1935-07-30 — Page 2

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MILEAGE-LIFE OF MODERN TYRES

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Effect Of Improvement In Braking

Remarkably divergent reports have reached me of late concern- ing the mileage-life of well-known makes of tyres, and during a re- cent visit to Birmingham, Coven- try, and other motor manufac- turing centres I made a point of discussing this matter with a prominent personality in the mo- tor manufacturers.

There was general agreement that after increasing continuously for a number of years, the mile- age-life of tyres in general has been tending to decline iately- tor two or three years past-taking the average, and that there were two reasons in particular, neither of which was within the control of either the motor or the tyre manufacturer. \

Improvement in braking follow- ing upon the universal adoption of Tour-wheel brakes was the chief of the reasons referred to. Mo- torists nowadays "drive on their brakes" to a far greater extent than they did when rear braking alone was available, and there is no doubt hat rapid deceleration, even more than rapid accelera- tion, tends of increase the rate of wear, of tyre treads.

Front wheel brakes, too. often cause the front tyres to wear more rapidly than the rear ones despite the latter having the duty of transmitting power as well as braking effort; this is due to the front brakes doing more than .heir share of work than rear ones when the braking system is used a. all forcibly.

Another of the causes of reduc- ed average of the mileage-l'fe of tyres was said to be the lower centre of gravity in modern cars; this encourages, because it ren- defs, safe faster cornering than previously, and it is a well-known fact that fast cornering is des- tructive of tyres. Then, too, it was pointed out that the average speed or cars had increased of late years, and that more rapid acceleration was the rule, and that, ow.ng to the high speed capabilities of modern en- gines, the majority of drivers climbed steep hills faster than hey did at one time. changing down early and accelerating their engines to the utmost.

But despite all. it was claimed. tyre costs are lower than they were, owing to lower prices and better resistance to wear under given condtions. And I was - clined to agree.

SPEED LIMIT CASES

It would be interesting to learn whether it is true of other parts of Great Brita'n, as was stated in Parlament recently relative to

WITHIN THE LIMIT

Much can be sa'd in favour or the suggestion that 30 m.ph. limit signs should be repeated within a limited area to remind drivers and.. also notify those coming in from side turnings. The idea is quite sound, even if it is doubtful whether the Minister of Transport will accept it. What is really far more urgen, is to continue the campaign for de-restriction where it can be reasonably applied, and for the replacement of the small de-restriction signs by the author- ised 18-inch dises.

If the 30 m.p.h. limit is to be taken seriously by the motorist, the Minister of Transport must see that it is applied in the pro- per spirit. Many, if not the ma- jority, d the local authorities have not applied the limits in an en irely reasonably manner, and .n some cases the police have ta- ken advantage of the opportunit-

s thus prranted.

HONG KONG DAILY PRESS, TUESDAY, JULY 30, 1935.

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MOTOR JOTTINGS

RANDOM NOTES

Gift To National Trust

The National Trust's holdings by Coniston Water, in the Lake District, have recently been in- creased by a generous gift of 118 acres from Mr. James Duckworth. The Trust now. holds nearly 150 acres near Coniston' Water.

Insurance.—The position of me- tor insurance companies which fall to meet liabilities receiving consideration by the Government, and ar announcement by the President of the Board of Trade the is.

after expected shortly Whitsuntide recess.

Oof the world's oil pros duction it is estimated that 59.72 per cent. comes from the United

15.95 States,

per cent. from Europe, 13.12

from per. cent. South America, 5.22 per cent. from Asia. 3.33 per cent, from Oceania 2.56 per cent. from the rest of America and 6.1. per cent.

from South Africa.

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Direction Indicators. — Regula- tion will shortly be made pres- cribing the form which direction Indicators must take when they are fitted.

