Evening Star Newspaper, December 6, 1925, Page 82

BY WILLIAM ULLMAN. Once over the top of the steep hill. Rhe average automobile driver ia ready %0 sit back and take it easy. He feels that getting up in high has been a decided accomplishment and does not Jinow there may be greater honor in getting down safely and nolselessly in econd "“fhe art of descending hills is equally as important as that of as- cending them, as many progressive cers have discovercd. There is snuch to be learned about a n the «own grade and much that one hap- Vens to know comes into use as the car noses over the top and starts down the macadam tohoggan. Some weneral rules have been given for de- scending hills, but hing of carelessly shifted gears, the smell of burning brakes and the veports of backfiring motors, the rules Jave been much too general Intimate knowledge of the car is ntial in gotng downhill. The whole process is often more involved than 1he ascent. 1f a driver has difficulty going up, or even it the engine fails Ly the wayside he can stop or back down and try it again. The driver Who makes a mess of going down hill, however, seldom has a second chance ut the same performance. The con sequences of his blunders are usually such as to render it impossible to Lack up to the top to try it again If an engine fails a driver in climb ing a hill the poorest brakes will hold him. As a matter of fact, since the car probably will be in low gear at the time of the stall, it will hold back in gear on the engine’s com- pression, even if the brakes are bad Looking at the other side of the question, the trouble with going down hill is that if the power to stop fails the car is beyond control Brakes Are “Power, The effcctiveness of brakes should be viewed in terms of power. It requires power to start & car and power to stop. No intelligent driver would attempt to make a 40- horsepower motor do the work of an 80-horsepower engine on a steep hill, or attempt to force a car up a hill £0 steep that the grade would kill the engine even in low gear. That would he exceeding the engine's power limit. Yet it {s a common thing to see a driver with very low-powered brakes followirg directly behind a car with high-powered brakes, running 30 miles @n hour or faster down a long, steep hill Brake power, like engine power, Is variable. Some days the engine will pull beautifully while at other times it will be sluggish. Tt depends upon its mechanical condition, the load to be carried, the hill, the ‘traction and the weather or climatic conditions. The fuel used and the general me- chanical condition of the car are ad ditional matters to be considered, not forgetting the skill of the driver. In descending hills there are many sim- ilar conditions. To start down a hill, fully assured that the brakes will hold in any emergency just because they were in good shape the day before, j» merely another way of flirting with trouble. Rrake lining is seriously affected at times by the weather. Generally speaking, the linings will swell and take hold better on a damp day than ay, though their effective- again diminishes as _the linings hecome water soaked. This means that it may be entirely safe to de- scend a hill one day in high and very dangerous to do so anothor day with- out dropping into second and using the engine as a brake. Any motorist who reviews his methods of driving will be surprised to note that he Is wont to go down certain hiils, re. sardless of conditions, in high gear, while descending others at all times in second. Produces Accidents. This habit is an excellent accident producer. It means that a driver will find no difficulty stopping his car, or keeping it under control, in descend- ing a certain hill, only to be caught some time with underpowered brakes when he is repeating the performance with the car loaded down with 500 dditional pounds of humanity. One of the important things to re- Jjudging from the | THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C., DECEMBER 6 OTORS and ART OF DESCENDING HILLS NEGLECTED, WITH DANGER Driver Concentrates on Simpler and Safer Problem of Climbing, But Should Seek Higher Test of His Skill. member in going down hill is to be able to judge a grade accurately. This applies to climbing hilis as well, but here the accuracy of ol Judgment i a matter of safety rather than of en- gine performance. It has been noticed that motor tourisf who travel throu{h unfamiliar country fnquonuK shift into lower gears on hills whio are not really steep at all, and then run (o the opposite extreme by rely. ing entirely upon the brakes to hold them on hills which they cannot climb in high gear. . There is one safe rule governing the extent of the downgrade. If it becomes necessary to hold the brake pedal down continually ‘the hill is too steep for high gear, and a shift to se ond should be made immediately Often cars coming up the hill will serve as @ clue to its grade, for if they are in_second gear or are mot making much speed in high, one can he reasonably sure that it is a “sec: ond-gear hill,” going up as well as