1931-10-03 — Page 12

THE HONGKONG

FREE WHEEL CAR DRIVES.

Gear Changing Made Easier.

NEW DRIVING METHODS NECESSARY.

to

TELEGRAPH, MOTORING SUPPLEMENT.

Increased Speed. Instead of the car slowing down, it actually increases its speed, unless travelling uphill, when the car over-runs the engine, so that the foot brake has to be applied much sooner than with a fixed geared transmission system.

sumption by coasting for many miles at a time.

ear

All that wo obtain in practice--- as I have found from personal experienco when driving a with an optional free wheel dur ing the past six months-is-con-

in stant free-wheeling trafic, where it in a danger unless the driver uses the brakes more fro quently than he would without a free wheel.

Bame

SATURDAY. OCTOBER * 3, 1931.

VENUE OF AMERICAN

AIR RACES.

Thus, while competent drivers use their brakes as seldom There a no gainsaying that a [By H. Thornton Rutter.]

free wheel makes gear changing porsible, driving their cars on the n free wheel they discusadon hasi arisen much simpler to the driver, as there throttle, with Much

drive 011 their brakes.

In Open Country. among motorists In regard to the is no need to throw out the clutchmant

Filtherto this has been considered

Occasionally in the open country benefit or otherwise of having nor to accelerate the englue free wheel drive to their cars.

effect a change of driving ratio. bad driving.

one can free wheel for about a But a free wheel entirely changes I must pay a compliment to the mile, seldom further. At the America has chosen to adverting the method of driving. It is very American motor car makers that intime it must be remembered British this attachment to the trammikaion of the drive as is means of saving portant to realise this in order no caso have they provide a free motor-car manufacturers are seek- petrol and as a novelty to their to keep a proper control of the car wheel without a means of throwing to sell their cars in every

The In the first place, drivers are so ing it out of operation in order to of the world. Therefore no must new cars for next season. type of free wheel fitted to Ameri- accustomed to the braking effect of revert to fixed gear should the not forget that there are wide open spaces with little traffic in countries ean cars reminds one of the old the engine on the speed travelled driver wish to da no.

outside the United Kingdom in free wheel might be coaster hub attached to pedal when their foot is taken off the ac-

Cleveland, Aux. 15.-While nero- hleycles, as permits the ear to celerator pedal, that their judgment

which the beueßcial as an economy factor.

plane motera all over the United over-run the engine on all occasions of speed and distance in slowing up when, in operation, the foot is lifted or stopping the car bus to he entire

Otherwise, I am of the opinion States and parts of Canada are ly revised for the new condition.

that the present aim of British being tuned up to roar over the from the accelerator péda),

automobile engineers and designers skyways to this city for participa- in producing cany changing gear-tion in the National Air Races boxes and pre-selective gear unlia Aug. 29 to Sept. 7, thousands of with optional free wheel by putting molorists also are getting ready the gears in neutral-is better and to tour to the greatest hir spectacle

In England free wheels are of not very much use except in We make gear-changing easier. have no great lengths of mountain rouds where we can save fuel con-

TRUST A THORNYCROFT With Your TRANSPORT

DEAL DIRECT.

THORNYCROFT

SIX-CYLINDERED

COACHES

MOTOR

& OMNIBUSES

VEHICLES

Pioneer Manufacturers of Commercial Motor Vehicles

4 or 6 Wheels

4 or 6 Cylinders

30 Cwt, to 10 Ton Loads

20 to 70 Passengers

JOHN I. THORNYCROFT & CO., LIMITED Pioneer Building, Nathan Road, Kowloon. TEL. 56752.

TRUST A THORNYCROFT With Your Transport

Inafer than the "conster hub" free the country offer shore of Lake}

wheel pure and simple.

Even the best brakes may fail at times, and so it la wise to have a gear-box that can give the delver a certainty of engaging an gear ratio at will in order to use the engine and a low gear na a brake,

Situated on the

Erie, Cleveland is the hub of a anlf-wheel of fine ronds leading in from the south, east and west. should encounter na Tourista rough goipg on the way here.

From east and weat, probably the most travelled road to Clove-

Boston, land is U.S. highway 20. 1 han run recently in the new

Is the enstern starting point of four-cylinder 16.9 h.p. Plymouth this highway.

and #uk Albany, car, the latent "free wheeler but tourists from New York City can

the United States. In this

continues on thesign the connter hub behind the join the trek westward over this gear-box has a clutch arrangement bad. The route nctuated by a push and pall knob through Buffalo and Er. and

thence into Cleveland. on the dashboard.

in

More direct a route from New

LAKE GRIE

ITO" TOLEDO,

DETROIT AND CHICAGO

[TO" COLUMBUS

AND CINCINNATI

TO BOBTON

AND NEW YORK

CLEVELAI

[TO PHILADELPHIA AND WASHINGTON.

(TO CHARLESTON AND CHARLOTTE

Aeroplanes will go as the crow flies, but autos will have to take one of several good roads that converge at Cleveland, as shown by map, where the National Air Races will be held from Aug. 20 to Sopt. 7.

U.S.