It is often argued that this mit cannot be enforced where it is most necessary, but this needs some qualification for the police seem to be having some success in catching those who take ad-" vantage of a temporarily clear stretch of street. The driver who momentarily exceeds 30 mph. in Woodlands Road or Both Street, Glasgow, "probably thinks he is safe in doing so, but he is advis ed not to take this for granted. Woodlands Road from 5 to 6 p.m... could well do with a little atten- tion from the police. Fast and foolish driving can often be seen there between the hours mention- ed,

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RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE

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SELLER

Those who sell a used car bave a definite responsibility nowadays to see that it conforms to all the standards laid down by law. It is an offence equally for a private owner and a trader to dispose of a car which does not completely conform to legal requirements. This is not only as regards origin- al design, but also covers such fit- tings as rear mirrors, safety glass In windscreens, and the condition of brakes and tyres. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Tra- ders have drawn up an approved form of certificate for traders so that can, if necessary, provide ab- solute proof of the actual condi tion, of every vehicle sold or paired at the moment of the sale. or repa'r.

re-

NOVEL GUIDE FOR MOTORISTS Of renown in years gone by as motor. Journalist and of late

the London area, that over $0 - years until about twelve months

per cent. of motorists prosecuted for exceeding the 30 m.p.h speed Umit were alone on

their cars. when the alleged excessive speed occurred.

As regards the percentage men- t'oned as applying to the Met- ropolitan area, it was said to re- late to approximately 700 cases. "and not unnaturally the point that has been widely discussed in motoring circles is whether it was pure coincidence that so

many drivers were alone when they were stopped by the police, and were therefore without witzesses who might have Ja'ned the individual. driver in disputing the police evidence,

It has been suggested that there are two alternatives (1) that dri vers when unaccompanied tend to drive faster than when they can- not keep their eyes constantly on the speedometer; and (2) that the police deliberately select solo ✓ctims for an obvious reason-the lack of witnesses on the driver's behalf.-

ago-a prominent official of a well-known Belt'sh motor manu- facturing company. Mr. W. G. M'Minnies, is the author of a guide for motorists that is unique;' and yet it is one of those extreme- ly useful things that, when con- ceived and produced, cause sur prise that nobody ever thought of them before. Though its title, "Signpost" (Simpkin Marshall, 3s Bd net), is not at all informative as to its contents, it would be hard, if not impossible to suggest an alternative that would convey in one word the full extent of its scope, interest, or character.

It is an illustrated and descrip- tive guide to the road houses, country clubs, and the better and brighter inns and hotels of Eng land," to use the author's own words, But is not just a list of such places; each one is describ- *ed at length, with details concern- ing the attractions it offers to the motorisp whether or no he is spe- cially interested in good food and wine twentieth-century comforts, and port of any kind,

Some of the places described possess their own aerodromes, lakes and beaches, golf courses, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, ten- nia, squash, and badminton courts, ball-rooms, and even a private tal-

A friend of mine, discussing this matter, referred to a case in which a driver known to him, when told' by the police that, there were two of them prepared to give evidence that the speed lim't had been éx- ceeded despite his denials, retort- ed that all three of his passengera. were prepared to joint him inkle cinema, swearing that he had, not exceed- ed 30 mph; but the case was ne- ver brought into court! I need hardly point out that even though

has been the case that London; motor patrols have intentionally. selected solo drivers as their vic- time, this does not necessarily imply that the latter have been wrongly charged; it may simply be that the police have pursued the line of least resistance.

Mr. M'Mirinies has spent over six months in paying visits to these places, but though he has visited a very large number and refers to them he does not pro fess to have dealt with all that are ava lable to the motorist, even in England. While, unfortunately, this first edition does not deal with any place in Scotland, it will appeal to Scottish motorists plan. ning to tour south of the Border

and

Mice who said he had invented a de- vice which prevented a car from exceeding 30 m.p.h, has been fined 10s. for speeding at Eigh- gate..

Men.A motorist,

Ribbons. The Restriction of Ribbon Development Bill has been read a third time in the House of Lords, and will come before the House of Commons after the Whitsuntide recess.

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Hey Presto!"From half a ton of coal we can produce nine gal-

U.S. CAR OUTPUT

"STILL HIGH

Production activity in the automobile factories has reached a noteworthy development. Up to the end of May or within a few days beyond it no less than five companies had built and presumably shipped more cal

their plants were than

able to produce during the entire twelve months of 1934, according to tu formation from Detroit durinïs June.

Two other companies were running close to this record and are certain of success before the end

of June. Several other makers are likely to exceed ther 1934 production by the end of the month.

