1931-05-05 — Page 2

CARING FOR THE TYRES.

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HONG KONG DAILY PRESS, TUESDAY, MAY 5, 1931.

SPARKS

FROM THE PLUGS

out causing any damage to the tyres; but, should the pressure be maintained at a higher or lower lovel than that recommended, the WHERE BIG SAVING CAN BE motorist lays himself open to seri- ous trouble at a later date, the in- terval of time being controlled by the extent to which the tyre has been inflated over or under the recommendation.

MADE.

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Friction and Hoat From Under- Inflation.

In the case of an under-inflated tyre, the flexing of the side wail sets up friction, and this friction enines heat. Rubber is a bad con-

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benefits which should be obtained eliminated, but the shock and heat are transmitted to the carcase of the tyre, which, as 'nreviously non- tioned, deteriorates rapidly, in proportion to the increase in tem- perature.

Correct Alignment Essential to Economy,

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Every day thousands of pounds ar literally thrown away by the

Air pressure, whilst a very im- every-growing army of motorists,

portant factor, is not everything to and a further huge sum is added

be considered when caring for the to running costs through neglect of

tyre. Very few motorists appear their tyres. A motor vehicle func

to appreciate that it is possible to tions only in propertion to the

wear the tread completely off any time, care and inspection given it; ductor of heat; cotton naturally tyre in an extraordinary low mile. but how many motorists include loses its flexing qualities with idage should the wheels of the vehicle tyre inspection under this head-ereased temperature. The obvious be running out of alignment. You result ja that either the cotton corda i cannot see, in many cases, by look. ing?

will fracture or the rubber willing at a vehicle whether or not separate from the cotton, thus the wheels are running in line, and weakening the side walls of the it is necessary to have them checked tyre, and possibly causing complete by the agent for your car or by collapso early in its life.

a garage proprietor if you wish to obtain from your tyres the maxi- mum lify which is built into them by the manufacturer.

It is dangerous to run an engine short of oil, but how many people realize it is equally dangerous to run their tyres short of air ↑

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The tyre manufacturers make a tyre suitable for every vehicle at present manufactured, and issue, printed form, information show- ing the cornet load which any tyre ahould carry, and the right air 'pressure which is necessary to pro- duce the maximum of riding com- fort and the minimum of fatigue in steering the vehielo.

An over-inflated tyre compels the tread to assume an incorrect con- tour, which does not allow the full tread width of the tyre to come into contact with the 'road surface, Thus the tyre load is carried by only a portion of the actual tread, That portion is overloaded, and, in consequnner, generates.excessivo heat.

Now, immediately underneath the Heneath the rubber tread on a trend of a tyre is a section of what tyre is a carcass of cotton, which is known as "cushion"-in other is built up to carry a definite load. words, a layer of rubber around its The side walls of this carenee are eircumference which is softer than Er constructed as to flex without the outside trend. This acts as a fracturing the cotton. The tyre shock absorber, Should the tyre be pressure recommended for any over-infabed, the shock will be ab- vehicle is such that motorist can sorbed by a small percentage of take advantage of this flexing with that cushion, and not only are the

THE RED RING FOR SECURITY

Agents:

W. R. LOXLEY & Co..

YORK BUILDING.

Telephone: 22295.

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tates to the internal air pressure POPULARITY OF THE WHERE BRITISH CAR | to 40 without unulur discomfort. By

beyond the rubber forming the tead of side wall of the tyre. This very often takes the form of a

blister, and eventually causes a burst which in many cases ruins both the tyre and tube. Maximum Expectancy if Cazed For. A little time spent on inspecting the tyres of your car will in all probability beamply repaid by your obtaining the maximum life built into them at the factory. The following are the major points which, when checked regularly, will Be a long way towards achieving this end:

1. Remove all tyres periodically. 2. Inspect rims for truth, re. moving rust and giving a coating ot steck black or similar solution. 3. Inspect the inside of the covers for pieces of foreign matter or small fractures of the carcase due to concussion bruises incurred during running,

4. Inspect tabes for porosity, rust marks, damaged or leaky valves, Inose particles, and so on.

6. Refit tho tyre and inflate to correct pressure.

And

7. Test heel alignment. steering connections in order to ascertain whether any excessive play is to be traced between the steering wheel and the movement of the road wheels.

MOTOR-CYCLE.

RECORD YEAR EXPECTED,

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It is probable that the year 1931 will be a record one for motor. cycling in Great Britain. The or ders that have been booked by manufacturers and retailers already well above the average. And there are indications that the increasing popularity of the small car will hardly affect the sales of motor-bicycles this year. It is not

the

yet possible to say how the small car will ultimately affect the motor cycle, but so far there is evidence of a steady increase in the number of two-wheeled vohicles -on ronds of England. It is estimated that this summer there will be more than 700,000 motor-cycles in use in the country.

Simple to drive, with excellent braking systems, some authorities state that the new models are safer than the four-wheeled car. Tho construction of these new British machines is such that the amatour

MAKERS LEAD.

SUCCESS OF THE SMALL-

ENGINED FAMILY" TYPE.