Once in Cleveland, the out-of- When this knob is pushed in, the York City is U.S. highway 6 which where U.S. highway 42 runs up tof

2 town tourist would experience dif- highway free wheel is in operation. To cuts diagonally across New Jersey Cleveland.

from Knoxville and fenity locating the airport were throw it out of action one has to and Pennsylvania and joins route comes depreas the clutch and then pull out 20 at Erie. This highway, like 29. Augusta, Ga., while U.S. highway it not for arrangements inade hi 27 leads up from Lexington, Ky, the National Air Race committee. the control, which transforms the is well paved all the way.

From Baltimore, Philadelphia Chattanooga, Tenn., Atlanta, Ca., The best roads to the airport will Įdrive to a fixed gear.

be plainly marked. If the tourist and Washington the best road in and the Florida west coast.

wishes, after a tiresome trip to the Lincoln Highway. Thin starts

The National Old Trails Rond, the city, he enn board a bus in the

Question of Time.

t Philadelphia, but good con-

Consequently, if one were const-

necting ronds lead from the other connecting at St. Louis with U.Sdowntown section of the city anti Ing down a hill and found that

two cities meeting it at Gettys-from Denver, un cast he taken direct to the port.

Those who are fortunate enough the brakea did not slow up the car pittsburgh and East Liverpool, O..At the latter city state highway to own neroplanes will be able to peed was increasing too much and hurg, Pa. Its route leads through Indianapolis and Columbus, O

continues on to Cleveland.

ly into the same airport at which sufletently, the driver would first

From the west, tourists niny the air races are being stared. have to put in a low gear ratio.

point towards Chicago, where they Arrangements have been made to then throw out the clutch, stoop forward, and finally pull out the

may lake U.S. highway 20 through transport these persons to down- South Bend and Elkhart, Ind., to town hotels after the races. free wheel control in order to use

From the south US. highway Toledo, 0. At the lutter cily An "off the beaten path" object the braking power of the negine

runa all the way from Savannah, and a low gear to slow up the car. S. 17 brings tourists either state highway 2, which of interest to the air race visitor

more or less out of control.

in Lisbon, whence state highway |

4 runs directly into the city.

Easy Routes to Follow.

can be taken.

his is housed in its

This

up from Florida's east coast. The skirts Lake Erie, or U.S. 29, which the huge Navy airship, the Could this be done in time to route passes through Columbia, S. continuen a little farther south, "Akron,"

dock In Akron, which is 35 miles N.

There is a C. Charleston, avert an accident? I greatly. Charlotte,

south of Cleveland. at Preparations for Visitors, the actual circum-W. Va., and enters Ohio depends on

possibility that this huge dread. stances, speed length, und charac Marietta. From the last city the

Tourists from Michigan may naught of the air will be com- ifter of the descent. Also, whether route oes due north to Cleveland.

the free wheel clutch came into From the southwest. Reveral join U.S. 20 from any of that pleted in time for participation in

nt Cincinnati, state's north and south highways. the air race ceremonios. fixed gear action on demand. routes converge

At present that is the general Imethod adopted on my American

Cars.

i think that the pre-selective Hear-box may cost a little more than a free wheel coasting attachment to the propeiler shaft or gear-box, but it is infinitely safer under similar conditions in descending a hill fret wheeling.

With that device one bus only to throw out the clutch and the genr is immediately engaged, s the driver has pre-selected his low gear immediately after he has allowed the rar to free wheel rendy for an emergency should one

(Decur,

I am sure thin system in quicker, , even with a free wheel attach- ment. the driver has to pause womewhat in making il Bear change to etfeel it quietly and with out risk of damaging teeth, besides having to shift the free wheel out of action.

for

BUICK 19 31

Another shipment of the 1931, Madel Buick Straight Eight Motor Cars has arrived, We cordially invite you to come in and inspect the Eight with BUICK'S Prestige -you will then understand why more than 2,600,000 people have chosen Buicks again and again.

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114" Wheelbaso Buick Modele

118" Weelbase Buick Models

124" Wheelbase Buick Models

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HK$9,820 to HK$ 9,980 HK$9,820 to HK$12,295

THE DRAGON MOTOR CAR Co., Ltd.

TELEPHONE 30228.

38, Wong Nei Chung Road, Happy Valley.

The world is going free wheeling

SINCE Studebaker introduced free. wheeling, the world's finest cars and most discriminating motorists have adopt- ed this finer type of motoring. First available in Studebaker Eights, free wheeling is now offered in Studebaker's low- priced Six. In this brilliant car, the spirited performance of a 70-horsepower engine is combined with free wheeling thrill and economy. You glide forward, bome by momen tum, each time your foot releases the accelerator. You save 15% to 20% in fuel and ail because your engine "rests". one mile in five. We invite you to drive-this-Six-today.

All new series Studebakers have Free Wheeling with one gear akange layer-engineered as an integral part of the chesala

THE HONG KONG HOTEL GARAGE

25, Queen's Road Central.

and at STUBBS RD.;

The Hong Kong & Shanghai Hotels, Ltd.

(Incorporated in Longuongt

STUDEBAKER