approaching from the right than from the left, and therefore it is is open, and is coupled forward by better for him to give way to the things on his right.

Hardy, type of joint and by a metal universal at the back. The rear axle is three-quarter Boating, and contains belient bevel gear mounted on roller bearings. Al- teration in the depth of the mesh of the crown wheel can be made externally from the back of the axle

At any rate am quite certain within the next few years some rale of precedence will have to be adopted at cross-roads, as undoubt edly many accidents at these points happen through the belief shared by both drivers that the other man a sleeves going to give way. There is a type of arrogant individual who always presumes, whether he is on his feet or in charge of a car, that everyone else is going to get out of his way, and when two of these meet at right angles the inevitable happens. -London Morning, Post.

A pedal applies the four-wheel brakes. Balance of action between the front and rear sets is provided, and there is a convenient primary hand adjuster. Cables are used for the final application, both front. and back, and the four drums are enclosed. The front brakes work-

A good view behind is afforded by a wide window. There is enough head clearance, and the seating was comfortable.

GOODYEAR TYRES.

HOW THE RIGHT CORD FABRIC WAS DIS- COVERED...

One of the first tyre manufac- turers to recognise that the cord framework or foundation has more to do with the ultimate mileage of tyre than anything else, was the Goodyear Tyre & Rubber Company. Years ago they set to work to dater- mine exactly which species of cotton should be used and how it should be constructed and built into the tyre. Along series of experiments followed, which led back even to the growing of cotton, to the ascer taining of the best cotton markets and eventually to the establishment of five fabric mills in variou, parts of the United States and Canada. These: mills are now devoted ex- elusively to the fabricating of cord for Goodyear tyres

After the various kinds of cord fabric were made, they were built into Goodyear tyres and exhaustive

A SPORT THAT BANS BOOKMAKERS.

Turning to the question of riders, the Master said that originally they brought over from Australia, under contract, about

laboratory and road tests were "con- ducted. It was during these tests that engineers found that the main cause of unsatisfactory mileage or of premature failure was "fabric.POPULARITY OF DIRT-TRACK leven riders. Four more under

fatigue." Ordinary cord seemed always to lose its life after the tyres bad rus but a few thousand miles.

This was caused, they found, by the lack of stretch, flexibility and which made up the body of the tire. durability of the individual cards The tread stood up, it was discover- ed, but the cords did not conform

RACING. "

contract had recently arrived, and,

in addition, they had several Eng

·

Colonel the Master of Sempill,tish riders under contract.

"The ambition among motor- tory meeting of Speedways Trust, cyclists and others here to become presiding in London at the statu-

Limited, which owns International | dirt-track specialista,” he said, “is

said that quite remarkable.

We have had

to the natural rolling action of the Speedways, Limited, tyres and every time the tyre struck dirt-track racing had become ex many hundreds of applications. an obstacle in the road, each cordceedingly popular in this country. Our speedways are open for prac would stubbornly resist the blow.

It had proved itself to be a tice, and by this means we have The result was a quick failure of fabric in the body of the tyre.

and thoroughly clean sport...

been able to select and we are still The original policy of the direc-selecting riders of promise. Some

fine

of them have become very expert. I predict that next year there will be quite a number of British riders well able to compete with our friends from Australia, America, and the Continent generally."

In order to correct this condition, the engineers worked out à frame- work that was unusually durable or policy to which they had and flexible. Each cord was spun most stringently adhered-was de- of choice fibre cotton and woven infinitely to prohibit book makers or such a manner that it would stretch betting at all meetings. He was and recover time and again before glad to say that this policy had proved successful in every way, losing its flexibility.

This cord-Supertwist Good- and did not deter the real sport Kear's highly elastic tyre cording public from attending the Weather conditions would neces material overcomes "fabric fatigue" meetings The average paying at- sitate a close season, and for a few and has made, Goodyear. tyres give tendances had shown a very steady months their tracks would be closed the long mileage that they do. It increase, being during September down, although they hoped to con- percent. in excess of the tinue racing for some weeks yot on is a patented Goodyear process that 129

average in May.

some of them. enn be found in no other tyre.

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