Britain is the only country which has successfully tackled the small- Our engined family type of car. inspiration came from the horse- power tax, but it is doubtful if its abolition would materially alter the

horsepower of engines for many

years.

The Americans have kept to their large engines, and few Continental makers have tackled the small en- gine.

The Rover Company has always been a leading firm in making

judicious use of gears in village and, small town traffic and with four up, I found that I could aver- AR! a over a 100-mile run.

The top gear is essentially main road gear. The car can ba driven at anything from five or six miles an hour to its maximum on this gear. I found, however, that it was necessary to drop down to a lower ghar when, a steep hill was reached.

Petrol consumption worked out ag about 27 miles to a gallon. Spring-

there is ample log room. My pas- ing was particularly good, and

sengers were particularly impress- ed by the comfort of the back sent, There was a slight door rattle in the model I tried. It had already

all-capacity engines, and I have done just over 2000 miles. The had the opportunity of trying out | rattle was vasily cured by insert- the new Rover 10-25 horse-powering a small rubber buffer. I tried Weymann saloon.

several other modela, and found that this rattle was peculiar to the model I tested.

Good Acceleration. This model, has a very fine ap prarance, and looks as if it might well be in the £300-£400 glass. Its engine performance is remarkably good. I would not describo it as

"There is also a further condition which requires your consideration, that is cuts in tyres. Should a tyre receive a cut which penetrates the trend rubber, and exposes the caresse, this cut or hole forms a pisange for all, foreign matter, 'in- cluding water, into the earense of the tyre, The greatest enemy of all is water. In normal running, the injured portion becomes filled Your garage will probably quote with water, and the cotton in the you a sinal inclusive charge for carcase sonks up soṁo of this water This service, a charge which, wildriver can very quickly learn every like blotting-paper. This even.

ne doubt be saved over and over thing, essential about the mechan- tunlly causes the wet cotton to again by the extra tyre miles ism, and be sure of being able to separate from the rubber, and soon | achieved. Finally, test your pres a section of the tyre has no resis aures once every week.-Autocar." do all but the heaviest, of repairs without the assistance of a skilled mechanic. The prices vary from £20 to £100, and the upkeep and running costs are, compared with

This is fast enough for any fami- those of a car, almost negligible.ly ear of this type, The accelorn- tion in quite good, particularly oo. second gear, which will take the car

RED RING

AND

SAFETY

TREAD

The Motorist who changes to India Super Tyres enjoys a two-fold security.

1. The much improved safety trend grips the road and makes steering and coruering

ensier.

2. He learns that the Red Ring means more miles for his money that they are firm allies of his pocket as well as of his comfort and safety.

INDIA SUPER TYRES

THE WORLD'S BEST,

There are many machines now ›on the market which will trave! from 100 to 120 miles on one gallon of petrol; and 1,000 miles on a quart of lubricating oil. There is at bre sent no country in the world which manufactures better motor-cycles than Great Britain. English machines, because of their fine quality and the great variety of makes suitable for almost every purpose, territory and climate, are to be found everywhere.

GOLDEN ENGLAND.

A RUN WITH THE NEW

AUSTIN.

Last week by the courtesy of the Austin agents, Alex. Ross & Co., I had the pleasure of riding in an Austin seven sport roadster. The name of the car is the Golden' England and it is an excellent little machine. We drove up the Taipo Bond and the motor behaved very well. It took the steep road in high gear and was able to acceler ate at the worst parts of the grades.

The Golden England has specially built body slung on a standard chassis, and is made with the comfort of the passengers in mind, as well as lightness, the body being of composition metal instead of steel. Pneumatic upholstery is standard and can be pumped to the desired pressure. This feature allows for the individual owner's needs in the driving position.

One of the best features, in my mind, is that the little ear will do

60 miles on a gallon of petrol. It, must be admitted that this makes

for cheap running:

The car is also built to take the aide swing as well as the pitch of the road shocks and this gives easy riding qualities.

The only cause for criticism, that I could see, in that the hand brake is in rather a poor position, but as most people only use the hand brake to hold their car when it is stopped this is of minor import- ance, and to the man who is in the habit of using the hand brake on the road it could be very easily haoged to fit his personal needs.

Of course the car. is not designed. for a family party or for heavy work, but, for the man or woman who wants a fast, economical car in the baby class, it is idea!,

The driver's position is excep- tionally good. One looks out just over a long black bonnet which gives that "powerful car" feeling. The sliding roof fite tightly, and is essentially a one-man type. Tho a fast car. I was unable to ex-slightest touch sends it sliding ceed the 60-mile-an-hour mark, along its well-fitting grooves. The although I made several favourable brakes, if not powerful, were good, and quite ap to requirements of attempts on pushing the speedome the car. ter needle a little further round. Against a stop watch I covered a quarter of a mile at 67 miles an hour.

The

The engine is of 1183 cc., rated 9.8 hp. (£10 tax) The valves are overhead type operated by long push rods from a camshaft in the crankcase driven by silent chain from the crankshaft. The price of the ear, fitted with safety glass and all accessories, in £189. Norman Rao in Evening Standard,

WISE BIRD

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