Düring the first Ave months of the year, the industry as a whole- built 1,988,637 units, according to official estimate. This was an Increase of nearly 35 per cent. over the same period of 1934.

With indications pointing to- valume a manufacturing ward that will be sustained well into July by a number of companies, it is evident that the aggregate for the first half of the year will go well above 2,000,000 and esta- blish a substantial basis for pre- dictions that 1935may prove better than a 4,000.000-car year.

In addition to the lowest-priced makes comprising the group known as the "Big Three" Ford. Chevrolet and Plymouth-the cars reporting Increased production are in the medium-price Reid.

ions of motor spirit in one hour." said the director of fuel research in at the Greenwich Research London.

Surplus.-The Mersey Tune) is a great succERS. At a meeting of it was reported its committee

the that traffic revenue from date of the opening last July to the end of March this year was £167.000, as compared with the experts' estimate of £85.000.

Hurrying-up the Crossings-To' ensure that pedestrian crossing" places are rapidly laid down in the provinces, the Minister of Transport has made the offer of a 80 per cent. Road Fund grant towards the initial cost conditio- nal on the schemes being sub- mitted to him before July 31st. later than and completed not September 30th.

Confusing. But Fined-Police evidence was that the placing, of speed limit signs at the Bolton- to was Ukely Bury boundary cause drivers passing out of one area to think that the other. was the limit, and not subject to "vice versa." But the magistrates fined a large number of defen- dants who put forward this de- fence 208. each.

Unreliable.--An indignant corre- spondent writes: "The motor in- dustry is said to be the fourth far- gest in Britain. It is now believed that the three in priority are: (1) manufacture of beacons and speed limit signs, (2) supply of gongs for police cars, and (3) po- lice departs, including stags to deal with summonses, printing of forms and counting piles of money collected from ones."

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MORRIS VALUE FOR MONEY

The following letter from Mr. F V. Jordan, of Mosul, Iraq, con- cerning the 18 hp. Morris Ials model purchased by him three years ago, appeared in a recent number of The "Autocar."

"When on leave in 1932 I pur- chased one of the latest model Isis, after going into the matter very carefully and trying various other makes, and also taking into consideration the value for never re- money basis. I have gretted it.

"At the end of my leave I drove the car out to Iraq," and it has now done nearly 40,000 miles on what I should say are easily the world's worst roads; in fact. 'roads' is a misnomer-they are.. simply desert tracks full of pùmp and pot-holes in the summer, and in the winter a mass of re- liquid clay. So far I have placed one front spring topleaf, renewed all spring shackles, due to their being Tubricated by a mixture of sand and grease, and Atted a new set of piston, rings, These were not really necessary. but the engine was taken down for its annual overhaul, so I put them in. I have also replaced ene valve spring......:

"The body, a soloon, is still as good as new, has not a squeak doors close anywhere, and the

gentle push, although with a many of my friends, from force of habit in using cars with in- ferior bodies, "will" slam them. The paintwork is almost as good. as when I purchased the car. in spite of our temperatures of 120 RUBBER TYRES TAKE TO deg. in the shade in the summer, and of well below freezing in the winter.""

THE RAILS

Keeping pace with expanding use of motorized équipient by railway an American railway company. recently asked the Goodrich engineer to design a special rubber tyred wheel which could be applied quickly and without too much fuss to stan dard motor cars. The photo (below) shows the result, on a

high speeds required for the work. The new Goodrich tyre has aroused a great deal of in- terest among American railway- men, who believe it paves the way for speedy ne patrol with regu- lar. automotive equipment,··' and offers possibilities for detence of the line in unsettled districts, by

car used by the section superin-equipping armoured cars which tendent of the line for Inspection purposes,

[

Built of a tough aluminium alloy, to prevent excessive weight and with hub suspended in rub- ber, the new wheel has a specially compounded tread rubber to with- stand the terrific beat generated at the when running on rails"

can quickly be transferred" to and from highways, as the need may be.

railway in China has also professed Interest in such a mit and it is anticipated that Chines railways all over will find such unit various points.