golng down. Gear Change Called For. In applying the brakes to see just | how steep the hill really {s, the driver also discovers the condition of the brakes. Should he find them tuking hold better than usual, the situation is womewhat the same as it would be if the hill were not so steep or if the passenger load were not so great, On the other hand, if the brakes do not take hold well, a hill which is not so steep calls for a lower gear. The condition of the engine also plays an important part in assisting in saving brake power. Just as com- pression is an important factor in climbing, so is it important in de- ending hills. A new car will not ' 2 so easily when going down hill simply because the valves seat perfectly and the pistons are tight. It is difficult to crunk because it is so “stift.” Tight bearings com- bine with maximum compression to make the engine an effect! brake In itself, and all the driver has to do, if he desires to keep the car under full control when going down a mod- erately steep hill, is to clese the throttle. ! The ignition should never be switched off when descending hills, all advice to the contrary notwith- standing. Aside from the possible damage to the car by reason of switching off the ignition, it has been demonstrated that one cannot tell the difference, so far as retarding the car goes, between descending with igni. tion on or off. The closed throttle is ample to change the engine from a conveyer to a brake. With the igni- tion still on, it is not necessary to “clear” the cylinders in order to avold a backfire in the muffler. Leave Ignition On. Advice formerly given to the driver had to do with switching off the igni- tion and opening the throttle wide. A wide throttle without ignition does in- crease compression and serves to hold back the car a littile more under cer- tain circumstances, but the motorist should remember that with a closed throttle the pistons are held back by suction. The pistons cannot get as much air as they want to suck in, and are thus retarded in their motion. With the throttle wide open the driver is apt to switch on the igni- tion and find that he has blown off the muffler. Gas accumulates {n the exhaust manifold and in the muffer in such quantities as to present a new and entirely unnecessary hazard. Drivers who have not mastered the gears should stop just over the top of the hill and shift into second. This saves a lot of trouble and often a lot of expense. For those who prefer to shift after mer are part way down the hill the following rule applies: Press the elutch pedal down to the floor and place the gears in neutral. Let the clutch come back to normal position and step on the accelerator until the engine races. Press the clutch pedal down to the floor and shift direct into second. The quicker this is done the better the shift will be, becayse the car is gaining momentum while the gears are in neutral, and that makes shift- ing increasingly harder. (Copyright, 1026.) They All Practice But the Autoist, He Tries Out Car First on Public How many drivers who go earnestly | through the eir toes procedure of with their finger tips : times each morning before shavi ever think of taking the car on a side street and practicing how to drive it better? The musician spends hours doing scales and reams of finger exercises. “The singer vocalizes by the hour.. The Zolfer swings the clubs every evening, regularly breaking a vase or a chande- iier, which he cheerfully pays for him- self. But the motorist does all his practicing on the audience. STARTING IN WINTER. Coasting Out of Garage Is Safest Cold-Weather Plan. 1¢ it were not for the ever-present danger of death from poisonous car- ion monoxide fumes from the exhaust of the engine. no motorist would be justified in moving his car in cold weather until the engine was thoroughly warmed. As matters stand, however, the average driver cranks as quickly as he can, and then hacks out of the garage without delay. ‘This problem can be solved, however, by arranging for the car to run up « slight incline when it is garaged. After releasing the brakes, the car coasts out to the driveway where the driver can take his time warming up the engine, yet without operating it in the meantime. touching AUTO REPAIRING Expert service and repair- ing for all makes of cars. FLINT & GARDNER SERVICE A SPECIALTY T. J. CAMFIELD 17th and V Sts. NW. Pot. 1673 Tires and Accessories It is as though the pianist had to study out a chord while his bored audience grew restless. It is as | though the golf champion asked per- mission to try a little putting before proceeding with the match. The mo- torist drives right down to Main street and then atarts practicing, tying up trafic in general, jeopardizing pedestrians and worrying the traffic cops. An audlence can get up and get out. But there is no such simple means of escape for those who must “carry on” while a motorist is trying something new on his gear shift. ECONOMICAL SPEED. May Be Found by Tests Made in Coasting. | Most drivers know that every car has an economical speed, but few cars |are driven at such a speed because few owners know how to find it. All blundering to the contrary notwith- standing there is a way to find the economical speed for any car, and it {s a very economical process at that. Just take the car out on some level road or street where there is no there are a few such N N N N N N N \ N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N ACHIEVE KIND-HEARTEDNESS, WHILE SO HAVE Tire Troubles Seldom Befall Well Prepared Did you ever notice that most of the tire trouble along the roud be falls those motorists who aren't even equipped with a spare, while those who carry two brand new spare cords seldom have a punc- ture? It seems to be the way with things, and rather proves that if you are prepared for what may happen you not only have peace of mind but actuslly less trouble. BALTIMORE TO ERECT MOTOR BUS TERMINAL ‘Work to Be Started Soon on Build- ing in Center of Wholesale Distriet. Work will shortly be started on the erection of & union motor bus terminal in the heart of the wholesale district of Baltimore. Plans provide for. a threestory brick building with stone trimming, having a frontage of 90 feet on Red- wood street and 33 on Liberty. Con- tract for the work, which will repre- sent an investment of approximately $260,000 for Jand and construction, has been awarded and bullding oper- ations will be begun as soon as the structures now on the site have been razed. Busses - will enter the proposed building from Liberty street, dis- charge and receive passengers at a platform and then leave by way of Redwood street. Because of the grade of Redwood street, entrance from that thoroughfare to the waiting room on the second floor will be nearly at street level. This floor also will con- tain ticket offices and smoking and rest rooms. Access to the station platform will be by stairway. Offices of the bus companies using the terminal and of the operating company will be on the third floor. The first floor will con- tain space sufficient to house 14 2 foot busses clear of the driveway through the bullding. Thus accommo- dations for layover and reserve busses will be provided. Use of the terminal by interurban and interstate bus lines will ald in solving the traffic problem it is be- lieved by the interests behind the project. ‘It is expected that the new terminal will be ready for operation in the Spring. places still left—and see how far it will coast after reaching speeds of 10, 18, 20, 23 and 80 in turn. You will, of course, find that the car will coast farther the faster you are going at the point the clutch pedal is depressed but if you will study the coasting dis- tances carefully you will note that there is a point at which you get a maximum coast for a minimum speed. That's the speed to stick to when vou want to save gas. Use Brakes Gently. Rough and unnecessary usage of four-wheel brakes may strain the body of the car, particularly if it is a closed model. On the other hand the body will be spared the usual strain in- cident to two-wheel brakes if the four- wheel brakes are used gently. R ) Studebaker Owners Bring me your car and have it put in condition for the Winter season by Studebaker Specialists. Estimates given on all work befete we start. Towing, Oiling, Greasing. All work guaranteed. See Me First and Save Money PAUL’S GARAGE Rear 1610 14th St. N.W. Rz R T e e T Potomac 5209 IT THRUST UPON THEMZ N Oworehe. 1915, by Meropoistan Nevepape Servies John Smith BY FREDERIC John Smith is a character whom is not selfish; rather he is a motoring martyr, a chap have exploited. in an interesting wa the other 10,000,000 or more members of the motor clan. No. 127—Learning from Others. Growing more and more observing as his motoring experience becam more intensive, Smith was quick to note there was much to be learned from the other fellow. He found that the other fellow was making a number of mistakes from which he himself could profit. The idea of picking up hints from other car owners came to him the other day as he was walting in line at a filling station. This afforded him the opportunity to nate how the man ahead of him was adding oil to the engine. “Why,” Smith declared, “that fel low is reading the oil indicator while the car is on a grade. He thinks he needs oil, but the oil is tipped over to one xide of the engine. And the fel- lows on the other side think they have plenty of oil, whereas the indicator probably registers full because the car appens to be tipped the opposite way. T merely nodded in the affirmative. It was a few days before this that I had seen Smith reading the oil indi- cator of his own engine at this very spot. There was no point, however, in discouraging him, now that he was started on a new and better plan. The man ahead had no sooner given a demonstration in how not to add oil to an engine than he proceeded to glve a demonstration in careless cranking. If he stepped on the start- er once, he stepped on it a dozen times. We noticed he was holding the choker all the way out. Smith saw at once that our frlend ahead was flooding the engine