AN UNUSUAL DESIGN

New L.M.S. Engine

An engine of unusual designi will shortly be making its appear- ance on the main line of the LMS. Railway. For the first time in the history of British railways, the LMS. have con- structed at their. Crewe works a locomotive embodying a turbine engine as the method of traction. "No. 6202 ranks as an engine of the Princess Royal class, with a 4-6-2 wheel arrangement, and she will shortly be tried out experimentally on passenger ser- vices up and down the country,

Although engine No. 6202 is so unconstitutional from an engi- neering point of view, her general appearance is not very much different from an ordinary express locomotive. The drive from the turbine being direct on to the driving wheels, no "machinery”— cylinders, piston rods, connecting or reciprocating rods, etc.-save visible Are the coupling rods, outside the engine. Another: de- parture from standard practice is the provision of a double chim- ney and a small radiator, which is mounted undeneath the smoke- box door.

The advantages claimed for turbine drive are evenness

'of torque, giving smooth starting and stopping and rapid, accelera- tion, and the possibility of reduc- tion in maintenance in both en- gine and track by the abolition of vibration normally associated with an engine working on the reciprocal principle.

THE AVERAGE DRIVER

Uses Brake Too

Much

An average automobile driver applies his brakes more than once a minute in city trame.

Misa Evelyn Willis, an "average" driver selected by the Automobile. Club of Michigan, proved the above statement recently in special tramc brake test spon- sored by the Plymouth Motor corporation.

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Driving a new Plymouth sedan. Miss Wills used her brakes a total of 547 times in eight hours. A "stop meter" attached to the brake pedal of the car registered the number of stops.

The brake test was made in Detroit, traffic under the supervi- sion of automobile club ometals. Police Traffic Commissioner Joha Fry was present for the start," and Lieutenant J. Wesley Brown. head of the police public safety bureau inspected the "stop

meter" at the finish.

Miss Willis drove through all kinds of traffic, the light trafic of outlying districts and residen- tial sections and the heavy rush- hour trafac of

the congested downtown area. She used the brakes only when it was neċej- sary,

The number of stops varied a great deal with the time of the day and changing" trasie condi- tions. Miss Willis stopped 100 times in. the first hour and a half or driving. In one hour, between II am and noon, she stopped 34

the times, while following hour, from noon to 1.

p.m. she stopped 88 times.

In the eight hours of driving Miss Willis travelled 1,443 miles, an average of slightly more than eighteen miles an hour. She never drove over 30 miles an hour, and most of the time the "Editor of a Missouri weekly paper speedometer registered under 25

miles an hour. carried this notice:

Expiration

When

"Attention subscribers. your subscription expires come in and renew promptly if you want me to give you a good boost toward the golden gate when you expire.”

"This test emphasizes

the absolute necessity of good brakes in perfect operating condition for city traffic." Mr. Harist said. when be announced the results

AVIATION

Flying Speeds And Costs

Passengers from almost every capital in Europe can now reach London in a day's dying, thanks to the more rapid services which are in operation on the mains Continental air routes, while res markable litustrations are becom- ing available of how business" travellers and holiday folk are enjoying air speed and luxury at cost which, in a good many cases, is now actually lower than that which would be entailed by any corresponding form of luxury surface transport.

Striking instances arise in con- nection with the service which Imperial Airways now operates. from London to Vienna, Prague, and Budapest, the figured quoted. being for express air transport as compared with first class sur- face transport with sleeper accommodation where necessary.

LONDON TO FRAGUE.

Take the case of Prague. (A. first class surface transport jour- ney from London to Prague costs: Just over £14 and lasts 23 hours. By air express the fare is 13, and the flying journey is con- pleted in a few minutes over six hours.

In the case of a trip from Lon- don to Vienna the time taken by: surface transport is 28). hours, and the cost works out at just on £19. By exprese air liner the Journey is completed in 7" hours, and an air ticket costs only

$15,

If one travels from London to Budapest by the surface route one is 311⁄2 hours on the journey and incurs a cost of approximate-" ly £23. To make the journey by air liner it takes only 8 hours, and, the air fare is £17,

"Miss' Willis had to call upon her brakes on average of more than. once a minute, and more than three times every mile. I am deeply impressed by these figures,¦. and I feel sure they will help make other drivers realise the tremendous importance of brakes."

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