with raw gasoline, and to such an extent that the engine could not possibly start until the cylinders were cleared of excess fuel. “Why doesn't he stop and let the gasoline in the cylinders leak out?” Smith asked. “Because he deesn’t have to,” I an- swered. “See, one of the employes of the station is showing him how to get out of this tangle. He's telling our friend to keep on cranking the engine, but with the throttle closed and the choker pushed in. The excess gaso- line and vapor in the cylinders is then being forced out of tha exhaust and no more is being drawn in. That's a quicker process than waiting.” “But suppose our friend happened to be miles from a garage with the bat- tery starting to go bad?” Smith ques- tioned. ‘““And suppose he did not have a hand crank?” “Then he would open up the pet- cocks on the top of the motor and re- move the !rrk plugs,” 1 explained. “That would release the gas.” PARKING HEAD FIRST. Saves Time and Prevents Holding Up Traffic. The embarrassment of holding up | traffic while preparing to back into a parking space can be avoided by park- ing head first into the space tempo- rarily. When traffic has passed, back out and take your time doing the job in the proper manner. This method also saves forfeiting & space to some one who may sneak in behind while you are preparing to back. Hit the bumps with a smile, Franklin Garage & Service Co. 1724 Kalorama Road Phone Col. 7484 A4 - SraBiiiro 1925 and His Car K C. RUSSELL every motorist should welcome. He ing and glad to v, his experiences for the benefit of Hardly were the words out of my mouth than t ear ahead was moving nd Smith was driving up to his place | at the tank. 1 noticed, however, that when Smith cranked his engine he did not make the mistake of forget ting to give the engine gas o many drivers, in recranking, try to star the motor on its idling speed instead of giving it some gas with the hand throttle control Then when the en- gine does not start theyv puil out the choker and get into trouble. All this Smith had picked up in an_instant just by watching the fellow ahead. “I wonder if that fellow ahead realizes how ineffective that stop light signal is when he keeps flashing it at me?” Smith commented as we went our way. “The first thing you know he’ll be making a real stop and 111 be thinking he's fust giving me an- other false alarm.” “He should use his accelerator more and his brakes less,” I suggested as a remedy for the nufsance. | As I explained to Smith, most drivers | do not look ahead. They step on the | gas when it is evident, or should be. | that they will have to stop at the | next corner. Then when they might {profit by hurrying they tuke their time. The result is that the brakes are used excessively. Smith took a hint, be- cause he told me how he was solving the problems of giving a false alarm with the stop light signal by using the emergency brake more often. Suddenly the car ahead stopped, the rear wheels locking so that they slid almost 20 feet. Since it had start- ed to rain, there was no noise from | the tires. That brought up another ¢ fow can T tell whether I have locked the wheels when the streets are mith asked. I might be slid- |ing straight ahead while thinking I {had not pressed hard enough on the | brake pedal. And I know that you | | Bet the best results from brakes by | keeping them just below the point of | locking the wheels.” & | “That's simple,” I told him. “Watch | your speedometer. 1f the rear wheels ock, the speedometer will register zero. It's operated from the propeller shaft.’ “1 wish T could tell Smith said. accident.” “He told you,” I interrupted. “You wouldn't have known about it if he hadn’t been here to give you the tip. Let’s put on steam and get ahead of him. Maybe it's our turn to help him." that fellow,” “It might save him an | Next week—1In Spite of Trouble. {Copyright. 1925.) Car Owner Listed “Upper Crus By those who levy taxes the car owner regarded as the upper crust of society which should be done brown; and. like bakers and dough gatherers, they invariably see to It | that browned lie = Stop envying ownersof Studebaker Power Durabiling-Finish Raising of Limit May Substitute Mirth for Speed Those speed limit have Leen raised from 15 miles per hour to 45 by practical jok . food for thought. kEvery ap preciates a good joke, so perhaps if towns would post ridicul- ously high limits it cause reckless drivers to long enough to forget to speed. One do both at once and do it ively. A warning sign along the main entrance to Lenox, Mass., has been ‘“raised” by some town wit from the conventional and un interesting 15 miles per hour to a startling 175. One can’t help notic ing it, laughing at it—and going slower. CONVICTS ENGAGED IN UNIQUE CONTEST to Unlock for signs_ which somy would laugh Two Gangs Racing Yosemite Motorists. A contest unique in the annals of road building is in progress in Cali fornia between prisoners from the two te penal institutions Working under the direction of the California the convict camp from San Quentin is pitted against the camp from IFolsom prison in a competition to be first in completing State roads into Yosemite National Park. San Quentin camp is seeking to finish the last seven miles of new State highway leading into Yosemit in Merced Canvon. The Folsom is now completing grading of eight miles of State highway in the Kern River Canvon. State Highway Commission, | 'TYPES OF WHEELS TOPIC ' POPULAR IN MOTORDOM. | | | | | | | | the | off in | wheels | and design | the | pe the Advantages ly Discussed—Fact Car Owners S One of the ev motordom s erattractive subjects | motor car whe uch that ix mecnanically in’ | about the various types, still | the subject is not so average motorist lost in @ maze terms. And cvery ca able to apj et wheel types. the 1 i des nothe conven but in the Wil atecept @ which is most gen This will of is to i ndihle buyer sh | kely of non-t waod kpoke | the pub ac wheel tech omental fe hey are fir a1 units will wheels on a tions Fact That is Recognized for It iy recognized exanmple, that tire ind ¢ prove with a de of unsprung we in this c; generally it offer Reducing the nns| can be carried onl rength wou onomy is 1 respect. | how must be heel early strength for exce types of wire straight spokes were i this respect, but w type, in which the A ent from t sesses unusual strength and resiliency A point in faver of the wire wheel | is found in the fact that the tortion strain, or driving force from hub to rim, 15 transmitted by a direct pull | upon the wire ok In the ¢ of wood whe the force tends hend the s and as wood Jickn of wheel spokes ca bend appreciably, resiliency §s slizht. | Waood spokes do not break under th strain, tor the reason that the spok are thick enough to with tortion strain s heels, on the Fand reinforced whes hub flange Thi: exy wheels dequ k car owners are mot It wood wheel because it s safety, obtain pense of light | proves wide Mechanical Points Important. ! Before passing ts pro and mechanical wheel should be wheel is being B equipment on a number of cars, and the motorist, while readily appreciat-| smartness, interested to| stands up as well as | which car along con on features considered, offered to the other 1eel types other have It that t} tioned TS 2d_experience nld be evident dise w f the tortion nection there to bezin with is no break = The hnical that the | of equal weight | sizned and Disadvantages Frequent. s Adduced Which hould Know. the drive from the i heel is really spokes,” which, ¥ should be stronge. However, dis remo must not sinca the ority of wheels are to 1l de changes, t. Thus d it may not be as streng as oved wire wheel of e juzl v ause solidity of consty \ the case of a break n reakdown) does ic angth where cause b of L ot that it since the e of thinn, type of disc e plate, hut be compioses varving portion being es can be m third red of d 4 it thicknes: t the hu poc is weakest T n in any type of w at the hub fs proved by t th of the wood wheel af th The wood wheel is s i has always prov ugh not ideal. It therefore, that other t matter how r: pearance, sh ne structed the comes in the d su pes point najorit The time d table and wire wheels w but the detachable w not be sacrificed. ¥ blowout the driver w rir and tires with the spare wheel. Th extra wheel will be carried in case hr should break a wheel in a skid or col lision, s on ho I be the v eel fea ra pu cture « Differing Viewpoints. . s b id in favor of t ease with which disc wheels can clear and, vwhile this is true, § mt said in favor of the wood wheel that it doesn't look as bad a disc wheel when it is dirty. This cans that during the bad weather. when it is usrless to clean the car, t wood wheel will be t able. And despite of the disc z (Continued on th Page) More Real Power In buying cars there seems to be | considerable doubt in the minds many motorists as to the exa ference between rated power actual power. Some people will ¢ a 40-horsepower car off their list thinking that they must have at least | 50. while others will often_prefer a | §0-horsepower motor to a 70 on the theory that enough's enough This sort of sclection is known as “motor buying,” not car buying, be: unv“ {Many Forty-Horsepower Motors Have Than Some Sixties cause the motorist merely consiget: ated power of the engine. This have but a very indirect relati he actual power which the car a unit reveals, depending upon the speed of the motor and the gear ra tios, wheel sizes, body welght, tire and brake equipment Some 40-horsepower motors can liver to their cars a greater proj tion of uctual power than some 50s o 60s. The rated horsepower of an omobile engine is only half the s 45,000 Sq. Ft. OF FLOOR SPACE for the Better Servicing The Finest Building of Its Ki of Automobiles OUR NEW SERVICE STATION d in the East 1220 19th Street N. W. (Between M and N) OPENS TOMORROW It is equipped with every modern facility for better servicing the wants of Buick owners. . . . Located con- venient to all parts of the city, in a section untroubled by traffic congestion. . . . Big driveways into the building. WE INVITE YOUR INSPECTION STANLEY H. HORNER Retail Dealer